Matthew 21 Cross References - WPNT

¹ Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethsphage, opposite the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them: “Go into the village opposite you and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose her and bring them to me. ³ And if anyone says anything to you, just say, ‘The Lord needs them’, and immediately he will send them.” ⁴ Now all this happened so that what was spoken through the prophet should be fulfilled, namely: ⁵ “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, your King is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, in fact, a young donkey, foal of a beast of burden.’” ⁶ So going and doing just as Jesus had commanded them, ⁷ the disciples brought the female donkey and the young donkey. And they placed their clothes on them and He sat down on them [the clothes]. ⁸ And the very large crowd spread their clothes on the road, while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. ⁹ Then the crowds who went in front and those who followed kept crying out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” ¹⁰ So when He came into Jerusalem the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹ And the crowds kept saying, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Natsareth of Galilee.” ¹² Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold the doves. ¹³ And He says to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer’, but you have made it ‘a cave of bandits’.” ¹⁴ And the lame and the blind came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. ¹⁵ But seeing the wonders that He did, and the children calling out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” the chief priests and the scribes became indignant ¹⁶ and said to Him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” So Jesus says to them: “Yes. Have you never read that ‘Out of the mouth of babies and nursing infants You have prepared praise for Yourself ’?” ¹⁷ Leaving them behind He went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. ¹⁸ Now in the early morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. ¹⁹ And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He went up to it and found nothing on it, just leaves. And He says to it, “May you never again produce fruit!” And forthwith the fig tree became withered. ²⁰ And seeing it the disciples marveled saying, “How quickly the fig tree became withered!” ²¹ So in answer Jesus said to them: “Assuredly I say to you, if you (pl.) have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you should say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and be thrown into the sea’, it will happen. ²² And anything whatever you may ask in the believing prayer, you will receive.” ²³ So He came into the temple, and as He was teaching the chief priests and the elders of the people approached Him saying, “By what kind of authority are you doing these things ?” and “Who gave you this authority?” ²⁴ But in answer Jesus said to them: “I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things : ²⁵ The baptism of John—where was it from; from heaven or from men?” So they reasoned 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, for all consider John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So in answer to Jesus they said, “We do not know”. So He said to them: “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things . ²⁸ “But what do you think? A certain man had two sons, and going to the first he said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard’. ²⁹ But in answer he said, ‘I don’t want to’ (but later he changed his mind and went). ³⁰ And going to the other he said likewise. And in answer he said, ‘I go, Sir’; yet he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of the father?” They say to Him, “The first”. Jesus says to them: “Assuredly I say to you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes will go into the kingdom of God before you do. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, yet when you saw it you did not afterward repent, so as to believe him. ³³ “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to farmers and went on a journey. ³⁴ When vintage-time drew near he sent his servants to the farmers to receive his fruits. ³⁵ But the farmers took his servants—one they beat, one they killed, one they stoned. ³⁶ Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did to them likewise. ³⁷ So finally he sent his son to them saying, ‘They will respect my son’. ³⁸ But when the farmers saw the son they said among themselves: ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take possession of his inheritance.’ ³⁹ And taking him they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?” ⁴¹ They say to Him: “He will miserably destroy those miserable men! And he will lease the vineyard to other farmers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” ⁴² Jesus says to them: “Did you never read in the Scriptures: ‘A stone which the builders rejected, this one became the cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? ⁴³ Therefore I say to you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it. ⁴⁴ Also, whoever falls upon this stone will be broken to pieces; but upon whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” ⁴⁵ As the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables they knew that He was speaking about them. ⁴⁶ And although they wanted to seize Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because they considered Him as a prophet.

³ Now as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives the disciples came to Him privately saying: “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming and of the completion of the age?”

³⁰ And after hymn-singing they went out to the Mount of Olives.

¹ Now when they were drawing near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, ² saying to them: “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you enter it you will find a foal tied, on which no man has sat. Untie and bring it. ³ And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it’, and thereupon he will send it here.” ⁴ So they went and found the foal tied at the door, out in the street, and they loosed it. ⁵ Some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the foal?” ⁶ So they answered them just as Jesus had instructed, and they let them go. ⁷ Then they brought the foal to Jesus, and they placed their clothes on it, and He sat on it. ⁸ And many spread their clothes on the road, while others were cutting leafy branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. ⁹ Both those who went in front and those who followed started calling out, saying: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” ¹⁰ “Blessed is the Kingdom of our father David that is coming in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”

²⁶ And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

²⁸ Having said these things, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ When He drew near to Bethsphage and Bethany, at the mountain called ‘of Olives’, it happened like this: He sent two of His disciples, ³⁰ saying: “Go to the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no man ever yet sat. Untie and bring it. ³¹ And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this to him: ‘The Lord needs it’.” ³² So those who were sent went and found it just like He told them. ³³ As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ So they said, “The Lord needs it”. ³⁵ Then they brought it to Jesus; and throwing their own clothes on the colt, they placed Jesus on it. ³⁶ And as He went along people were spreading their clothes on the road. ³⁷ Then, as He was approaching the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, ³⁸ saying: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

³⁷ In the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called ‘of Olives’.

³⁹ Then going out He went to the Mount of Olives, as His custom was, and His disciples followed Him.

¹ Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

¹² They then returned to Jerusalem from the mount called ‘of Olives’, which is near Jerusalem (a Sabbath day’s journey).

¹⁸ So He said: “Go into the city to ‘you know who’ and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near, I will do the Passover with my disciples at your place ”’.”

² saying to them: “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you enter it you will find a foal tied, on which no man has sat. Untie and bring it. ³ And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it’, and thereupon he will send it here.”

¹³ So He sent two of His disciples, saying to them: “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a clay jar of water; follow him. ¹⁴ Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The teacher says, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ ¹⁵ He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” ¹⁶ So His disciples set out and came into the city and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.

³⁰ saying: “Go to the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no man ever yet sat. Untie and bring it. ³¹ And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this to him: ‘The Lord needs it’.” ³² So those who were sent went and found it just like He told them.

⁵ His mother says to the servants, “Do whatever He may tell you.” ⁶ (Now there were six stone waterpots set there, according to the purification rites of the Jews, containing 20 or 30 gallons each.) ⁷ Jesus says to them, “Fill the pots with water.” So they filled them to the brim. ⁸ So He says to them, “Now, draw some out and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So they took it.

³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.

² just as You gave Him authority over all humanity, so that He will give eternal life to all those whom You have given Him.

²⁵ neither is He cared for by men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself has always given life and breath to all.

¹ And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace of God that has been bestowed upon the congregations of Macedonia, ² that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their extreme poverty produced their extravagant, sincere generosity.

⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

¹⁶ Now thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you in the heart of Titus;

¹⁷ every good giving and every perfect gift is from Above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

²² Now all this happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet should be fulfilled, namely:

⁵⁶ But all this has happened so that the Scriptures of the prophets should be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and ran away.

¹⁵ “Fear no more, daughter of Zion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

³⁶ Because these things happened so that the Scripture should be fulfilled: “Not a bone of His will be broken.” ³⁷ And again another Scripture says: “They will look on Him whom they pierced.”

² saying: “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the East and have come to worship him.”

⁶ ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are not at all the least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a Ruler who will shepherd my people Israel’.”

²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls;

¹⁹ He will not quarrel nor cry-out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. ²⁰ A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not quench, until He sends justice forth to victory.

