2 Christ’s transfiguration. 7 Christ must be heard. 11 Of Elias and John Baptist. 14 The possessed healed. 23 Faith can do all things. 31 Christ foretelleth his death. 33 Who is greatest among the Apostles. 36 Christ taketh a child in his arms. 42 To offend. 50 Salt. Peace.

And (A)he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death till they have seen the [a]kingdom of God come with power.

(B)[b]And six days after, Jesus taketh unto him Peter, and James, and John, and carrieth them up into an high mountain out of the way alone, and his shape was changed before them.

And his raiment did [c]shine, and was very white as snow, so white as no fuller can make upon the earth.

And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

Then Peter answered, and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: let us make also three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

Yet he knew not what he said: for they were [d]afraid.

And there was a cloud that shadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, (C)This is my beloved Son: hear him.

And suddenly they looked round about, and saw no more any man save Jesus only with them.

(D)[e]And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them, that they should tell no man what they had seen, save when the Son of man were risen from the dead again.

10 So they [f]kept that matter to themselves, and [g]demanded one of another, what the rising from the dead again should mean.

11 [h]Also they asked him, saying, Why say the Scribes, that (E)Elijah must first come?

12 And he answered, and said unto them, Elijah verily shall first come, and restore all things: and (F)as it is written of the Son of man, he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

13 But I say unto you, that Elijah is come, (and they have done unto him whatsoever they would) as it is written of him.

14 (G)[i]And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the Scribes disputing with them.

15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were amazed, and ran to him, and saluted him.

16 Then he asked the Scribes, What dispute you among yourselves?

17 And one of the company answered, and said, Master, I have brought my son unto thee, which hath a dumb spirit:

18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he [j]teareth him, and he foameth, and gnasheth his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples, that they should cast him out, and they could not.

19 Then he answered him, and said, O faithless generation, how long now shall I be with you! how long now shall I suffer you! Bring him unto me.

20 So they brought him unto him: and as soon as the spirit [k]saw him, he tare him, and he fell down on the ground wallowing and foaming.

21 Then he asked his father, How long time is it since he hath been thus? And he said, Of a child.

22 And oft times he casteth him into the fire, and into the water to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, help us, and have compassion upon us.

23 And Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe it, [l]all things are possible to him that believeth.

24 And straightway the father of the child crying with tears, said, Lord, I believe: help my unbelief.

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee come out of him, and enter no more into him.

26 [m]Then the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out, and he was as one dead, insomuch that many said, He is dead.

27 But Jesus took his hand, and lifted him up, and he arose.

28 [n]And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him secretly, Why could not we cast him out?

29 And he said unto them, This kind can by no other means come forth, but by prayer and fasting.

30 (H)And they departed thence, and [o]went together through Galilee, and he would not that any should have known it.

31 [p]For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him, but after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day.

32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

33 (I)[q]After, he came to Capernaum: and when he was in the [r]house, he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among you by the way?

34 And they held their peace: for by the way they reasoned among themselves, who should be the chiefest.

35 And he sat down and called the twelve, and said to them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant unto all.

36 And he took a little child, and set him in the midst of them, and took him in his arms, and said unto them,

37 Whosoever shall receive one of such little children in my Name, receiveth me: and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth not [s]me, but him that sent me.

38 (J)[t]Then John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils by thy Name, which followeth not us, and we forbade him, because he followeth us not.

39 (K)But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man that can do a miracle by my Name, that can lightly speak evil of me.

40 For whosoever is not against us, is on our part.

41 (L)And whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink for my Name’s sake, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

42 (M)[u]And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones, that believe in me, it were better for him rather, that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were cast into the sea.

43 (N)Wherefore if thine hand cause thee to offend, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life, maimed, than having two hands, to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched,

44 (O)Where their [v]worm dieth not, and the fire never goeth out.

45 Likewise, if thy foot cause thee to offend, cut it off: it is better for thee to go halt into life, than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched,

46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire never goeth out.

47 And if thine eye cause thee to offend, pluck it out: it is better for thee to go into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire,

48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire never goeth out.

