Mark 11 Cross References - ISV

¹ The King Enters Jerusalem
When they came near Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples on ahead ² and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you go into it, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever ridden. Untie it, and bring it along. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?,’ say, ‘The Lord needs it,’ and he will send it back here at once.”
⁴ So they went and found the colt outside in the street tied up next to a doorway. While they were untying it, ⁵ some men standing there asked them, “What are you doing untying that colt?” ⁶ The disciples told them what Jesus had said, and the men let them go.
⁷ They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their coats on it, and he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their coats on the road, while others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed him were shouting, “Hosanna! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰ How blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
¹¹ Then Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the Temple and looked around at everything. Since it was already late, he went out with the Twelve to Bethany.
¹² Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus became hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree covered with leaves, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing except leaves because it wasn’t the season for figs. ¹⁴ So he told it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” Now his disciples were listening to this.
¹⁵ Confrontation in the Temple over Money
When they came to Jerusalem, he went into the Temple and began to throw out those who were selling and those who were buying in the Temple. He overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those who sold doves. ¹⁶ He wouldn’t even let anyone carry a vessel through the Temple. ¹⁷ Then he began to teach them: “It is written, is it not, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you’ve turned it into a hideout for bandits!” ¹⁸ When the high priests and elders heard this, they began to look for a way to kill him, because they were afraid of him, since the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. ¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and his disciples would leave the city.
²⁰ The Lesson from the Dried Fig Tree
While they were walking along early the next morning, they saw the fig tree dried up to its roots. ²¹ Remembering what Jesus had said, Peter pointed out to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has dried up!”
²² Jesus told his disciples, “Have faith in God! ²³ I tell all of you with certainty, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ if he doesn’t doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴ That is why I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.
²⁵ “Whenever you stand up to pray, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins. ²⁶ But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.”
²⁷ Jesus’ Authority is Challenged
Then they went into Jerusalem again. While Jesus was walking in the Temple, the high priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him ²⁸ and asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority to do them?”
²⁹ Jesus told them, “I’ll ask you one question. Answer me, and then I’ll tell you by what authority I’m doing these things. ³⁰ Was John’s authority to baptize from heaven or from humans? Answer me.”
³¹ They began discussing this among themselves. “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he’ll say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘From humans’…?” They were afraid of the crowd, because everyone really thought John was a prophet.
³³ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I’m doing these things.”

³⁰ David then left, going up the Mount of Olives, crying as he went, with his head covered and his feet bare. All of the people who were with him covered their own heads and climbed up the Mount of Olives, crying as they went along.

⁴ His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. Then the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a very large valley, with half of the mountain moving toward the north and half toward the south.

¹ The King Enters Jerusalem
When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead and ² told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied up and a colt with it. Untie them, and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, tell him, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and that person will send them at once.”
⁴ Now this happened to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet when he said, ⁵ “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, your king is coming to you! He is humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt of a donkey.’”
⁶ So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them, and he sat upon them. ⁸ Many people in the crowd spread their own coats on the road, while others began cutting down branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. ⁹ Both the crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed him kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
¹⁰ When he came into Jerusalem, the whole city was trembling with excitement. The people were asking, “Who is this?”
¹¹ The crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, the man from Nazareth in Galilee.”

¹⁷ Then he left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.

³ Cults, Revolutions, Famines, and Earthquakes
While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things take place, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

³⁰ After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

⁷ Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
He called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits.

³ Cults, Revolutions, Famines, and Earthquakes
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the Temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew were asking him privately,

¹³ He sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and you will meet a man carrying a jug of water. Follow him.

²⁹ As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples on ahead. ³⁰ “Go into the village ahead of you,” he said. “As you enter, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it along. ³¹ If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say this: ‘The Lord needs it.’”
³² So those who were sent went off and found it as Jesus had told them. ³³ While they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
³⁴ The disciples answered, “The Lord needs it.” ³⁵ Then they brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and Jesus sat upon it.
³⁶ As he was riding along, people kept spreading their coats on the road. ³⁷ He was now approaching the descent from the Mount of Olives. The whole crowd of disciples began to rejoice and to praise God with a loud voice because of all the miracles they had seen. ³⁸ They said, “How blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”
³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd told Jesus, “Teacher, tell your disciples to be quiet.”
⁴⁰ He replied, “I tell you, if they were quiet, the stones would cry out!”

¹ The Woman Caught in AdulteryJesus, however, went to the Mount of Olives.

¹⁴ Then Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written: ¹⁵ “Stop being afraid, people of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting upon a donkey’s colt!”
¹⁶ At first, his disciples didn’t understand these things. However, when Jesus had been glorified, they remembered that these things had been written about him and that people had done these things to him. ¹⁷ So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify to what they had seen. ¹⁸ The crowd was going out to meet Jesus because they had heard that he had performed this sign. ¹⁹ Then the Pharisees told one another, “You see, there is nothing you can do. Look, the world has gone after him!”

¹² A New Apostle Takes the Place of JudasThen they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.

² told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied up and a colt with it. Untie them, and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, tell him, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and that person will send them at once.”

³⁰ “Go into the village ahead of you,” he said. “As you enter, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it along. ³¹ If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say this: ‘The Lord needs it.’”

¹² Both wealth and honor proceed from you, and you are ruling over them all. You control power— you control who is made great, and how everyone becomes strong. ¹³ And so, our God, we are giving you thanks, and we are praising your wonderful name! ¹⁴ But who am I, and who are my people, that we make such voluntary offerings as these? For all things come from you, and from your own hand we are giving to you. ¹⁵ For we are aliens and vagrants in your presence, as were all of our ancestors. Our days on the earth pass away like shadows, and we have no hope. ¹⁶ LORD our God, all of this abundance that we have given for building a temple for your great name was provided by you and all of it belongs to you. ¹⁷ And I know, God, that it is you who searches the heart and you who finds pleasure in righteousness. With a righteous heart I have freely given all these things, and now I have seen all of these people of yours giving freely and joyfully to you! ¹⁸ LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep your purposes and thoughts constantly in the hearts of your people and direct their hearts toward you,

¹ A Davidic Psalm.
A Song for the King of Glory The earth and everything in it exists for the LORD— the world and those who live in it.

