1 ARST Then Jesus told his apprentices and the large group of people,“Some of you who are here with me will definitely see God powerfully establish his kingdom before you die. What I have said is true!” BSB BSB: Then Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God arrive with power.”
2 ARST Six days later, Jesus climbed up a tall mountain. He had Peter, James, and John go with him. No one else was with them. Then, the three apprentices saw Jesus change how he appeared. BSB BSB: After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them.
3 ARST His clothes became very bright white. They were whiter than anyone on earth could make them by bleaching them. BSB BSB: His clothes became radiantly white, brighter than any launderer on earth could bleach them.
4 ARST After that, Elijah and Moses{, who were prophets from long ago,} appeared to the three apprentices! These prophets were speaking to Jesus. BSB BSB: And Elijah and Moses appeared before them, talking with Jesus.
5 ARST Peter responded by saying to Jesus,“Teacher, it is appropriate for all of us to be here. We should build three shelters. You, Moses, and Elijah can each use one.” BSB BSB: Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
6 ARST { Peter said that} because he and the other two apprentices were extremely afraid. So, he did not know how to respond{ to what he saw}. BSB BSB: For they were all so terrified that Peter did not know what else to say.
7 ARST Then a cloud covered all of them! God spoke from the cloud,“This man is my Son, the one whom I love dearly. Do what he says.” BSB BSB: Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him!”
8 ARST When the three apprentices looked around, suddenly, the only person whom they still saw with them was Jesus. BSB BSB: Suddenly, when they looked around, they saw no one with them except Jesus.
9 ARST While they were walking down the mountain, Jesus told them that they should not tell anyone about what they had just seen until he, the Son of Man, had become alive again. BSB BSB: As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus admonished them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
10 ARST So they did not tell others about what had happened. However, they talked with each other about what it meant when Jesus said that he would become alive again. BSB BSB: So they kept this matter to themselves, discussing what it meant to rise from the dead.
11 ARST Then those three apprentices asked Jesus,“The teachers of the Jewish law tell us that the prophet Elijah has to be here before{ the Messiah gets here}. Are they right about that?” BSB BSB: And they asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
12 ARST Jesus replied,“{ Yes, the prophet} Elijah must be here before{ the Messiah gets here}. He will make everything as it should be. However, consider this:{ the prophets} wrote in the Scriptures that people would reject me, the Son of Man, and hurt me very much. BSB BSB: He replied, “Elijah does indeed come first, and he restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected?
13 ARST { That makes sense only because of} what I am about to tell you.{ The prophet} Elijah has already been here. Further, people treated him badly, just as{ the prophets} wrote in the Scriptures about him.” BSB BSB: But I tell you that Elijah has indeed come, and they have done to him whatever they wished, just as it is written about him.”
14 ARST Then Jesus and those three apprentices arrived where the other apprentices were. They saw a large group of people around the other apprentices. Some teachers of the Jewish laws were debating with them. BSB BSB: When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.
15 ARST As soon as{ Jesus arrived}, the large group of people noticed him, and it surprised them very much. So, they hurried to him and said hello to him. BSB BSB: As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were filled with awe and ran to greet Him.
16 ARST Then Jesus asked his apprentices,“What are you debating with the teachers of the Jewish law?” BSB BSB: “What are you disputing with them?” He asked.
18 ARST Whenever the demon chooses, it makes my son fall down. Then, my son drools, grinds his teeth together, and becomes rigid. I asked your apprentices to force the demon out of him. However, they could not{ do it}.” BSB BSB: 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 it out, but they were unable.”
19 ARST Jesus replied to them,“You people who are alive right now do not believe! It is hard for me to live here with you. It is difficult for me to be patient with you.”{ Then he said to them,}“Bring the man’ s son to me!” BSB BSB: “O unbelieving generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to Me.”
20 ARST So, some people brought the man’ s son to Jesus. As soon as the demon noticed Jesus, it shook the man’ s son violently. He fell down and writhed around as he drooled. BSB BSB: So they brought him, and seeing Jesus, the spirit immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
22 ARST The demon also frequently makes him fall into fires and bodies of water in order to kill him. So, if you can do so, please pity us and help us!” BSB BSB: “It often throws him into the fire or into the water, trying to kill him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 ARST Jesus replied,“You should not talk about whether I can{ help you}. God can do anything for people who trust him!” BSB BSB: “If You can?” echoed Jesus. “All things are possible to him who believes!”
25 ARST Then Jesus noticed that a large group of people was quickly assembling. So, he commanded the demon{ who was controlling the man’ s son} to stop{ doing so}. He said,“You demon who are keeping this boy from speaking and hearing, I tell you to stop controlling him! You may not control him again.” BSB BSB: When Jesus saw that a crowd had come running, He rebuked the unclean spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” He said, “I command you to come out and never enter him again.”