⁴ So they went and found the foal tied at the door, out in the street, and they loosed it. ⁵ Some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the foal?” ⁶ So they answered them just as Jesus had instructed, and they let them go. ⁷ Then they brought the foal to Jesus, and they placed their clothes on it, and He sat on it. ⁸ And many spread their clothes on the road, while others were cutting leafy branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. ⁹ Both those who went in front and those who followed started calling out, saying: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” ¹⁰ “Blessed is the Kingdom of our father David that is coming in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” ¹¹ So Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when He had looked around at everything, the hour being late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

⁴⁹ In answer Nathanael says to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

¹⁵ But they shouted, “Out! Out! Crucify him!” Pilate says to them, “Shall I crucify your king ?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” ¹⁶ So then he handed Him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and lead Him away. ¹⁷ And carrying His cross He went out to the place called ‘Skull’, which in Hebrew is called ‘Golgotha’; ¹⁸ there they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. ¹⁹ Now Pilate had also written a notice, and put it on the cross; and the inscription was: JESUS THE NATSOREAN THE KING OF THE JEWS. ²⁰ So many of the Jews read this notice, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; further, it was written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin! ²¹ So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The king of the Jews,’ but that the fellow said, ‘I am the king of the Jews’.” ²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written!”

¹ Now I, Paul, am myself appealing to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (I who am ‘humble when present’ among you, but ‘bold when absent’ toward you).

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard one another as being better than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own concerns, but also for what concerns others. ⁵ In fact, let this mindset be in you that was also in Christ Jesus,

¹⁴ You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.

⁴ So they went and found the foal tied at the door, out in the street, and they loosed it. ⁵ Some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the foal?” ⁶ So they answered them just as Jesus had instructed, and they let them go. ⁷ Then they brought the foal to Jesus, and they placed their clothes on it, and He sat on it. ⁸ And many spread their clothes on the road, while others were cutting leafy branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.

³² So those who were sent went and found it just like He told them. ³³ As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ So they said, “The Lord needs it”. ³⁵ Then they brought it to Jesus; and throwing their own clothes on the colt, they placed Jesus on it.

¹³ took branches from palm trees and went out to meet Him. And they started shouting: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” “King of Israel!”

²⁷ As Jesus went on from there two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

¹⁵ But seeing the wonders that He did, and the children calling out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” the chief priests and the scribes became indignant

³⁹ For I say to you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD’!”

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward mankind!”

¹³ took branches from palm trees and went out to meet Him. And they started shouting: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” “King of Israel!” ¹⁴ And finding a young donkey Jesus sat on it; just as it is written: ¹⁵ “Fear no more, daughter of Zion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

³ When Herod the king heard it he became agitated, and all Jerusalem with him.

²¹ So the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying: “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁴⁹ The other recliners began to say within themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁹ But Herod said, “John I beheaded; so who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he started trying to see Him.

² and addressed Him, saying, “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things; or who is he who gave you this authority?”

¹⁸ So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do you show us, since you do these things.”

¹⁶ (Now His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him, and they had done them 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. ¹⁸ That is also why the crowd met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said among themselves: “You can see that you’re not making any difference! Just look, the world has gone off after Him!”

⁵ So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” So the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;

²³ And upon arriving he settled in a city called Natsareth [Branch-town], so that what was spoken through the prophets should be fulfilled, that He would be called a Natsorean [Branch-man].

¹³ When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He questioned His disciples saying, “Who do people say that I, the Son of the Man, am?” ¹⁴ So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets”.

¹⁵ Others said, “He is Elijah”. Still others said, “He is a prophet like one of the prophets”.

¹⁶ Fear took hold of all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”

³⁹ Now as the Pharisee who had invited Him observed this, he was saying to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him, including what sort of woman she is—because she is a sinner!”

³³ Nevertheless I must keep going today and tomorrow and the day following, because it is not credible that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem!

¹⁹ He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him: “The things concerning Jesus the Natsorean, how the man was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,

²¹ So they asked him, “What then, are you Elijah?” And he says, “I am not.” “Are you ‘the Prophet’?” “No,” he answered.

²⁵ So they asked him saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ nor Elijah nor ‘the Prophet’?”

⁴⁵ Philip finds Nathanael and says to him, “We have found the One of whom Moses in the Law—and also the prophets—wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Natsareth.” ⁴⁶ So Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Natsareth ?” Philip says to him, “Come and see!”

¹⁹ The woman says to Him: “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

¹⁴ Now then, having seen the miraculous sign that Jesus performed the men said, “This One really is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

⁴⁰ So upon hearing this word many from the crowd began to say, “This One really is the Prophet!”

¹⁷ So they address the blind man again, “What do you say about him, in that he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

²² “For example, Moses said to the fathers: ‘The Lord our God will raise up for you a Prophet, like me, from among your brothers. You must listen to Him, in all that He may say to you. ²³ It will be that every person who will not listen to that Prophet will be extirpated from among the people.’

³⁷ “This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD our God will raise up to you a Prophet from among your brothers, like me.’

¹¹ So Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when He had looked around at everything, the hour being late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

¹⁵ So they came to Jerusalem, and entering the temple Jesus began to drive out those who sold and bought in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of the dove sellers. ¹⁶ And He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple. ¹⁷ And He kept teaching them by saying: “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? but you have made it ‘a den of robbers’!” ¹⁸ Well the scribes and the chief priests heard it, and kept on looking for a way to destroy Him; because they were afraid of Him, in that all the people were astonished at His teaching.

²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what was specified in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons”.

⁴⁵ And upon entering the temple He began to drive out those who were selling and buying in it, ⁴⁶ saying to them, “It is written: ‘My house is a house of prayer’, but you have made it a ‘den of robbers’!” ⁴⁷ And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes, as also the leaders of the people, were trying to destroy Him,

¹⁴ And in the Temple He found people selling oxen and sheep and doves, also the moneychangers at work. ¹⁵ When He had made a scourge out of cords, He drove all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and as for the moneychangers, He overturned the tables and scattered the coins. ¹⁶ And to the dove-sellers He said, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s House into a marketplace!” ¹⁷ Then His disciples remembered that it stands written, “Zeal for Your House consumes me.”

⁵ So they said to him: “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it stands written by the prophet:

¹⁷ And He kept teaching them by saying: “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? but you have made it ‘a den of robbers’!”

⁴⁶ saying to them, “It is written: ‘My house is a house of prayer’, but you have made it a ‘den of robbers’!”

²⁵ However, this was so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled, ‘They hated me without cause.’

²³ Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every illness among the people.

³⁵ Then Jesus went around to all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every illness among the people.

⁴ By way of answer Jesus said to them: “Go and report to John the things that you hear and see: ⁵ blind regain sight and lame walk, lepers are cleansed and deaf hear, dead are raised and the poor are evangelized.

¹ Now Peter and John were going up together into the temple at the hour (the ninth) of prayer. ² And a certain man, who had actually been lame from his mother’s womb, was being carried (they would lay him daily at the temple gate, the one called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple), ³ who, upon seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, began asking for alms. ⁴ So Peter, with John, fastening his gaze on him said, “Look at us”. ⁵ So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said: “I don’t have silver and gold, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Natsorean, get up and walk!” ⁷ And grasping him by his right hand he lifted him up; immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened. ⁸ So jumping up he stood, and began to walk! And he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. ⁹ Well all the people saw him walking and praising God;

³⁸ Jesus of Natsareth, how God anointed Him with Holy Spirit and power, who went about doing good and healing all those being oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him

⁹ Then the crowds who went in front and those who followed kept crying out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

²³ So He came into the temple, and as He was teaching the chief priests and the elders of the people approached Him saying, “By what kind of authority are you doing these things ?” and “Who gave you this authority?”

