Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your [a]masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not [b]by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the [c]heart. 7 With good will [d]render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.
9 And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
The Armor of God 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against [e]flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 [f]in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 [g]With all prayer and petition [h]pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, [i]be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in [j]chains; that [k]in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
21 But that you also may know about my circumstances, [l]how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make everything known to you. 22 [m]I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know [n]about us, and that he may comfort your hearts.
23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ [o]with incorruptible love.
Footnotes:
Ephesians 6:5 I.e. earthly masters, with fear
Ephesians 6:6 Lit according to
Ephesians 6:6 Lit soul
Ephesians 6:7 Lit rendering
Ephesians 6:12 Lit blood and flesh
Ephesians 6:16 Lit in all
Ephesians 6:18 Lit Through
Ephesians 6:18 Lit praying
Ephesians 6:18 Lit being
Ephesians 6:20 Lit a chain
Ephesians 6:20 Two early mss read I may speak it boldly
As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples *said to Him, “Teacher, behold [a]what wonderful stones and [b]what wonderful buildings!”2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and [c]James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately,4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the [d]sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?”5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.6 Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and will mislead many.7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
9 “But [e]be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the[f]courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.10 The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.11 When they [g]arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and [h]have them put to death.13 You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.15 The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house;16 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!18 But pray that it may not happen in the winter.19 For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will.20 Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no [i]life would have been saved; but for the sake of the [j]elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days.21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is [k]the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him;22 for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show [l]signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.23 But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light,25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in [m]the heavens will be shaken.26 Then they will see the Son of Mancoming in clouds with great power and glory.27 And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His [n]elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.
28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.29 Even so, you too, when you see these things happening,[o]recognize that [p]He is near, right at the [q]door.30 Truly I say to you, this [r]generation will not pass away until all these things take place.31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.32 But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
33 “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time [s]will come.34 It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and [t]putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.35 Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the [u]master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, orwhen the rooster crows, or in the morning—36 in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep.37 What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’”
Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death;2 and they bound Him, and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor.
3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty [a]pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!”5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.”7 And they conferred together and [b]with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers.8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “And[c]they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel;10 and[d]they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord directed me.”
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.”12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer.13 Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?”14 And He did not answer him with regard to even asingle[e]charge, so the governor was quite amazed.
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the [f]peopleany one prisoner whom they wanted.16 At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas.17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”18 For he knew that because of envy they had handed Him over.
19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for [g]last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death.21 But the governor [h]said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”22 Pilate *said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all *said, “[i]Crucify Him!”23 And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “[j]Crucify Him!”
24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.”25 And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!”26 Then he released Barabbas [k]for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the [l]Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman[m]cohort around Him.28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a [n]reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.31 After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
32 As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon,[o]whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.
33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,34 they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.
35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting [p]lots.36 And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there.37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him[q]which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38 At that time two robbers *were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left.39 And those passing by were [r]hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying,42 “He saved others; [s]He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.43 He trusts in God; let God rescueHim now, if He[t]delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.
45 Now from the [u]sixth hour darkness [v]fell upon all the land until the [w]ninth hour.46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.”48 Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.49 But the rest of them said, “[x]Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him[y].”50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.51 And behold, the [z]veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; andthe earth shook and the rocks were split.52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the [aa]saints who had fallen asleep were raised;53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was [ab]the Son of God!”
55 Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while [ac]ministering to Him.56 Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away.61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.
62 Now on the next day, [ad]the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate,63 and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’64 Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.”66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along withthe guard they set a seal on the stone.
Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
“But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
“Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.
“I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.
“But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!
“Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.
“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
“And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God;
but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
“And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.
“When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”
But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?”
Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive.
“And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’
“So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.
“For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
“Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!
“And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span?
“If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?
“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
“But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!
“And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.
“For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things.
“But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
“Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.
“Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.
It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. ‘Give us each day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation."” Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him"; and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. “Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? “Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. “If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. “And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. “But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. “But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters. “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ “And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. “Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. “For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. “The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.
And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
“Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
“Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way.
“Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’
“If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.
“Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.
“Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you;
and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
“But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say,
‘Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’
“I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
“But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you.
“And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades!
“The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.
“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.
“Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.
“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
Turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see,
for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”
And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?”
And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.”
But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.
“And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.2 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a [a]bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have [b]two tunics apiece.4 Whatever house you enter, stay there[c]until you leave that city.5 And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”6 Departing, they began going [d]throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead,8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again.9 Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him.
10 When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida.11 But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.
Five Thousand Fed
12 Now the day [e]was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get [f]something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.”13 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 perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.”14 (For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, “Have them [g]sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.”15 They did so, and had them all [h]sit down.16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the[i]people.17 And they all ate and were satisfied; and [j]the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full.
18 And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the [k]people say that I am?”19 They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.”20 And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The [l]Christ of God.”21 But He [m]warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone,22 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 up on the third day.”
23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.24 For whoever wishes to save his [n]life will lose it, but whoever loses his [o]life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.25 For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.27 But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
The Transfiguration
28 Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.29 And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and[p]gleaming.30 And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah,31 who, appearing in [q]glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.32 Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.33 And as [r]these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three [s]tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not realizing what he was saying.34 While he was saying this, a cloud[t]formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.35 Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, MyChosen One; listen to Him!”36 And when the voice [u]had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.
37 On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him.38 And a man from the crowd shouted, saying, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my [v]only boy,39 and a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth; and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves.40 I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not.”41 And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”42 While he was still approaching, the demon [w]slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father.43 And they were all amazed at the [x]greatness of God.
But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples,44 “Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be [y]delivered into the hands of men.”45 But they [z]did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.
The Test of Greatness
46 An argument [aa]started among them as to which of them might be the greatest.47 But Jesus, knowing [ab]what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side,48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”
49 John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us.”50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is [ac]for you.”
51 When the days were approaching for His [ad]ascension, He [ae]was determinedto go to Jerusalem;52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to [af]make arrangements for Him.53 But they did not receive Him, because [ag]He was traveling toward Jerusalem.54 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?”55 But He turned and rebuked them, [[ah]and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of;56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they went on to another village.
Exacting Discipleship
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.”58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the [ai]air have[aj]nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”59 And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”60 But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.”62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
