Matthew

Chapter 1

¹ The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham. ² Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. ³ Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. ⁴ Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. ⁵ Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse. ⁶ Jesse was the father of David the king,

David the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah. ⁷ Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa. ⁸ Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram an ancestor of Uzziah. ⁹ Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. ¹⁰ Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. ¹¹ Josiah was an ancestor of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

¹² After the deportation to Babylon, Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel was an ancestor of Zerubbabel. ¹³ Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. ¹⁴ Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. ¹⁵ Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan was the father of Jacob. ¹⁶ Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. ¹⁷ All the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

¹⁸ The birth of Jesus Christ happened in the following way. His mother, Mary, was engaged to marry Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Her husband, Joseph, was a righteous man, and he did not want to disgrace her publicly. So he decided to secretly end his engagement with her. ²⁰ As he thought about these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, because the one who is conceived in her is conceived by the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." ²² All this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,

     ²³ "Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call his name Immanuel"—which means, "God with us." ²⁴ Joseph woke up from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and he took her as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not know her until she gave birth to a son. Then he called his name Jesus.

Chapter 2

¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, learned men from the east arrived in Jerusalem saying, ² "Where is he who was born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ Herod brought together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, and he asked them, "Where is the Christ to be born?" ⁵ They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what was written by the prophet,

     ⁶ 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

     are not the least among the leaders of Judah,

     for from you will come a ruler

     who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

⁷ Then Herod secretly called the learned men to ask them exactly what time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search carefully for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him." ⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star that they had seen in the east went before them until it came and stood still over where the young child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with very great joy. ¹¹ They went into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother. They fell down and worshiped him. They opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² God warned them in a dream not to return to Herod, so they departed to their own country by another way.

¹³ After they had departed, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the young child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Remain there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." ¹⁴ That night Joseph rose and took the young child and his mother and departed into Egypt. ¹⁵ He remained there until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been mocked by the learned men, was very angry. He sent and killed all the male children that were in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old and under, according to the time that he had determined exactly from the learned men. ¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet,

     ¹⁸ "A voice was heard in Ramah,

     weeping and great mourning,

     Rachel weeping for her children,

     and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more."

¹⁹ When Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ²⁰ "Get up and take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." ²¹ Joseph rose, took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. After God warned him in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee ²³ and went and lived in a city called Nazareth. This fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Chapter 3

¹ In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying, ² "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." ³ For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,

     "The voice of one calling out in the wilderness,

     'Make ready the way of the Lord,

     make his paths straight.'"

⁴ Now John wore clothing of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan River went out to him. ⁶ They were baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. ⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him for baptism, he said to them, "You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath that is coming? ⁸ Bear fruit worthy of repentance. ⁹ Do not think of saying among yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham even out of these stones. ¹⁰ Already the ax has been placed against the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹ I baptize you with water for repentance. But he who comes after me is mightier than I, and I am not worthy even to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in his hand to thoroughly clear off his threshing floor and to gather his wheat into the storehouse. But he will burn up the chaff with fire that can never be put out."

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John kept trying to stop him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" ¹⁵ Jesus responded and said to him, "Permit it now, for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then John permitted him. ¹⁶ After he was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting upon him. ¹⁷ Behold, a voice came out of the heavens saying, "This is my beloved Son. I am very pleased with him."

Chapter 4

¹ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread." ⁴ But Jesus answered and said to him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.'" ⁵ Then the devil took him into the holy city and set him on the highest point of the temple building, ⁶ and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

     'He will command his angels to take care of you,'

and,

     'They will lift you up in their hands,

     so that you will not hit your foot against a stone.'"

⁷ Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You must not test the Lord your God.'" ⁸ Again, the devil took him up to a very high hill and showed him all the kingdoms of the world along with all their glory. ⁹ He said to him, "All these things I will give you, if you fall down and worship me." ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, "Go away from here, Satan! For it is written,

     'You will worship the Lord your God, and you will serve only him.'"

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.

¹² Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. ¹³ He left Nazareth and went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the Sea of Galilee, in the territories of Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴ This happened to fulfill what was said by Isaiah the prophet,

     ¹⁵ "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

     toward the sea, beyond the Jordan,

     Galilee of the Gentiles!

     ¹⁶ The people who sat in darkness

     have seen a great light,

     and to those who sat in the region and shadow of death,

     upon them has a light arisen."

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." ¹⁸ As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ Jesus said to them, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." ²⁰ Immediately they left the nets and followed him. ²¹ As Jesus was going on from there he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee, and John his brother. They were in the boat with Zebedee their father mending their nets. He called them, ²² and they immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

²³ Jesus went about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness among the people. ²⁴ The news about him went out into all of Syria, and the people brought to him all those who were sick, ill with various diseases and pains, those possessed by demons, and the epileptic and paralytic. Jesus healed them. ²⁵ Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Chapter 5

¹ When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him. ² He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

     ³ "Blessed are the poor in spirit,

         for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

     ⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,

         for they will be comforted.

     ⁵ Blessed are the meek,

         for they will inherit the earth.

     ⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

         for they will be filled.

     ⁷ Blessed are the merciful,

         for they will obtain mercy.

     ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,

         for they will see God.

     ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,

         for they will be called sons of God.

     ¹⁰ Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake,

         for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely for my sake. ¹² Rejoice and be very glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For in this way people persecuted the prophets who lived before you.

¹³ You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has lost its taste, how can it be made salty again? It is never again good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. ¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but rather on the lampstand, and it shines for everyone in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light shine before people in such a way that they see your good deeds and praise your Father who is in heaven.

¹⁷ Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have come not to destroy them, but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I say to you that until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things have been accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore whoever breaks the least one of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will in no way enter the kingdom of heaven.

²¹ You have heard that it was said to them in ancient times, 'Do not kill,' and, 'Whoever kills will be in danger of the judgment.' ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'You worthless person!' will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. ²³ Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has anything against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar, and go on your way. First be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵ Agree with your accuser quickly while you are with him on the way to court, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I say to you, you will never come out from there until you have paid the last bit of money you owe.

²⁷ You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' ²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is better for you that one of your body parts should perish than that your whole body should be thrown into hell. ³⁰ If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. For it is better for you that one of your body parts should perish than that your whole body should go into hell. ³¹ It was also said, 'Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' ³² But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress. Whoever marries her after she has been divorced commits adultery.

³³ Again, you have heard that it was said to those in ancient times, 'Do not swear a false oath, but carry out your oaths to the Lord.' ³⁴ But I say to you, swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is the footstool for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Neither swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your speech be 'Yes, yes,' or 'No, no.' Anything that is more than this is from the evil one.

³⁸ You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' ³⁹ But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. Instead, whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰ If anyone wishes to go to court with you and takes away your coat, let that person also have your cloak. ⁴¹ Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to anyone who asks you, and do not turn away from anyone who wishes to borrow from you.

⁴³ You have heard that it was said, 'You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ^{[1] 45} so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you get? Do not even the tax collectors do the same thing? ⁴⁷ If you greet only your brothers, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same thing? ⁴⁸ Therefore you must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Chapter 6

¹ Take heed that you do not do your acts of righteousness before people to be seen by them, or else you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. ² So when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before yourself as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have the praise of people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. ³ But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your gift may be given in secret. Then your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁵ When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, enter your inner chamber. Shut the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. Then your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ⁷ When you pray, do not make useless repetitions as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Therefore, do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him. ⁹ Therefore pray like this:

     'Our Father in heaven,

         may your name be sanctified.

