Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech, Mark Part 3

009:001 He went on to say, "In solemn truth I tell you that some of those who are standing here will certainly not taste death till they have seen the Kingdom of G.o.d already come in power."

009:002 Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and brought them alone, apart from the rest, up a high mountain; and in their presence His appearance underwent a change.

009:003 His garments also became dazzling with brilliant whiteness-- such whiteness as no bleaching on earth could give.

009:004 Moreover there appeared to them Elijah accompanied by Moses; and the two were conversing with Jesus, 009:005 when Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, we are thankful to you that we are here. Let us put up three tents--one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

009:006 For he knew not what to say: they were filled with such awe.

009:007 Then there came a cloud spreading over them, and a voice issued from the cloud, "This is my Son, dearly loved: listen to Him."

009:008 Instantly they looked round, and now they could no longer see any one, but themselves and Jesus.

009:009 As they were coming down from the mountain, He very strictly forbad them to tell any one what they had seen "until after the Son of Man has risen from among the dead."

009:010 So they kept the matter to themselves, although frequently asking one another what was meant by the rising from the dead.

009:011 They also asked Him, "How is it that the Scribes say that Elijah must first come?"

009:012 "Elijah," He replied, "does indeed come first and reforms everything; but how is it that it is written of the Son of Man that He will endure much suffering and be held in contempt?

009:013 Yet I tell you that not only has Elijah come, but they have also done to him whatever they chose, as the Scriptures say about him."

009:014 As they came to rejoin the disciples, they saw an immense crowd surrounding them and a party of Scribes disputing with them.

009:015 Immediately the whole mult.i.tude on beholding Him were astonished and awe-struck, and yet they ran forward and greeted Him.

009:016 "What is the subject you are discussing?" He asked them.

009:017 "Rabbi," answered one of the crowd, "I have brought you my son.

He has a dumb spirit in him; 009:018 and wherever it comes upon him, it dashes him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth, and he is pining away. I begged your disciples to expel it, but they had not the power."

009:019 "O unbelieving generation!" replied Jesus; "how long must I be with you? how long must I have patience with you?

Bring the boy to me."

009:020 So they brought him to Jesus. And the spirit, when he saw Jesus, immediately threw the youth into convulsions, so that he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

009:021 Then Jesus asked the father, "How long has he been like this?"

"From early childhood," he said; 009:022 "and often it has thrown him into the fire or into pools of water to destroy him. But, if you possibly can, have pity on us and help us."

009:023 "'If I possibly can!'" replied Jesus; "why, everything is possible to him who believes."

009:024 Immediately the father cried out, "I do believe: strengthen my weak faith."

009:025 Then Jesus, seeing that an increasing crowd was running towards Him, rebuked the foul spirit, and said to it, "Dumb and deaf spirit, *I* command you, come out of him and never enter into him again."

009:026 So with a loud cry he threw the boy into fit after fit, and came out.

The boy looked as if he were dead, so that most of them said he was dead; 009:027 but Jesus took his hand and raised him up, and he stood on his feet.

009:028 After the return of Jesus to the house His disciples asked Him privately, "How is it that we could not expel the spirit?"

009:029 "An evil spirit of this kind," He answered, "can only be driven out by prayer."

009:030 Departing thence they pa.s.sed through Galilee, and He was unwilling that any one should know it; 009:031 for He was teaching His disciples, and telling them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will put Him to death; and after being put to death, in three days He will rise to life again."

009:032 They, however, did not understand what He meant, and were afraid to question Him.

009:033 So they came to Capernaum; and when in the house He asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?"

009:034 But they remained silent; for on the way they had debated with one another who was the chief of them.

009:035 Then sitting down He called the Twelve, and said to them, "If any one wishes to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."

009:036 And taking a young child He made him stand in their midst, then threw His arms round him and said, 009:037 "Whoever for my sake receives one such young child as this, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not so much me as Him who sent me."

009:038 "Rabbi," said John to Him, "we saw a man making use of your name to expel demons, and we tried to hinder him, on the ground that he did not follow us."

009:039 "You should not have tried to hinder him," replied Jesus, "for there is no one who will use my name to perform a miracle and be able the next minute to speak evil of me.

009:040 He who is not against us is for us; 009:041 and whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, I solemnly tell you that he will certainly not lose his reward.

009:042 "And whoever shall occasion the fall of one of these little ones who believe, he would be better off if, with a millstone round his neck, he were lying at the bottom of the sea.

009:043 If your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off: it would be better for you to enter into Life maimed, than remain in possession of both your hands and go away into Gehenna, into the fire which cannot be put out.

009:044 []

009:045 Or if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off: it would be better for you to enter into Life crippled, than remain in possession of both your feet and be thrown into Gehenna.

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009:047 Or if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out.

It would be better for you to enter into the Kingdom of G.o.d half-blind than remain in possession of two eyes and be thrown into Gehenna, 009:048 where their worm does not die and the fire does not go out.

009:049 Every one, however, will be salted with fire.

009:050 Salt is a good thing, but if the salt should become tasteless, what will you use to give it saltness? Have salt within you and live at peace with one another."

010:001 Soon on His feet once more, He enters the district of Judaea and crosses the Jordan: again the people flock to Him, and ere long, as was usual with Him, He was teaching them once more.

010:002 Presently a party of Pharisees come to Him with the question-- seeking to entrap Him, "May a man divorce his wife?"

010:003 "What rule did Moses lay down for you?" He answered.

010:004 "Moses," they said, "permitted a man to draw up a written notice of divorce, and to send his wife away."