³ Your soldiers are willing volunteers on your day of battle; in majestic holiness, from the womb, from the dawn, the dew of your youth belongs to you.

¹⁵ Then he will show you a large upstairs room that is furnished and ready. Get everything ready for us there.”

²⁴ Then they prayed, “Lord, you know the hearts of all people. Show us which one of these two men you have chosen

³⁶ He has sent his word to the descendants of Israel and brought them the good news of peace through Jesus the Messiah. This man is the Lord of everyone.

²⁵ and he isn’t served by people as if he needed anything. He himself gives everyone life, breath, and everything else.

⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. Although he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich.

⁷ You made him a little lower than the angels, yet you crowned him with glory and honor ⁸ and put everything under his feet.”Now when God put everything under him, he left nothing outside his control. However, at the present time we do not yet see everything put under him. ⁹ But we do see someone who was made a little lower than the angels. He is Jesus, who is crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might experience death for everyone.

⁶ So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them, and he sat upon them.

¹⁹ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

³² So those who were sent went off and found it as Jesus had told them. ³³ While they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
³⁴ The disciples answered, “The Lord needs it.”

⁵ His mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

¹³ At this, each man quickly grabbed his own garment, placed it under him at the top of the stairs, sounded a trumpet, and announced, “Jehu is king!”

⁹ The Coming of Zion’s King“Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; cry out, daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king is coming to you. He is righteous, and he is able to save. He is humble, and is riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

⁴ Now this happened to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet when he said, ⁵ “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, your king is coming to you! He is humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt of a donkey.’”

⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them, and he sat upon them. ⁸ Many people in the crowd spread their own coats on the road, while others began cutting down branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.

³⁵ Then they brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and Jesus sat upon it.
³⁶ As he was riding along, people kept spreading their coats on the road.

¹² The King Enters Jerusalem
The next day, the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem. ¹³ So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!”
¹⁴ Then Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written: ¹⁵ “Stop being afraid, people of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting upon a donkey’s colt!”
¹⁶ At first, his disciples didn’t understand these things. However, when Jesus had been glorified, they remembered that these things had been written about him and that people had done these things to him.

⁴⁰ “On the first day, take branches from impressive fruit trees, branches from palm trees, boughs from thick trees, and poplars from the brooks. Then you are to rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God for seven days.

²⁵ Please LORD, deliver us! Please LORD, hurry and bring success now! ²⁶ Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Let us bless you from the LORD’s house.

⁹ Both the crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed him kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

³⁹ I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

³⁷ He was now approaching the descent from the Mount of Olives. The whole crowd of disciples began to rejoice and to praise God with a loud voice because of all the miracles they had seen. ³⁸ They said, “How blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”

¹³ So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!”

¹⁵ Then they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
Pilate asked them, “Should I crucify your king?”
The high priests responded, “We have no king but Caesar!”

¹ Let All the Earth Praise the LORD Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from heaven; praise him in the highest places.

⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the growth of his government and peace there will be no end. He will rule over his kingdom, sitting on the throne of David, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will accomplish this.

¹⁵ In those days and at that time I’ll cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he will uphold justice and righteousness in the land. ¹⁶ At that time Judah will be delivered and Jerusalem will dwell in safety. And this is the name people will call it, “The LORD is Our Righteousness.”’ ¹⁷ For this is what the LORD says: ‘David will never be without a man sitting on the throne of the house of Israel,

²⁶ then I might reject the descendants of Jacob and my servant David by not taking some of his descendants as rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, I’ll restore their fortunes, and I’ll have compassion on them.’”

²³ God’s Shepherd: His Servant David“‘Then I’ll install one shepherd for them—my servant David—and he will feed them, will be there for them, and will serve as their shepherd. ²⁴ I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will rule among them as Prince.’ I, the LORD, have spoken this.

²⁴ David’s Rule as King“‘“My servant King David will be there for them, and one shepherd will be appointed for them. They will live according to my decrees, keep my regulations, and practice them. ²⁵ They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob and on which your ancestors lived. They will live in that land, along with their children and grandchildren, forever. David my servant will be their everlasting leader.

⁵ Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come in awe to the LORD and to his goodness in the last days.

¹¹ Israel to be Restored“At that time I will restore David’s fallen tent, restoring its torn places. I will restore its ruins, rebuilding it as it was long ago, ¹² so my people may inherit the remnant of Edom and all of the nations that bear my name,” declares the LORD who is bringing this about.

³¹ Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to people who enjoy his favor!”

⁹ Then he told me, “Go on through that entrance, so you may see the wicked, detestable things that they’re committing here.”

¹² And it will come about that I will search Jerusalem with candles, punishing the self-satisfied and complacent, who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do neither good nor evil.’

¹ The Coming of the Messenger“Watch out! I’m sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly, the LORD you are looking for will come to his Temple. He is the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Watch out! He is coming!” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

¹⁰ When he came into Jerusalem, the whole city was trembling with excitement. The people were asking, “Who is this?”
¹¹ The crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, the man from Nazareth in Galilee.”
¹² Confrontation in the Temple over Money
Then Jesus went into the Temple, threw out everyone who was selling and buying in the Temple, and overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those who sold doves. ¹³ He told them, “It is written, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer,’ but you are turning it into a hideout for bandits!”
¹⁴ Blind and lame people came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the high priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he had done and the children shouting in the Temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became furious ¹⁶ and asked him, “Do you hear what these people are saying?”
Jesus told them, “Yes! Haven’t you ever read, ‘From the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have created praise’?” ¹⁷ Then he left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.

