Luke 9

Moffatt(i) 1 Calling the twelve apostles together he gave them power and authority over all daemons as well as to heal diseases. 2 He sent them out to preach the Reign of God and to cure the sick. 3 And he told them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither stick nor wallet nor bread nor silver, and do not carry two shirts. 4 Whatever house you go into, stay there and leave from there. 5 Whoever will not receive you, leave that town and shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them." 6 So they went out from village to village preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. 7 When Herod the tetrarch heard all that was going on, he was quite at a loss; for some said that John had risen from the dead, 8 some that Elijah had appeared, and others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. 9 Herod said, "John I beheaded. But who is this, of whom I hear such tales?" And he made efforts to see him. 10 Then the apostles came back and described all they had done to Jesus. He took them and retired in private to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned this and followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them of the Reign of God, and cured those who needed to be healed. 12 Now as the day began to decline the twelve came up to him and said, "Send the crowd off to lodge in the villages and farms around and get provisions there, for here we are in a desert place." 13 He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves." They said, "We have only got five loaves and two fish. Unless — are we to go and buy food for the whole of this people?" 14 (There were about five thousand men of them.) He said to his disciples, "Make them lie down in rows of about fifty." 15 They did so, and made them all lie down. 16 Then taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven he blessed them, broke them in pieces and handed them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and had enough. What they had left over was picked up, twelve baskets full of fragments. 18 Now it happened that while he was praying by himself his disciples were beside him. So he inquired of them, "Who do the crowds say I am?" 19 They replied, "John the Baptist, though some say Elijah and some say that one of the ancient prophets has arisen." 20 He said to them, "And who do you say I am?" Peter replied, "The Christ of God." 21 Then he forbade them strictly to tell this to anyone. 22 The Son of man, he said, has to endure great suffering, to be rejected by the elders and high priests and scribes, to be killed, and on the third day to be raised. 23 He said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross day after day, and so follow me; 24 for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. 25 What profit will it be for a man to gain the whole world and lose or forfeit himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 I tell you plainly, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death till they see the Reign of God." 28 It was about eight days after he said this, when he took Peter, John, and James, and went up the hillside to pray. 29 While he was praying the appearance of his face altered and his dress turned dazzling white. 30 There were two men conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in a vision of glory and said he must go through with his death and departure at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions had been overpowered with sleep, but on waking up they saw his glory and the two men who were standing beside him. 33 When they were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is a good thing we are here; let us put up three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" (not knowing what he was saying). 34 As he spoke, a cloud came and overshadowed them. They were awestruck as they passed into the cloud, 35 but a voice came from the cloud, "This is my Son, my Chosen one; listen to him." 36 When the voice ceased, they found themselves alone with Jesus. And in those days they kept silence and told nobody anything of what they had seen. 37 Next day, when they came down the hill, a large crowd met him. 38 "Teacher," shouted a man from the crowd, "look at my son, I beg of you, for he is my only boy, 39 and a spirit gets hold of him till he suddenly shrieks; it convulses him till he foams; indeed it will hardly leave off tearing him to pieces. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." 41 Jesus answered, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long must I still be with you and bear with you? Fetch your son here." 42 Before the boy could reach Jesus, the daemon dashed him down and convulsed him, but Jesus checked the unclean spirit, cured the boy, and handed him back to his father. 43 And all were astounded at this grand display of God. But while all marvelled at all he did, he said to his disciples, 44 "Let these words sink into your ears: 'the Son of man is to be betrayed into the hands of men.'" 45 But they did not understand this saying — indeed it was kept a secret from them, to prevent them from fathoming it — and they were afraid to ask him about this saying. 46 A dispute arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 Jesus knew the dispute that occupied their minds, so he took hold of a little child and set it by his side; 48 then he said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For it is the lowliest of you all who is great." 49 John said to him, "Master, we saw a man casting out daemons in your name, but we stopped him because he is not a follower of ours." 50 Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him; he who is not against you is for you." 51 As the time for his assumption was now due, he set his face for the journey to Jerusalem. 52 He sent messengers in front of him. They went and entered a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, 53 but the people would not receive him because his face was turned in the direction of Jerusalem. 54 So when the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, will you have us bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?" 55 But he turned and checked them. 56 Then they journeyed to another village. 57 And as they journeyed along the road a man said to him, "I will follow you anywhere." 58 Jesus said to him, "The foxes have their holes, the wild birds have their nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 He said to another man, "Follow me"; but he said, "Let me go and bury my father first of all." 60 Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; you go and spread the news of the Reign of God." 61 Another man also said to him, "I will follow you, Lord. But let me first say good-bye to my people at home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one is any use to the Reign of God who puts his hand to the plough and then looks behind him."