         ¹⁰ May your kingdom come.

         May your will be done

         on earth as it is in heaven.

         ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.

         ¹² Forgive us our debts,

         as we also have forgiven our debtors.

         ¹³ Do not bring us into temptation,

         but deliver us from the evil one.' ^[1]

¹⁴ For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

¹⁶ When you fast, do not have a mournful face as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to people as fasting. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷ But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it would not appear to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret, will reward you.

¹⁹ Do not store up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Instead, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ²² The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is good, the whole body is filled with light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body is full of darkness. Therefore, if the light that is in you is actually darkness, how great is that darkness! ²⁴ No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. ²⁵ Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink—or about your body, what you will wear. For is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds in the air. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they are? ²⁷ Which one of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his lifespan? ²⁸ Why are you anxious about clothing? Think about the lilies in the fields, how they grow. They do not work, and they do not spin cloth. ²⁹ Yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. ³⁰ If God so clothes the grass in the fields, which exists today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious and say, 'What will we eat?' or, 'What will we drink?' or, 'What clothes will we wear?' ³² For the Gentiles search for these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you. ³⁴ Therefore, do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day has enough evil of its own.

Chapter 7

¹ Do not judge, and you will not be judged. ² For with the judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with the measure that you measure, it will be measured out to you. ³ Why do you look at the tiny piece of straw that is in your brother's eye, but you do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take out the piece of straw that is in your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the piece of straw that is in your brother's eye. ⁶ Do not give what is holy to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls in front of the hogs. Otherwise they may trample them underfoot, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

⁷ Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks, receives; everyone who seeks, finds; and to the person who knocks, it will be opened. ⁹ Or which one of you, if his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ Therefore, if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him? ¹² Therefore, whatever things you want people to do to you, you should also do to them, for this is the law and the prophets.

¹³ Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many people who go through it. ¹⁴ But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

¹⁵ Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but are truly ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruits you will know them. Do people gather grapes from a thornbush or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but the bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, you will recognize them by their fruits. ²¹ Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many people will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, in your name drive out demons, and in your name do many mighty deeds?' ²³ Then will I openly declare to them, 'I never knew you! Get away from me, you evildoers!'

²⁴ Therefore, everyone who hears my words and obeys them will be like a wise man who built his house upon a rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall down, for it was built on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears my words and does not obey them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and struck that house, and it fell, and its destruction was complete."

²⁸ It came about that when Jesus finished speaking these words, the crowds were astonished by his teaching, ²⁹ for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Chapter 8

¹ When Jesus had come down from the hill, large crowds followed him. ² Behold, a leper came to him and bowed before him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." ³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing. Be clean." Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. ⁴ Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to any man. Go on your way, and show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them."

⁵ When Jesus had entered into Capernaum, a centurion came to him and asked him, ⁶ saying, "Lord, my servant lies in the house paralyzed and in terrible pain." ⁷ Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." ⁸ The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, only say the word and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I also am a man who is placed under authority, and I have soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those who were following him, "Truly I say to you, I have not found anyone with such faith in Israel. ¹¹ I tell you, many will come from the east and the west, and they will recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. ¹² But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth." ¹³ Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! As you have believed, so may it be done for you." And the servant was healed at that very hour.

¹⁴ When Jesus had come into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. ¹⁵ Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and started serving him. ¹⁶ When evening had come, the people brought to Jesus many who were possessed by demons. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. ¹⁷ In this way was fulfilled that which had been spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "He himself took our sickness and bore our diseases."

¹⁸ Now when Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave instructions to leave for the other side of the Sea of Galilee. ¹⁹ Then a scribe came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." ²⁰ Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." ²¹ Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father." ²² But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

²³ When Jesus had entered a boat, his disciples followed him into it. ²⁴ Behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But Jesus was asleep. ²⁵ The disciples came to him and woke him up, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are about to die!" ²⁶ Jesus said to them, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. Then there was a great calm. ²⁷ The men marveled and said, "What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

²⁸ When Jesus had come to the other side and to the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They were coming out of the tombs and were very violent, so that no traveler could pass that way. ²⁹ Behold, they cried out and said, "What do we have to do with you, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the set time?" ³⁰ Now a herd of many pigs was there feeding, not too far away from them. ³¹ The demons kept imploring Jesus and saying, "If you cast us out, send us away into that herd of pigs." ³² Jesus said to them, "Go!" The demons came out and went into the pigs; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep hill into the sea and they died in the water. ³³ Those who had been tending the pigs ran away and they went into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to the men who had been possessed by demons. ³⁴ Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Chapter 9

¹ Jesus entered a boat, crossed over, and came into his own city. ² Behold, they brought to him a paralyzed man lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "Son, be of good cheer. Your sins have been forgiven." ³ Behold, some of the scribes said among themselves, "This man is blaspheming." ⁴ Jesus knew their thoughts and said, "Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, ... " he said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your mat, and go to your house." ⁷ Then the man got up and went away to his house. ⁸ When the crowds saw this, they were amazed and praised God, who had given such authority to people. ⁹ As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man named Matthew, who was sitting at the tax collection's tent. He said to him, "Follow me." He got up and followed him.

¹⁰ As Jesus sat down to eat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and dined with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" ¹² When Jesus heard this, he said, "People who are strong in body do not need a physician, only those who are sick. ¹³ You should go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous to repent, but sinners."

¹⁴ Then the disciples of John came to him and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees often fast, but your disciples do not fast?" ¹⁵ Jesus said to them, "Can wedding attendants be sorrowful while the bridegroom is still with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. ¹⁶ No man puts a piece of new cloth on an old garment, for the patch will tear away from the garment, and a worse tear will be made. ¹⁷ Neither do people put new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will be spilled, and the wineskins will be destroyed. Instead, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both will be preserved."

¹⁸ While Jesus was saying these things to them, behold, an official came and bowed down to him. He said, "My daughter has just now died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live." ¹⁹ Then Jesus got up and followed him, and so did his disciples. ²⁰ Behold, a woman who suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his garment. ²¹ For she had said to herself, "If only I touch his clothes, I will be made well." ²² But Jesus turned and saw her, and said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed from that hour. ²³ When Jesus came into the official's house, he saw the flute players and the crowds making much noise. ²⁴ He said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead, but she is asleep." But they laughed at him in mockery. ²⁵ When the crowd had been put outside, he entered the room and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. ²⁶ The news about this spread into all that region.

²⁷ As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him. They kept shouting and saying, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" ²⁸ When Jesus had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." ²⁹ Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done to you according to your faith," ³⁰ and their eyes were opened. Then Jesus strictly commanded them and said, "See that no one knows about this." ³¹ But the two men went out and spread the news about this throughout that region.

³² As those two men were going away, behold, a mute man possessed by a demon was brought to Jesus. ³³ When the demon had been driven out, the mute man spoke. The crowds were astonished and said, "This has never been seen before in Israel!" ³⁴ But the Pharisees were saying, "By the ruler of the demons, he drives out demons."

