< Mark 11 >

1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,
When they came near to Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage and Bethany [villages] near Olive [Tree] Hill. Then Jesus [summoned] two of his disciples.
2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring [him].
He said to them, “Go to that village just ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey that no one has ever ridden, that has been tied {people have tied} up. Untie it, and then bring it [to me].
3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing that?’, say, [‘Jesus], our Lord, needs [to use] it. He will send it back here [with someone] as soon as [he no longer needs it].’”
4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.
So [the two disciples] went and they found the young donkey. It was tied close to the door [of a house], which was beside the street. Then they untied it.
5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?
Some of the [people who were there] said to them, “Why are you untying the donkey?”
6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.
They told them what Jesus had said. So the people permitted them [to take the donkey].
7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.
They brought the donkey to Jesus. [The disciples] put some of their clothes on it [in order to make something for him to sit on].
8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed [them] in the way.
Many people spread their cloaks on the road [to honor him as a king]. Others, [in order to honor him], spread along the road branches that they cut from [palm trees] in the fields [beside the road].
9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
The people who were going in front of him and behind him were all shouting [things like], “Praise God!” “May God bless this one who comes (with his authority/as his representative) [MTY].”
10 Blessed [be] the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
“May you be blessed {May [God] bless you} when you rule [like] our ancestor [King] David ruled!” “Praise God who is in the highest heaven!”
11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
He entered Jerusalem [with them], and then he went into the Temple [courtyard]. After he looked around at everything [there], he left [the city] because it was already late [in the afternoon]. He returned to Bethany with the twelve [disciples and slept there].
12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
The next day, as Jesus and his disciples were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.
13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not [yet].
He saw from a distance a fig tree with all its leaves, so he went [to it] to see if he could find any [figs] on it. But when he came to it, he found only leaves on it. This was because it was not yet time when [normal fig trees have ripe] figs.
14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard [it.] (aiōn g165)
[But to illustrate how God would punish the nation of Israel, ] he said to the tree, “No one shall ever eat from you again [because you will no longer bear figs].” The disciples heard what he said. (aiōn g165)
15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
Jesus and his disciples went [back] to Jerusalem. He entered the Temple [courtyard. He saw people] who were selling and buying [animals for sacrifices. They were spoiling the place of worship]. He chased those people [from the Temple courtyard.] He also overturned the tables of those who were giving Temple tax money in exchange for Roman coins. He overturned the seats of the men who were selling doves [for sacrifices],
16 And would not suffer that any man should carry [any] vessel through the temple.
and he would not allow anyone who was carrying anything [to sell] to go through the Temple [area].
17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Then as he taught those people, he said to them, “It is written {[One of the prophets] wrote} [in the Scriptures that God said], ‘[I want] my house to be called {[people] to call my house} a house where [people from] all nations may pray’, but you bandits have made it [like] a cave where you can hide! ([You know that!/Do you not know that]?) [RHQ]”
18 And the scribes and chief priests heard [it], and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
The chief priests and the men who taught the [Jewish] laws [later] heard [about what he had done]. So they planned how they might kill him, [but they knew that it would be difficult], because they realized that the crowd was amazed at what he was teaching and they feared [that the people would soon decide that Jesus had more authority over the Temple than they did] (OR, [feared what the people would do if they tried to arrest Jesus]).
19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.
That evening, [Jesus and his disciples] left the city [and again slept in Bethany].
20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
[The next] morning, while they were going along [the road toward Jerusalem, they saw that the fig tree that Jesus had cursed] had withered completely.
21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
Peter remembered [what Jesus had said to the fig tree] and he exclaimed to Jesus, “Teacher, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered!”
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Jesus replied, “[You should not be surprised that God did what I asked]! You must trust that God [will do whatever you ask him to do]!
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
[Also] note this: If anyone says to this hill, ‘Be raised up {Rise up} and then be thrown {throw yourself} into the lake!’ and if he does not doubt [that what he asks for will happen], that is, if he believes that what he asks for will happen, [God] will do it for him.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].
So I tell you, whenever you ask [God] for something when you pray, believe that you will receive it, and, [if you do, God] will do it [for you].
25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Now, I [tell you this also]: Whenever you are praying, if you have a grudge against people [because they have harmed you], forgive them, in order that your Father in heaven will [likewise] forgive your sins.”
26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
27 And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,
Jesus and his disciples arrived in the Temple [courtyard] in Jerusalem again. While Jesus was walking [there, a group consisting of] chief priests, [some] men who taught the [Jewish] laws, and elders came to him and they said to him,
28 And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?
“By what authority are you doing these things? Who authorized you to do things [like those you did here yesterday]?”
29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you who authorized me to do those things.
30 The baptism of John, was [it] from heaven, or of men? answer me.
Did God [MTY] or people [authorize] John to baptize [those who came to him]?”
31 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
They debated among themselves [as to what they should answer]. They [said to each other], “If we say that it was God [who authorized] him, he will say to us, ‘Therefore, (you should have believed what John said!/why did you not believe what John said?) [RHQ]’
32 But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all [men] counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
On the other hand, if we say that it was people [who authorized John, then what will happen to us]?” They were afraid [to say that about where John got his authority, because they knew that] the people [would be very angry with them. They knew that] all the people truly believed that John was a prophet [whom God had sent].
33 And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
So they answered Jesus, “We do not know [where John got his authority].” Then Jesus said to them, “[Because you did not answer my question, I] will not tell you who authorized me to do those things [here yesterday].”

< Mark 11 >