New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God 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 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, 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 dazzling white, such 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, who were talking with Jesus.
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Elijah, along with Moses, came into view, in deep conversation with Jesus.
5 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, 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 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 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; 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 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
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The next minute the disciples were looking around, rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but Jesus, only Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after 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 could mean.
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They puzzled over that, wondering what on earth "rising from the dead" meant.
11 Then they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
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Meanwhile they were asking, "Why do the religion scholars say that Elijah has to come first?"
12 He said to them, "Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings 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 about him."
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14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some 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 When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet 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 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 Someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak;
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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 dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so."
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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 He answered them, "You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up 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. 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 Jesus asked the 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 It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity 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 Jesus said to him, "If you are able!—All things can be done for the 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, "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 When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, 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 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 was able to stand.
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But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up.
28 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 He said to them, "This kind can come out only through 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. He did not want anyone to know it;
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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 to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again."
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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 what he was 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 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing about 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 were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another 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 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first 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 Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it 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 welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one 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 deed of power 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 Whoever 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 tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the 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 "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you 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 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and 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.
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45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. ,
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47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and 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 never dies, and the fire is never 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 salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? 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."
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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.