³⁵ Jesus went about all the cities and the villages. He continued teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and all kinds of sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were troubled and discouraged. They were like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ He said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ³⁸ Therefore urgently pray to the Lord of the harvest, so that he may send out laborers into his harvest."

Chapter 10

¹ Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to heal all kinds of disease and all kinds of sickness. ² Now the names of the twelve apostles were these. The first, Simon (whom he also called Peter), and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who would betray him.

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out. He instructed them and said, "Do not go to any place where Gentiles live, and do not enter any town of the Samaritans. ⁶ Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; ⁷ and as you go, preach and say, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. ⁹ Do not carry any gold, silver, or copper in your purses. ¹⁰ Do not take a traveling bag for your journey, or an extra tunic, or sandals, or a staff, for a laborer deserves his food. ¹¹ Whatever city or village you enter, find who is worthy in it, and stay there until you leave. ¹² As you enter into the house, greet it. ¹³ If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace come back to you. ¹⁴ As for those who do not receive you or listen to your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. ¹⁵ Truly I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

¹⁶ See, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. ¹⁷ Watch out for people! They will deliver you up to councils, and they will whip you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ Then you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ When they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you will speak, for what to say will be given to you in that hour. ²⁰ For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father who will speak in you. ²¹ Brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. ²² You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But whoever endures to the end, that person will be saved. ²³ When they persecute you in this city, flee to the next, for truly I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man has come.

²⁴ A disciple is not greater than his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he should be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much worse would be the names they call the members of his household! ²⁶ Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the darkness, say in the daylight, and what you hear softly in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. ²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul. Instead, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Do not fear. You are more valuable than many sparrows. ³² Therefore everyone who confesses me before men, I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. ³³ But he who denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

³⁴ Do not think that I came to bring peace upon the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ A man's enemies will be those of his own household. ³⁷ He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ He who does not pick up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ He who finds his life will lose it. But he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

⁴⁰ He who welcomes you welcomes me, and he who welcomes me also welcomes him who sent me. ⁴¹ He who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and he who welcomes a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. ⁴² Whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, truly I say to you, he will in no way lose his reward."

Chapter 11

¹ It came about that when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities. ² Now when John heard in the prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent a message by his disciples ³ and said to him, "Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?" ⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you see and hear. ⁵ The blind are receiving sight, the lame are walking, lepers are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing again, the dead are being raised back to life, and gospel is preached to the poor. ⁶ Blessed is anyone who is not offended by me."

⁷ As these men went on their way, Jesus began to say to the crowds about John, "What did you go out in the desert to see—a reed being shaken by the wind? ⁸ But what did you go out to see—a man dressed in soft clothing? Really, those who wear soft clothing live in kings' houses. ⁹ But what did you go out to see—a prophet? Yes, I say to you, and much more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is he of whom it was written,

     'See, I am sending my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'

¹¹ I say to you truly, among those born of women no one is greater than John the Baptist. Yet the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and men of violence take it by force. ¹³ For all the prophets and the law have been prophesying until John; ¹⁴ and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who was to come. ¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, let him hear. ¹⁶ To what should I compare this generation? It is like children playing in the marketplace, who sit and call to one another ¹⁷ and say, 'We played a flute for you, and you did not dance. We mourned, and you did not weep.' ¹⁸ For John came not eating bread or drinking wine, and they say, 'He has a demon.' ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, 'Look, he is a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her deeds."

²⁰ Then Jesus began to rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty deeds were done, because they had not repented. ²¹ "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mighty deeds had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²² But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you. ²³ You, Capernaum, do you think you will be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if in Sodom there had been done the mighty deeds that were done in you, it would still have remained until today. ²⁴ But I say to you that it shall be easier for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you concealed these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight. ²⁷ All things have been entrusted to me from my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸ Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Chapter 12

¹ At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grainfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and eat them. ² But when the Pharisees saw that, they said to Jesus, "See, your disciples do what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath." ³ But Jesus said to them, "Have you never read what David did, when he was hungry, and the men who were with him? ⁴ He went into the house of God and ate the bread of the presence, which was unlawful for him to eat and unlawful for those who were with him, but lawful only for the priests. ⁵ Have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath but are guiltless? ⁶ But I say to you that one greater than the temple is here. ⁷ If you had known what this meant, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

⁹ Then Jesus left from there and went into their synagogue. ¹⁰ Behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" so that they might accuse him of sinning. ¹¹ Jesus said to them, "What man would there be among you, who, if he had just one sheep, and if this sheep fell into a deep hole on the Sabbath, would not grasp hold of it and lift it out? ¹² How much more valuable, then, is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." ¹³ Then Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and it was restored to health, just like the other hand. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him. They were seeking how they might put him to death.

¹⁵ As Jesus perceived this, he withdrew from there. Many people followed him, and he healed them all. ¹⁶ He commanded them not to make him known to others, ¹⁷ that it might come true, what had been said through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

     ¹⁸ "See, my servant whom I have chosen;

     my beloved one, in whom my soul is well pleased.

     I will put my Spirit upon him,

     and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

     ¹⁹ He will not strive nor cry aloud;

     neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

     ²⁰ He will not break any bruised reed;

     he will not quench any smoking flax,

     until he leads justice to victory, ²¹ and in his name the Gentiles will have certain hope."

²² Then someone blind and mute, possessed by a demon, was brought to Jesus. He healed him, with the result that the mute man spoke and saw. ²³ All the crowds were amazed and said, "Can this man be the Son of David?" ²⁴ But when the Pharisees heard of this miracle, they said, "This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons." ²⁵ But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is made desolate, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶ If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. ²⁸ But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²⁹ How can anyone enter the house of the strong man and steal his belongings without tying up the strong man first? Then he will steal his belongings from his house. ³⁰ The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters. ³¹ Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² Whoever speaks any word against the Son of Man, that will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, that will not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come. ³³ Make a tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴ You offspring of vipers, since you are evil, how can you say good things? For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good man from the good treasure of his heart produces what is good, and the evil man from the evil treasure of his heart produces what is evil. ³⁶ I say to you that in the day of judgment people will give an account for every idle word they will have said. ³⁷ For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

³⁸ Then certain scribes and Pharisees answered Jesus and said, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." ³⁹ But Jesus answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign. But no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of the big fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹ The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation of people and will condemn it. For they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and see, someone greater than Jonah is here. ⁴² The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them. She came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and see, someone greater than Solomon is here. ⁴³ When an unclean spirit has gone away from a man, it passes through waterless places and looks for rest, but does not find it. ⁴⁴ Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' Having returned, it finds that house swept out and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all come in to live there. Then the final condition of that man becomes worse than the first. It will be just like that with this evil generation."

⁴⁶ While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him. ⁴⁷ Someone said to him, "Look, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you." ⁴⁸ But Jesus answered and said to him who told him, "Who is my mother and who are my brothers?" ⁴⁹ Then he stretched out his hand toward his disciples and said, "See, here are my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, that person is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Chapter 13

¹ On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ² A very large crowd gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat in it, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³ Then Jesus said many things to them in parables. He said, "Behold, a farmer went out to sow seed. ⁴ As he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil. Immediately they sprang up, because the soil had no depth. ⁶ But when the sun had risen, they were scorched because they had no root, and they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among the thorn plants. The thorn plants grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. ⁹ He who has ears, let him hear."