49 [w]For every man shall be [x]salted with fire: and (P)every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

50 (Q)Salt is good: but if the salt be unsavory, wherewith shall it be seasoned? have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 9:1 When he shall begin his kingdom through the preaching of the Gospel: that is to say, after the resurrection.
  2. Mark 9:2 The heavenly glory of Christ, which should within a short space be abased upon the cross, is avouched by visible signs, by the presence and talk of Elijah and Moses, and by the voice of the Father himself, before three of his disciples, which are witnesses against whom lieth no exception.
  3. Mark 9:3 Did sparkle as it were.
  4. Mark 9:6 They were beside themselves for fear.
  5. Mark 9:9 The Lord hath appointed his time for the publishing of the Gospel.
  6. Mark 9:10 Even very hardly as it were.
  7. Mark 9:10 They questioned not together touching the general resurrection which shall be in the latter day, but they understood not what he meant by that which he spake of his own peculiar resurrection.
  8. Mark 9:11 The foolish opinion of the Rabbis is here repelled touching Elijah’s coming, which was that either Elijah should rise again from the dead, or that his soul should enter into some other body.
  9. Mark 9:14 Christ showeth by a miracle even to the unworthy, that he is come to bridle the rage of Satan.
  10. Mark 9:18 Vexed him inwardly, as the colic useth to do.
  11. Mark 9:20 So soon as Jesus had looked upon the boy that was brought unto him, the devil began to rage after his manner.
  12. Mark 9:23 There is nothing but Christ can and will do it, for them that believe in him.
  13. Mark 9:26 The nearer that the virtue of Christ is, the more outrageously doth Satan rage.
  14. Mark 9:28 We have need of faith, and therefore of prayer and fasting, to cast Satan out of his old possession.
  15. Mark 9:30 He and his disciples together.
  16. Mark 9:31 Christ forewarneth us with great diligence, to the end we should not be oppressed with sudden calamities, but the slothfulness of man is wonderful.
  17. Mark 9:33 Only humility doth exalt.
  18. Mark 9:33 Where he was wont to make his abode.
  19. Mark 9:37 He doth not only receive me, but also him that sent me.
  20. Mark 9:38 God who is the author of an ordinary vocation, worketh also extraordinarily so oft as it pleaseth him. But an extraordinary vocation is tried by the doctrine and the effects.
  21. Mark 9:42 God is so severe a revenger of offenses, that it is better to suffer any loss, than to be an occasion of offense unto any.
  22. Mark 9:44 Their worm which shall be cast into that flame.
  23. Mark 9:49 We must be seasoned and powdered by God, both that we may be acceptable sacrifices unto him: and also that we being knit together, may season one another.
  24. Mark 9:49 That is, shall be consecrated to God, being seasoned with the incorruptible word.

And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come(A) with power.”(B)

The Transfiguration(C)(D)

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John(E) with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white,(F) whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi,(G) it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud:(H) “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”(I)

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone(J) what they had seen until the Son of Man(K) had risen from the dead. 10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.

11 And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”

12 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man(L) must suffer much(M) and be rejected?(N) 13 But I tell you, Elijah has come,(O) and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Impure Spirit(P)

14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.(Q)

21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”(R)

24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene,(S) he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately,(T) “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.[a]

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time(U)

30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man(V) is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him,(W) and after three days(X) he will rise.”(Y) 32 But they did not understand what he meant(Z) and were afraid to ask him about it.

33 They came to Capernaum.(AA) When he was in the house,(AB) he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.(AC)

35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”(AD)

36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms,(AE) he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”(AF)

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us(AG)

38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”(AH)

39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us.(AI) 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.(AJ)

Causing to Stumble

42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble,(AK) it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.(AL) 43 If your hand causes you to stumble,(AM) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell,(AN) where the fire never goes out.(AO) [44] [b] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble,(AP) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.(AQ) [46] [c] 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble,(AR) pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,(AS) 48 where

“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
    and the fire is not quenched.’[d](AT)

49 Everyone will be salted(AU) with fire.

50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?(AV) Have salt among yourselves,(AW) and be at peace with each other.”(AX)

Footnotes

  1. Mark 9:29 Some manuscripts prayer and fasting
  2. Mark 9:44 Some manuscripts include here the words of verse 48.
  3. Mark 9:46 Some manuscripts include here the words of verse 48.
  4. Mark 9:48 Isaiah 66:24