⁴² saying, “What do you think about the Christ; whose Son is He?” They say to Him, “David’s”.

³ Then the chief priests, the scribes and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, the one called Caiaphas,

⁵⁹ The chief priests and the elders, in fact the whole Council, kept looking for false witnesses against Jesus so that they could put Him to death,

¹ When early morning came all the chief priests and elders plotted against Jesus to kill Him.

²⁰ But the chief priests and elders had persuaded the crowds that they should ask for Barabbas, but destroy Jesus.

¹⁸ Well the scribes and the chief priests heard it, and kept on looking for a way to destroy Him; because they were afraid of Him, in that all the people were astonished at His teaching.

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees said to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” ⁴⁰ In answer He said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the very stones would cry out!”

¹ Now it happened on one of those days, as He was teaching and evangelizing the people in the temple, that the priests and scribes came to Him with the elders

² And the chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to kill Him, because they feared the people.

⁶⁶ As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both the chief priests and scribes, came together and brought Him before their council, saying,

¹ Now when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John”

⁴² Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ comes out of the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”

⁴⁷ Then the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council and said: “What can we do? Because this man performs many miraculous signs, ⁴⁸ if we let him go on like this everybody will believe into him; and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation!” ⁴⁹ But one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them: “You know nothing at all!

⁵⁷ Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had together issued an edict that if anyone knew where He was he should report it, so they could arrest Him.

¹⁹ So the Pharisees said among themselves: “You can see that you’re not making any difference! Just look, the world has gone off after Him!”

²⁵ At that time Jesus reacted and said: “‘I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to babes.

³ But He said to them: “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and those who were with him,

⁴ So in answer He said to them: “Have you never read that the Creator at the beginning made them a male and a female?

³¹ But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God saying,

²⁵ And He said to them: “Did you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him?

⁴⁷ Then the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council and said: “What can we do? Because this man performs many miraculous signs, ⁴⁸ if we let him go on like this everybody will believe into him; and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation!”

¹⁶ saying: “What can we do to these men? Because, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we can’t deny it. ¹⁷ But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them to no longer speak to anyone in this name.” ¹⁸ So summoning them they commanded them absolutely not to speak or teach in the name of ‘Jesus’.

⁴ A malignant and adulterous generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And leaving them behind He went away.

⁶ Now when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,

⁷ Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea; and a large crowd from Galilee followed Him—also from Judea,

¹ Now when they were drawing near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples,

¹⁹ When evening came, He went out of the city.

³⁷ Then the whole multitude from the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, because they were overcome by fear. So He got into the boat and returned. ³⁸ Now the man from whom the demons had gone out had started begging Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,

³⁸ Now it happened as they traveled that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.

²⁹ When He drew near to Bethsphage and Bethany, at the mountain called ‘of Olives’, it happened like this: He sent two of His disciples,

⁵⁰ He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them.

¹ Now a certain man, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha, was sick.

¹⁸ (Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away,

¹ Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was (the deceased whom He raised from the dead). ² So they gave a dinner for Him there—Martha was serving, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. ³ Then Mary, bringing a pound of pure oil of nard, very costly, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped His feet with her hair! And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

² And having fasted forty days and forty nights afterward He was hungry.

¹ At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbaths. But His disciples became hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

¹² Now the next day, as they were leaving Bethany, He was hungry. ¹³ And seeing from a distance a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it He found nothing but leaves, because it was not fig season. ¹⁴ So Jesus reacted by saying to it, “Let no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

²⁰ Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. ²¹ And Peter, remembering, said to Him: “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has dried up!” ²² So in answer Jesus said to them: “Have faith in God. ²³ Because I tell you assuredly, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be picked up and be thrown into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that the things he says will happen, he will have whatever he says. ²⁴ That is why I say to you, whatever things you ask for in prayer, believe that you receive, and you will have them.

² where He was tested for forty days by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, so after they were completed He was hungry .

¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but He was tested in all points, in similar ways, without sin.

¹⁴ So Jesus reacted by saying to it, “Let no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

⁹ But even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees; so then, every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

⁶ Then He told this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. ⁷ So he said to the gardener: ‘Look, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down; just why must it waste the soil?’ ⁸ But in answer he said to him, ‘Sir, let it be this year also, until I dig around it and apply fertilizer, ⁹ in case it produces fruit—but if not, then cut it down’.”

⁴² saying: “If you, yes you, especially in this your day, had known the things pertaining to your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ Yes, the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you; indeed they will surround you and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴ And they will raze you, and your children within you, to the ground—they will not leave in you one stone upon another—all because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

² Any branch in me which does not produce fruit He lifts up, and every one producing fruit He prunes, so that it may produce more fruit.

⁶ If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown out, like a branch, and dries up; well they gather such and throw them into the fire, and he is burned up.

⁵ wearing a form of godliness while having denied its power! You must avoid such people;

¹⁶ They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him, being detestable, disobedient and disqualified for any good work.

⁷ Now the ground that drinks in the rain that frequently falls on it and produces a crop useful to those for whom it is really cultivated receives blessing from God; ⁸ but should it bear thorns and thistles, it is disqualified, almost a curse, whose destiny is a burning.

²⁰ For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the real knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter circumstances have become worse for them than the first ones. ²¹ For it would have been better for them not to have really known the way of the righteousness, than having really known it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. ²² But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: a dog returns to its own vomit and a bathed sow to wallowing in mud.

¹² These men are hidden reefs at your love feasts, joining the feast without fear, caring only for themselves; they are clouds without rain, carried along by winds; they are late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead (having been uprooted);

¹¹ He who acts unjustly let him act unjustly still, and let the filthy one be filthy still, and let the righteous one still practice righteousness, and let the holy one still be sanctified.”

²⁰ Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. ²¹ And Peter, remembering, said to Him: “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has dried up!”

¹⁰ but the rich brother in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a flower of wild grass. ¹¹ For the sun rises with its burning heat and withers the grass, and its flower falls off and the beauty of its face perishes. Just so the rich man will be withered in his undertakings.

¹² but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the darkness farthest away. There there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

²⁰ So Jesus said to them: “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed has, you (ye) will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

²² So in answer Jesus said to them: “Have faith in God. ²³ Because I tell you assuredly, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be picked up and be thrown into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that the things he says will happen, he will have whatever he says.

⁶ So the Lord said: “If you had faith like a mustard seed has, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea’, and it would obey you. ⁷ “And which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline to eat’?

¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (being about a hundred years old), or the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at God’s promise in unbelief; rather, he was strengthened by the faith, giving glory to God,

² And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

⁶ However, let him ask in faith, with no doubting, because he who doubts is like a sea wave driven and tossed by the wind—

⁷ “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and it will be opened to you.

¹¹ If you then, being evil, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in the heavens give good things to those who ask Him!

¹⁹ Assuredly again, I say to you that if two of you should agree on earth about any subject whatever that they may ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.

²⁴ That is why I say to you, whatever things you ask for in prayer, believe that you receive, and you will have them.

⁸ I say to you, even if he will not get up and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as many as he needs. ⁹ “So I say to you: ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ Because everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

¹³ Further, whatever you (pl) may ask in my name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

⁷ If you abide in me and my sayings abide in you, you will ask whatever you desire and it will happen for you.

²⁴ Until now you have not asked anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

¹⁶ Confess your transgressions to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous one, being operative, is very powerful.

