17:1 Six days later 1 Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, 2 and led them privately up a high mountain. 17:2 And he was transfigured before them. 3 His 4 face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 17:3 Then Moses 5 and Elijah 6 also appeared before them, talking with him. 17:4 So 7 Peter said 8 to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make 9 three shelters 10 – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 17:5 While he was still speaking, a 11 bright cloud 12 overshadowed 13 them, and a voice from the cloud said, 14 “This is my one dear Son, 15 in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!” 16 17:6 When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. 17 17:7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Do not be afraid.” 17:8 When 18 they looked up, all they saw was Jesus alone.
17:9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, 19 “Do not tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 17:10 The disciples asked him, 20 “Why then do the experts in the law 21 say that Elijah must come first?” 17:11 He 22 answered, “Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things. 17:12 And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In 23 the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
17:14 When 24 they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, 17:15 and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures 25 and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water. 17:16 I brought him to your disciples, but 26 they were not able to heal him.” 17:17 Jesus answered, 27 “You 28 unbelieving 29 and perverse generation! How much longer 30 must I be with you? How much longer must I endure 31 you? 32 Bring him here to me.” 17:18 Then 33 Jesus rebuked 34 the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that moment. 17:19 Then the disciples came 35 to Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” 17:20 He told them, “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, 36 if you have faith the size of 37 a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing 38 will be impossible for you.”
17:21 [[EMPTY]] 3917:22 When 40 they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 41 17:23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they became greatly distressed.
17:24 After 42 they arrived in Capernaum, 43 the collectors of the temple tax 44 came to Peter and said, “Your teacher pays the double drachma tax, doesn’t he?” 17:25 He said, “Yes.” When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, 45 “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tolls or taxes – from their sons 46 or from foreigners?” 17:26 After he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons 47 are free. 17:27 But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four drachma coin. 48 Take that and give it to them for me and you.”
18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 18:2 He called a child, had him stand among them, 18:3 and said, “I tell you the truth, 49 unless you turn around and become like little children, 50 you will never 51 enter the kingdom of heaven! 18:4 Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 18:5 And whoever welcomes 52 a child like this in my name welcomes me.
18:6 “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, 53 it would be better for him to have a huge millstone 54 hung around his neck and to be drowned in the open sea. 55 18:7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It 56 is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come. 18:8 If 57 your hand or your foot causes you to sin, 58 cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have 59 two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 18:9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have 60 two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell. 61
18:10 “See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 18:11 [[EMPTY]] 62 18:12 What do you think? If someone 63 owns a hundred 64 sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray? 65 18:13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, 66 he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 18:14 In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.
18:15 “If 67 your brother 68 sins, 69 go and show him his fault 70 when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. 18:16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. 71 18:17 If 72 he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If 73 he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like 74 a Gentile 75 or a tax collector. 76
18:18 “I tell you the truth, 77 whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven. 18:19 Again, I tell you the truth, 78 if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 79 18:20 For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”
18:21 Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother 80 who sins against me? As many as seven times?” 18:22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times! 81
18:23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 82 18:24 As 83 he began settling his accounts, a man who owed ten thousand talents 84 was brought to him. 18:25 Because 85 he was not able to repay it, 86 the lord ordered him to be sold, along with 87 his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made. 18:26 Then the slave threw himself to the ground 88 before him, saying, 89 ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’ 18:27 The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the debt. 18:28 After 90 he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred silver coins. 91 So 92 he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him, 93 saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ 94 18:29 Then his fellow slave threw himself down and begged him, 95 ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’ 18:30 But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt. 18:31 When 96 his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went and told their lord everything that had taken place. 18:32 Then his lord called the first slave 97 and said to him, ‘Evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me! 18:33 Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?’ 18:34 And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him 98 until he repaid all he owed. 18:35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your 99 brother 100 from your heart.”
19:1 Now when 101 Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River. 102 19:2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
19:3 Then some Pharisees 103 came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful 104 to divorce a wife for any cause?” 105 19:4 He answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, 106 19:5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 107 19:6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 19:7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” 108 19:8 Jesus 109 said to them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hard hearts, 110 but from the beginning it was not this way. 19:9 Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery.” 19:10 The 111 disciples said to him, “If this is the case of a husband with a wife, it is better not to marry!” 19:11 He 112 said to them, “Not everyone can accept this statement, except those to whom it has been given. 19:12 For there are some eunuchs who were that way from birth, 113 and some who were made eunuchs 114 by others, 115 and some who became eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this should accept it.”
19:13 Then little children were brought to him for him to lay his hands on them and pray. 116 But the disciples scolded those who brought them. 117 19:14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 118 19:15 And he placed his hands on them and went on his way. 119
19:16 Now 120 someone came up to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” 19:17 He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 19:18 “Which ones?” he asked. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19:19 honor your father and mother, 121 and love your neighbor as yourself.” 122 19:20 The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed 123 all these laws. 124 What do I still lack?” 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money 125 to the poor, and you will have treasure 126 in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 19:22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. 127
19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, 128 it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! 19:24 Again I say, 129 it is easier for a camel 130 to go through the eye of a needle 131 than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” 19:25 The 132 disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?” 133 19:26 Jesus 134 looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, 135 but for God all things are possible.” 19:27 Then Peter said 136 to him, “Look, 137 we have left everything to follow you! 138 What then will there be for us?” 19:28 Jesus 139 said to them, “I tell you the truth: 140 In the age when all things are renewed, 141 when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging 142 the twelve tribes of Israel. 19:29 And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much 143 and will inherit eternal life. 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.