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Mark 9

1He said to them, “Truly I tell you, some standing here will certainly not taste death until they see the kingdom of God having come in power.”

2After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and brought them up a high mountain privately, alone. He was transformed before them, 3and his clothes became gleaming, intensely white, as no cloth worker on earth could whiten them. 4Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6For he did not know what to say, because they were terrified. 7A cloud came and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” 8Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone.

9As they came down from the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10They kept the word to themselves, debating what rising from the dead meant. 11They asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12He said to them, “Elijah does come first and restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he must suffer many things and be treated as nothing? 13But I tell you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written of him.”

14When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. 15Immediately the whole crowd, seeing him, was greatly amazed, and they ran to greet him. 16He asked them, “What are you arguing about among yourselves?” 17Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who has a speechless spirit. 18Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I told your disciples to drive it out, but they did not have the strength.” 19He answered them, “Faithless generation! How long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to me.” 20They brought him to Jesus. When the spirit saw him, it immediately convulsed the boy. He fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming.

21Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He said, “From childhood. 22Often it has thrown him into fire and into water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for the one who believes.” 24Immediately the child's father cried out, “I believe! Help my unbelief!” 25Seeing a crowd running together, Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit: “You speechless and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again.” 26Crying out and convulsing him violently, it came out. The boy became like a corpse, so that most said, “He has died.” 27But Jesus took his hand and raised him, and he stood up. 28When he entered a house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?” 29He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing except prayer.”

30They left there and passed through Galilee, and he did not want anyone to know, 31for he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is being handed over into human hands, and they will kill him. After he is killed, he will rise after three days.” 32They did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.

33They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was greatest. 35He sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36Taking a child, he stood the child among them, and embracing the child, he said to them, 37“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. And whoever receives me receives not me but the one who sent me.”

38John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39Jesus said, “Do not stop him. No one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40For whoever is not against us is for us. 41Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ—truly I tell you, he will certainly not lose his reward.

42“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a donkey's millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. 45If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into Gehenna. 47If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into Gehenna, 48where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

49“For everyone will be salted with fire. 50Salt is good, but if salt becomes saltless, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Translation notes 7

9:16 — “Among yourselves.” SBLGNT prints a reflexive pronoun here. Other editions read “with them.” The difference rests on the Greek breathing mark; the draft follows SBLGNT without naming the people Jesus addresses.

9:18 — “Becomes rigid.” Another proposed sense is “wastes away.” The description of an attack favors rigidity here. The translation preserves the narrative's spirit language without adding a modern diagnosis.

9:23–24 — Belief. Jesus repeats the father's “If you can”; the draft does not add “believe” to that phrase. The father's belief and unbelief stand beside each other without explanation being inserted.

9:29 — Prayer. Many witnesses add “and fasting.” The shorter reading is printed in the Greek base and followed here.

9:42 — Donkey's millstone. A large millstone turned by a donkey, rather than a small stone operated by hand. “Stumble” in this context concerns falling into sin, not a physical trip.

9:43–48 — Gehenna. The NIV and NASB render this term “hell.” Gehenna is a name associated with the Valley of Hinnom and used here for fiery judgment. Keeping it distinguishes this term from Hades, the realm of the dead; Hades does not occur in Mark. The fire and worm imagery, echoing Isaiah 66:24, remains part of the warning. Verses 44 and 46 occur in some witnesses as repetitions of verse 48 and are absent from the main text of the Greek base.

9:49 — Salted with fire. The image is retained. Interpretations connect it with judgment, testing, purification, or sacrificial dedication; the wording does not name one of these explicitly. Some witnesses add, “and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.”