1Jesus went on to say to them, "Truly I tell you, some of those standing here will certainly not taste death until they see the kingdom of God having come with power."a 2Six days later Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3His clothes became dazzling, intensely white, whiter than any launderer on earth could make them.b 4Then Elijah appeared to them, and Moses with him, and the two of them were talking with Jesus. 5Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three shelters, one for you, another for Moses and another for Elijah." 6For Peter did not know what to say, because they were all terrified.
7Then a cloud came and overshadowed them, and from the cloud came a voice: "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." 8All at once, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone. 9While they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them strict orders: until the Son of Man rose from the dead, they were to tell no one what they had seen. 10They kept the matter to themselves, discussing with one another what the rising from the dead meant. 11Then they asked him, "Why do the scribes say Elijah must come first?"c 12He said to them, "Elijah does come first, and he restores everything. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that he is to suffer greatly and be treated with contempt?
13But I tell you that Elijah has in fact come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, just as it is written about him.” 14When they came back to the other disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15As soon as the whole crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with amazement, and they ran up and greeted him. 16He asked them, “What are you arguing about among yourselves?”d 17A man from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that keeps him from speaking. 18Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down. He foams at the mouth, he grinds his teeth, and he goes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not.”e
19Jesus answered them, "You unbelieving generation! How long must I stay with you? How long must I endure you? Bring the boy to me." 20So they brought the boy to him. At the sight of Jesus, the spirit at once threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell to the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21Jesus asked the father, "How long has the boy been like this?" The father answered, "Since he was a child. 22The spirit has often thrown him into fire and into water to destroy him. Yet if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." 23Jesus said to him, "'If you can'? Everything is possible for the one who believes."f 24At once the boy's father cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!"g
25When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit. "You mute and deaf spirit," he said to it, "I command you: come out of the boy and never enter him again!" 26The spirit shrieked, threw him into violent convulsions, and came out. The boy became like a corpse, and so most of the people said, "He is dead." 27But Jesus took hold of his hand and raised him, and he stood up. 28When Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not drive it out?" 29He said to them, "This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer."h
30They left that place and made their way through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know, 31because he was teaching his disciples and telling them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into human hands. They will kill him, and three days after he is killed he will rise."i 32But they did not understand what he said, and they were afraid to ask him. 33They came to Capernaum. Once inside the house, Jesus asked them, "What were you talking about on the road?"j 34But they kept silent, because on the road they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35Jesus sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first will be the last of all and servant of all."
36Jesus took a child and stood the child in the middle of them. Then he put his arms around the child and said to them, 37“Whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me welcomes not just me but the one who sent me.” 38John told him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”k 39But Jesus said, “Do not stop him. For no one who does a mighty work in my name can be quick to speak evil of me. 40For anyone not against us is for us.”l
41For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink since you belong to Christ, truly I tell you, that person will never lose the reward for it.m 42But if someone causes one of these little ones who have faith in me to stumble, that person would be better off having a heavy millstone hung around the neck and being thrown into the sea. 43If your hand is causing you to stumble, cut it off. You are better off entering life maimed than keeping both hands and going into hell, into the fire that cannot be put out. 44Not in the SBLGNT; see the note.n 45If your foot is causing you to stumble, cut it off. You are better off entering life lame than keeping both feet and being thrown into hell.o
46Not in the SBLGNT; see the note.p 47And if your eye makes you stumble, tear it out. You are better off having one eye and entering the kingdom of God than having both eyes and being thrown into hell,q 48where their worm never dies, nor is the fire ever put out. 49For everyone will be salted with fire.r 50Salt is good. But if salt loses its saltiness, what will you season it with? Have salt in yourselves, and live in peace with one another.”