26 ARST The demon shouted and shook the boy violently. Then it stopped controlling him. After that, the boy lay so still that he looked like a corpse. In fact, many people said that he was dead. BSB BSB: After shrieking and convulsing him violently, the spirit came out. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He is dead.”
27 ARST However, Jesus took hold of the boy’ s hand and helped him get up. The boy stood up! BSB BSB: But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 ARST Later, Jesus entered a house, and only his apprentices were with him. They asked him,“Why could we not force out that demon?” BSB BSB: After Jesus had gone into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
29 ARST Jesus replied,“You can only force this type of demon out by praying and by not eating in order to please God.” BSB BSB: Jesus answered, “This kind cannot come out, except by prayer.”
30 ARST After Jesus and his apprentices left that area, they traveled through the region of Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone else to know{ where he was}. BSB BSB: Going on from there, they passed through Galilee. But Jesus did not want anyone to know,
31 ARST { Jesus did not want people to know where they were} because he was instructing his apprentices. He told them,“Somebody will help my enemies arrest me, the Son of Man. They will have people kill me. Then, three days after I die, I will live again.” BSB BSB: because He was teaching His disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three days He will rise.”
32 ARST However, the apprentices did not understand what Jesus was telling them, and they were afraid to ask him{ what he meant}. BSB BSB: But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
33 ARST Then Jesus and his apprentices arrived at the town of Capernaum. When they were in the house{ where they were staying}, Jesus asked them,“What were you arguing about while we were walking here?” BSB BSB: Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was in the house, He asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”
34 ARST However, while the apprentices were walking, they had been arguing with each other about which one of them was the most important. So, they did not answer{ Jesus}. BSB BSB: But they were silent, for on the way they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.
35 ARST Then Jesus sat down. He called his 12 representatives to come close to him, and then he said to them,“If anyone wants God to consider him to be the most important person of all, he must consider himself to be the least important person of all, and he must serve everyone else.” BSB BSB: Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all.”
36 ARST Then Jesus had a young child stand among them. He hugged the child, and he told his apprentices, BSB BSB: Then He had a little child stand among them. Taking the child in His arms, He said to them,
37 ARST “When people, because they are my apprentices, welcome any young child such as this one here, it is the same as welcoming me. Further, when people welcome me, they are also welcoming{ God,} who sent me here.” BSB BSB: “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes not only Me, but the One who sent Me.”
38 ARST John said to Jesus,“Instructor, we noticed someone who was forcing demons out of people. He claimed that he represented you as he did that. So, we told him to stop doing that, because he was not one of us apprentices.” BSB BSB: John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone else driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.”
39 ARST Jesus said,“People will not say bad things about me soon after doing something powerful while they claim to represent me. Because of that, do not tell that man to stop{ forcing demons out of people}. BSB BSB: “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied. “For no one who performs a miracle in My name can turn around and speak evil of Me.
40 ARST { I say that} because those who are not opposing us are supporting us. BSB BSB: For whoever is not against us is for us.
41 ARST As for those who offer you water to drink because they know that you are apprentices of me, the Messiah, God will most certainly reward them. What I have said is true. BSB BSB: Indeed, if anyone gives you even a cup of water because you bear the name of Christ, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.
42 ARST On the other hand, suppose that an insignificant person who trusts me sinned because of certain people.{ God will punish those people so severely that} they would prefer to have someone tie a heavy stone around their necks and cast them into the ocean. BSB BSB: But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea.
44 ARST In that place maggots feed on the people there forever, and the fires never go out. BSB BSB: Not in the BSB
45 ARST Suppose that you sinned because you went somewhere. You should never do that again, even if you have to chop off your feet to make sure of it!{ You should respond that drastically because} it is better for you to truly live without feet than to have both feet but end up in hell. BSB BSB: If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
46 ARST In that place maggots feed on the people there forever, and the fires never go out. BSB BSB: Not in the BSB
47 ARST Suppose that you sinned because you looked at something. You should never do that again, even if you have to remove your eyes to make sure of it!{ You should respond that drastically because} it is better for you to participate in God’ s kingdom with only one eye than to have both eyes but end up in hell. BSB BSB: And if your eye causes you to sin, 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,
48 ARST In that place maggots feed on the people there forever, and the fires never go out. BSB BSB: where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.’
49 ARST Indeed, God will treat everyone like an offering that people season and burn. BSB BSB: For everyone will be salted with fire.
50 ARST Salt is very useful. However, if salt were to stop seasoning food well, you cannot make it season food well again. Be people who make this world better, just as salt makes food better. Also, live peacefully with each other.” BSB BSB: Salt is good, but if the salt loses its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”