¹⁰ The disciples came and said to Jesus, "Why do you talk to the crowd in parables?" ¹¹ Jesus answered and said to them, "You have been given the privilege of understanding mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. ¹² For whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³ This is why I talk to them in parables: Though they are seeing, they do not see; and though they are hearing, they do not hear, or understand. ¹⁴ To them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, that which says,

     'While hearing you will hear, but you will in no way understand;

     while seeing you will see, but you will in no way perceive.

     ¹⁵ For this people's heart has become dull,

     and they are hard of hearing,

     and they have closed their eyes,

     so they should not see with their eyes,

     or hear with their ears,

     or understand with their hearts,

     so they would turn again,

     and I would heal them.'

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ Truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things that you see, and did not see them. They desired to hear the things that you hear, and did not hear them. ¹⁸ Listen then to the parable of the farmer who sowed his seed. ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the seed that was sown beside the road. ²⁰ What was sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, ²¹ yet he has no root in himself and he endures for a while. When tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, he quickly falls away. ²² What was sown among the thorn plants, this is the person who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. ²³ What was sown on the good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands it. He bears fruit and makes a crop, some yielding one hundred times as much as was planted, some sixty, and some thirty times as much."

²⁴ Jesus presented another parable to them. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while people slept, his enemy came and also sowed weeds among the wheat and then went away. ²⁶ When the blades sprouted and then produced their crop, then the weeds appeared also. ²⁷ The servants of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How does it now have weeds?' ²⁸ He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'So do you want us to go and pull them out?' ²⁹ The landowner said, 'No. Because while you are pulling out the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First pull out the weeds and tie them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

³¹ Then Jesus presented another parable to them. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. ³² This seed is indeed the smallest of all seeds. But when it has grown, it is greater than the garden plants. It becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." ³³ Jesus then told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen."

³⁴ All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; and he said nothing to them without a parable. ³⁵ This was in order that what had been said through the prophet might come true, when he said,

     "I will open my mouth in parables.

     I will say things that were hidden from the foundation of the world."

³⁶ Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." ³⁷ Jesus answered and said, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ Therefore, as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all the things that cause sin and those who commit iniquity. ⁴² They will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. ⁴³ Then will the righteous people shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

⁴⁴ The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. A man found it and hid it. In his joy he goes, sells everything he possesses, and buys that field. ⁴⁵ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a merchant looking for valuable pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one pearl of very great value, he went and sold everything that he possessed and bought it.

⁴⁷ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, and that gathered creatures of every kind. ⁴⁸ When it was filled, the fishermen drew it up on the beach. Then they sat down and gathered the good things into containers, but the worthless things they threw away. ⁴⁹ It will be this way at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from among the righteous. ⁵⁰ They will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

⁵¹ Have you understood all these things?" The disciples said to him, "Yes." ⁵² Then Jesus said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is the owner of a house, who draws out old and new things from his treasure." ⁵³ Then it came about that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from that place.

⁵⁴ Then Jesus entered his own region and taught the people in their synagogue. The result was that they were astonished and said, "Where does this man get his wisdom and these miracles from? ⁵⁵ Is not this man the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? Are not his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? ⁵⁶ Are not all his sisters with us? Where did he get all these things?" ⁵⁷ They were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own family." ⁵⁸ He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

Chapter 14

¹ About that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus. ² He said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead. Therefore these powers are at work in him." ³ For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. ⁴ For John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her as your wife." ⁵ Herod would have put him to death, but he feared the people, because they regarded him as a prophet. ⁶ But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst and pleased Herod. ⁷ In response, he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask. ⁸ After being instructed by her mother, she said, "Give me here, on a platter, the head of John the Baptist." ⁹ The king was very upset by her request, but because of his oath and because of all those at dinner with him, he ordered that it should be done. ¹⁰ He sent and beheaded John in the prison. ¹¹ Then his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl and she took it to her mother. ¹² Then his disciples came, took up the corpse, and buried it. After this, they went and told Jesus.

¹³ Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to an isolated place. When the crowds heard of it, they followed him on foot from the cities. ¹⁴ Then Jesus came before them and saw the large crowd. He had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵ When the evening had come, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the day is already over. Dismiss the crowds, so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves." ¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, "They have no need to go away. You give them something to eat." ¹⁷ They said to him, "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish." ¹⁸ Jesus said, "Bring them to me." ¹⁹ Then Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish. Looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowd. ²⁰ They all ate and were filled. Then they took up what remained of the broken pieces of food—twelve baskets full. ²¹ Those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

²² Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he sent away the crowds. ²³ After he had sent away the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. ²⁴ But the boat was now a long way from land, being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was blowing against them. ²⁵ In the fourth watch of the night Jesus approached them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, "It is a ghost," and they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But Jesus spoke to them right away and said, "Be brave! It is I! Do not be afraid." ²⁸ Peter answered him and said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." ²⁹ Jesus said, "Come." So Peter got out from the boat and walked on the water to go to Jesus. ³⁰ But when Peter saw the wind, he became afraid. As he began to sink, he cried out and said, "Lord, save me!" ³¹ Jesus immediately stretched out his hand, took hold of Peter, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" ³² Then when Jesus and Peter went into the boat, the wind ceased blowing. ³³ Then the disciples in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, "Truly you are the Son of God."

³⁴ When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. ³⁵ When the men in that place recognized Jesus, they sent messages everywhere into the surrounding area, and they brought to him everyone who was sick. ³⁶ They begged him that they might just touch the edge of his garment, and as many as touched it were healed.

Chapter 15

¹ Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem. They said, ² "Why do your disciples violate the traditions of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." ³ He answered and said to them, "Then why do you violate the commandment of God for the sake of your traditions? ⁴ For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'He who speaks evil of his father or mother, will surely die.' ⁵ But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother "Whatever help you would have received from me is now a gift given to God,"' ⁶ that person does not need to honor his father. In this way you have made void the word of God ^[1] for the sake of your traditions. ⁷ You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said,

     ⁸ 'This people honors me with their lips,

     but their heart is far from me.

     ⁹ They worship me in vain,

     because they teach as their doctrines the commandments of people.'"

¹⁰ Then he called the crowd to himself and said to them, "Listen and understand— ¹¹ Nothing that enters into the mouth defiles a person. Instead, what comes out of the mouth, this is what defiles a person." ¹² Then the disciples came and said to Jesus, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?" ¹³ Jesus answered and said, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. ¹⁴ Let them alone, they are blind guides. If a blind person guides another blind person, both will fall into a pit." ¹⁵ Peter responded and said to Jesus, "Explain this parable to us." ¹⁶ Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is then passed out into the latrine? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart. They are the things that defile a person. ¹⁹ For from the heart proceed evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander. ²⁰ These are the things that defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a person."

