The Holy Bible

[9:21] Then Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell this to anyone.

[9:22] He also told them, “The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. He will be put to death, but three days later he will be raised to life.”

[9:23] And he said to them all, “If you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, take up your cross every day, and follow me.

[9:24] For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you will save it.

[9:25] Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but are yourself lost or defeated? Of course not!

[9:26] If you are ashamed of me and of my teaching, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

[9:27] I assure you that there are some here who will not die until they have seen the Kingdom of God.”

[9:28] About a week after he had said these things, Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up a hill to pray.

[9:29] While he was praying, his face changed its appearance, and his clothes became dazzling white.

[9:30] Suddenly two men were there talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah,

[9:31] who appeared in heavenly glory and talked with Jesus about the way in which he would soon fulfill God's purpose by dying in Jerusalem.

[9:32] Peter and his companions were sound asleep, but they woke up and saw Jesus' glory and the two men who were standing with him.

[9:33] As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, how good it is that we are here! We will make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He did not really know what he was saying.)

[9:34] While he was still speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them with its shadow; and the disciples were afraid as the cloud came over them.

[9:35] A voice said from the cloud, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen—listen to him!”

[9:36] When the voice stopped, there was Jesus all alone. The disciples kept quiet about all this and told no one at that time anything they had seen.

[9:37] The next day Jesus and the three disciples went down from the hill, and a large crowd met Jesus.

[9:38] A man shouted from the crowd, “Teacher! I beg you, look at my son—my only son!

[9:39] A spirit attacks him with a sudden shout and throws him into a fit, so that he foams at the mouth; it keeps on hurting him and will hardly let him go!

[9:40] I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn't.”

[9:41] Jesus answered, “How unbelieving and wrong you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you?” Then he said to the man, “Bring your son here.”

[9:42] As the boy was coming, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a fit. Jesus gave a command to the evil spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

[9:43] All the people were amazed at the mighty power of God.

[9:43] The people were still marveling at everything Jesus was doing, when he said to his disciples,

[9:44] “Don't forget what I am about to tell you! The Son of Man is going to be handed over to the power of human beings.”

[9:45] But the disciples did not know what this meant. It had been hidden from them so that they could not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about the matter.

[9:46] An argument broke out among the disciples as to which one of them was the greatest.

[9:47] Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he took a child, stood him by his side,

[9:48] and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, also welcomes the one who sent me. For the one who is least among you all is the greatest.”

[9:49] John spoke up, “Master, we saw a man driving out demons in your name, and we told him to stop, because he doesn't belong to our group.”

[9:50] “Do not try to stop him,” Jesus said to him and to the other disciples, “because whoever is not against you is for you.”

[9:51] As the time drew near when Jesus would be taken up to heaven, he made up his mind and set out on his way to Jerusalem.

[9:52] He sent messengers ahead of him, who went into a village in Samaria to get everything ready for him.

[9:53] But the people there would not receive him, because it was clear that he was on his way to Jerusalem.

[9:54] When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”

[9:55] Jesus turned and rebuked them.

[9:56] Then Jesus and his disciples went on to another village.

[9:57] As they went on their way, a man said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

[9:58] Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lie down and rest.”

[9:59] He said to another man, “Follow me.” But that man said, “Sir, first let me go back and bury my father.”

[9:60] Jesus answered, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”

[9:61] Someone else said, “I will follow you, sir; but first let me go and say good-bye to my family.”

[9:62] Jesus said to him, “Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God.”

[10:1] After this the Lord chose another seventy-two men and sent them out two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go.

[10:2] He said to them, “There is a large harvest, but few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.

[10:3] Go! I am sending you like lambs among wolves.

[10:4] Don't take a purse or a beggar's bag or shoes; don't stop to greet anyone on the road.

[10:5] Whenever you go into a house, first say, ‘Peace be with this house.’

[10:6] If someone who is peace-loving lives there, let your greeting of peace remain on that person; if not, take back your greeting of peace.

[10:7] Stay in that same house, eating and drinking whatever they offer you, for workers should be given their pay. Don't move around from one house to another.

[10:8] Whenever you go into a town and are made welcome, eat what is set before you,

[10:9] heal the sick in that town, and say to the people there, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near you.’

[10:10] But whenever you go into a town and are not welcomed, go out in the streets and say,

[10:11] ‘Even the dust from your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. But remember that the Kingdom of God has come near you!’

[10:12] I assure you that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to Sodom than to that town!

[10:13] “How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you too, Bethsaida! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have long ago sat down, put on sackcloth, and sprinkled ashes on themselves, to show that they had turned from their sins!

[10:14] God will show more mercy on the Judgment Day to Tyre and Sidon than to you.

[10:15] And as for you, Capernaum! Did you want to lift yourself up to heaven? You will be thrown down to hell!”

[10:16] Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”