Matthew 17

Common English Bible

Jesus’ transformation

17 Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain. ² He was transformed in front of them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.

³ Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. ⁴ Peter reacted to all of this by saying to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good that we’re here. If you want, I’ll make three shrines: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

⁵ While he was still speaking, look, a bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son whom I dearly love. I am very pleased with him. Listen to him!” ⁶ Hearing this, the disciples fell on their faces, filled with awe.

⁷ But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” ⁸ When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anybody about the vision until the Human One^[a] is raised from the dead.”

¹⁰ The disciples asked, “Then why do the legal experts say that Elijah must first come?”

¹¹ Jesus responded, “Elijah does come first and will restore all things. ¹² In fact, I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they didn’t know him. But they did to him whatever they wanted. In the same way the Human One^[b] is also going to suffer at their hands.” ¹³ Then the disciples realized he was telling them about John the Baptist.

Healing of a boy who was demon-possessed

¹⁴ When they came to the crowd, a man met Jesus. He knelt before him, ¹⁵ saying, “Lord, show mercy to my son. He is epileptic and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire or the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”

¹⁷ Jesus answered, “You faithless and crooked generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” ¹⁸ Then Jesus spoke harshly to the demon. And it came out of the child, who was healed from that time on.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and said, “Why couldn’t we throw the demon out?”

²⁰ “Because you have little faith,” he said. “I assure you that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Go from here to there,’ and it will go. There will be nothing that you can’t do.”^[c]

Second prediction of Jesus’ death and resurrection

²² When the disciples came together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Human One^[d] is about to be delivered over into human hands. ²³ They will kill him. But he will be raised on the third day.” And they were heartbroken.

Paying the temple tax

²⁴ When they came to Capernaum, the people who collected the half-shekel temple tax came to Peter and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”

²⁵ “Yes,” he said.

But when they came into the house, Jesus spoke to Peter first.“What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect taxes, from their children or from strangers?”

²⁶ “From strangers,” he said.

Jesus said to him, “Then the children don’t have to pay. ²⁷ But just so we don’t offend them, go to the lake, throw out a fishing line and hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a shekel coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”