²² and whatever we may ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

¹⁴ Now this is the confidence that we have toward Him: if we should ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us, whatever we may ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.

⁵⁵ At that time Jesus said to the crowd: “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as against a bandit, to arrest me? I used to sit daily with you in the temple, teaching, and you did not seize me.

²⁷ Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes and the elders came to Him. ²⁸ And they said to Him, “By what authority are you doing these things?” and “Who gave you this authority to do these things?” ²⁹ So in answer Jesus said to them: “I also will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ³⁰ The baptism of John: was it from heaven or from men?” ³¹ They considered among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven’, he will say, ‘So why did you not believe him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘From men’ . . .”—they feared the people, for everyone held John to really be a prophet. ³³ So they answered Jesus by saying, “We don’t know”. And in answer Jesus said to them, “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things”.

⁴⁷ And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes, as also the leaders of the people, were trying to destroy Him,

⁷ And having placed them in the middle [of the assembly] they started questioning: “By what power, or by what name did you do this?”

²⁷ But the one who was wronging his neighbor pushed Moses away, saying: ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?

¹⁶ “Now then, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be prudent like snakes and innocent like doves.

⁹ Then Jesus said to them: “I will ask you something: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?”

⁶ Let your word always be with grace, seasoned with salt, to know how you ought to answer each one.

¹ Now in those days John the Baptist began preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has come near!” ³ For this is he who was referred to by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “A voice crying-out, ‘Prepare in the wilderness the way of the LORD, make His paths straight’.” ⁴ Now John actually used clothes made from camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; while his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem, all Judea and all the region of the Jordan went out to him, ⁶ and were being baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁷ But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them: “Brood of vipers! Who tipped you off to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance, ⁹ and don’t even think to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as father’, for I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰ Indeed, already the ax is being laid to the root of the trees. So every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹ “I baptize you with water unto repentance, but the One coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with Holy Spirit. ¹² His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

⁷ So as they departed Jesus began to say to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see, a reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ But what did you go out to see, a man clothed in soft garments? Actually, those who wear soft material are in kings’ houses. ⁹ But really, what did you go out to see, a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet. ¹⁰ For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way ahead of you.’ ¹¹ Assuredly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen a greater than John the Baptizer; but he who is least in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. ¹² But from the days of John the Baptizer until now the kingdom of the heavens is being aggressive and aggressive people are seizing upon it. ¹³ For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John, ¹⁴ and if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. ¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

¹² But I say to you that ‘Elijah’ has come already, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. Thus also the Son of the Man is about to suffer at their hands.” ¹³ Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptizer.

¹ A beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God! ² As it is written in the prophets —“Take note, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” ³ “A voice calling out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make His paths straight!’” — ⁴ John started baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. ⁵ Well the whole Judean countryside and the Jerusalemites started going out to him, and were all being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. ⁶ Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist; and he was eating locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And he was proclaiming: “After me my Superior is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen. ⁸ I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with Holy Spirit.” ⁹ Well it happened in those days that Jesus came from Natsareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ And immediately upon coming up from the water He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him. ¹¹ And a Voice came from the heavens: “You are my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased!”

¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense; ¹² and upon seeing him Zacharias was shaken, and a fear fell upon him. ¹³ But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your prayer was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and exultation, and many will rejoice over his birth. ¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must not drink either wine or strong drink; indeed, he will be filled with Holy Spirit already from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God; ¹⁷ in fact he himself will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of fathers to children’ and the disobedient to the mind-set of the righteous, to prepare a people made ready for the Lord.”

⁶⁷ Now his father Zacharias was filled with Holy Spirit and prophesied saying: ⁶⁸ “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, because He has visited and provided redemption for His people; ⁶⁹ and has raised up a horn of deliverance for us in the house of His servant David ⁷⁰ — just as He spoke through the mouth of His holy prophets from antiquity— ⁷¹ deliverance from our enemies and out of the hand of all who hate us; ⁷² to use mercy with our fathers, even to remember His Holy covenant, ⁷³ the oath that He swore to our father Abraham; ⁷⁴ to grant to us (having been rescued from the hand of our enemies) to serve Him without fear, ⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. ⁷⁶ “And you, child, will be called Prophet of the Most High, because you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, ⁷⁷ to give a knowledge of salvation to His people by the forgiveness of their sins, ⁷⁸ through the merciful compassions of our God, with which the divine Dawn has contemplated us, ⁷⁹ to give light to those who are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” ⁸⁰ So the child kept growing and being strengthened in spirit, and he stayed in uninhabited areas until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

² during the high priesthood of Annas (also Caiaphas), the word of God came upon John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ³ So he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins; ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “A voice calling out: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness, make His paths straight. ⁵ Every ravine will be filled up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the crooked parts of the roads will be straightened out, and the rough parts will be smoothed out; ⁶ and all flesh will see the salvation of God.’” ⁷ Then he said to the crowds that were coming out to be baptized by him: “You sons of poisonous snakes! Who tipped you off to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Well then, produce fruits befitting repentance, and don’t even begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as father’, because I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! ⁹ But even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees; so then, every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” ¹⁰ So the people started asking him, “What then must we do?” ¹¹ In answer he said to them, “He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food should do likewise”. ¹² Well even tax collectors came to be baptized by him and said to him, “Teacher, what must we do?” ¹³ So He said to them, “Don’t charge more than what was determined to you”. ¹⁴ So the soldiers started asking him too: “What about us? What must we do?” He said to them, “Don’t extort or harass anyone, and be content with your wages”. ¹⁵ Now as the people were expectant and all were reasoning in their hearts concerning John, whether he just might be the Messiah, ¹⁶ John anticipated them all saying: “I indeed am baptizing you with water, but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal straps I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with Holy Spirit and fire; ¹⁷ whose winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor and gather the wheat into His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” ¹⁸ (Indeed, with many other exhortations as well he kept on preaching to the people; ¹⁹ but Herod the tetrarch—being reproved by him concerning Herodias, his brother’s wife, as also about all the wicked things that Herod perpetrated — ²⁰ added this also to them all: he actually locked John up in his prison.)

²⁸ Further, I tell you that among those born of women there is no greater prophet than John the Baptizer; yet he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.” ²⁹ (When all the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they declared God to be just, having been baptized with John’s baptism. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.) ³¹ “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and to what are they similar? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not cry’. ³³ Because John the Baptizer came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Just look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ Still, by all her children wisdom is justified.”

⁵ So they reasoned among themselves, saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven’, he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’

⁶ There was a man, sent from God, whose name was John.

¹⁵ John testified about Him and called out saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘The One coming after me is now ahead of me, because He existed before I did’.”

²⁵ So they asked him saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ nor Elijah nor ‘the Prophet’?” ²⁶ John answered them saying, “I baptize with water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. ²⁷ He is the One coming after me who is now ahead of me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” ²⁸ These things happened in Bithabara, across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. ²⁹ The next day John sees Jesus coming toward him and says, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is now ahead of me, because He existed before I did.’ ³¹ I did not know Him; but so that He should be revealed to Israel, that is why I came baptizing with water.” ³² And John testified saying, “I observed the Spirit coming down like a dove out of heaven, and He rested upon Him. ³³ Now I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water, He said to me ‘The One upon whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting—this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ So I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

¹⁸ The one believing into Him is not condemned, but the one not believing has already been condemned, because he has not believed into the name of the only begotten Son of God.