⁴¹ When he came closer and saw the city, he began to grieve over it: ⁴² “If you had only known today what could have brought you peace! But now it is hidden from your sight, ⁴³ because the days will come when your enemies will build walls around you, surround you, and close you in on every side. ⁴⁴ They will level you to the ground—you and those who live within your city limits. They will not leave one stone on another within your walls, because you didn’t recognize the time when you were visited.”
⁴⁵ Confrontation in the Temple over Money
Then Jesus went into the Temple and began to throw out those who were selling things.

³⁷ Now during the day Jesus would teach in the Temple, but when evening came he would go out and spend the night on what is called the Mount of Olives. ³⁸ And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the Temple.

¹ The Woman Caught in AdulteryJesus, however, went to the Mount of Olives. ² At daybreak he appeared again in the Temple, and all the people came to him. So he sat down and began to teach them.

² After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, he finally became hungry.

¹⁸ Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, he became hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the roadside, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. He told it, “May fruit never come from you again!” And immediately the fig tree dried up.
²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?” they asked.
²¹ Jesus answered them, “I tell all of you with certainty, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you be able to do what has been done to the fig tree, but you will also say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. ²² You will receive whatever you ask for in prayer, if you believe.”

² where he was being tempted by the devil for 40 days. During that time he ate nothing at all, and when they were over he became hungry.

⁶ Jacob’s Well was also there, and Jesus, tired out by the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
⁷ A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus told her, “Please give me a drink,”

³¹ Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, have something to eat.”
³² But he told them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
³³ So the disciples began to say to one another, “No one has brought him anything to eat, have they?”

²⁸ Jesus Dies on the Cross
After this, when Jesus realized that everything was now completed, he said (in order to fulfill the Scripture), “I’m thirsty.”

¹⁷ thereby becoming like his brothers in every way, so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and could atone for the people’s sins.

³ So she went out, proceeded to the field, and gleaned behind the harvesters. And it happened that she came to the portion of land belonging to Boaz, of the family of Elimelech.

⁹ Keep watching it. If it goes up along the road to its own territory to Beth-shemesh, it’s the LORD who has done this great evil to us. But if it does not, then we will know that he wasn’t pressuring us. It happened to us as a natural event.”

⁷ For the vineyard of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden in which he delights. He looked for justice, but saw only bloodshed; he searched for righteousness, but heard only an outcry!

¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the roadside, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. He told it, “May fruit never come from you again!” And immediately the fig tree dried up.

³¹ By chance, a priest was traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he went by on the other side.

⁶ “Five sparrows are sold for two pennies, aren’t they? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. ⁷ Why, even all the hairs on your head have been counted! Stop being afraid. You are worth more than a bunch of sparrows.”

⁶ The Parable about an Unfruitful Fig TreeThen Jesus told them this parable: “A man had a fig tree that had been planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it but didn’t find any. ⁷ So he told the gardener, ‘Look here! For three years I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this tree but I haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the soil?’ ⁸ But the gardener replied, ‘Sir, leave it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ Maybe next year it will bear fruit. If not, then cut it down.’”

⁴ “Listen, Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. ⁵ You are to love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ Let these words that I’m commanding you today be always on your heart. ⁷ Teach them repeatedly to your children. Talk about them while sitting in your house or walking on the road, and as you lie down or get up. ⁸ Tie them as reminders on your forearm, bind them on your forehead,

²⁶ Look! I’m about to grant you a blessing and a curse— ²⁷ a blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I’m giving you today, ²⁸ or a curse if you don’t obey the commands of the LORD your God, by turning from the way that I’m commanding you today and following other gods whom you have not known.”
²⁹ Declaration of the Blessings and Curses“When the LORD brings you to the land that you are about to enter to inherit, repeat the blessings on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal. ³⁰ They’re across the Jordan River to the west, aren’t they, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal near the Oak of Moreh? ³¹ For you are about to cross the Jordan River to go in and possess the land that the LORD your God is about to give you to inherit and live in.

⁵ “Now, let me tell you, won’t you please, what I’m going to do to my vineyard. “I’m going to take away its protective hedge, and it will be devoured; I’ll break down its wall, and it will be trampled. ⁶ I’ll make it a wasteland, and it won’t be pruned or cultivated. Instead, briers and thorns will grow up. I’ll also issue commands to the clouds, that they drop no rain upon it.”

¹⁰ The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree that isn’t producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹⁹ Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.

³³ A Tree is Known by Its Fruit
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten, because a tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴ You children of serpents! How can you say anything good when you are evil? The mouth speaks about what overflows from the heart. ³⁵ A good person brings good things out of a good treasure house, and an evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure house.

³³ The Parable about the Tenant Farmers
“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a wall around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went abroad.

⁴⁴ The person who falls over this stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

²⁰ The Lesson from the Dried Fig Tree
While they were walking along early the next morning, they saw the fig tree dried up to its roots. ²¹ Remembering what Jesus had said, Peter pointed out to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has dried up!”

⁶ Unless a person abides in me, he is thrown away like a pruned branch and dries up. People gather such branches, throw them into a fire, and they are burned up.

²⁰ For if, after escaping the world’s corruptions through a full knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Messiah, they are again entangled and conquered by those corruptions, then their last condition is worse than their former one.

¹¹ Let the one who does what is evil continue to do what is evil. Let the filthy person continue to be filthy. Let the righteous person continue to do what is right. And let the holy person continue to be holy.”

²⁵ In that case, convert it into cash, secure the money, and then bring it to the place where the LORD will choose. ²⁶ You may spend the money to your heart’s content to buy livestock, flocks, wine, strong drink, and whatever you desire. You and your household may eat there and rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God.”

