17. A man in the crowd answered, ‘Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.
18. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.’
19. ‘You unbelieving generation,’ Jesus replied, ‘how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.’
20. So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21. Jesus asked the boy’s father, ‘How long has he been like this?’‘From childhood,’ he answered.
22. ‘It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’
23. ‘ “If you can”?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’
24. Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief !’
25. When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. ‘You deaf and mute spirit,’ he said, ‘I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’
26. The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, ‘He’s dead.’
27. But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
28. After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why couldn’t we drive it out?’
29. He replied, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer. ’
30. They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were,
31. because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.’
32. But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
33. They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’
34. But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
35. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.’
36. He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,