Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
1
1And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,
3
4And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, 5no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.a
4
And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.
5
And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town 6shake off the dust from your feet 7as a testimony 8against them."
6
9And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Herod Is Perplexed by Jesus
7
10Now 11Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that 12John had been raised from the dead,
9
Herod said, "John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?" And 15he sought to see him.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
10
On their return 16the apostles told him all that they had done. 17And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida.
11
When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he 18welcomed them and 19spoke to them of the kingdom of God and 20cured those who had need of healing.
12
Now 21the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, 22"Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place."
13
But he said to them, 23"You give them something to eat." They said, "We have no more than 24five loaves and two fish--unless we are to go and buy food for all these people."
14
For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each."
15
And they did so, and had them all sit down.
16
And taking the five loaves and the two fish, 25he looked up to heaven and 26said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
17
And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
18
27Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
19
And they answered, 28"John the Baptist. But others say, 29Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen."
20
Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered, 30"The Christ of God."
Jesus Foretells His Death
21
31And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,
22
32saying, 33"The Son of Man must 34suffer many things and 35be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on 36the third day be raised."
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus
23
And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him 37deny himself and 38take up his cross 39daily and follow me.
24
For 40whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
25
41For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
26
For 42whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed 43when he comes in 44his glory and the glory of the Father and of 45the holy angels.
27
But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not 46taste death 47until they see the kingdom of God."
The Transfiguration
28
48Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him 49Peter and John and James and 50went up on the mountain to pray.
29
And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was 51altered, and 52his clothing became dazzling white.
30
And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah,
31
who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure,b which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
32
Now Peter and those who were with him 53were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake 54they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
33
And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three 55tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah"--56not knowing what he said.
34
As he was saying these things, 57a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
35
And 58a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, 59my Chosen One;c60 listen to him!"
36
And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. 61And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit
37
62On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him.
38
And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for 63he is my only child.
39
And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.
40
And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but 64they could not."
41
Jesus answered, "O 65faithless and twisted generation, 66how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here."
42
While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus 67rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and 68gave him back to his father.
43
And all were astonished at 69the majesty of God. 70But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesusd said 71to his disciples,
44
"Let these words sink into your ears: 72The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men."
45
73But they did not understand this saying, and 74it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
Who Is the Greatest?
46
75An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.
47
But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side
48
and said to them, 76"Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and 77whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For 78he who is least among you all is the one who is great."
Anyone Not Against Us Is For Us
49
79John answered, "Master, we saw someone 80casting out demons in your name, and 81we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us."
50
But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him, 82for the one who is not against you is for you."
A Samaritan Village Rejects Jesus
52
And 86he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of 87the Samaritans, to make preparations for him.
54
And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to tell 90fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"e
55
But he turned and rebuked them.f
56
And they went on to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus
58
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
To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."
60
And Jesusg said to him, "Leave 93the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and 94proclaim the kingdom of God."
61
Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, 95but let me first say farewell to those at my home."
62
Jesus said to him, 96"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)