Matthew 21
1 When they came near to Jerusalem and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
When they had almost reached Jerusalem, having come as far as Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent on two disciples.
2 saying to them, “Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.
‘Go to the village facing you,’ he said, ‘and you will immediately find a donkey tethered, with a foal by her side; untie her, and lead her here for me.
3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
And, if anyone says anything to you, you are to say this – “The Master wants them”; and he will send them at once.’
4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,
This happened in fulfilment of these words in the prophet –
5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
“Say to the people of Zion – ‘Your King is coming to you, gentle, and riding on a donkey, and on the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus commanded them,
So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.
7 and brought the donkey and the colt and laid their clothes on them; and he sat on them.
They led the donkey and the foal back, and, when they had put their cloaks on them, he seated himself on them.
8 A very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
The immense crowd of people spread their cloaks in the road, while some cut branches off the trees, and spread them on the road.
9 The multitudes who went in front of him, and those who followed, kept shouting, “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
The crowds that led the way, as well as those that followed behind, kept shouting, ‘God save the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! God save him from on high!’
10 When he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
When he had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred, and asked –
11 The multitudes said, “This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
‘Who is this?’, to which the crowd replied – ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’
12 Jesus entered into the temple of God and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables and the seats of those who sold the doves.
Jesus went into the Temple Courts, and drove out all those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers, and the seats of the pigeon-dealers,
13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers!”
and said to them, ‘Scripture says “My house will be called a house of prayer”; but you are making it a den of robbers.’
14 The lame and the blind came to him in the temple, and he healed them.
While he was still in the Temple Courts, some blind and some lame people came up to him, and he cured them.
15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children who were crying in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the son of David!” they were indignant,
But, when the chief priests and the teachers of the Law saw the wonderful things that Jesus did, and the boys who were calling out in the Temple Courts ‘God save the Son of David!’, they were indignant,
16 and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes. Did you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of children and nursing babies, you have perfected praise’?”
and said to him, ‘Do you hear what these boys are saying?’ ‘Yes,’ answered Jesus, ‘but did you never read the words – “Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings you have called forth perfect praise”?’
17 He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and camped there.
Then he left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.
18 Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry.
The next morning, in returning to the city, Jesus became hungry;
19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it and found nothing on it but leaves. He said to it, "Let there be no fruit from you for the age (aiōn g165)!" Immediately the fig tree withered away.
and, noticing a solitary fig tree by the roadside, he went up to it, but found nothing on it but leaves. So he said to it, ‘Never again will fruit be gathered off you.’ And suddenly the fruit tree withered up. (aiōn g165)
20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree immediately wither away?”
When the disciples saw this, they exclaimed in astonishment, ‘How suddenly the fig tree withered up!’
21 Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you told this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it would be done.
‘I tell you,’ replied Jesus, ‘if you have faith, without ever a doubt, you will do what not only what has been done to the fig tree, but, even if you should say to this hill “Be lifted up and hurled into the sea!” it would be done.
22 All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
And whatever you ask for in your prayers will, if you have faith, be granted you.’
23 When he had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority do you do these things? Who gave you this authority?”
After Jesus had come into the Temple Courts, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘What authority have you to do these things? Who gave you this authority?’
24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
‘I, too,’ said Jesus in reply, ‘will ask you one question; if you will give me an answer to it, then I, also, will tell you what authority I have to act as I do.
25 The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?” They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’
It is about John’s baptism. What was its origin? Divine or human?’ But they began arguing among themselves, ‘If we say “divine,” he will say to us “Why then didn’t you believe him?”
26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a prophet.”
But if we say “human,” we are afraid of the people, for everyone regards John as a prophet.’
27 They answered Jesus, and said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
So the answer they gave Jesus was – ‘We do not know.’ ‘Then I,’ he said, ‘refuse to tell you what authority I have to do these things.
28 But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’
What do you think of this? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the elder and said “Go and work in the vineyard today my son.”
29 He answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind, and went.
“Yes, sir,” he answered; but he did not go.
30 He came to the second, and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I am going, sir,’ but he did not go.
Then the father went to the second son, and said the same. “I will not,” he answered; but afterwards he was sorry and went.
31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering into God’s Kingdom before you.
Which of the two sons did as his father wished?’ ‘The second,’ they said. ‘I tell you,’ added Jesus, ‘that tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God before you.
32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. When you saw it, you did not even repent afterward, that you might believe him.
For when John came to you, walking in the path of righteousness, you did not believe him, but tax collectors and prostitutes did; and yet you, though you saw this, even then were not sorry, nor did you believe him.
33 “Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a wine press in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went into another country.
‘Listen to another parable. A man, who was an employer, once planted a vineyard, put a fence round it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, and then let it out to tenants and went abroad.
34 When the season for the fruit came near, he sent his servants to the farmers to receive his fruit.
When the time for the grape harvest drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to receive his share of the produce.
35 The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first; and they treated them the same way.
A second time the owner sent some servants, a larger number than before, and the tenants treated them in the same way.
37 But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
As a last resource he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son,” he said.
38 But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and seize his inheritance.’
But the tenants, on seeing his son, said to each other “Here is the heir! Come, let us kill him, and get his inheritance.”
39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard, then killed him.
So they seized him, and threw him outside the vineyard, and killed him.
40 When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”
Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’
41 They told him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers who will give him the fruit in its season.”
‘Miserable wretches!’ they exclaimed, ‘he will put them to a miserable death, and he will let out the vineyard to other tenants, who will pay him his share of the produce at the proper times.’
42 Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes’?
Then Jesus added, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures? – “The stone which the builders despised – has now itself become the cornerstone. This cornerstone has come from the Lord, and is marvellous in our eyes.”
43 “Therefore I tell you, God’s Kingdom will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation producing its fruit.
That, I tell you, is why the kingdom of God will be taken from you, and given to a nation that does produce the fruit of the kingdom.
44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust.”
Yes, and he who falls on this stone will be dashed to pieces, while anyone on whom it falls – it will scatter him as dust.’
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke about them.
After listening to these parables, the chief priests and the Pharisees saw that it was about them that he was speaking;
46 When they sought to seize him, they feared the multitudes, because they considered him to be a prophet.
yet, although eager to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds, who regarded him as a prophet.
