Matthew 21
1 And when they drewe neere to Hierusalem, and were come to Bethphage, vnto the mount of the Oliues, then sent Iesus 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, Goe into the towne that is ouer against you, and anon yee shall finde an asse bounde, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them vnto 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 And if any man say ought vnto you, say ye, that the Lord hath neede of them, and straightway he will let them goe.
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 by the Prophet, saying,
This happened in fulfilment of these words in the prophet –
5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Beholde, thy King commeth vnto thee, meeke and sitting vpon an asse, and a colte, the foale of an asse vsed to the yoke.
“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 So the disciples went, and did as Iesus had commanded them,
So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.
7 And brought the asse and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and set him thereon.
They led the donkey and the foal back, and, when they had put their cloaks on them, he seated himself on them.
8 And a great multitude spred their garments in the way: and other cut downe branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
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 Moreouer, the people that went before, and they also that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Sonne of Dauid, Blessed be hee that commeth in the Name of the Lord, Hosanna thou which art in the highest heauens.
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 And when he was come into Hierusalem, all the citie was mooued, saying, Who is this?
When he had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred, and asked –
11 And the people said, This is Iesus that Prophet of Nazareth in Galile.
‘Who is this?’, to which the crowd replied – ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’
12 And Iesus went into the Temple of God, and cast out all them that solde and bought in the Temple, and ouerthrew the tables of the money chagers, and the seates of them that sold doues,
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 And said to them, it is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer: but ye haue made it a denne of theeues.
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 Then the blinde, and the halt 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 chiefe priestes and Scribes sawe the marueiles that hee did, and the children crying in the Temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Sonne of Dauid, they disdained,
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 vnto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Iesus said vnto them, Yea: read ye neuer, By the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast made perfite the 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 So hee left them, and went out of the citie vnto Bethania, and lodged there.
Then he left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.
18 And in the morning, as he returned into the citie, he was hungrie,
The next morning, in returning to the city, Jesus became hungry;
19 And seeing a figge tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaues onely, and said to it, Neuer fruite grow on thee henceforwards. And anon the figge tree withered. (aiōn g165)
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 And when his disciples saw it, they marueiled, saying, How soone is the figge tree withered!
When the disciples saw this, they exclaimed in astonishment, ‘How suddenly the fig tree withered up!’
21 And Iesus answered and said vnto them, Verely I say vnto you, if ye haue faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only doe that, which I haue done to the figge tree, but also if ye say vnto this mountaine, Take thy selfe away, and cast thy selfe into the sea, it shalbe 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 And whatsoeuer ye shall aske in prayer, if ye beleeue, ye shall receiue it.
And whatever you ask for in your prayers will, if you have faith, be granted you.’
23 And whe he was come into the Temple, the chiefe Priestes, and the Elders of the people came vnto him, as he was teaching, and saide, By what authoritie doest thou these things? and who gaue thee this authoritie?
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 Then Iesus answered and said vnto them, I also will aske of you a certaine thing, which if ye tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authoritie I doe 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 baptisme of Iohn, whence was it? from heauen, or of men? Then they reasoned among themselues, saying, If we shall say, From heauen, he will say vnto vs, Why did ye not then beleeue 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 And if we say, Of men, we feare the multitude, for all holde Iohn as a Prophet.
But if we say “human,” we are afraid of the people, for everyone regards John as a prophet.’
27 Then they answered Iesus, and said, We can not tell. And he said vnto them, Neither tell I you by what authoritie I doe 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 thinke ye? A certaine man had two sonnes, and came to the elder, and saide, Sonne, goe and worke to day in my vineyarde.
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 But he answered, and said, I will not: yet afterward he repented himselfe, and went.
“Yes, sir,” he answered; but he did not go.
30 Then came he to the second, and said likewise. And he answered, and said, I will, Syr: yet he went not.
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 Whether of them twaine did the will of the father? They saide vnto him, The first. Iesus saide vnto them, Verely I say vnto you, that the Publicanes and the harlots goe before you into the kingdome of God.
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 Iohn came vnto you in the way of righteousnes, and yee beleeued him not: but the Publicanes, and the harlots beleeued him, and ye, though ye sawe it, were not mooued with repentance afterward, that ye might beleeue 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 Heare another parable, There was a certaine housholder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and made a winepresse therein, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a strange countrey.
‘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 And when the time of the fruite drewe neere, hee sent his seruants to the husbandmen to receiue the fruites thereof.
When the time for the grape harvest drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to receive his share of the produce.
35 And ye husbandmen tooke his seruants and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
36 Againe hee sent other seruants, moe then the first: and they did the like vnto them.
A second time the owner sent some servants, a larger number than before, and the tenants treated them in the same way.
37 But last of all he sent vnto them his owne sonne, saying, They will reuerence my sonne.
As a last resource he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son,” he said.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the sonne, they saide among themselues, This is the heire: come, let vs kill him, and let vs take 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 tooke him, and cast him out of the vineyarde, and slewe him.
So they seized him, and threw him outside the vineyard, and killed him.
40 When therefore the Lord of the vineyarde shall come, what will hee doe to those husbandmen?
Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’
41 They saide vnto him, Hee will cruelly destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard vnto other husbandmen, which shall deliuer him the fruites in their seasons.
‘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 Iesus saide vnto them, Read ye neuer in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders refused, the same is made the head of the corner? This was the Lordes doing, and it is marueilous 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 say I vnto you, The kingdome of God shalbe taken from you, and shalbe giuen to a nation, which shall bring foorth the fruites thereof.
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 And whosoeuer shall fall on this stone, he shalbe broken: but on whomsoeuer it shall fall, it will dash him a pieces.
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 And when the chiefe Priestes and Pharises had heard his parables, they perceiued that hee spake of them.
After listening to these parables, the chief priests and the Pharisees saw that it was about them that he was speaking;
46 And they seeking to laye handes on him, feared the people, because they tooke him as a Prophet.
yet, although eager to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds, who regarded him as a prophet.