²⁶ So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the One who was with you across the Jordan, about whom you have testified—well, here He is baptizing, and everyone is flocking to Him!” ²⁷ John answered and said: “A person can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from Heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of Him.’ ²⁹ He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and hears him, has great joy at the bridegroom’s voice. So this my joy has been fulfilled. ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease. ³¹ “He who comes from above is above all; he who is from the earth is earthly, and speaks of the earth. He who comes from Heaven is above all. ³² And to what He has seen and heard He testifies, yet no one receives His testimony. ³³ The one who receives His testimony certifies that God is true. ³⁴ For He whom God sent speaks God’s words, because God does not give the Spirit by measure. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. ³⁶ The one believing into the Son has eternal life, but the one disobeying the Son will not see the life, but the wrath of God will remain upon him.”

³³ You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. ³⁴ Yet I do not accept the testimony from a man; but I say these things so that you may be saved. ³⁵ That man was a burning, shining lamp, and for a time you were willing to be glad in his light. ³⁶ But I have a greater testimony than John’s, because the works that the Father gave me to complete—the very works that I am doing—they testify about me that the Father has sent me.

⁴⁴ How can you believe, who receive glory from men and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? ⁴⁵ “Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. Moses is the one who accuses you, on whom you have set your hope. ⁴⁶ Because if you really believed Moses you would believe me, because he wrote about me. ⁴⁷ But since you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe my sayings?”

²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I did tell you, and you don’t believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name—these testify concerning me. ²⁶ But you do not believe because you are not among my sheep, just like I told you.

³⁷ Although He had performed so many signs in their presence, they were not believing into Him; ³⁸ so that the word spoken by Isaiah the prophet should be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what we heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD really been revealed?” ³⁹ Therefore they were unable to believe, in that Isaiah said again: ⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and should turn around, and I would heal them.” ⁴¹ Isaiah said these things when he saw His glory and spoke concerning Him. ⁴² Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed into Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, so they wouldn’t be expelled from the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

²⁰ and that, if our heart should condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knows all.

⁹ But really, what did you go out to see, a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet.

⁵ And although he wanted to kill him, he feared the crowd, because they counted him as a prophet.

⁴⁶ And although they wanted to seize Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because they considered Him as a prophet.

²⁰ because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a just and holy man. And consulting him he would do many things; indeed, he would hear him with pleasure.

³² But if we say, ‘From men’ . . .”—they feared the people, for everyone held John to really be a prophet.

¹² So they started looking for a way to arrest Him, because they knew He had spoken the parable against them, but they were in fear of the crowd. Then they left Him and went away.

⁶ But if we say, ‘From men’, all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

¹⁹ The chief priests and the scribes wanted to lay hands on Him right then, but they were afraid —they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

³⁵ That man was a burning, shining lamp, and for a time you were willing to be glad in his light.

²² His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, because the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ he would be barred from the synagogue.

⁴¹ And many came to Him and said, “Though John didn’t perform any sign, everything John said about this man was true.” ⁴² And many of the people there believed into Him.

²⁶ Then the captain went with the operatives and brought them without violence, because they were afraid that the people might stone them.

¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind; and if the blind guides the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

³ and in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast’. Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky but cannot discern the signs of the times.

¹⁶ “Woe to you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated’. ¹⁷ Stupid and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? ¹⁸ And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it is obligated’. ¹⁹ Stupid and blind!! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? ²⁰ Therefore he who swears by the altar swears by it and by all the things on it. ²¹ And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by Him who used to dwell in it. ²² And he 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! Because you pay a tithe of mint and dill and cummin, but have neglected the weightier items of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These it was obligatory to do, while not neglecting those. ²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat but gulp down a camel! ²⁵ “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!! Because you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of plunder and injustice. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and the dish, so that their outside may also be clean. ²⁷ “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!!! Because you resemble whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly but inside are full of dead bones and of all uncleanness. ²⁸ Just so you also outwardly appear to be righteous to the people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

⁷ So they answered that they didn’t know where it was from. ⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

³⁰ The man answered and said to them: “Why, this is remarkable—you don’t know where He is from; yet He opened my eyes!

⁴⁰ And some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words and said to Him, “We aren’t blind too, are we?” ⁴¹ Jesus said to them, “If you were ‘blind’ you would not have sin. But now you say, ‘We see’, so your sin remains.”

¹⁸ Now the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of the people who suppress the truth by unrighteousness, ¹⁹ precisely because what may be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ Because His invisible attributes, namely His eternal power and divine nature, are clearly seen from the creation of the world, being understood from what has been made, so that they are inexcusable; ²¹ precisely because, knowing God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks; so their reasonings became worthless and their senseless hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

²⁸ So precisely because they determined not to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a debased mind, to do wrong things:

³ So where our Gospel has actually been concealed, it has been hidden from those who are being wasted,

⁹ that one’s coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with all wicked deception among those who are wasting themselves, because they did not receive the love of the truth so that they might be saved.

²⁵ He says, “Yes”. So when they entered the house Jesus anticipated him saying: “Simon, what do you think? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or poll tax, from their sons or from strangers?”

¹ “For the kingdom of the heavens is like a certain landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

⁵ He went out again about the sixth hour, and the ninth, and did the same. ⁶ Now about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and he says to them, ‘Why have you stood here idle all day?’ ⁷ They say to him, ‘Because no one hired us’. He says to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is right’.

³³ “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to farmers and went on a journey.

¹⁷ So tell us, what do you think: is it lawful to pay tax to Caesar, or not?”

³⁴ It is like a man off on a journey, having left his house and given the authority to his slaves, and to each his work; and he commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch.

⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them; do you suppose they were worse offenders than all others living in Jerusalem?

¹¹ Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. ¹² And the younger one said to the father, ‘Father, give me the appropriate share of the estate’. So he divided the property between them. ¹³ Not many days later the younger son, having converted it all, journeyed to a distant country; and there he squandered his wealth living dissolutely. ¹⁴ But when he had spent it all, there was a severe famine throughout that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ Then he went and attached himself to a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He would gladly have filled his stomach with the carob pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. ¹⁷ But when he came to himself he said: ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, while I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ “So he got up and went to his own father. But while he was still a good ways off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion—he ran and fell on his neck and kissed him! ²¹ Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son’. ²² But the father said to his slaves: ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. ²³ And bring in and kill the fatted calf, and let us eat and celebrate; ²⁴ because this son of mine was dead and came to life; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate. ²⁵ “Now his older son was in the field; and as he came approaching the house he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ²⁷ He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him back safe and sound’. ²⁸ So he became angry and refused to go in. Then his father came out and began to plead with him. ²⁹ But in answer he said to the father: ‘Just look at how many years I have been serving you without ever transgressing your commandment; yet you never gave me even a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ ³¹ So he said to him: ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. ³² But it was right that we celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and came to life; he was lost and is found.’”

¹⁵ I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say.

⁵⁸ So then, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has come near!” ³ For this is he who was referred to by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “A voice crying-out, ‘Prepare in the wilderness the way of the LORD, make His paths straight’.” ⁴ Now John actually used clothes made from camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; while his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem, all Judea and all the region of the Jordan went out to him, ⁶ and were being baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁷ But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them: “Brood of vipers! Who tipped you off to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance,

³¹ Which of the two did the will of the father?” They say to Him, “The first”. Jesus says to them: “Assuredly I say to you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes will go into the kingdom of God before you do.

¹⁷ But when he came to himself he said: ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, while I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,

²⁰ —first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to all the region of Judea and to the ethnic nations, I still preach: ‘repent and turn back to God, doing works worthy of repentance’.