²¹ Then Jesus went away from there and withdrew toward the regions of the cities of Tyre and Sidon. ²² Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from that region. She shouted out and said, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." ²³ But Jesus answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is shouting after us." ²⁴ But Jesus answered and said, "I was not sent to anyone except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." ²⁵ But she came and bowed down before him, saying, "Lord, help me." ²⁶ He answered and said, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." ²⁷ She said, "Yes, Lord, but even the little dogs eat some of the crumbs that fall from their masters' tables." ²⁸ Then Jesus answered and said to her, "Woman, great is your faith; let it be done for you just as you wish." Her daughter was healed from that hour.

²⁹ Jesus left that place and went near to the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up a hill and sat there. ³⁰ Large crowds came to him. They brought with them lame, blind, mute, and crippled people, and many others who were sick. They presented them at Jesus' feet, and he healed them. ³¹ So the crowd marveled when they saw the mute persons speak, the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. They praised the God of Israel.

³² Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have stayed with me for three days already and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away without eating, or they may faint on the way." ³³ The disciples said to him, "Where can we get enough loaves of bread in such a deserted place to satisfy so large a crowd?" ³⁴ Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish." ³⁵ Then Jesus commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ He took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples. The disciples gave them to the crowd. ³⁷ The people all ate and were satisfied. Then they gathered up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸ Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹ Then Jesus sent the crowds away and got into the boat and went into the region of Magadan.

Chapter 16

¹ The Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from the sky. ² But he answered and said to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' ³ When it is morning, you say, 'It will be foul weather, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. ⁴ An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." Then Jesus left them and went away.

⁵ When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. ⁶ Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." ⁷ The disciples reasoned among themselves and said, "It is because we took no bread." ⁸ Jesus was aware of this and said, "You of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves and say that it is because you have taken no bread? ⁹ Do you not yet perceive or remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered up? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? ¹¹ How is it that you do not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." ¹² Then they understood that he was not telling them to beware of yeast in bread, but to beware of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

¹³ Now when Jesus came to the regions near Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" ¹⁴ They said, "Some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." ¹⁵ He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" ¹⁶ Answering, Simon Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." ¹⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. The gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." ²⁰ Then Jesus commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ.

²¹ From that time Jesus started to tell his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things at the hand of the elders and chief priests and scribes, be killed, and be raised back to life on the third day. ²² Then Peter took him aside and rebuked him, saying, "May this be far from you, Lord; may this never happen to you." ²³ But Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you do not care for the things of God, but for the things of people." ²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what does it profit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? What can a person give in exchange for his life? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels. Then he will reward every person according to what he has done. ²⁸ Truly I say to you, there are some of you standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

Chapter 17

¹ Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up a high mountain by themselves. ² He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as brilliant as the light. ³ Behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him. ⁴ Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you desire, I will make here three shelters—one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." ⁵ While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, there was a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him." ⁶ When the disciples heard it, they fell on their face and were very afraid. ⁷ Then Jesus came and touched them and said, "Get up and do not be afraid." ⁸ Then they looked up but saw no one except Jesus only.

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Report this vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead." ¹⁰ His disciples asked him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" ¹¹ Jesus answered and said, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things. ¹² But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but they did not recognize him. Instead, they did whatever they wanted to him. In the same way, the Son of Man will also suffer at their hands." ¹³ Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

¹⁴ When they had come to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, and said, ¹⁵ "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers severely. For he often falls into the fire or the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him." ¹⁷ Jesus answered and said, "Unbelieving and corrupt generation, how long will I have to stay with you? How long must I bear with you? Bring him here to me." ¹⁸ Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that hour.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" ²⁰ Jesus said to them, "Because of your small faith. For I truly say to you, if you have faith even as small as a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. ^21[1]

²² While they stayed in Galilee, Jesus said to his disciples, "The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of people, ²³ and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up." The disciples became very upset.

²⁴ When they had come to Capernaum, the men who collected the half-shekel tax came to Peter and said, "Does not your teacher pay the half-shekel tax?" ²⁵ He said, "Yes." When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first and said, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect tolls or taxes? From their sons or from others?" ²⁶ When he said, "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free." ²⁷ But so that we do not cause the tax collectors to sin, go to the sea, throw in a hook, and draw in the fish that comes up first. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take it and give it to the tax collectors for me and you."

Chapter 18

¹ In that same time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" ² Jesus called to himself a little child, set him among them, ³ and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will in no way enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name receives me. ⁶ But whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin, it would be better for him that a great millstone should be hung about his neck, and that he should be sunk into the depths of the sea.

⁷ Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For it is necessary that those stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom those stumbling blocks come! ⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or lame than to be thrown into the eternal fire having two hands or two feet. ⁹ If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to be thrown into the eternal fire having both eyes. ¹⁰ See that you do not despise any of these little ones. For I say to you that in heaven their angels always look on the face of my Father who is in heaven. ^{11[1] 12} What do you think? If anyone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go off seeking the one that went astray? ¹³ If he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. ¹⁴ In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

¹⁵ If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you will have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen to you, take one or two others along with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be verified. ¹⁷ And if he refuses to listen to them, tell the matter to the church. If he also refuses to listen to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly I say to you, whatever things you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst."

²¹ Then Peter came and said to Jesus, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times?" ²² Jesus said to him, "I do not tell you seven times, but until seventy times seven. ²³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven is similar to a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settling, one servant was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵ But since he had not the means to repay, his master commanded him to be sold, together with his wife and children and everything that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the servant fell down, bowed down before him, and said, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' ²⁷ So the master of that servant, since he was moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii. He grasped him, took him by the throat, and said, 'Pay me what you owe.' ²⁹ But his fellow servant fell down and implored him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you.' ³⁰ But the first servant refused. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he should pay him what he owed. ³¹ When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were very upset. They came and told their master everything that had happened. ³² Then that servant's master called him, and said to him, 'You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you implored me. ³³ Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?' ³⁴ His master was angry and handed him over to the torturers until he would pay all that was owed. ³⁵ So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

Chapter 19

¹ It came about that when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee, and came to the region of Judea that is beyond the Jordan River. ² Great crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

³ Pharisees came to him, testing him, saying to him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?" ⁴ Jesus answered and said, "Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female? ⁵ He who made them also said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and join to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one tear apart." ⁷ They said to him, "Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of divorce and then to send her away?" ⁸ He said to them, "For your hardness of heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not that way. ⁹ I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and the man who marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery." ¹⁰ The disciples said to Jesus, "If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is not good to marry." ¹¹ But Jesus said to them, "Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those who are allowed to accept it. ¹² For there are eunuchs who were that way from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this teaching, let him receive it."

¹³ Then some little children were brought to him so that he would lay his hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But Jesus said, "Permit the little children, and do not forbid them to come to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such ones." ¹⁵ He placed his hands on the children, and then he went away from there.

¹⁶ Behold, a man came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, what good thing must I do that I may have eternal life?" ¹⁷ Jesus said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? Only one is good, but if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." ¹⁸ The man said to him, "Which commandments?" Jesus said, "Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, ¹⁹ honor your father and your mother, and love your neighbor as yourself." ²⁰ The young man said to him, "All these things I have obeyed. What do I still need?" ²¹ Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." ²² But when the young man heard what Jesus said, he went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions.

