English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power."
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Then he drove it home by saying, "This isn't pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force." In a Light-Radiant Cloud
2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
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Six days later, three of them did see it. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes.
3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.
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His clothes shimmered, glistening white, whiter than any bleach could make them.
4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
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Elijah, along with Moses, came into view, in deep conversation with Jesus.
5 And Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah."
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Peter interrupted, "Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let's build three memorials - one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah."
6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
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He blurted this out without thinking, stunned as they all were by what they were seeing.
7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son;listen to him."
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Just then a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice: "This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him."
8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
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The next minute the disciples were looking around, rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but Jesus, only Jesus.
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
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Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. "Don't tell a soul what you saw. After the Son of Man rises from the dead, you're free to talk."
10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.
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They puzzled over that, wondering what on earth "rising from the dead" meant.
11 And they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?"
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Meanwhile they were asking, "Why do the religion scholars say that Elijah has to come first?"
12 And he said to them, "Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt?
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Jesus replied, "Elijah does come first and get everything ready for the coming of the Son of Man. They treated this Elijah like dirt, much like they will treat the Son of Man, who will, according to Scripture, suffer terribly and be kicked around contemptibly."
13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him."
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14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.
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When they came back down the mountain to the other disciples, they saw a huge crowd around them, and the religion scholars cross-examining them.
15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.
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As soon as the people in the crowd saw Jesus, admiring excitement stirred them. They ran and greeted him.
16 And he asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?"
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He asked, "What's going on? What's all the commotion?"
17 And someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.
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A man out of the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought my mute son, made speechless by a demon, to you.
18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able."
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Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and goes stiff as a board. I told your disciples, hoping they could deliver him, but they couldn't."
19 And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me."
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Jesus said, "What a generation! No sense of God! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here."
20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
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They brought him. When the demon saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a seizure, causing him to writhe on the ground and foam at the mouth.
21 And Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.
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He asked the boy's father, "How long has this been going on?"
22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
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Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!"
23 And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes."
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Jesus said, "If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen."
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"
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No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, "Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!"
25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."
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Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: "Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you - Out of him, and stay out!"
26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, "He is dead."
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Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it left. The boy was pale as a corpse, so people started saying, "He's dead."
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
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But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up.
28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"
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After arriving back home, his disciples cornered Jesus and asked, "Why couldn't we throw the demon out?"
29 And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer."
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He answered, "There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon except by prayer."
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know,
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Leaving there, they went through Galilee. He didn't want anyone to know their whereabouts,
31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise."
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for he wanted to teach his disciples. He told them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him. Three days after his murder, he will rise, alive."
32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
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They didn't know what he was talking about, but were afraid to ask him about it.
33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"
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They came to Capernaum. When he was safe at home, he asked them, "What were you discussing on the road?"
34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
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The silence was deafening - they had been arguing with one another over who among them was greatest.
35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."
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He sat down and summoned the Twelve. "So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all."
36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
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He put a child in the middle of the room. Then, cradling the little one in his arms, he said,
37 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."
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"Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me - God who sent me."
38 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us."
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John spoke up, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn't in our group."
39 But Jesus said, "Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.
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Jesus wasn't pleased. "Don't stop him. No one can use my name to do something good and powerful, and in the next breath cut me down.
40 For the one who is not against us is for us.
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If he's not an enemy, he's an ally.
41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
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Why, anyone by just giving you a cup of water in my name is on our side. Count on it that God will notice.
42 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
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"On the other hand, if you give one of these simple, childlike believers a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you'll soon wish you hadn't. You'd be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck.
43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.
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"If your hand or your foot gets in God's way, chop it off and throw it away. You're better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owner of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire.
45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.
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47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,
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And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away.
48 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'
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You're better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell.
49 For everyone will be salted with fire.
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"Everyone's going through a refining fire sooner or later,
50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
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but you'll be well-preserved, protected from the eternal flames. Be preservatives yourselves. Preserve the peace."
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.