¹¹ And that is what some of you were; but you were bathed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

¹ He\up6 [F]\up0 raised you up as well, when you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you once walked, according to the Aeon of this world, the ruler of the domain of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of the disobedience; ³ among whom all of us also used to conduct ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and of the senses, and were by nature children of wrath, just like the rest. ⁴ But God—being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our transgressions—made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) ⁶ and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, through His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved, through the faith —and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ You see, we are His ‘poem’, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance in order that we should walk in them. ¹¹ So then, remember that once you physical Gentiles—called ‘uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘circumcision’ (that made in flesh with hands)— ¹² that at that time you were apart from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have come to be near through the blood of the Christ.

¹⁷ So then, I affirm and insist on this in the Lord: you must no longer carry on as the rest of the Gentiles do, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having been darkened in their understanding, being alienated [as a continuing condition] from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts, ¹⁹ who, having become dead to hope, have abandoned themselves to depravity, greedily indulging in every kind of vileness.

³ so whatever they may tell you to observe, you should observe and do; but do not do according to their deeds, for they say and do not do.

¹⁷ Look, you declare yourself a Jew, and rest on the Law, and boast in God, ¹⁸ and know the Will, and approve the superior things, being instructed out of the Law. ¹⁹ Further, you are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and truth. ²¹ You, then, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach not to steal, do you steal? ²² You who say not to commit adultery, do you adulterate? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You who boast in the Law, do you dishonor God through the transgression of the Law? ²⁴ For, just as it is written: “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” ²⁵ Now circumcision does have value if you keep the Law, but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

¹⁸ For assuredly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota nor one tittle shall pass away from the Law until everything happens.

⁵ And whenever you pray do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that they may be seen by the people. Assuredly I say to you that they already have their reward.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will go into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of my Father who is in the heavens.

⁹ And going on from there Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He says to him, “Follow me”. So getting up he followed Him.

⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in the heavens, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

³ and said: “Assuredly I say to you, unless you change and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of the heavens.

¹⁶ Just so the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

²⁹ (When all the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they declared God to be just, having been baptized with John’s baptism.

³⁷ But then, a woman in the town who was a sinner, when she found out that He was reclining in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster flask of perfume, ³⁸ and as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and kept wiping them with the hair of her head; and she kept kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. ³⁹ Now as the Pharisee who had invited Him observed this, he was saying to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him, including what sort of woman she is—because she is a sinner!” ⁴⁰ So Jesus reacted by saying to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you”. And he said, “Teacher, say on”. ⁴¹ “A certain creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² And when they had no way to repay, he freely forgave them both. Now tell me, which of them will love him more?” ⁴³ So Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one to whom he forgave more”. And He said to him, “You have judged correctly”. ⁴⁴ Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon: “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. ⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet since the time I came in. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. ⁴⁷ For this reason, I say to you, her many sins have been forgiven, because she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” ⁴⁸ Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven”. ⁴⁹ The other recliners began to say within themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go into peace.”

¹ Then all the tax collectors and ‘sinners’ were getting close to Him to hear Him. ² Well the Pharisees and the scribes started complaining, saying, “This man welcomes ‘sinners’ and eats with them”.

¹⁰ Just so, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

⁹ So Jesus said about him, “Today salvation has happened in this house, in that he also is a son of Abraham; ¹⁰ because the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

²² So he said to him: ‘I will judge you out of your own mouth, you wicked slave! You knew that I am a hard man, removing what I didn’t place, and reaping what I didn’t sow.

³⁰ Such times of ignorance God did indeed overlook, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent,

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world become accountable to God.

²⁰ However, law came on the scene so that the offense might abound; but where the sin abounded, the grace superabounded,

³⁰ So what shall we say? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained to righteousness, namely the righteousness that comes from faith; ³¹ while Israel, pursuing a standard of righteousness, did not attain to that standard. ³² Why not? Because it was not from faith, but as from works of the law. They stumbled over the ‘stumbling stone’; ³³ as it is written: “Look! I am placing in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, and no one who believes on Him will be put to shame.”

¹³ I, who was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant; but I was shown mercy, because being ignorant I did it in unbelief; ¹⁴ the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Here is a trustworthy word, worthy of total acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am chief; ¹⁶ precisely for this reason I was shown mercy, that in me, the ‘chief’, Jesus Christ might display all his forbearance, as an example for those who are going to rely on Him into eternal life.

⁹ The Lord is not delaying the promise, as some consider delay, but rather is patient toward us, not wishing anyone to perish but all to come into repentance.

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking and they say, ‘He has a demon’;

²⁵ The baptism of John—where was it from; from heaven or from men?” So they reasoned among themselves saying: “If we say, ‘From heaven’, He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

⁸ Well then, produce fruits befitting repentance, and don’t even begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as father’, because I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! ⁹ But even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees; so then, every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” ¹⁰ So the people started asking him, “What then must we do?” ¹¹ In answer he said to them, “He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food should do likewise”. ¹² Well even tax collectors came to be baptized by him and said to him, “Teacher, what must we do?” ¹³ So He said to them, “Don’t charge more than what was determined to you”.

²⁹ (When all the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they declared God to be just, having been baptized with John’s baptism. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

³³ You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. ³⁴ Yet I do not accept the testimony from a man; but I say these things so that you may be saved. ³⁵ That man was a burning, shining lamp, and for a time you were willing to be glad in his light. ³⁶ But I have a greater testimony than John’s, because the works that the Father gave me to complete—the very works that I am doing—they testify about me that the Father has sent me. ³⁷ “Further, the Father who sent me has Himself testified about me. You have neither heard His voice nor seen His form at any time. ³⁸ Nor do you have His word abiding in you, because you do not believe on the very one whom He sent. ³⁹ You examine the Scriptures because in them you think you have eternal life, yet they are the very ones that testify about me. ⁴⁰ But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

²⁵ Well as John was fulfilling his course, he said: ‘Whom do you suppose me to be? No I’m not—but indeed He comes after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie’. ²⁶ “Men, brothers, sons of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God: to you the word of this salvation has been sent. ²⁷ The Jerusalem dwellers and their rulers, understanding neither Him nor the voices of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning Him. ²⁸ Though they found no cause for death, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. ²⁹ When they had fulfilled all things that were written about Him, they took Him down from the cross and placed Him in a tomb.

²⁵ correcting courteously those who oppose him, in hopes that God may grant them repentance leading to a real knowledge of Truth

¹² take care, brothers, that there not be a malignant heart of unbelief in any of you, so as to go away from the living God;

⁶ and yet have fallen away—they would be crucifying the Son of God all over again, just for themselves, holding Him up to contempt.

²¹ For it would have been better for them not to have really known the way of the righteousness, than having really known it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.

²¹ I even gave her time so that she might repent, but she does not want to repent of her fornication.

¹⁸ “Therefore hear the parable of the sower:

²⁸ “But what do you think? A certain man had two sons, and going to the first he said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard’.

² saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees are seated upon Moses’ chair;

¹⁴ “Because the kingdom is also like a man about to go on a long journey, who called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on the journey.

¹ Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard—put a hedge around it, dug a wine trough, built a tower—rented it to farmers and went on a journey. ² At the proper time he sent a slave to the farmers, that he might receive from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. ³ But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ Again he sent another slave to them, and that one they wounded in the head by stoning, and sent him away shamefully treated. ⁵ Again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. ⁶ Finally, still having his one beloved son, he even sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son’. ⁷ But those farmers said to one another: ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they took him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. ⁹ “What therefore will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those farmers, and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected, is the very one that became the cornerstone; ¹¹ this was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” ¹² So they started looking for a way to arrest Him, because they knew He had spoken the parable against them, but they were in fear of the crowd. Then they left Him and went away.

