1 J esus called His twelve followers to Him. He gave them the right and the power over all demons and to heal diseases.

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.

2 H e sent them to preach about the holy nation of God and to heal the sick.

He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

3 T hen He said to them, “Take nothing along for the trip. Do not take a walking stick or a bag or bread or money. Do not take two coats.

And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.

4 W hatever house you go into, stay there until you are ready to go on.

“Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.

5 I f anyone will not take you in, as you leave that city, shake its dust off your feet. That will speak against them.”

And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”

6 T hey went out, going from town to town. They preached the Good News and healed the sick everywhere. John the Baptist Is Killed

So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Herod Seeks to See Jesus

7 N ow Herod the leader heard of all that had been done by Jesus. He was troubled because some people said that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead.

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead,

8 S ome people said that Elijah had come back. Others thought one of the early preachers had been raised from the dead.

and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.

9 T hen Herod said, “I had John’s head cut off. But who is this Man that I hear these things about?” He wanted to see Jesus. The Feeding of the Five Thousand

Herod said, “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” So he sought to see Him. Feeding the Five Thousand

10 T he twelve followers came back. They told Jesus what they had done. Jesus took them to a desert near the town of Bethsaida. There they could be alone.

And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.

11 W hen the people knew where Jesus was, they followed Him. Jesus was happy to see them and talked to them about the holy nation of God. He healed all who were sick.

But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

12 W hen the day was about over, the twelve followers came to Jesus. They said, “Send these many people away so they can go to the towns and country near here. There they can find a place to sleep and get food. We are here in a desert.”

When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”

13 B ut Jesus said to them, “Give them something to eat.” They said, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish. Are we to go and buy food for all these people?”

But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.”

14 T here were about five thousand men. Jesus said to His followers, “Have them sit down in groups of fifty people.”

For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.”

15 T hey did as He told them. They made all of the people sit down.

And they did so, and made them all sit down.

16 A s Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish, He looked up to heaven and gave thanks. He broke them in pieces and gave them to His followers to give to the people.

Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.

17 T hey all ate and were filled. They picked up twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish after the people finished eating. Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ

So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them. Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

18 W hile Jesus was praying alone, His followers were with Him. Jesus asked them, “Who do people say that I am?”

And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

19 T hey said, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah. Others say that one of the early preachers has been raised from the dead.”

So they answered and said, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.”

20 J esus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said, “You are the Christ of God.” Jesus Tells of His Death for the First Time

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

21 T hen Jesus spoke to them and told them to tell no one.

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,

22 H e said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things. The leaders and the religious leaders and the teachers of the Law will have nothing to do with Him. He must be killed and be raised from the dead three days later.” Giving Up Self and One’s Own Desires

saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

23 T hen Jesus said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow Me, he must give up himself and his own desires. He must take up his cross everyday and follow Me.

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

24 I f anyone wants to keep his own life safe, he must lose it. If anyone gives up his life because of Me, he will save it.

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

25 F or what does a man have if he gets all the world and loses or gives up his life?

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

26 W hoever is ashamed of Me and My Words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His own shining-greatness and of the Father’s and of the holy angels.

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.

27 I tell you the truth, some standing here will not die until they see the holy nation of God.” A Look at What Jesus Will Be Like

But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.” Jesus Transfigured on the Mount

28 A bout eight days after Jesus had said these things, He took Peter and James and John with Him. They went up on a mountain to pray.

Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

29 A s Jesus prayed, He was changed in looks before them. His clothes became white and shining bright.

As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.

30 T wo men talked with Jesus. They were Moses and Elijah.

And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,

31 T hey looked like the shining-greatness of heaven as they talked about His death in Jerusalem which was soon to happen.

who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

32 B ut Peter and those with him had gone to sleep. When they woke up, they saw His shining-greatness and the two men who stood with Him.

But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.

33 A s the two men went from Jesus, Peter said to Him, “Teacher, it is good for us to be here. Let us build three tents to worship in. One will be for You. One will be for Moses. One will be for Elijah.” He did not know what he was saying.

Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.

34 W hile he was talking, a cloud came over them. They were afraid as the cloud came in around them.

While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.

35 A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, the One I have chosen. Listen to Him!”

And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”

36 W hen the voice was gone, Jesus was standing there alone. From that time on, they kept these things to themselves. They told no one what they had seen. A Boy with a Demon Is Healed

When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen. A Boy Is Healed

37 T he next day they came down from the mountain and many people met Jesus.

Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.

38 A man from among the people cried out, “Teacher, I beg of You to look at my son. He is my only child.

Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, “Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.

39 S ee, a demon takes him and makes him cry out. It takes hold of him and makes him shake. Spit runs from his mouth. He has marks on his body from being hurt. The demon does not want to go from him.

And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.

40 I begged Your followers to put the demon out, but they could not.”

So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”

41 T hen Jesus said, “You people of this day do not have faith. You turn from what is right! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring your son to Me.”

Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”

42 W hile the boy was coming, the demon threw him down and made him lose the use of his mind for awhile. Jesus spoke sharp words to the demon. He healed the child and gave him back to his father. Jesus Tells of His Death the Second Time

And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. Jesus Again Predicts His Death

43 T hey were all surprised at the great power of God. They all were thinking about the special things Jesus had done. And Jesus said to His followers,

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples,

44 “ Remember these words. For the Son of Man will be given over into the hands of men.”

“Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”

45 T hey did not understand these words because it was hidden from them. They did not know what Jesus meant and were afraid to ask Him. Jesus Teaches about the Faith of a Child

But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. Who Is the Greatest?

46 T he followers argued among themselves about which of them would be the greatest.

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.

47 J esus knew what they were thinking. He put a child beside Him.

And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him,

48 H e said to the followers, “Whoever receives this child in My name, receives Me. Whoever receives Me, receives Him Who sent Me. The one who is least among you is the one who is great.” The Sharp Words Against the Followers

and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.” Jesus Forbids Sectarianism

49 J ohn said, “Teacher, we saw someone putting out demons in Your name. We told him to stop because he was not following us.”

Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”

50 J esus said to him, “Do not stop him. He who is not against us is for us.” Jesus and His Followers Leave Galilee

But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.” A Samaritan Village Rejects the Savior

51 I t was about time for Jesus to be taken up into heaven. He turned toward Jerusalem and was sure that nothing would stop Him from going.

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,

52 H e sent men on ahead of Him. They came to a town in Samaria. There they got things ready for Jesus.

and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.

53 T he people did not want Him there because they knew He was on His way to Jerusalem.

But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.

54 J ames and John, His followers, saw this. They said, “Lord, do You want us to speak so fire will come down from heaven and burn them up as Elijah did?”

And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

55 J esus turned and spoke sharp words to them. (He said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you have.

But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.

56 T he Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives. He came to save them from the punishment of sin.” They went on their way to another town.) The Testing of Some Followers

For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them. ” And they went to another village. The Cost of Discipleship

57 A s they were going on their way, a man said to Jesus, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”

58 J esus said to him, “Foxes have holes. Birds of the sky have nests. The Son of Man has no place to put His head.”

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

59 H e said to another, “Follow Me.” But the man said, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”

Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

60 J esus said to him, “Let the people who are dead bury their own dead. You go and preach about the holy nation of God.”

Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

61 A nd another one said, “Lord, I will follow You, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at home.”

And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”

62 J esus said to him, “Anyone who puts his hand on a plow and looks back at the things behind is of no use in the holy nation of God.”

But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”