Chapter Nine
And after six days Jesus takes along Peter and James and John and brings them up apart into a high mountain alone, and he was transfigured in front of them, and his garments became shining, extremely white, like snow, such as no fuller on the earth could whiten them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses and they were talking with Jesus.
And answering, Peter says to Jesus,
“Rabbi, it’s good for us to be here, and let us make three tabernacles, one for you, and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
For he did not know what to say because they were very frightened. And there came a cloud overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud saying,
“This is my beloved Son, listen to him!”
And suddenly, having looked around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus on his own with themselves. And as they were coming down from the mountain he instructed them that they should tell no one what they had seen except when the Son of man is risen from the dead. And they kept that saying to themselves questioning together,
“What is the rising from the dead?”
And they asked him saying,
“Don’t the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
And he, answering, said to them,
“Elijah indeed, having come first, restores all things. And how has it been written of the Son of man? That he should suffer many things and be despised, but I’m telling you that Elijah has also come and they did to him whatever they wanted as it has been written of him.”
And having come to the disciples he saw a big crowd around them and scribes debating with them. And at once all the crowd, seeing him, were very surprised and running to him greeted him.
And he asked the scribes,
“What are you discussing with them?”
And answering, one out of the crowd said,
“Teacher, I’ve brought to you my son, having a dumb spirit. And whenever it seizes him it dashes him down and he foams and gnashes his teeth, and he’s wasting away. And I spoke to your disciples so that they might cast it out and they did not prevail.”
But he, answering him, says,
“Oh, faithless generation! Until when shall I be with you? Until when shall I bear with you? Bring him to me!”
And they brought him to him. And seeing him the spirit immediately convulsed him, and having fallen on the ground he rolled about foaming.
And he asked his father,
“How long is it that this has been with him?”
And he said,
“From childhood, and it often threw him both into fire and waters in order to destroy him, but if you can do anything, help us and have pity on us!”
And Jesus said to him,
“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes!”
And at once, crying out, the father of the child said with tears,
“I believe Lord, help my unbelief!”
And Jesus, seeing that a crowd was running together, rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it,
“Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you come out of him and you may no more enter into him!”
And having cried out and convulsed him a great deal, it came out and he became as if dead, so that many said he was dead. But Jesus, having taken him by the hand, lifted him up and he arose.
And when he had come into a house his disciples asked him privately,
“Why couldn’t we cast it out?”
And he said to them,
“This kind can come out by nothing except by prayer and fasting.”
And having departed from there they passed through Galilee, and he did not wish that anyone should know, for he was teaching his disciples.
And he said to them,
“The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and, having been killed, on the third day he will rise!”
But they did not understand the saying and were afraid to ask him.
And he came to Capernaum and, being in the house, he asked them,
“What, on the way, were you discussing among yourselves?”
But they were silent because on the way they had been discussing with each other who was greater.
And sitting down he called the twelve and says to them,
“If anyone wants to be first, he’ll be last of all and a servant of all!”
And having taken a little child he put it in the midst of them, and having taken it in his arms he said to them,
“Whoever will receive one of such children in my name, receives me, and whoever will receive me, receives not me but him who sent me.”
And John answered him saying,
“Teacher, we saw someone who doesn’t follow us, casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him because he doesn’t follow us.”
But Jesus said,
“Don’t forbid him, for there is no one who’ll do a powerful work in my name and be able readily to speak evil of me, for he who is not against us is for us. For whoever may give you a cup of water to drink, in my name, because you are Christ’s, truly I’m telling you, in no way would he lose his reward. And whoever may cause to fall away one of the little ones who believe in me, it is good for him rather if a millstone is put round his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
And if your hand should cause you to offend, cut it off! It’s good for you, maimed, to enter into life, than having two hands to go away into hell, into the unquenchable fire where their worm doesn’t die and the fire isn’t quenched. And if your foot should cause you to offend, cut it off! It’s good for you to enter into life lame, than having two feet to be thrown into hell, into the unquenchable fire, where their worm doesn’t die and the fire isn’t quenched. And if your eye should cause you to offend, cast it out! It’s good for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than, having two eyes, to be thrown into the hell of fire, where their worm doesn’t die and the fire isn’t quenched. For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt becomes unsalty what will you flavour it with? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