²³ Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." ²⁵ When the disciples heard it, they were very astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?" ²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." ²⁷ Then Peter answered and said to him, "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" ²⁸ Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, in the new age when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ Every one who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or land for my name's sake, will receive one hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

Chapter 20

¹ For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² After he had agreed with the workers for one denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ He went out again about the third hour and saw other workers standing idle in the marketplace. ⁴ To them he said, 'You also, go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went to work. ⁵ Again he went out about the sixth hour and again the ninth hour, and did the same. ⁶ Once more about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle. He said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all the day long?' ⁷ They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.' ⁸ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.' ⁹ When the workers who had been hired at the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. ¹⁰ When the first workers came, they thought that they would receive more, but they also received one denarius each. ¹¹ When they received their wages, they complained about the landowner. ¹² They said, 'These last workers have spent only one hour in work, but you have made them equal to us, we who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' ¹³ But the owner answered and said to one of them, 'Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for one denarius? ¹⁴ Take what belongs to you and go your way. I choose to give to these last hired workers just the same as to you. ¹⁵ Do I not have the right to do as I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?' ¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first last." ^[1]

¹⁷ As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve aside, and on the way he said to them, ¹⁸ "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death ¹⁹ and will deliver him to the Gentiles for them to mock, to flog, and to crucify him. But on the third day he will be raised up."

²⁰ Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons. She bowed down before him and asked for something from him. ²¹ Jesus said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to him, "Command that these my two sons may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left hand, in your kingdom." ²² But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." ²³ He said to them, "My cup you will indeed drink. But to sit at my right hand and at my left hand is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." ²⁴ When the other ten disciples heard this, they were very angry with the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called them to himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles subjugate them, and their important men exercise authority over them. ²⁶ But it must not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your servant, ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

²⁹ As they went out from Jericho, a great crowd followed him. ³⁰ There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us." ³¹ The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be quiet, but they cried out even more loudly, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us." ³² Then Jesus stood still and called to them and said, "What do you wish me to do for you?" ³³ They said to him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." ³⁴ Then Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Chapter 21

¹ As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, "Go into the next village, and you will immediately find a donkey tied up there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you about that, you will say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and that person will immediately send them with you." ⁴ Now this came about that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled. He said,

     ⁵ "Tell the daughter of Zion,

     'See, your King is coming to you,

     Humble and riding on a donkey—

     on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

⁶ Then the disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat upon the cloaks. ⁸ Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them in the road. ⁹ Then the crowds that went before Jesus and those that followed him were shouting,

     "Hosanna to the son of David!

     Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

     Hosanna in the highest!"

¹⁰ When Jesus had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred and said, "Who is this?" ¹¹ The crowds answered, "This is Jesus the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

¹² Then Jesus entered the temple. He cast out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and turned over the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. ¹³ He said to them, "It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers." ¹⁴ Then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the marvelous things that he did, and when they heard the children shouting in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became very angry. ¹⁶ They said to him, "Do you hear what they are saying?" Jesus said to them, "Yes! But have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of little children and nursing infants you have prepared praise'?" ¹⁷ Then Jesus 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. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree along the roadside, he went to it and found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, "May there be no fruit from you ever again," and immediately the fig tree withered. ²⁰ When the disciples saw it, they marveled and said, "How did the fig tree immediately wither away?" ²¹ Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to this fig tree, but you will even say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and it will be done. ²² Whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive."

²³ When Jesus 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, and who gave you this authority?" ²⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question. If you tell me, I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ The baptism of John—from where did it come? From heaven or from men?" They discussed among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' ²⁶ But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the crowd, because they all view John as a prophet." ²⁷ Then 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. ²⁸ But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go work today in the vineyard.' ²⁹ The son answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ Then the man went to the second son and said the same thing. He answered and said, 'I will go, sir,' but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two sons did his father's will?" They said, "The first one." Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before you do. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, but you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. But you, even when you saw this, you did not repent afterward and believe him.

³³ Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner. He planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a winepress in it, built a watchtower, and rented it out to vine growers. Then he went into another country. ³⁴ When the time of the fruit harvest approached, he sent some servants to the vine growers to get his fruit. ³⁵ But the vine growers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned still another. ³⁶ Again, the owner sent other servants, more than the first, but the vine growers treated them in the same way. ³⁷ After that, the owner sent his own son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' ³⁸ But when the vine growers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take over the inheritance.' ³⁹ So they took him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine growers?" ⁴¹ They said to him, "He will destroy those miserable men in the most severe way, and will then rent out the vineyard to other vine growers, men who will give him his share of crops at the harvest time." ⁴² Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the scriptures,

     'The stone which the builders rejected

     has been made the cornerstone.

     This was from the Lord,

     and it is marvelous in our eyes'?

⁴³ Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation that produces its fruits. ⁴⁴ Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces. But anyone on whom it falls will be crushed." ⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they understood he was speaking about them. ⁴⁶ Seeking to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowd, because the people regarded him as a prophet.

Chapter 22

¹ Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, ² "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who prepared a marriage feast for his son. ³ He sent out his servants to call those who had been invited to come to the marriage feast, but they would not come. ⁴ Again the king sent other servants, saying, 'Tell them who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened calves have been killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast."' ⁵ But they paid no attention and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. ⁶ The others seized the king's servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. ⁷ The king was angry, and he sent his soldiers and they killed those murderers and burned their city. ⁸ Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ⁹ Therefore go to the highway crossings and invite as many people to the marriage feast as you can find.' ¹⁰ The servants went out to the highways and gathered together all the people they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. ¹¹ But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² The king said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' But the man was speechless. ¹³ Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind this man hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and the grinding of teeth.' ¹⁴ For many people are called, but few are chosen."

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went and planned how they might entrap Jesus in his own talk. ¹⁶ Then they sent to him their disciples, together with the Herodians. They said to Jesus, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and that you teach God's way in truth. You care for no one's opinion, and you do not show partiality between people. ¹⁷ So tell us, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" ¹⁸ But Jesus understood their wickedness and said, "Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show me the coin for the tax." Then they brought a denarius to him. ²⁰ Jesus said to them, "Whose image and name are these?" ²¹ They said to him, "Caesar's." Then Jesus said to them, "Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." ²² When they heard it, they marveled. Then they left him and went away.

²³ On that day some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him. They asked him, ²⁴ saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies, having no children, his brother must marry his wife and have children for his brother.' ²⁵ There were seven brothers. The first married and then died. Having left no children, he left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ Then the second brother did the same thing, then the third, all the way to the seventh brother. ²⁷ After them all, the woman died. ²⁸ Now in the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven brothers? For they all had married her." ²⁹ But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God. ³⁰ For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage. Instead, they are like angels in heaven. ³¹ But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ³² 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." ³³ When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

³⁴ But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. ³⁵ One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him— ³⁶ "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?" ³⁷ Jesus said to him, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second commandment is like it—'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend the whole law and the prophets."

⁴¹ Now while the Pharisees were still gathered together, Jesus asked them a question. ⁴² He said, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." ⁴³ Jesus said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,

     ⁴⁴ 'The Lord said to my Lord,

     "Sit at my right hand,

     until I make your enemies your footstool"'?

⁴⁵ If David then calls the Christ 'Lord,' how is he David's son?" ⁴⁶ No one was able to answer him a word, and no man dared ask him any more questions from that day on.