¹² So He said: “A certain nobleman went to a distant country to receive for himself a kingdom and return.

⁹ Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to farmers, and went away on a long journey. ¹⁰ At the proper time he sent a slave to the farmers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers flogged him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ Again he sent a different slave; so they flogged him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And again he sent a third; but they wounded him also and threw him out. ¹³ Then the owner of the vineyard said: ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; hopefully they will respect him when they see him.’ ¹⁴ But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying: ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, so that the inheritance may become ours.’ ¹⁵ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy those farmers and give the vineyard to others.” Having heard it they said, “May it never be!” ¹⁷ Then He looked directly at them and said: “What then is this that is written: ‘A stone that the builders rejected, the same became the cornerstone’? ¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it should fall—it will crush him!” ¹⁹ The chief priests and the scribes wanted to lay hands on Him right then, but they were afraid —they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

¹ “I am the vine, the true one, and my Father is the vinedresser.

³ And he sent out his servants to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, but they did not want to come.

² At the proper time he sent a slave to the farmers, that he might receive from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. ³ But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ Again he sent another slave to them, and that one they wounded in the head by stoning, and sent him away shamefully treated. ⁵ Again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.

¹² Rejoice and exult, because your reward in the heavens is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

³¹ Therefore you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² So fill up the measure of your fathers’ guilt! ³³ “Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape from the condemnation of Hell? ³⁴ So take note: I will send you prophets and wise men and Biblical scholars; some of them you will kill, even crucify; some of them you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from city to city ³⁵ —so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel up to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶ Assuredly I say to you that all these things will come upon this generation. ³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, she who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children, just like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you did not want to.

³³ Nevertheless I must keep going today and tomorrow and the day following, because it is not credible that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem! ³⁴ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, she who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

⁵² Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers;

¹⁵ (the ones who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, who have persecuted us, who do not please God and are hostile to everybody, ¹⁶ trying to prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved—so as to fill up the measure of their sins. They have received the full impact of the Wrath).

³⁶ Still others were tried by mockings and scourgings, and even by chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were tempted, they were murdered by sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, mistreated

⁹ And when He opened the fifth seal I saw underneath the altar the souls of the people who had been slaughtered on account of the Word of God and on account of the testimony of the Lamb which they held.

⁴ Again he sent out other servants saying: ‘Say to those who have been invited: “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast”!’

¹⁷ And wow, a Voice from the heavens saying, “This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am always well pleased!”

⁶ Finally, still having his one beloved son, he even sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son’.

¹³ Then the owner of the vineyard said: ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; hopefully they will respect him when they see him.’

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God. The Only-begotten Son, who exists in the bosom of the Father, He has interpreted Him .

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

¹⁶ Because God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes into Him should not be wasted but should have eternal life.

¹ God, having spoken to the fathers through the prophets in many parts and in various ways, in the past, ² has at the end of these days spoken to us by Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the ages;

¹³ Now when they had departed, again, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying: “Get up, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt and stay there until I tell you; because Herod is about to seek the young Child to destroy Him.” ¹⁴ So he got up and took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt. ¹⁵ And he was there until the death of Herod, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet should be fulfilled, namely: “Out of Egypt I called my Son.” ¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been deceived by the wise men, became very angry, and he sent out and killed all the boys who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

³ Then the chief priests, the scribes and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, the one called Caiaphas, ⁴ and they plotted to seize Jesus by trickery and kill Him.

¹ When early morning came all the chief priests and elders plotted against Jesus to kill Him. ² And having bound Him they went and handed Him over to Pontius Pilate the governor.

⁷ But those farmers said to one another: ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they took him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

¹⁴ But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying: ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, so that the inheritance may become ours.’

⁴⁷ Then the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council and said: “What can we do? Because this man performs many miraculous signs, ⁴⁸ if we let him go on like this everybody will believe into him; and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation!” ⁴⁹ But one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them: “You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰ Nor do you consider that it is advantageous for us that one man should die on behalf of the people, rather than the whole nation perish!” ⁵¹ (Now he did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die on behalf of the nation; ⁵² and not only on behalf of the nation, but also to gather into one all the scattered children of God.) ⁵³ So from that day on they really plotted to kill Him.

²⁷ Well, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with Gentiles and peoples of Israel, were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, ²⁸ to do whatever Your hand and Your counsel foreordained to happen.

²⁴ Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these words, they were really perplexed as to what the implications might be. ²⁵ But someone came and told them, “Hey, the men whom you put in the jail are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” ²⁶ Then the captain went with the operatives and brought them without violence, because they were afraid that the people might stone them. ²⁷ So bringing them they set them before the Sanhedrin; and the high priest addressed them ²⁸ saying: “Did we not emphatically command you not to teach in this name? Just look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood on us!”

² has at the end of these days spoken to us by Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the ages;

⁵⁰ So Jesus said to him, “Friend, what brings you here?” Then approaching they laid hands on Jesus and took Him.

⁵⁷ So those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.

⁴⁶ So they laid their hands on Him and secured Him. ⁴⁷ But a certain one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. ⁴⁸ Then Jesus reacted by saying to them: “You have come out with swords and clubs to arrest me, as if I were a bandit. ⁴⁹ I was with you daily in the temple, teaching, and you did not seize me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” ⁵⁰ Then they all deserted Him and ran away. ⁵¹ Now a certain young man had followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. The young men grabbed him, ⁵² so leaving the linen cloth he fled from them naked. ⁵³ They led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.

⁵² Then Jesus said to the chief priests, officers of the temple, and elders who had come against Him: “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a bandit? ⁵³ When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour; even the authority of the darkness!” ⁵⁴ Then they seized, took and brought Him to the house of the High priest, with Peter following at a distance.

¹² Then the detachment, the captain and the operatives of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him.

²⁴ (Annas had sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.)

²³ Him —being delivered up by the established purpose and foreknowledge of God—you murdered, having taken Him with lawless hands and crucified Him;

¹⁴ Yes you repudiated the holy and righteous One, and you asked that a murderer be granted to you, ¹⁵ while you killed the Originator of life, whom God raised from among the dead, to which we are witnesses.

¹⁰ be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Natsorean, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.

²⁵ You who said through the mouth of Your servant David: ‘Why did nations snort and peoples plot vain things? ²⁶ The kings of the earth took a stand and the rulers were gathered together against the LORD and against His Messiah.’ ²⁷ Well, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with Gentiles and peoples of Israel, were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed,

³⁰ The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.

¹¹ Because the bodies of the animals—whose blood, concerning sin, is brought into the Holies by the high priest—are burned up outside the camp, ¹² therefore Jesus also, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood, suffered outside the city gate. ¹³ So then, let us go out to Him, outside the camp, bearing His disgrace;

⁶ You condemned, you murdered the righteous—he offers you no resistance.

⁹ “What therefore will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those farmers, and give the vineyard to others.

¹⁵ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy those farmers and give the vineyard to others.” Having heard it they said, “May it never be!”

²⁹ Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be deemed worthy who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has regarded as unholy the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

¹² His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

¹¹ And I say to you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens; ¹² but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the darkness farthest away. There there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

⁴³ Therefore I say to you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.

⁶ But the rest, seizing his servants mistreated and killed them! ⁷ So when that king heard about it he was furious; and sending his troops he destroyed those murderers and burned up their city.

