The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs

1 ^qAnd the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them,¹ “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 ^rAn evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except ^sthe sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

5 ^tWhen the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and ^ubeware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, ^v“O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 ^wDo you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and ^xhow many baskets you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and ^yhow many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

13 ^zNow when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say ^aJohn the Baptist, others say ^bElijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the ^cprophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, ^d“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, ^ebut my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and ^fon this ^grock² I will ^hbuild my church, and the ⁱgates of hell³ shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the ^jkeys of the kingdom of heaven, and ^kwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed⁴ in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

21 ^lFrom that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the ^mthird day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!⁵ This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, ⁿ“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance⁶ to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

24 ^oThen Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and ^ptake up his cross and ^qfollow me. 25 ^rFor whoever would save his life⁷ will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he ^sgains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to ^tcome with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person ^uaccording to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are ^vsome standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

The Transfiguration

1 ^wAnd after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And ^xhe was ^ytransfigured before them, and his ^zface shone like the sun, and his clothes became ^awhite as light. 3 ^bAnd behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three ^ctents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright ^dcloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ^e“This is my beloved Son,^{8 f}with whom I am well pleased; ^glisten to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and ^htouched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9 ⁱAnd as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ^j“Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that ^kfirst Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him ^lwhatever they pleased. ^mSo also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of ⁿJohn the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

14 ^oAnd when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has ^pseizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your ^qdisciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus ^rrebuked the demon,⁹ and it¹⁰ came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.¹¹ 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus ^sprivately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and ^tnothing will be impossible for you.”¹²

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

22 ^uAs they were gathering¹³ in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the ^vthird day.” And they were greatly distressed.

The Temple Tax

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the ^wtwo-drachma ^xtax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.¹⁴ Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Who Is the Greatest?

1 ^yAt that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the ^zgreatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like ^achildren, you will never ^benter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever ^chumbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 ^d“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 ^ebut whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,^{15 f}it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!¹⁶ For it is necessary that temptations come, but ^gwoe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 ^hAnd if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell¹⁷ of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10 ⁱ“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven ^jtheir angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.¹⁸ 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and ^kgo in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 ^lSo it is not the will of my¹⁹ Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

15 ^m“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, ⁿbetween you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have ^ogained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established ^pby the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, ^qlet him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, ^rwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed²⁰ in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, ^sif two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, ^tthere am I among them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as ^useven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but ^vseventy-seven times.²¹

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to ^wsettle accounts with his servants.²² 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand ^xtalents.²³ 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be ^ysold, with his wife and ^zchildren and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant²⁴ fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and ^aforgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,²⁵ and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 ^bAnd should not you have had ^cmercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the ^djailers,²⁶ until he should pay all his debt. 35 ^eSo also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

1 ^bIn those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have ^ccompassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ^date and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.¹

The Pharisees Demand a Sign

11 ^eThe Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ^f“Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to ^gthis generation.” 13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod

14 ^hNow they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; ⁱbeware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”² 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? ^jDo you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts ^khardened? 18 ^lHaving eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, ^mhow many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, ⁿhow many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a ^oblind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had ^pspit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus³ laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, ^q“Do not even enter the village.”

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

27 ^rAnd Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, ^s“John the Baptist; and others say, ^tElijah; and others, one of the ^uprophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, ^v“You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

31 ^wAnd he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be ^xrejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after ^ythree days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ^z“Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

34 ^aAnd calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and ^btake up his cross and ^cfollow me. 35 ^dFor whoever would save his life⁴ will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the ^egospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to ^fgain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ^gashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he ^hcomes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are ⁱsome standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

The Transfiguration

2 ^jAnd after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And ^khe was ^ltransfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became ^mradiant, intensely white, as no one⁵ on earth could bleach them. 4 ⁿAnd there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, ^o“Rabbi,⁶ it is good that we are here. Let us make three ^ptents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a ^qcloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ^r“This is my beloved Son;^{7 s}listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

9 ^tAnd as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to ^utell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning ^vwhat this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that ^wfirst Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it ^xwritten of the Son of Man ^ythat he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him ^zwhatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

14 ^aAnd when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him ^bmute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your ^cdisciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it ^dconvulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, ^e“‘If you can’! ^fAll things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out⁸ and said, “I believe; ^ghelp my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he ^hrebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I ⁱcommand you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him ^jprivately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but ^kprayer.”⁹