Chapter 23

¹ Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. ² He said, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. ³ Therefore whatever they command you to do, do these things and observe them. But do not imitate their deeds, for they say things but then do not do them. ⁴ Yes, they bind heavy burdens that are difficult to carry, and then they put them on people's shoulders. But they themselves will not move a finger to carry them. ⁵ They do all their deeds to be seen by people. For they make their phylacteries wide, and they enlarge the edges of their garments. ⁶ They love the chief places at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues, ⁷ and special greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi' by people. ⁸ But you must not be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and all you are brothers. ⁹ And call no man on earth your father, for you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰ Neither must you be called 'teacher,' for you have only one teacher, the Christ. ¹¹ But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

¹³ But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven against people. For you do not enter it yourselves, and neither do you allow those about to enter to do so. ^{14[1] 15} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you go over sea and land to make one convert, and when he has become one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you.

¹⁶ Woe to you, you blind guides, you who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound to his oath.' ¹⁷ You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold holy? ¹⁸ And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing. But whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is bound to his oath.' ¹⁹ You blind people! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? ²⁰ Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ The one who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who lives in it. ²² And the one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits on it.

²³ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, but you have left undone the weightier matters of the law—justice and mercy and faith. But these you ought to have done and not to have left the other undone. ²⁴ You blind guides, you who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

²⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! Clean first the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may become clean also.

²⁷ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. ²⁸ In the same way, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²⁹ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the righteous. ³⁰ You say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been participants with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' ³¹ Therefore you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who killed the prophets. ³² You also fill up the measure of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of hell? ³⁴ Therefore, see, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some you will whip in your synagogues and drive them out from city to city. ³⁵ The result is that upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶ Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

³⁷ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often did I long to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ See, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I say to you, You will not see me from now on until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Chapter 24

¹ Jesus went out from the temple and was going on his way. His disciples came to him to point out to him the buildings of the temple. ² But he answered and said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone will be left on another that will not be torn down."

³ As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and said, "Tell us, when will these things happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" ⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray. ⁵ For many will come in my name. They will say, 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray. ⁶ You will hear of wars and reports of wars. See that you are not troubled, for these things must happen; but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ But all these things are only the beginning of birth pains. ⁹ Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. You will be hated by all the nations for my name's sake. ¹⁰ Then many will stumble, and betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ Many false prophets will rise up and lead many astray. ¹² Because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ This good news of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations. Then the end will come.

¹⁵ Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ "let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, ¹⁷ let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house, ¹⁸ and let him who is in the field not return to take his cloak. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are with child and to those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your flight will not occur in the winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be again. ²² Unless those days are shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened. ²³ Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There is the Christ!' do not believe it. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will come and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you ahead of time. ²⁶ Therefore, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out to the wilderness. Or, 'See, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. ²⁷ For as the lightning shines out from the east and flashes all the way to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸ Wherever a dead animal is, there the vultures will gather.

²⁹ But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. ³¹ He will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

³² Learn a lesson from the fig tree. As soon as the branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, you should know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁴ Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all of these things will have happened. ³⁵ Heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ³⁶ But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷ As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away—so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in a field—one will be taken, and one will be left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding with a mill—one will be taken, and one will be left. ⁴² Therefore be on your guard, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what time of night the thief was coming, he would have been on guard and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you must also be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour that you do not expect.

⁴⁵ So who is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has set over his household in order to give them their food at the right time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find doing that when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly I say to you that the master will set him over everything that he owns. ⁴⁸ But if an evil servant says in his heart, 'My master has been delayed,' ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ then the master of that servant will come on a day that the servant does not expect and at an hour that he does not know. ⁵¹ His master will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

Chapter 25

¹ Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ For when the foolish virgins took their lamps, they did not take any oil with them. ⁴ But the wise virgins took containers of oil along with their lamps. ⁵ Now while the bridegroom was delayed, they all got sleepy and slept. ⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, 'Look, the bridegroom! Go out and meet him.' ⁷ Then all those virgins rose up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.' ⁹ But the wise answered and said, 'Since there will not be enough for us and you, go instead to those who sell and buy some for yourselves.' ¹⁰ While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. ¹¹ Afterward the other virgins also came and said, 'Master, master, open for us.' ¹² But he answered and said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' ¹³ Watch therefore, for you do not know the day or the hour.

¹⁴ For it is like when a man was about to go into another country. He called his own servants and gave over to them his wealth. ¹⁵ To one of them he gave five talents, to another he gave two, and to yet another he gave one talent. Each one received an amount according to his own ability, and that man went on his journey. ¹⁶ The one who received the five talents went at once and invested them and made another five talents. ¹⁷ Likewise the one who had received two talents made another two. ¹⁸ But the servant who had received one talent went away, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money. ¹⁹ Now after a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The servant who had received the five talents came and brought another five talents. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five talents more.' ²¹ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things. I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.' ²² The servant who had received two talents came and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more talents.' ²³ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things. I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.' ²⁴ Then the servant who had received one talent came and said, 'Master, I know that you are a strict man. You reap where you did not sow, and you harvest where you did not scatter. ²⁵ I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have here what belongs to you.' ²⁶ But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sowed and harvest where I have not scattered. ²⁷ Therefore you should have given my money to the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. ²⁸ Therefore take away the talent from him and give it to the servant who has ten talents. ²⁹ For to everyone who possesses, more will be given—even more abundantly. But from anyone who does not possess anything, even what he does have will be taken away. ³⁰ Throw the worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.'

³¹ When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will place the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right hand, 'Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you cared for me; I was in prison and you came to me.' ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you a drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and take you in? Or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?' ⁴⁰ Then the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, what you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.' ⁴¹ Then he will say to those on his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels, ⁴² because I was hungry, but you did not give me food; I was thirsty, but you did not give me a drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger, but you did not take me in; naked, but you did not clothe me; sick and in prison, but you did not care for me.' ⁴⁴ Then they will also answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not serve you?' ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them and say, 'Truly I say to you, what you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' ⁴⁶ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Chapter 26

¹ It came about that when Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples, ² "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified." ³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas. ⁴ They plotted together to arrest Jesus stealthily and kill him. ⁵ For they were saying, "Not during the feast, so that a riot does not arise among the people."

⁶ Now while Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, ⁷ as he was reclining at table, a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it upon his head. ⁸ But when his disciples saw it, they became angry and said, "What is the reason for this waste? ⁹ This could have been sold for a large amount and given to the poor." ¹⁰ But Jesus, knowing this, said to them, "Why are you troubling this woman? For she has done a beautiful thing for me. ¹¹ You always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² For when she poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. ¹³ Truly I say to you, wherever this good news is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her."

¹⁴ Then one of the twelve, who was named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, "What are you willing to give me to deliver him to you?" They weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him. ¹⁶ From that moment he sought an opportunity to deliver him to them.

¹⁷ Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover meal?" ¹⁸ He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples."'" ¹⁹ The disciples did as Jesus directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

²⁰ When evening came, he sat down to eat with the twelve disciples. ²¹ As they were eating, he said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me." ²² They were very sorrowful, and each one began to ask him, "Surely not I, Lord?" ²³ He answered, "The one who dips his hand with me in the dish is the one who will betray me. ²⁴ The Son of Man will go, just as it is written about him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born." ²⁵ Judas, who would betray him said, "Is it I, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said it yourself."

