1 So after six days, Jesus took along Peter and the two brothers, James and John,+ and led them up a high mountain just the four of them.+ 2 His appearance was transformed in front of them, and his face shone like the sun. His garments, meanwhile, became as white as light.+ 3 Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus.+

4 In response Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, how wonderful it is+ for us to be right+ here! If you wish, I will set up here three tabernacles+—one for you yourself,+ one, too,+ for Moses, and one, too,+ for Elijah.”

5 He was still speaking, when suddenly there+ overshadowed+ them a cloud radiant with light!+ And then there+ came from the cloud a voice: “This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am very pleased.+ Pay close attention to him and obey what he says.+”+

6 When the disciples heard this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground, terrified.+ 7 Then Jesus came up to them and, as he touched them, said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, they didn’t see anyone, except Jesus all by himself.

9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.+”

10 “Why, then, do the experts in the Torah say that Elijah+ must come first?”+ the disciples asked him.

11 “Although Elijah certainly will come and ‘turn back’+ all things,+” Jesus replied, 12 “I tell ᵖyou that Elijah in a sense+ already has come;+ they did not recognize him, however, but treated him shamefully.+ In the same way, the Son of Man, too, is himself+ destined to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that John the Baptizer was the one+ he was speaking to them about.

14 When Jesus and the three disciples+ reached the crowd, a man came up to Jesus,+ falling to his knees before him. 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son!” he said. “He keeps having seizures and is suffering terribly,+ often falling+ into the fire or under+ the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they were unable to heal+ him.”

17 “You faithless and twisted generation!” Jesus said in response. “Exactly+ how much longer must I be with ᵖyou? How long do I have to put up with ᵖyou? Bring the boy+ here to me.” 18 Jesus issued a stern command to the demon and it came out of the boy,+ and he was healed from that moment.

19 Then the disciples came up to Jesus when there was no one else around+ and said, “Why were we ourselves+ unable to drive out the demon?+”

20 “Because ᵖyour faith is so small,+” Jesus said to them. “Amen, I solemnly+ tell ᵖyou this: If you have faith even as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for ᵖyou.”+

22 As they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is destined to be betrayed into the hands of men; 23 they will kill him, but on the third day he will be raised to life.” And they were deeply grieved.

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax+ came up to Peter and said, “ᵖYour teacher pays the temple tax,+ doesn’t he?”

25 “Yes,” he replied.

When Peter+ came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon? The kings of the earth: From whom do they collect taxes or tribute? From their own citizens,+ or from the foreigners they have conquered?+”

26 “From the foreigners,” Peter+ answered.

“Well then,” Jesus said to him, “that means the citizens+ are what?+ Exempt.+27 In order to avoid putting a stumbling block in front of them,+ however, go to the lake and throw in a fishhook and pull this+ up: The first fish that bites.+ When you open its mouth, you’ll find a silver coin worth enough to cover the temple tax for two people.+ That coin take and give to them for my tax and yours.+”