¹² Confrontation in the Temple over Money
Then Jesus went into the Temple, threw out everyone who was selling and buying in the Temple, and overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those who sold doves. ¹³ He told them, “It is written, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer,’ but you are turning it into a hideout for bandits!”
¹⁴ Blind and lame people came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the high priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he had done and the children shouting in the Temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became furious ¹⁶ and asked him, “Do you hear what these people are saying?”
Jesus told them, “Yes! Haven’t you ever read, ‘From the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have created praise’?”

⁴⁵ Confrontation in the Temple over Money
Then Jesus went into the Temple and began to throw out those who were selling things. ⁴⁶ He told them, “It is written, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a hideout for bandits!”
⁴⁷ Then he began teaching in the Temple every day. The high priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him,

¹³ Confrontation in the Temple over Money
The Jewish Passover was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the Temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as moneychangers sitting at their tables. ¹⁵ After making a whip out of cords, he drove all of them out of the Temple, including the sheep and the cattle. He scattered the coins of the moneychangers and knocked over their tables.
¹⁶ Then he told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

⁴¹ “Now concerning the foreigner who is not from your people Israel, when he comes from a land far away for the sake of your name ⁴² (for people will hear of your great name, your mighty acts, and your obvious power), when he comes and prays facing this Temple, ⁴³ then hear in heaven where you reside, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the people of the earth may know your name, fear you as do your people Israel, and so they may know that this Temple that I have built is called by your name. ⁴⁴ “When your people go out to war against their enemies, no matter what way you send them, and they pray to the LORD in the direction of the city that you have chosen and in the direction of the Temple that I have built for your name, ⁴⁵ then hear their prayer and their request in heaven, and fight for their cause. ⁴⁶ “When they sin against you—because there isn’t a single human being who doesn’t sin—and you become angry with them and deliver them over to their enemy, who takes them away captive to the land that belongs to their enemy, whether near or far away, ⁴⁷ if they turn their hearts back to you in the land where they have been taken captive, repent, and pray to you—even if they do so in the land of their captivity—confessing, ‘We have sinned, we have committed abominations, and practiced wickedness,’ ⁴⁸ if they return to you with all of their heart and with all of their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, as they pray to you in the direction of their land that you have given to their ancestors and to the city that you have chosen, and to the Temple that I have built for your name,

⁷ these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices will rise up to be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for everyone.”

⁷ All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you. and they’ll come up with acceptance upon my altar, and I’ll glorify my glorious house.”

¹¹ Has this house that is called by my name become a hideout for bandits in your eyes? Look, I’m watching,” declares the LORD.

⁷ “Now as for the merchant, deceitful balances remain in his hand, and he loves to defraud.

⁴⁶ He told them, “It is written, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a hideout for bandits!”

¹⁶ Then he told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!”

¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab asked him, “Is it really you, you destroyer of Israel?”
¹⁸ But Elijah replied, “I’m no destroyer of Israel. But you and your ancestor’s household have been doing that, because you have abandoned the LORD’s commandments and have followed the Baals.

²⁰ Later on, Ahab asked Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?”
But Elijah answered, “I’ve found you because you sold yourself to do what the LORD considers to be evil!

⁸ “There is still one man left by whom we could ask the LORD what to do,” the king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, “but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me. Instead, he prophesies evil. He is Imla’s son Micaiah.”
But Jehoshaphat rebuked Ahab, “Kings should never talk like that.”

¹⁸ Then the king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he wouldn’t prophesy anything good about me, but only evil?”

⁷ “This is what my Lord says— the LORD your Redeemer, O Israel, and his Holy One— to one despised by people, to those abhorred as a nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings see and arise, and princes will bow down, because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, the one who has chosen you.”

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying all these things, the crowds were utterly amazed at his teaching,

¹⁵ But when the high priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he had done and the children shouting in the Temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became furious

³⁸ But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they told one another, ‘This is the heir. Come on, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’ ³⁹ So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

⁴⁵ When the high priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was talking about them. ⁴⁶ Although they wanted to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.

³ Then the high priests and the elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas. ⁴ They conspired to arrest Jesus by treachery and to kill him.

²² The people were utterly amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one with authority, and not like their scribes.

⁶ Immediately the Pharisees and Herodians went out and began to plot how to kill him.

²⁰ because Herod was afraid of John. He knew that John was a righteous and holy man, and so he protected him. Whenever he listened to John, he did much of what he said. In fact, he liked listening to him.

³² But if we say, ‘From humans’…?” They were afraid of the crowd, because everyone really thought John was a prophet.

¹² They were trying to arrest him but were afraid of the crowd. Realizing that he had spoken this parable against them, they left him alone and went away.

¹ The Plot to Kill Jesus
Now it was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and to have him put to death, ² because they kept saying, “This must not happen during the festival. Otherwise, there’ll be a riot among the people.”

²² All the people began to speak well of him and to wonder at the gracious words that flowed from his mouth. They said, “This is Joseph’s son, isn’t it?”

⁴⁷ Then he began teaching in the Temple every day. The high priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him,

¹⁹ When the scribes and the high priests realized that Jesus had told this parable about them, they wanted to arrest him right then, but they were afraid of the crowd.

⁴⁶ The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like that!”

⁵³ So from that day on they resolved to put him to death. ⁵⁴ As a result, Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews. Instead, he went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness. There he remained with his disciples.
⁵⁵ Now the Jewish Passover was approaching, and before the Passover many people from the countryside went up to Jerusalem to purify themselves. ⁵⁶ They kept looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the Temple, “What do you think? Surely he won’t come to the festival, will he?” ⁵⁷ Now the high priests and the Pharisees had given orders that whoever knew where he was should tell them so that they could arrest him.

