< Matthew 21 >
1 When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent away two disciples,
2 saying to them, Go into the village over against you, and you will immediately find a donkey tied, and the colt with her: loosing, lead her to me.
3 And if any one may say any thing to you, tell him, that the Lord hath need of them; and immediately he will send them away.
4 And all this took place, that the word spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
5 Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh, meek, and seated upon a donkey, even a colt, the progeny of the work-beast.
6 And the disciples, having gone and done as Jesus commanded them,
7 led the donkey, and the colt, and put their garments on them; and He sat on them.
8 A great multitude strewed their garments in the road: and others cut down the branches from the trees, and were strewing them in the road.
9 And the multitudes going forward, and following, continued to cry out, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!
10 And He having come into Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred, saying; Who is He?
11 And the multitudes continued to say, He is the prophet Jesus, the one from Nazareth of Galilee.
12 And Jesus came into the temple of God, and cast out all the buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-exchangers, and the seats of those selling the doves;
13 and He says to them, It has been written, My house shall be called a house of prayer: but you make it a den of thieves.
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple: and He healed them.
15 And the chief priests and scribes seeing the wonderful things which He did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying; Hosanna to the son of David, were indignant,
16 and said to Him, Do you hear what they are saying? And Jesus says to them, Yes: have you not read, That out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
17 And having left them, He went out of the city into Bethany, and there spent the night.
18 And in the morning going into the city, He was hungry.
19 And seeing one fig-tree near the road, He went to it, and found nothing on it, except leaves only. And He says to it, Let no fruit ever be from thee; and immediately the fig-tree withered away. (aiōn )
20 And the disciples seeing, were astonished, saying, How did the fig-tree immediately wither away?
21 And Jesus responding said to them, Truly I say unto you, if you may have faith, and doubt not, not only shall you do that of the fig-tree, but you shall say to this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, and it will be done.
22 All things whatsoever you may ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.
23 And the chief priests and elders of the people came to Him, while teaching, He having come into the temple, saying, By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?
24 And Jesus responding, said to them, I ask you also one word, which if you may speak to me, I also will tell you by what authority I am doing these things:
25 Whence was the baptism of John? from heaven or from men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we may say, From heaven; He will say to us, Why then did you not believe on him?
26 But if we may say, From men: we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a prophet.
27 And responding they said to Jesus, We do not know. He also said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
28 What seems to you? A man had two sons; and going to the first, he said, Child, go to-day, work in my vineyard.
29 And he responding said, I am not willing: but afterward, having regretted, he went.
30 And coming to the second, he spoke likewise. And he responding said, I, lord: and went not.
31 Which one of the two did the will of the father? They say to Him, The first. Jesus says to them, Truly I say unto you, that the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you believed him not: but the publicans and harlots believed him, and you, seeing, did not afterward regret it, in order that you might believe him.
33 Hear ye another parable. A man was a landlord, who planted a vineyard, and placed a hedge around it, and dug a wine-trough in it, and built a tower, and gave it out to husbandmen, and went away.
34 And when the time of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive his fruits;
35 and the husbandmen taking his servants, beat one, and slew one, and stoned another.
36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37 And afterward he sent to them his own son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38 But the husbandmen, seeing the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take possession of his inheritance.
39 And taking him, they cast him out of the vine-yard, and slew him.
40 Then when the lord of the vine-yard may come, what will he do to those husbandmen?
41 They say to Him, He will certainly destroy those wicked men, and give the vineyard to other husband-men, who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus says, Have you not read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same has come to be the head of the corner: this was with the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes?
43 Therefore I say unto you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it.
44
45 And the chief priests and Pharisees hearing His parables, knew that He speaks concerning them.
46 And seeking to arrest Him, they feared the multitudes, since they held Him as a prophet.