²⁶ As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and broke it. He gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat. This is my body." ²⁷ He took a cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them and said, "Drink it, all of you. ²⁸ For this is my blood of the covenant that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

³⁰ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. ³¹ Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will fall away tonight because of me, for it is written,

     'I will strike the shepherd

     and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

³² But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."

³³ But Peter said to him, "Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." ³⁴ Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." ³⁵ Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you." All the other disciples said the same thing.

³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." ³⁷ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him and began to become sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, "My soul is deeply sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch with me." ³⁹ He went a little farther, fell on his face, and prayed. He said, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet, not as I will, but as you will." ⁴⁰ He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "What, could you not watch with me for one hour? ⁴¹ Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." ⁴² He went away a second time and prayed. He said, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, your will be done." ⁴³ He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So leaving them again, he went away and prayed a third time, saying the same words. ⁴⁵ Then Jesus came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Look, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Arise, let us go. Look, the one who is betraying me is near."

⁴⁷ While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came. A large crowd came with him from the chief priests and elders of the people. They came with swords and clubs. ⁴⁸ Now the man who was going to betray Jesus had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him." ⁴⁹ Immediately he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and he kissed him. ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you have come to do." Then they came, laid hands on Jesus, and seized him. ⁵¹ Behold, one of those who was with Jesus stretched out his hand, drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back in its place, for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword. ⁵³ Do you think that I could not call upon my Father, and he would send me more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, that this must happen?" ⁵⁵ At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to seize me like a robber? Every day I sat teaching in the temple, and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶ But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples left him and fled.

⁵⁷ Those who had seized Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered together. ⁵⁸ But Peter followed him from a distance to the courtyard of the high priest. He went inside and sat down with the guards to see the outcome. ⁵⁹ Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death. ⁶⁰ They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later two came forward ⁶¹ and said, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'" ⁶² The high priest stood up and said to him, "Do you have no answer? What is it that they are testifying against you?" ⁶³ But Jesus was silent. The high priest said to him, "I command you by the living God, tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God." ⁶⁴ Jesus replied to him, "You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." ⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we still need witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. ⁶⁶ What do you think?" They answered and said, "He is worthy of death." ⁶⁷ Then they spit in his face and beat him, and struck him with the palms of their hands, ⁶⁸ and said, "Prophesy to us, you Christ. Who is it that struck you?"

⁶⁹ Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him and said, "You were also with Jesus of Galilee." ⁷⁰ But he denied it in front of them all, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." ⁷¹ When he went out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to those there, "This man was also with Jesus of Nazareth." ⁷² He again denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man!" ⁷³ After a little while those who were standing by came and said to Peter, "Surely you are also one of them, for the way you speak gives you away." ⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know the man," and immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ Peter remembered the words that Jesus had said, "Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times." Then he went outside and wept bitterly.

Chapter 27

¹ Now when morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death. ² They bound him, led him away, and delivered him to Pilate the governor.

³ Then when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he repented and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, ⁴ and said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to that yourself." ⁵ Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went out and hanged himself. ⁶ The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, "It is not lawful to put this into the treasury, because it is the price of blood." ⁷ They discussed the matter together and with the money bought the potter's field in which to bury strangers. ⁸ For this reason that field has been called, "The Field of Blood" to this day. ⁹ Then that which had been spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, "They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰ and they gave it for the potter's field, as the Lord had directed me."

¹¹ Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered him, "You say so." ¹² But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. ¹³ Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear all the charges against you?" ¹⁴ But he did not answer even one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed. ¹⁵ Now at the feast it was the custom of the governor to release one prisoner chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶ At that time they had a notorious prisoner named Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Who do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" ¹⁸ He knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because of envy. ¹⁹ While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him and said, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man. For I have suffered much today because of a dream I had about him." ²⁰ Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas, and have Jesus killed. ²¹ The governor asked them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas." ²² Pilate said to them, "What should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all answered, "Crucify him." ²³ Then he said, "Why, what crime has he done?" But they cried out even louder, "Crucify him." ²⁴ So when Pilate saw that he could not do anything, but instead a riot was starting, he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this innocent man. See to it yourselves." ²⁵ All the people said, "May his blood be on us and our children." ²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them, but he scourged Jesus and handed him over to be crucified.

²⁷ Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the government headquarters and gathered the whole company of soldiers. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. ²⁹ They made a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and placed a staff in his right hand. They knelt down before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" ³⁰ They spat on him, and they took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ³¹ When they had mocked him, they took the robe off him and put his own garments on him, and led him away to crucify him.

³² As they came out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced to go with them so that he might carry his cross. ³³ They came to a place called Golgotha, which means "The Place of a Skull." ³⁴ They gave him wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he tasted it, he would not drink. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his garments by casting lots, ³⁶ and they sat and kept guard over him. ³⁷ Above his head they put the charge against him, which read "This is Jesus, the king of the Jews." ³⁸ Two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right of him and one on the left. ³⁹ Those who passed by insulted him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, "You who were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!" ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests were mocking him, along with the scribes and elders, and said, ⁴² "He saved others, but he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel. Let him come down off the cross, and then we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God, let God rescue him now, if God consents to release him. For he even said, 'I am the Son of God.'" ⁴⁴ In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also spoke insults to him.

⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. ⁴⁶ About the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice and said, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ⁴⁷ When some of those who were standing there heard it, they said, "He is calling for Elijah." ⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed staff, and gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest of them said, "Leave him alone. Let us see whether Elijah comes to save him." ⁵⁰ Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. ⁵¹ Behold, the curtain of the temple was split in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks split apart. ⁵² The tombs were opened, and the bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many. ⁵⁴ Now when the centurion and those who were watching Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they became very afraid and said, "Truly this was the Son of God." ⁵⁵ Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for him were there looking on from a distance. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

⁵⁷ When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ He approached Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and laid it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

⁶² The next day, which was the day after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together with Pilate. ⁶³ They said, "Sir, we remember that when that deceiver was alive, he said, 'After three days will I rise again.' ⁶⁴ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, otherwise his disciples may come and steal him and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last deception will be worse than the first." ⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, "Take a guard. Go and make it as secure as you can." ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and placing the guard.

Chapter 28

¹ Now late on the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. ² Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, came and rolled away the stone, and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. ⁴ The guards shook with fear and became like dead men. ⁵ The angel addressed the women and said to them, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified. ⁶ He is not here, but is risen, just as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay. ⁷ Go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has risen from the dead. See, he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him.' See, I have told you." ⁸ The women quickly left the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" The women came, took hold of his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee. There they will see me."

¹¹ Now while the women were going, behold, some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all the things that had happened. ¹² When the priests had met with the elders and discussed the matter with them, they gave a large amount of money to the soldiers ¹³ and told them, "Say to others, 'Jesus' disciples came by night and stole his body while we were sleeping.' ¹⁴ If this report reaches the governor, we will persuade him and take any worries away from you." ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they had been instructed. This report spread widely among the Jews and continues even today.

¹⁶ But the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸ Jesus came to them and spoke to them and said, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Baptize them into the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach them to obey all the things that I have commanded you. See, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."