²⁵ As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became afraid and said, “For the present you may go. When I get a chance, I will send for you again.”

⁵ And if anyone should want to hurt them, fire comes out of their mouths and burns up their enemies. If anyone wants to hurt them, he must be killed in this manner. ⁶ These witnesses have authority to close the heavens in order to keep rain from falling while they are prophesying. They also have authority to turn bodies of water into blood and to strike the earth with any plague, as often as they desire.
⁷ When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will wage war against them, conquer them, and kill them. ⁸ Their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. ⁹ For three and a half days some members of the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will look at their dead bodies and will not allow them to be placed in a tomb. ¹⁰ Those living on earth will gloat over them, celebrate, and send gifts to each other, because these two prophets had tormented those living on earth.
¹¹ Then Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the Temple and looked around at everything. Since it was already late, he went out with the Twelve to Bethany.

³⁷ Now during the day Jesus would teach in the Temple, but when evening came he would go out and spend the night on what is called the Mount of Olives.

³⁶ As long as you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” After Jesus had said this, he went away and hid from them.

¹⁶ His roots wither underneath, while his branches above are being cut off. ¹⁷ No one remembers him anywhere in the land; no one names streets in his honor.

⁵ The wicked triumph only briefly; the joy of the godless is momentary. ⁶ Though he grow as tall as the sky, or though his head touches the clouds, ⁷ he’ll perish forever, like his own excrement; those who saw him will ask, ‘Where is he?’

⁴ What more could I do in my vineyard, that I haven’t already done? When I expected it to produce good grapes, why did it yield wild ones?

²⁴ No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the earth, than he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest sweeps them away like stubble.

⁶ But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they did not have any roots, they dried up.

¹³ He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be pulled up by the roots.

¹⁴ So he told it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” Now his disciples were listening to this.

⁸ However, if it continues to produce thorns and thistles, it is worthless and in danger of being cursed, and in the end will be burned.

¹² These people are stains on your love feasts. They feast with you without any sense of awe. They are shepherds who care only for themselves. They are waterless clouds blown about by the winds. They are autumn trees that are fruitless, totally dead, and uprooted.

³³ The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.

³ He responded to me, “This is the curse that is going out over the surface of the whole earth, because, according to this side of the scroll, all thieves will be ejected, and according to the other side of the scroll, all liars will be ejected.”
⁴ “I am bringing this about,” declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. “The curse will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who lies in my name. The curse will remain in his house until that house has been completely destroyed, right down to its timber and stones.”

⁷ to be greeted in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who are accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!

²² If anyone doesn’t love the Lord, let him be condemned! May our Lord come!

²⁰ Jehoshaphat’s Instructions the Next MorningThe army got up early the next morning and headed out into the wilderness of Tekoa. Jehoshaphat stood up and addressed them. “Listen to me, you inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem,” he said. “Have faith in the LORD your God and you’ll be established! Have faith in his prophets and you’ll succeed!”

⁸ People, in every situation put your trust in God; pour out your heart before him; for God is a refuge for us. Interlude

⁹ Furthermore, Ephraim’s head is Samaria, and Remaliah’s son is its king. If all of you don’t keep on believing,
you’ll never remain loyal.’”

²³ Jesus told him, “‘If you are able?’ Everything is possible for the person who believes!”

¹ Jesus the Way to the Father “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.

¹² When you were buried with the Messiah in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

¹ GreetingsFrom: Paul, a servant of God, and also an apostle of Jesus the Messiah, to bring the faith to those chosen by God, along with full knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness,

⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

¹³ Jesus Feeds More than Five Thousand People
When Jesus heard this, he left that place and went by boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of it and followed him on foot from the neighboring towns.

²⁰ He told them, “Because of your lack of faith. I tell all of you with certainty, if you have faith like 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 Jesus answered them, “I tell all of you with certainty, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you be able to do what has been done to the fig tree, but you will also say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.

⁶ The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!

¹³ I’ll do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

⁷ “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you can ask for anything you want, and you’ll receive it.

¹⁸ Hoping in spite of hopeless circumstances, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” just as he had been told: “This is how many descendants you will have.” ¹⁹ His faith did not weaken when he thought about his own body (which was already as good as dead now that he was about a hundred years old) or about Sarah’s inability to have children, ²⁰ nor did he doubt God’s promise out of a lack of faith. Instead, his faith became stronger and he gave glory to God, ²¹ being absolutely convinced that God would do what he had promised. ²² This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”
²³ Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for him ²⁴ but also for us. Our faith will be regarded in the same way, if we believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was sentenced to death because of our sins and raised to life to justify us.

² If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all secrets and every form of knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have no love, I am nothing.

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac—he who had received the promises was about to offer his unique son in sacrifice, ¹⁸ about whom it had been said, “It is through Isaac that descendants will be named for you.” ¹⁹ Abraham was certain that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did get Isaac back in this way.

⁵ Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to everyone generously without a rebuke, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ask in faith, without any doubts, for the one who has doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

⁷ Ask, Search, Knock
“Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened for you. ⁸ Because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door opened.
⁹ “There isn’t a person among you who would give his son a stone if he asked for bread, is there? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, he wouldn’t give him a snake, would he? ¹¹ So 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 keep on asking him!

¹⁹ Furthermore, I tell all of you with certainty that if two of you agree on earth about anything you request, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven,

²² You will receive whatever you ask for in prayer, if you believe.”

⁹ Ask, Search, Knock
So I say to you: Keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened for you, ¹⁰ because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door opened. ¹¹ What father among you, if his son asks for bread, would give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, would give him a snake instead of the fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, would he give him a scorpion? ¹³ So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who keep asking him!”