³⁵ —so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel up to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶ Assuredly I say to you that all these things will come upon this generation. ³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, she who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children, just like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you did not want to. ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you abandoned!

²¹ Because then there will be a great tribulation, such as has never been since the beginning of the world until now, and never again will be. ²² And unless those days were cut short no flesh would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

²⁸ “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you yourselves being thrown out. ²⁹ They will even come from the east, the west, the north and the south, and recline in the Kingdom of God.

²³ Then the master said to the slave: ‘Go out to the roads and hedges and make people come in, so that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet!’”

³² Remember Lot’s wife! ³³ Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever ‘wastes’ it will preserve it. ³⁴ I tell you: on that night there will be two men in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. ³⁵ Two women will be grinding together; one will be taken and the other left.” ³⁶ - - -³⁷ They reacted by saying to Him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where there is a carcass, there will the vultures also be gathered.”

⁴¹ Now as He approached, observing the city He wept over it,

²² Because these are days of vengeance, that all the written things may be fulfilled. ²³ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those nursing babies in those days! There will be great distress in the land, and wrath to this people. ²⁴ Yes, they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

⁴⁶ But Paul and Barnabas speaking boldly said: “It was necessary that God’s word should be spoken to you first. But since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, now we are being turned to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ Because that is just how the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you to be a light for ethnic nations, that you should be for salvation up to the last place on earth’.” ⁴⁸ Now upon hearing this, the Gentiles rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal live believed.

⁷ When there had been plenty of discussion, Peter got up and said to them: “Men, brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the message of the Gospel and believe.

⁶ But since they kept contradicting and blaspheming, he shook his clothes and said to them: “Your blood be upon your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

⁸ Well it happened that the father of Publius was sick in bed with fever and dysentery; Paul went in to him, prayed, and laying his hands on him, healed him.

²⁸ Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen!”

¹ I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience is testifying with me in the Holy Spirit— ² I have great sorrow and unceasing distress in my heart. ³ For I keep wishing that I myself could be accursed away from the Messiah for the sake of my brothers, my physical relatives, ⁴ the Israelites. To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises. ⁵ The patriarchs are theirs, and from them came the Christ (the physical part), who is over all, God forever blessed. Amen. ⁶ However, it is not as though the Word of God has failed! For not all who have descended from Israel are ‘Israel’. ⁷ Neither are they all ‘children’ because they are Abraham’s descendants; but, “in Isaac will your seed be called”. ⁸ That is, it is not the physical children who are God’s ‘children’, but the children of the promise are regarded as ‘seed’. ⁹ For this is the word of promise: “At this season I will come, and Sarah will have a son.” ¹⁰ Not only that, but also when Rebecca had conceived twins by our forefather Isaac ¹¹ (though they had not yet been born, not having done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),

⁹ and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: “For this reason I will give praise to you among the Gentiles, O LORD, and will sing psalms to your name.” ¹⁰ And again He says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!” ¹¹ And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and laud Him, all you peoples!” ¹² And again, Isaiah says: “The Root of Jesse will appear, even He who rises up to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will place their hope on Him.” ¹³ Now may the God of the hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in that hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁴ Now I myself am really confident about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish others. ¹⁵ Nevertheless I have written to you quite boldly on some points, brothers, as a reminder to you, because of the grace given to me by God, ¹⁶ that I should be a minister of Jesus Christ to the nations, serving the Gospel of God as a priest so that the Gentiles might become an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷ So in Christ Jesus I do have a boast in things pertaining to God; ¹⁸ because I do not presume to speak of anything except those things that Christ has accomplished through me to make the Gentiles obedient —by word and deed,

¹⁶ trying to prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved—so as to fill up the measure of their sins. They have received the full impact of the Wrath).

³ how shall we escape if we are careless about that tremendous salvation?—it received its beginning through the Lord’s declaration and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him\up6 [S]\up0,

²⁵ See to it that you not refuse Him who speaks. Because if they did not escape who refused Him who gave divine warning on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from Him who warns from Heaven!

¹⁰ Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected, is the very one that became the cornerstone; ¹¹ this was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

¹⁷ Then He looked directly at them and said: “What then is this that is written: ‘A stone that the builders rejected, the same became the cornerstone’? ¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it should fall—it will crush him!”

¹¹ This is ‘the stone which was despised by you, the builders, which has become the chief cornerstone’.

⁴⁰ So take care, lest there come upon you that which has been spoken in the prophets: ⁴¹ ‘Look you despisers, marvel and perish! For I am working a work in your days to which you will not give credence, even if someone were to explain it in detail to you’.”

³³ as it is written: “Look! I am placing in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, and no one who believes on Him will be put to shame.”

²⁰ built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone;

³ how that by revelation He made known to me the ‘secret’ (as I have written briefly already, ⁴ with reference to which, when you read, you can understand my insight into Christ’s secret), ⁵ which in different generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: ⁶ that the Gentiles are joint-heirs, of the same body, and fellow partakers of His promise in the Christ through the Gospel, ⁷ of which I became a servant according to the gift of God’s grace, the gift given to me according to the outworking of His power. ⁸ To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to enlighten all as to the program of the secret that from the beginning of the ages has been hidden by the God who created all things through Jesus Christ;

⁴ Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected indeed by men but chosen by God, precious— ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ That is why the Scripture contains: “Attention, I am laying in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, precious, and the one who rests his trust upon Him will absolutely not be humiliated.” ⁷ So then, this recompense is for you who believe, but to those who disobey, “the stone that the builders rejected is just the one that became the chief cornerstone,” ⁸ also “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense;” being disobedient to the Word, they stumble, to which, indeed, they were appointed.

²⁸ But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

⁴¹ They say to Him: “He will miserably destroy those miserable men! And he will lease the vineyard to other farmers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”

²⁰ Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said: “The Kingdom of God does not come with observation; ²¹ nor will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ because indeed the Kingdom of God is within you.”

³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly I say to you, unless someone is begotten from above he is not able to see the kingdom of God.”

⁵ Jesus answered: “Most assuredly I say to you, unless someone is begotten by water and Spirit he is not able to enter the kingdom of God.

⁹ But you are a chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a private-property people, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

²⁴ The Son of the Man is really going just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of the Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man not to have been born.”

²⁵ So in answer all the people said, “His blood be upon us and upon our children!”

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it should fall—it will crush him!”

¹¹ Jesus answered: “You would have no authority over me at all if it hadn’t been given to you from Above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”

³ So where our Gospel has actually been concealed, it has been hidden from those who are being wasted, ⁴ among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so that the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

² For if the word spoken through angels became binding, and every violation and disobedience received a deserved penalty, ³ how shall we escape if we are careless about that tremendous salvation?—it received its beginning through the Lord’s declaration and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him\up6 [S]\up0,

⁸ also “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense;” being disobedient to the Word, they stumble, to which, indeed, they were appointed.

¹² Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

⁴⁵ Then one of the lawyers reacted and said to him, “Teacher, by saying these things you insult us also!”

¹¹ And the crowds kept saying, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Natsareth of Galilee.”

²⁶ But if we say, ‘From men’, we fear the crowd, for all consider John as a prophet.”

⁷ The world can’t hate you, but does hate me, because I testify about it that its works are malignant.

⁴⁰ So upon hearing this word many from the crowd began to say, “This One really is the Prophet!” ⁴¹ Others were saying, “This One is the Christ!” Others were saying, “Surely the Christ isn’t coming out of Galilee, is He?

²² “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Natsorean, a man from God attested to you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in your midst, as you yourselves well know,