The Ministry of the Twelve (Matthew 10:5–15; Mark 6:7–13)
1 UDB Then Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them the right and power to drive out all kinds of demons and to heal people's diseases. BSB BSB: Then Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and power to cure diseases.
2 UDB He sent them out to heal people and to teach them about how God was going to show himself as king. BSB BSB: And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
3 UDB Before they left, he said to them, "Do not take anything with you for your journey. Do not take a walking stick or a traveler's bag or food or money. Do not even take an extra tunic. BSB BSB: “Take nothing for the journey,” He told them, “no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no second tunic.
4 UDB Whatever house you enter, stay in that house until you leave that area. BSB BSB: Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that area.
5 UDB In any town where the people do not welcome you, you should not continue to stay there. As you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet. Do that as a warning against them for rejecting you." BSB BSB: If anyone does not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that town, as a testimony against them.”
6 UDB Then Jesus's disciples left and traveled through many villages. Everywhere they went, they talked to people about the good news from God and healed sick people. BSB BSB: So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
Herod Tries to See Jesus (Matthew 14:1–12; Mark 6:14–29)
7 UDB Herod, the ruler over the district of Galilee, heard about everything that was happening. He was perplexed because some people were saying that John the Baptizer had become alive again. BSB BSB: When Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, he was perplexed. For some were saying that John had risen from the dead,
8 UDB Other people were saying that the prophet Elijah had appeared again, and still others were saying that one of the other prophets from long ago had become alive again. BSB BSB: others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that a prophet of old had arisen.
9 UDB But Herod said, "It cannot be John because I had his head cut off. So who is this man that I am hearing these things about?" And he kept looking for a way to see Jesus. BSB BSB: “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who is this man I hear such things about?” And he kept trying to see Jesus.
The Feeding of the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:30–44; John 6:1–15)
10 UDB When the apostles returned from their trip, they told Jesus everything that they had done. Then he took them aside to go by themselves with him to the town of Bethsaida. BSB BSB: Then the apostles returned and reported to Jesus all that they had done. Taking them away privately, He withdrew to a town called Bethsaida.
11 UDB But when the crowds heard about where Jesus had gone, they followed him there. He welcomed them and spoke to them about how God was soon going to show himself as king, and he healed those who needed to be healed. BSB BSB: But the crowds found out and followed Him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and He healed those who needed healing.
12 UDB Now it was getting late in the day, so the twelve disciples came to him and said, "Please send this large crowd of people away so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms to get some food and find places to stay, since we are out here in this isolated place." BSB BSB: As the day neared its end, the Twelve came to Jesus and said, “Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside for lodging and provisions. For we are in a desolate place here.”
13 UDB But he said to them, "You must give them something to eat!" They replied, "All we have are five small loaves of bread and two small fish. We could never go buy enough food for all these people!" BSB BSB: But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.”
14 UDB They said this because there were about five thousand men there. Then Jesus said to the disciples, "Tell the people to sit down in groups, with about fifty people in each group." BSB BSB: (There were about five thousand men.) He told His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
15 UDB So the disciples did that and the people all sat down. BSB BSB: They did so, and everyone was seated.
16 UDB Then he took the five bread loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and praised God for them. Then he tore them into pieces and gave them to the disciples for them to distribute to the people. BSB BSB: Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples to set before the people.
17 UDB They all ate and everyone had enough to eat. Then the disciples collected the leftover pieces of food, which filled twelve baskets! BSB BSB: They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
Peter’s Confession of Christ (Matthew 16:13–20; Mark 8:27–30; John 6:67–71)
18 UDB One day while Jesus was praying in private, his disciples came to him and he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" BSB BSB: One day as Jesus was praying in private and the disciples were with Him, He questioned them: “Who do the crowds say I am?”
19 UDB They replied, "Some people say that you are John the Baptizer, but others say that you are the prophet Elijah, and still others say that you are one of the other prophets from long ago who has come back to life again." BSB BSB: They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that a prophet of old has arisen.”
20 UDB He asked them, "What about you? Who do you say that I am?" Peter replied, "You are the Christ who belongs to God." BSB BSB: “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
Christ’s Passion Foretold (Matthew 16:21–23; Mark 8:31–33)
21 UDB Then Jesus warned them strongly to not tell that to anyone yet. BSB BSB: Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.
22 UDB Then he said, "I, the Son of Man, must suffer many things: I will be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the Jewish laws and then I will be killed. Then, on the third day after that, I will come back to life again." BSB BSB: “The Son of Man must suffer many things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Take Up Your Cross (Matthew 16:24–28; Mark 8:34–38)
23 UDB Then he said to them all, "If any one of you wants to follow me as my disciple, you must not do only what you desire to do. Rather, every day you must be willing to suffer, even to the point of giving up your life. BSB BSB: Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
24 UDB You must do that because those who try to save their own lives will lose them eternally, but those who give up their lives because of being my disciples will save their lives eternally. BSB BSB: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
25 UDB How does it benefit you if you gain everything in this world but then end up losing, or even giving up, your own self? BSB BSB: What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self?
26 UDB As for people who reject my message and refuse to say that they belong to me, I, the Son of Man will also refuse to say that they belong to me when I come back in my glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. BSB BSB: If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
27 UDB But I tell you this fact: Some of you standing here now will not die until you see God show himself as king!" BSB BSB: But I tell you truly, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–13; Mark 9:1–13; 2 Peter 1:16–21)
28 UDB About eight days after Jesus said those words, he took with him Peter, John, and James and went up onto a mountain to pray there. BSB BSB: About eight days after Jesus had said these things, He took with Him Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray.