¹ The Parable about the Judge and the WidowJesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray all the time and never give up. ² He said, “In a city there was a judge who didn’t fear God or respect people. ³ In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ For a while the judge refused. But later, he told himself, ‘I don’t fear God or respect people, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice. Otherwise, she will keep coming and wear me out.’”
⁶ Then the Lord added, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ Won’t God grant his chosen people justice when they cry out to him day and night? Is he slow to help them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give them justice quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

²³ On that day, you won’t ask me for anything. Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, whatever you ask the Father for in my name, he will give it to you. ²⁴ So far you haven’t asked for anything in my name. Keep asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”
²⁵ Victory over the World“I have said these things to you in figurative language. The time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ At that time, you will make your requests in my name, so that I will have no need to ask the Father on your behalf, ²⁷ because the Father himself loves you, and because you have loved me and believed that I came from God.

¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will save the person who is sick. The Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.
¹⁶ Therefore, make it your habit to confess your sins to one another and to pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. ¹⁷ Elijah was a person just like us, and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and rain never came to the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and the skies poured out rain, and the ground produced its crops.

²² Whatever we request we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have in him: if we ask for anything according to his will, he listens to us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he listens to our requests, we can be sure that we have what we ask him for.

¹ The Vision of the High PriestThen I saw Joshua the High Priest standing in the presence of the angel of the LORD, with Satan standing at his right to oppose him.

²³ “So if you are presenting your gift at the altar and remember there that your brother has something against you,

⁵ Teaching about Prayer
“And whenever you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

¹² and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.

¹⁴ Because if you forgive people their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive people their offenses, your Father will not forgive your offenses.”

²³ “That is why the kingdom from heaven may be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he had begun to settle the accounts, a person who owed him 10,000 talents was brought to him. ²⁵ Because he couldn’t pay, his master ordered him, his wife, his children, and everything that he owned to be sold so that payment could be made. ²⁶ Then the servant fell down and bowed low before him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything!’ ²⁷ The master of that servant had compassion and released him, canceling his debt.
²⁸ “But when that servant went away, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him, seized him by the throat, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’ ²⁹ Then his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me and I will repay you!’ ³⁰ But he refused and had him thrown into prison until he could repay the debt.
³¹ “When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were very disturbed and went and reported to their master everything that had occurred. ³² Then his master sent for him and told him, ‘You evil servant! I canceled that entire debt for you because you begged me. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers until he could repay the entire debt. ³⁵ This is how my heavenly Father will treat each one of you unless you forgive your brother from your hearts.”

³⁷ Judging Others
“Stop judging, and you’ll never be judged. Stop condemning, and you’ll never be condemned. Forgive, and you’ll be forgiven.

¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘O God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—thieves, dishonest people, adulterers, or even this tax collector.

³² And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God has forgiven you in the Messiah.

¹³ Be tolerant of one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, you also should forgive.

¹³ For the one who has shown no mercy will be judged without mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

⁴ These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands standing in the presence of the Lord of the earth.

¹ The Nations and God’s Anointed Why are the nations in an uproar, and their people involved in a vain plot? ² As the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers conspire together against the LORD and his anointed one, they say, ³ “Let us tear off their shackles from us, and cast off their chains.” ⁴ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. ⁵ In his anger he rebukes them, and in his wrath he terrifies them:

²³ Jesus’ Authority is Challenged
Then Jesus went into the Temple. While he was teaching, the high priests and the elders of the people came to him and asked, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
²⁴ Jesus answered them, “I, too, will ask you one question. If you answer it for me, I will also tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ Where did John’s authority to baptize come from? From heaven or from humans?”
They began discussing this among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From humans,’ we are afraid of the crowd, because everyone regards John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they told Jesus, “We don’t know.”
He in turn told them, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

¹ The Plot to Kill Jesus
Now it was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and to have him put to death,

¹ Jesus’ Authority is Challenged
One day, while Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple and telling them the good news, the high priests and the scribes came with the elders ² and asked him, “Tell us: By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
³ He answered them, “I, too, will ask you a question. Tell me: ⁴ Was John’s authority to baptize from heaven or from humans?”
⁵ They discussed this among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From humans,’ all the people will stone us to death, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” ⁷ So they answered that they didn’t know where it was from.
⁸ Then Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I’m doing these things.”

²³ and Jesus was walking around in the Temple inside the open porch of Solomon.

²⁰ Jesus answered him, “I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in the synagogue or in the Temple, where all Jews meet together, and I have said nothing in secret.

⁵ The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes met in Jerusalem ⁶ with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the high priest’s family. ⁷ They made Peter and John stand in front of them and began asking, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
⁸ Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, told them, “Rulers and elders of the people!

²⁷ For in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate actually met together with unbelievers and the people of Israel to oppose your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, ²⁸ to carry out everything that your hand and will had predetermined to take place.

¹⁴ The man replied, “Who appointed you to be an official judge over us? Are you planning to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?”
Then Moses became terrified and told himself, “Certainly this event has become known!”

³ They gathered together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have appropriated too much for yourselves from the entire congregation, since all of them are holy, and the LORD is among them, too. Why do you exalt yourselves over the LORD’s assembly?”

¹³ Is it such an insignificant thing that you brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness? Now you’re trying to make yourself be a prince and rule over us, aren’t you?

²⁷ “But the man who was harming his neighbor pushed Moses away and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? ²⁸ You don’t want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’

³⁸ This Moses is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and to our ancestors. He received living truths to give to us, ³⁹ but our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and wished to return to Egypt.

⁵¹ “You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do.

¹³ The Suffering Servant“Look! My servant will prosper, and he will be exalted and lifted up, and will be very high.