010:005 "It was in consideration of your stubborn hearts," said Jesus, "that Moses enacted this law for you; 010:006 but from the beginning of the creation the rule was, 'Male and female did G.o.d make them.

010:007 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cling to his wife, 010:008 and the two shall be one'; so that they are two no longer, but 'one.'

010:009 What, therefore, G.o.d has joined together let not man separate."

010:010 Indoors the disciples began questioning Jesus again on the same subject.

010:011 He replied, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman, commits adultery against the first wife; 010:012 and if a woman puts away her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."

010:013 One day people were bringing young children to Jesus for Him to touch them, but the disciples interfered.

010:014 Jesus, however, on seeing this, was moved to indignation, and said to them, "Let the little children come to me: do not hinder them; for to those who are childlike the Kingdom of G.o.d belongs.

010:015 In solemn truth I tell you that no one who does not receive the Kingdom of G.o.d like a little child will by any possibility enter it."

010:016 Then He took them in His arms and blessed them lovingly, one by one, laying His hands upon them.

010:017 As He went out to resume His journey, there came a man running up to Him, who knelt at His feet and asked, "Good Rabbi, what am I to do in order to inherit the Life of the Ages?"

010:018 "Why do you call me good?" asked Jesus in reply; "there is no one truly good except One--that is, G.o.d.

010:019 You know the Commandments--'Do not murder;' 'Do not commit adultery;'

'Do not steal;' 'Do not lie in giving evidence;' 'Do not defraud;'

'Honour thy father and thy mother.'"

010:020 "Rabbi," he replied, "all these Commandments I have carefully obeyed from my youth."

010:021 Then Jesus looked at him and loved him, and said, "One thing is lacking in you: go, sell all you possess and give the proceeds to the poor, and you shall have riches in Heaven; and come and be a follower of mine."

010:022 At these words his brow darkened, and he went away sad; for he was possessed of great wealth.

010:023 Then looking round on His disciples Jesus said, "With how hard a struggle will the possessors of riches enter the Kingdom of G.o.d!"

010:024 The disciples were amazed at His words. Jesus, however, said again, "Children, how hard a struggle is it for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of G.o.d!

010:025 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of G.o.d."

010:026 They were astonished beyond measure, and said to one another, "Who then *can* be saved?"

010:027 Jesus looking on them said, "With men it is impossible, but not with G.o.d; for everything is possible with G.o.d."

010:028 "Remember," said Peter to Him, "that we forsook everything and have become your followers."

010:029 "In solemn truth I tell you," replied Jesus, "that there is no one who has forsaken house or brothers or sisters, or mother or father, or children or lands, for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, 010:030 but will receive a hundred times as much now in this present life-- houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, lands-- and persecution with them--and in the coming age the Life of the Ages.

010:031 But many who are now first will be last, and the last, first."

010:032 They were still on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were full of wonder, and some, though they followed, did so with fear. Then, once more calling to Him the Twelve, He began to tell them what was about to happen to Him.

010:033 "See," He said, "we are going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the High Priests and the Scribes.

They will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles; 010:034 they will insult Him in cruel sport, spit on Him, scourge Him, and put Him to death; but on the third day He will rise to life again."

010:035 Then James and John, the sons of Zabdi, came up to Him and said, "Rabbi, we wish you would grant us whatever request we make of you."

010:036 "What would you have me do for you?" He asked.

010:037 "Allow us," they replied, "to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left hand, in your glory."

010:038 "You know not," said He, "what you are asking. Are you able to drink out of the cup from which I am to drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am to be baptized?"

010:039 "We are able," they replied. "Out of the cup," said Jesus, "from which I am to drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I am to be baptized you shall be baptized; 010:040 but as to sitting at my right hand or at my left, that is not mine to give: it will be for those for whom it is reserved."

010:041 The other ten, hearing of it, were at first highly indignant with James and John.

010:042 Jesus, however, called them to Him and said to them, "You are aware how those who are deemed rulers among the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men make them feel their authority; 010:043 but it is not to be so among you. No, whoever desires to be great among you must be your servant; 010:044 and whoever desires to be first among you must be the bondservant of all.

010:045 For the Son of Man also did not come to be waited upon, but to wait on others, and to give His life as the redemption-price for a mult.i.tude of people."

010:046 They came to Jericho; and as He was leaving that town-- Himself and His disciples and a great crowd--Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting by the way-side.

010:047 Hearing that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, "Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me."

010:048 Many angrily told him to leave off shouting; but he only cried out all the louder, "Son of David, have pity on me."

010:049 Then Jesus stood still. "Call him," He said. So they called the blind man. "Cheer up," they said; "rise, he is calling you."

010:050 The man flung away his outer garment, sprang to his feet, and came to Jesus.

010:051 "What shall I do for you?" said Jesus. "Rabboni," replied the blind man, "let me recover my sight."

010:052 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has cured you." Instantly he regained his sight, and followed Him along the road.

011:001 When they were getting near Jerusalem and had arrived at Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples on in front, with these instructions.

011:002 "Go," He said, "to the village facing you, and immediately on entering it you will find an a.s.s's foal tied up which no one has ever yet ridden: untie him and bring him here.

011:003 And if any one asks you, 'Why are you doing that?' say, 'The Master needs it, and will send it back here without delay.'"

011:004 So they went and found a young a.s.s tied up at the front door of a house. They were untying it, 011:005 when some of the bystanders called out, "What are you doing, untying the foal?"

011:006 But on their giving the answer that Jesus had bidden them give, they let them take it.

011:007 So they brought the foal to Jesus, and threw their outer garments over him; and Jesus mounted.