29 UDB While he was praying, the appearance of his face became very different and his clothes became dazzling white and began to shine brightly. BSB BSB: And as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly white.
30 UDB Suddenly two prophets who lived long ago were there talking with Jesus; they were Moses and Elijah. BSB BSB: Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Jesus.
31 UDB They appeared surrounded in glory and spoke with Jesus about his departure, which would soon be accomplished in Jerusalem. BSB BSB: They appeared in glory and spoke about His departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
32 UDB Peter and the other disciples who were with him were very sleepy. When they woke up, they saw Jesus's glory; they also saw the two men standing with him. BSB BSB: Meanwhile Peter and his companions were overcome by sleep, but when they awoke, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with Him.
33 UDB As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here! We should make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah!" But he really did not realize what he was saying. BSB BSB: As Moses and Elijah were leaving, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, 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 he was saying.)
34 UDB As he was saying these things, a cloud formed and covered them. The disciples were afraid as the cloud surrounded them. BSB BSB: While Peter was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
35 UDB God's voice spoke to them from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him!" BSB BSB: And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him!”
36 UDB When the voice had finished speaking, the three disciples saw that only Jesus was there. They were silent and for a long time they did not tell anyone what they had seen. BSB BSB: After the voice had spoken, only Jesus was present with them. The disciples kept this to themselves, and in those days they did not tell anyone what they had seen.
The Boy with an Evil Spirit (Matthew 17:14–18; Mark 9:14–29)
37 UDB The next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd of people met Jesus. BSB BSB: The next day, when they came down from the mountain, Jesus was met by a large crowd.
38 UDB Suddenly a man from the crowd called out, "Teacher, I plead with you, do something to help my son! He is my only child. BSB BSB: Suddenly a man in the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only child.
39 UDB An evil spirit suddenly seizes him and causes him to scream. It shakes him violently and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves my child and when it does, it injures him severely. BSB BSB: A spirit keeps seizing him, and he screams abruptly. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It keeps mauling him and rarely departs from him.
40 UDB I pleaded with your disciples to command the evil spirit to come out of him, but they were not able to do it!" BSB BSB: I begged Your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable.”
41 UDB In response, Jesus said, "Your generation does not believe and so your thinking is corrupt! How much longer must I be with you before you believe?" Then he said to the boy's father, "Bring your son here to me!" BSB BSB: “O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”
42 UDB While they were bringing the boy to him, the demon threw the boy down to the ground and shook him severely. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and healed the boy. Then he returned him to his father. BSB BSB: Even while the boy was approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
The Second Prediction of the Passion (Matthew 17:22–23; Mark 9:30–32)
43 UDB Then all the people there were completely amazed at the great power of God. While they were all still in wonderment at all the miracles Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples, BSB BSB: And they were all astonished at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus was doing, He said to His disciples,
44 UDB "Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: I, the Son of Man, will soon be handed over to my enemies." BSB BSB: “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
45 UDB But the disciples did not understand what he meant by this. God prevented them from understanding it, so that they would not know yet what he meant, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had said. BSB BSB: But they did not understand this statement. It was veiled from them so that they could not comprehend it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
The Greatest in the Kingdom (Matthew 18:1–5; Mark 9:33–41)
46 UDB Some time later, the disciples began to argue among themselves about which one of them would be the most important. BSB BSB: Then an argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.
47 UDB But Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he brought a young child to stand beside him. BSB BSB: But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, had a little child stand beside Him.
48 UDB He said to them, "If someone welcomes a little child like this because of me, it is the same as welcoming me. And if someone welcomes me, it is the same as welcoming God who sent me. Remember that those among you who seem to be the least important are the ones whom God considers to be most important." BSB BSB: And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest.”
49 UDB John replied to Jesus, "Master, we saw a man who was using your name to command demons to come out of people. So we told him to stop doing that because he is not following you as part of our group." BSB BSB: “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.”
50 UDB But Jesus said, "Do not stop him from doing that! If someone is not doing something that is harmful to you, then what he is doing is helpful to you!" BSB BSB: “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
The Samaritans Reject Jesus 52 UDB He sent some messengers to go ahead of him, and they entered a village in the region of Samaria to prepare for him to go there. BSB BSB: He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.
53 UDB But the Samaritans would not let Jesus come to their village because he was on his way to Jerusalem. BSB BSB: But the people there refused to welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem.
55 UDB But Jesus turned to them and sternly told them they were wrong to say that. BSB BSB: But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
56 UDB So they went to a different village. BSB BSB: And He and His disciples went on to another village.
The Cost of Discipleship (Matthew 8:18–22; Luke 14:25–33; John 6:59–66)
57 UDB As Jesus and the disciples were walking along the road, someone said to him, "I will go with you wherever you go!" BSB BSB: As they were walking along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.”
58 UDB Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes in the ground to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, do not have a home to sleep in!" BSB BSB: Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
59 UDB Jesus told a different person, "Follow me!" But that person said, "Lord, let me first go home and bury my father after he dies." BSB BSB: Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 UDB But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but you go and tell people everywhere that God will soon show himself as king!" BSB BSB: But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 UDB Someone else said, "Lord, I will come with you and be your disciple, but first let me go home to say goodbye to my people." BSB BSB: Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.”
62 UDB Jesus said to him, "Anyone who starts plowing his field and then looks behind him is not able to serve God when he rules everything as king." BSB BSB: Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”