²⁴ Jesus answered them, “I, too, will ask you one question. If you answer it for me, I will also tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

¹ John the Baptist Prepares the Way
About this time, John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the Judean wilderness, ² “Repent, because the kingdom from heaven is near!” ³ He was the one the prophet Isaiah was referring to when he said, “He is a voice calling out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight!’” ⁴ John had clothing made of camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of grasshoppers and wild honey.
⁵ Then the people of Jerusalem, all Judea, and the entire region along the Jordan began flocking to him, ⁶ being baptized by him in the Jordan River while they confessed their sins.
⁷ But when John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he told them, “You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance! ⁹ Don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have father Abraham!’ because I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones! ¹⁰ The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree that isn’t producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹ I am baptizing you with water as evidence of repentance, but the one who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. It is he who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in his hand. He will clean up his threshing floor and gather his grain into the barn, but he will burn the chaff with inextinguishable fire.”
¹³ Jesus is Baptized
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and are you coming to me?”
¹⁵ But Jesus answered him, “Let it be this way for now, because this is the proper way for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
At this, he permitted him to be baptized. ¹⁶ When Jesus had been baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Suddenly, the heavens opened up for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. ¹⁷ Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with him!”

¹ John the Baptist Prepares the Way for Jesus
This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. ² As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See! I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way. ³ He is a voice calling out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight!’”
⁴ John was baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ People from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, being baptized by him while they confessed their sins. ⁶ Now John was dressed in camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. He ate grasshoppers and wild honey. ⁷ He kept proclaiming, “The one who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not worthy to bend down and untie his sandal straps. ⁸ I baptized you with water, but it is he who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
⁹ Jesus is Baptized
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ Just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens split open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ Then a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you!”

¹³ But I tell you that Elijah has come, yet people treated him just as they pleased, as it is written about him.”

¹ John the Baptist Prepares the Way for Jesus
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Caesar Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ² and Annas and Caiaphas high priests, a message from God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. ³ John went throughout the entire Jordan region, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “He is a voice calling out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight! ⁵ Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be leveled. The crooked ways will be made straight, and the rough roads will be made smooth. ⁶ Everyone will see the salvation that God has provided.’”
⁷ John would say to the crowds that were coming out to be baptized by him, “You children of serpents! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance! Don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have father Abraham!’ because I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones! ⁹ The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree not producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.”
¹⁰ The crowds kept asking him, “What, then, should we do?”
¹¹ He answered them, “The person who has two coats must share with the one who doesn’t have any, and the person who has food must do the same.”
¹² Even some tax collectors came to be baptized. They asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”
¹³ He told them, “Stop collecting more money than the amount you are told to collect.”
¹⁴ Even some soldiers were asking him, “And what should we do?”
He told them, “Never extort money from anyone by threats or blackmail, and be satisfied with your pay.”
¹⁵ Now the people were filled with expectation, and all of them were wondering if John was perhaps the Messiah. ¹⁶ John replied to all of them, “I’m baptizing you with water, but one is coming who is more powerful than I, and I’m not worthy to untie his sandal straps. It is he who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor. He’ll gather the grain into his barn, but he’ll burn the chaff with inextinguishable fire.”
¹⁸ With many other exhortations John continued to proclaim the good news to the people. ¹⁹ Now Herod the tetrarch had been rebuked by John because he had married his brother’s wife Herodias and because of all of the other evil things Herod had done. ²⁰ Added to all this, Herod locked John up in prison.

⁶ John’s Witness to the WordThere was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe because of him. ⁸ John was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.

¹⁵ John told the truth about him when he cried out, “This is the person about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me ranks higher than me, because he existed before me.’” ¹⁶ We have all received one gracious gift after another from his abundance, ¹⁷ because while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God. The unique God, who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him.
¹⁹ The Testimony of John the Baptist
This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and descendants of Levi to him from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
²⁰ He spoke openly and, remaining true to himself, admitted, “I am not the Messiah.”
²¹ So they asked him, “Well then, are you Elijah?”
John said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
²² “Who are you?” they asked him. “We must give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
²³ He replied, “I am ‘…a voice crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare the Lord’s highway,”’as the prophet Isaiah said.”
²⁴ Now those men had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵ They asked him, “Why, then, are you baptizing if you are not the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?”
²⁶ John answered them, “I am baptizing with water, but among you stands a man whom you do not know, ²⁷ the one who is coming after me, whose sandal straps I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ This happened in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
²⁹ The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks above me, because he existed before me.’ ³¹ I didn’t recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
³² John also testified, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³ I didn’t recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The person on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I have seen this and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
³⁵ The First DisciplesThe next day, John was standing there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ As he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

²⁵ Then a controversy about ritual purification sprang up between a certain Jew and John’s disciples, ²⁶ so they went to John and told him, “Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the one about whom you testified—look, he’s baptizing, and everyone is going to him!”
²⁷ John replied, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ It is the bridegroom who gets the bride, yet the bridegroom’s friend, who merely stands by and listens for him, is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That’s why this joy of mine is now complete. ³⁰ He must become more important, but I must become less important.”
³¹ The One who Comes from AboveThe one who comes from above is superior to everything. The one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is superior to everything. ³² He testifies about what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. ³³ The person who has accepted his testimony has acknowledged that God is truthful. ³⁴ The one whom God sent speaks the words of God, because God does not give the Spirit in limited measure to him. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has put everything in his hands. ³⁶ The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

⁷ As they were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ Really, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? See, those who wear fancy clothes live in kings’ houses. ⁹ Really, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet! ¹⁰ This is the man about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
¹¹ I tell all of you with certainty, among those born of women no one has appeared who is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least important person in the kingdom from heaven is greater than he.
¹² “From the days of John the Baptist until the present, the kingdom from heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people have been attacking it, ¹³ because the Law and all the Prophets prophesied up to the time of John. ¹⁴ If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

³¹ Which of the two did the father’s will?”
They answered, “The first one.”
Jesus told them, “I tell all of you with certainty, tax collectors and prostitutes will get into God’s kingdom ahead of you! ³² John came to you living a righteous life, and you didn’t believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. But even when you saw that, you didn’t change your minds at last and believe him.”

