1 Six days later Jesus took along Peter, James, and James's brother John, and brought them up a high mountain privately.
2 He was transformed in front of them: his face shone like the sun, and his garments turned as white as the light.
3 And there before them appeared Moses and Elijah, conversing with him.
4 Peter responded by saying to Jesus, "Lord, it is a fine thing for us to be here. If you are willing, let us set up three shelters here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
5 He was still speaking when a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I have delighted. Listen to him!"
6 On hearing it, the disciples fell face down and were filled with terror.
7 Jesus came over, touched them, and said, "Get up, and stop being afraid."
8 Raising their eyes, they saw nobody except Jesus alone.
9 On their way down the mountain, Jesus gave them this order: "Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."
10 His disciples questioned him, "Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?"
11 Jesus replied, "Elijah is indeed coming first, and he will restore everything.
12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not acknowledge him; instead they did with him whatever they wanted. In the same way the Son of Man too is going to suffer at their hands."
13 Then the disciples realized that he had been speaking to them about John the Baptist.
14 When they reached the crowd, a man approached him, fell on his knees before him, and said,
15 "Lord, show mercy to my son, because he is epileptic and suffers badly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
16 I brought him to your disciples, but they were not able to cure him."
17 Jesus answered, "O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you? Bring him here to me."
18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it went out of him; and from that hour the boy was cured.
19 Afterward the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why were we not able to drive it out?"
20 Jesus told them, "Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Go across from here to there,' and it will go across; and nothing will be impossible for you.
21 But this kind does not come out except through prayer and fasting."
22 While they were going about in Galilee, Jesus told them, "The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the hands of men,
23 and they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised up." And they were filled with grief.
24 After they arrived in Capernaum, the men collecting the two-drachma tax came up to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the two drachmas?"
25 "He does," he said. When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him by saying, "What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take duties or poll tax: from their own sons, or from outsiders?"
26 Peter said to him, "From outsiders." Jesus told him, "Then the sons are exempt.
27 But so that we do not cause them to stumble, go to the sea, throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a stater; take it and give it to them for me and for you."