Luke 9 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Jesus called the twelve apostles {\cf2\super [157]} together. He gave the apostles power to heal sicknesses and power to force demons {\cf2\super [158]} out of people.

² Jesus sent the apostles to tell about God’s kingdom and to heal the sick.

³ He said to the apostles, “When you travel, don’t take a walking stick. Also, don’t carry a bag, food, or money. Take for your trip only the clothes you are wearing.

⁴ When you go into a house, stay there until it is time to leave.

⁵ If the people in the town will not welcome you, go outside the town and shake their dust off of your feet. {\cf2\super [159]} This will be a warning to them.”

⁶ So the apostles went out. They traveled through all the towns. They told the Good News {\cf2\super [160]} and healed people everywhere.

⁷ Governor Herod {\cf2\super [161]} heard about all these things that were happening. He was confused because some people said, “John the Baptizer is risen from death.”

⁸ Other people said, “Elijah {\cf2\super [162]} has come to us.” And some other people said, “One of the prophets {\cf2\super [163]} from long ago has risen from death.”

⁹ Herod said, “I cut off John’s head. So who is this man I hear these things about?” Herod continued trying to see Jesus.

¹⁰ When the apostles {\cf2\super [164]} came back, they told Jesus the things they had done on their trip. Then Jesus took them away to a town called Bethsaida. There, Jesus and his apostles could be alone together.

¹¹ But the people learned where Jesus went. They followed him. Jesus welcomed them and talked with them about God’s kingdom. He healed the people that were sick.

¹² Late in the afternoon, the twelve apostles {\cf2\super [165]} came to Jesus and said, “No people live in this place. Send the people away. They need to find food and places to sleep in the farms and towns around here.”

¹³ But Jesus said to the apostles, {\cf2\super [166]} “You give them something to eat.”

¹⁴ (There were about 5,000 men there.)

¹⁵ So the followers did this and all the people sat down.

¹⁶ Then Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus looked up into the sky and thanked God for the food. Then Jesus divided the food and gave it to the followers. Jesus told the followers to give the food to the people.

¹⁷ All the people ate and were filled. And there was much food left. Twelve baskets were filled with the pieces of food that were not eaten.

¹⁸ One time Jesus was praying alone. His followers came together there. Jesus asked them, “Who do the people say I am?”

¹⁹ The followers answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptizer. Other people say you are Elijah. {\cf2\super [167]} And some people say you are one of the prophets {\cf2\super [168]} from long ago that has come back to life.”

²⁰ Then Jesus said to his followers, “And who do you say I am?”

²¹ Jesus warned them not to tell anyone.

²² Then Jesus said, “The Son of Man {\cf2\super [170]} must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the older Jewish leaders, the leading priests, and teachers of the law. The Son of Man will be killed. But after three days he will be raised from death.”

²³ Jesus continued to say to all of them, “If any person wants to follow me, he must say ‘No’ to the things he wants. That person must accept the cross (suffering) that is given to him every day, and he must follow me.

²⁴ The person that wants to save his life will lose it. And every person that gives his life for me will save it.

²⁵ It is worth nothing for a person to have the whole world, if he himself is destroyed or lost.

²⁶ If any person is ashamed of me and my teaching, then I {\cf2\super [171]} will be ashamed of that person. I will be ashamed of that person at the time I come with my glory and with the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

²⁷ I tell you the truth. Some of you people standing here will see the kingdom of God before you die.”

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said these things, he took Peter, James, and John and went up on a mountain to pray.

²⁹ While Jesus was praying, his face began to change. His clothes became shining white.

³⁰ Then two men were talking with Jesus. The men were Moses and Elijah. {\cf2\super [172]}

³¹ Moses and Elijah were shining bright too. They were talking with Jesus about his death that would happen in Jerusalem.

³² Peter and the others were asleep. But they woke up and saw the glory of Jesus. They also saw the two men that were standing with Jesus.

³³ When Moses and Elijah were leaving, Peter said, “Master, it is good that we are here. We will put three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (Peter did not know what he was saying.)

³⁴ While Peter was saying these things, a cloud came all around them. Peter, James, and John became afraid when the cloud covered them.

³⁵ A voice came from the cloud. The voice said, “This is my Son. He is the One I have chosen. Obey him.”

³⁶ When the voice finished, only Jesus was there. Peter, James, and John said nothing. At that time they told no person about what they had seen.

³⁷ The next day, Jesus, Peter, James, and John came down from the mountain. A large group of people met Jesus.

³⁸ A man in the group shouted to Jesus, “Teacher, please come and look at my son. He is the only child I have.

³⁹ An evil spirit \{from the devil\} comes into my son, and then he shouts. He loses control of himself and he foams from the mouth. The evil spirit continues to hurt him and almost never leaves him.

⁴⁰ I begged your followers to make the evil spirit leave my son, but they could not do it.”

⁴¹ Jesus answered, “You people that live now have no faith. Your lives are all wrong. How long must I be with you and be patient with you?” Then Jesus said to the man, “Bring your son here.”

⁴² While the boy was coming, the demon {\cf2\super [173]} threw the boy to the ground. The boy lost control of himself. But Jesus gave a strong command to the evil spirit. Then the boy was healed. And Jesus gave the boy back to his father.

⁴³ All the people were amazed at the great power of God.

⁴⁴ “Don’t forget the things I will tell you now: The Son of Man {\cf2\super [174]} will soon be given into the control of some men.”

⁴⁵ But the followers did not understand what Jesus meant. The meaning was hidden from them so that they could not understand it. But the followers were afraid to ask Jesus about what he said.

⁴⁶ Jesus’ followers began to have an argument about which one of them was the greatest (most important).

⁴⁷ Jesus knew what they were thinking. So Jesus took a little child and stood the child beside him.

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to the followers, “If a person accepts a little child like this in my name, then that person accepts me. And when a person accepts me, that person accepts the One (God) that sent me. The person among you that is the most humble—that person is a great (important) person.”

⁴⁹ John answered, “Master, we saw a person using your name to force demons {\cf2\super [175]} out of people. We told him to stop because he does not belong to our group.”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to John, “Don’t stop him. If a person is not against you, then he is for you.”

⁵¹ The time was coming near when Jesus would leave and go back to heaven. He decided to go to Jerusalem.

⁵² Jesus sent some men ahead of him. The men went into a town in Samaria to make everything ready for Jesus.

⁵³ But the people there would not welcome Jesus because he was going toward Jerusalem.

⁵⁴ James and John, the followers of Jesus, saw this. They said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and destroy those people?” {\cf2\super [176]}

⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and scolded them. {\cf2\super [177]}

⁵⁶ Then Jesus and his followers went to another town.

⁵⁷ They were all traveling along the road. Someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you any place you go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus answered, “The foxes have holes to live in. The birds have nests to live in. But the Son of Man {\cf2\super [178]} has no place where he can rest his head.”

⁵⁹ Jesus said to another man, “Follow me!”

⁶⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Let the people that are dead bury their own dead! You must go and tell about the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ Another man said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to my family.”

⁶² Jesus said, “If any person begins to plow a field, but looks back, he is not prepared for the kingdom of God.”