¹⁵ John told the truth about him when he cried out, “This is the person about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me ranks higher than me, because he existed before me.’”

²⁹ The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

³⁴ I have seen this and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

³⁶ As he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

⁵ Then the people of Jerusalem, all Judea, and the entire region along the Jordan began flocking to him, ⁶ being baptized by him in the Jordan River while they confessed their sins.

⁹ Really, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet!

⁵ Although Herod wanted to kill him, he was afraid of the crowd, since they regarded John as a prophet.

⁴⁶ Although they wanted to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.

²⁶ Really, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and even more than a prophet! ²⁷ This is the man about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
²⁸ I tell you, no one has ever been born who is greater than John. Yet even the least important person in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
²⁹ By having been baptized with John’s baptism, all the people who listened, including the tax collectors, acknowledged God’s justice.

² So the high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put him to death, because they were afraid of the crowd.

⁴¹ Many people came to him and kept saying, “John never performed a sign, but everything that John said about this man is true!”

²⁶ So the commander of the Temple guards went with his men to bring them back without force, because they were afraid of being stoned to death by the people.

¹³ He captures the wise in their own craftiness, bringing a quick end to their cunning advice.

⁴ Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness, or you will be just like him. ⁵ Answer a fool according to his foolishness, or he will think himself to be wise.

³ The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s feeding trough, but Israel doesn’t know, and my people don’t understand.

⁹ “Go!” he responded. “Tell this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ ¹⁰ Dull the mind of this people, deafen their ears, and blind their eyes. By doing so, they won’t see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed.”

⁹ Blind to God’s Words“Act stupid! Be astonished! Act blind, and be blind! Be drunk, but not from wine; stagger around, but not from strong drink. ¹⁰ For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep— he has closed your eyes, you prophets, he has covered your heads, you seers!”
¹¹ “And this entire vision has become for you like the words of a sealed book. When people give it to someone who can read, and say, ‘Read this, please,’ he answers, ‘I cannot, because it is sealed.’ ¹² Or when they give the book to someone who cannot read, and say, ‘Read this, please,’ he answers, ‘I don’t know how to read.’”
¹³ A Rebuke of Hypocritical WorshipThen the Lord said: “Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, worship of me has become merely like rules taught by human beings. ¹⁴ Therefore, watch out! “As for me, I will once again do amazing things with this people, wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the insights of their discerning men will stay hidden.”

¹⁹ Who is blind except my servant, or deaf like my messenger I am sending? Who is blind like the one committed to me, or blind like the LORD’s servant? ²⁰ You’ve seen many things, but you pay no attention. His ears are open, but he doesn’t listen.

¹⁰ His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge. They are all dumb dogs— they cannot bark. They keep on dreaming and lying around, and they’re lovers of sleep!

⁷ Even the stork in the sky knows its seasons, and the dove, the swallow, and the crane observe the time for migration. But my people don’t know the requirements of the LORD. ⁸ How can you say, ‘We’re wise, and the Law of the LORD is with us,’ when, in fact, the deceitful pen of the scribe has made it into something that deceives. ⁹ The wise men will be put to shame. They’ll be dismayed and taken captive. Look, they have rejected the message from the LORD! So what kind of wisdom do they have?

⁶ My people are destroyed because they lack knowledge of me. Because you rejected that knowledge, I will reject you as a priest for me. Since you forget the Law of your God, I will also forget your children.

⁷ For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he’s the messenger of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.
⁸ “But you priests turned aside from the way, and by your teaching you caused many to stumble. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If one blind person leads another blind person, both will fall into a ditch.”

⁴ An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.

²⁷ So they told Jesus, “We don’t know.”
He in turn told them, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

¹⁶ “How terrible it will be for you, blind guides! You say, ‘Whoever swears an oath by the sanctuary is excused, but whoever swears an oath by the gold of the sanctuary must keep his oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! What is more important, the gold or the sanctuary that made the gold holy? ¹⁸ Again you say, ‘Whoever swears an oath by the altar is excused, but whoever swears by the gift that is on it must keep his oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? ²⁰ Therefore, the one who swears an oath by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ The one who swears an oath by the sanctuary swears by it and by the one who lives there. ²² And the one who swears an oath by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
²³ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your mint, dill, and cummin, but have neglected the more important matters of the Law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the things you should have practiced, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides! You filter out a gnat, yet swallow a camel!
²⁵ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but on the inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that its outside may also be clean.

²¹ Jesus Praises the Father
At that moment, the Holy Spirit made Jesus extremely joyful, so Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this is what was pleasing to you. ²² All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and the person to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

⁶⁶ As soon as day came, the elders of the people, the high priests, and the scribes assembled and brought him before their Council. ⁶⁷ They said, “If you are the Messiah, tell us.”
But he told them, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me, ⁶⁸ and if I ask you a question, you won’t answer me. ⁶⁹ But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”

¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “You’re the teacher of Israel, and you can’t understand this?

²⁷ He answered them, “I’ve already told you, but you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become his disciples, too, do you?”

¹⁸ God’s Wrath against Sinful HumanityFor God’s wrath is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and wickedness of those who in their wickedness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God himself has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been understood and observed by what he made, so that people are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. Instead, their thoughts turned to worthless things, and their senseless hearts were darkened. ²² Though claiming to be wise, they became fools

²⁸ Furthermore, because they did not think it worthwhile to keep knowing God fully, God delivered them to degraded minds to perform acts that should not be done.

¹⁵ Yet even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.

³ So if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are dying. ⁴ In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of the Messiah, who is the image of God.

¹⁰ and every type of evil to deceive those who are dying, those who refused to love the truth that would save them. ¹¹ For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie. ¹² Then all who have not believed the truth but have taken pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.