Matthew 23 Cross References - WPNT

¹ Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples ² saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees are seated upon Moses’ chair; 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. ⁴ For they package loads that are heavy and hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of the people; but they themselves do not want to move them with one of their fingers. ⁵ “Rather, they do all their works in order to be seen by people. They make their phylacteries broad and the tassels on their garments large; ⁶ they love the place of honor at dinners and the first seats in the synagogues, ⁷ and the greetings in the marketplaces, namely to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by the people. ⁸ “But you (pl.), do not be called ‘Rabbi’; because your Teacher is one, the Christ, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And do not call anyone on earth your ‘father’; because your Father is one, He who is in the heavens. ¹⁰ Neither be called leaders/guides; because your Leader is one, the Christ. ¹¹ On the contrary, the greatest among you must be your servant. ¹² And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. ¹³ “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you devour the houses of the widows, while making long prayers as a pretense. Therefore you will receive a greater condemnation. ¹⁴ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!! Because you bar the entrance to the kingdom of the heavens in the face of the people; for you neither go in yourselves nor do you allow those who are trying to enter to go in. ¹⁵ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!!! Because you travel all over, land and sea, to make one convert, and when he joins up you make him twice as much a son of Hell as yourselves. 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. ²⁹ “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!!!! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous; ³⁰ yet you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets’. 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. ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you abandoned! 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’!”

¹⁰ Then summoning the crowd He said to them: “Hear and understand. ¹¹ Not what goes into the mouth defiles the man, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles the man.” ¹² Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do you know that upon hearing this saying the Pharisees were offended?” ¹³ But in answer He said: “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind; and if the blind guides the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” ¹⁵ Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us”. ¹⁶ So Jesus said: “Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is expelled into the sewer? ¹⁸ But the things coming out of the mouth actually come from the heart; those are the things that defile the man. ¹⁹ Because out of the heart proceed malignant thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things that defile the man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

¹⁴ Upon summoning the larger crowd He said to them: “Hear me, everyone, and understand:

³⁸ Then He said to them in His teaching: “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in long robes and to get greetings in the market places, ³⁹ and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts;

¹ Meanwhile, when a crowd of thousands had converged, so that they were stepping on each other, He began to speak first to His disciples: “Guard yourselves from the ‘yeast’ of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

⁵⁷ Also why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?

⁴⁵ Then, in the hearing of the people, He said to His disciples: ⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts;

³⁸ Then He said to them in His teaching: “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in long robes and to get greetings in the market places,

⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts;

² “Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands whenever they eat bread.” ³ So in answer He said to them: “Why do you even transgress the commandment of God through your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’, and ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death’. ⁵ But you say: ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever you might be profited by me is a gift to God ”— ⁶ then he must not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have nullified the commandment of God through your tradition. ⁷ Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you saying: ⁸ ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. ⁹ But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men’.”

³⁰ And going to the other he said likewise. And in answer he said, ‘I go, Sir’; yet he did not go.

²⁹ So in answer Peter and the Apostles said: “One must obey God rather than men.

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.”

¹ Let every soul submit to the governing authorities, because there is no authority except under God, and the existing authorities have been placed by God.

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.

²⁸ Come to me all you who are laboring and are loaded down, and I will give you rest. 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; ³⁰ for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

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.

⁴⁶ So He said: “Woe to you lawyers also! You load men down with burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

¹⁰ Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

²⁸ It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to place no greater burden upon you than these necessary things:

¹³ For not even those who are circumcised keep the law themselves, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

²⁴ ‘Now to the rest of you who are in Thyatira I say—to as many as do not hold this teaching, those who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say—I am not putting any other burden on you;

¹ “Be careful not to do your charitable giving before the people so as to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father who is in the heavens. ² Therefore, whenever you do charitable giving do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by the people. Assuredly I say to you, they already have their reward. ³ But when you do charitable giving do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your charitable giving may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself repay you openly. 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. ⁶ But you, whenever you pray, go into your room, and having shut the door pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you openly. ⁷ “But when you pray do not babble like the heathen; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ So do not be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. ⁹ Therefore, you pray like this: ‘Our Father who is in the heavens, let Your name be reverenced; ¹⁰ let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done, on the earth just as in heaven. ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread; ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. ¹³ And do not bring us into testing, but rescue us from the evil one; because Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ ¹⁴ For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive people their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ¹⁶ “Also, whenever you fast do not become gloomy like the hypocrites, because they disfigure their faces so that people will notice that they are fasting. Assuredly I say to you that they already have their reward.

²⁰ And then—a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.

¹⁵ So He said to them: “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. That which is exalted among men is an abomination before God.

⁴⁷ who ‘devour’ widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers. These will receive more severe judgment.”

⁴⁴ How can you believe, who receive glory from men and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

¹⁸ Someone who speaks on his own is seeking his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

⁴³ for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

¹⁵ To be sure, some are even preaching Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will;

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard one another as being better than yourselves. ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself over everything that is called a god or an object of worship, to the point of taking his seat as God in God’s sanctuary, proclaiming himself to be God.

²¹ So He said to her, “What do you wish?” She says to Him, “State that these my two sons may sit one on Your right and one on Your left in Your kingdom”.

⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! You love the best seat in the synagogues, and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like unperceived graves, that people walk on without knowing it.” ⁴⁵ Then one of the lawyers reacted and said to him, “Teacher, by saying these things you insult us also!” ⁴⁶ So He said: “Woe to you lawyers also! You load men down with burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. ⁴⁷ Woe to you! You build the tombs of the prophets, it being your fathers who killed them. ⁴⁸ Thereby you witness to and approve of the deeds of your fathers; because they indeed killed them, while you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Also, because of this ‘the wisdom of God’ said: ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute’, ⁵⁰ so that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation! ⁵² Woe to you lawyers! You have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering!” ⁵³ Well when He had said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge Him on vehemently and to cross-examine Him about many things, ⁵⁴ lying in wait for Him, trying to catch Him in something He might say, so that they might accuse Him.

⁷ Then He told a parable to those who were invited, having observed how they kept trying for the best places, saying to them: ⁸ “Whenever you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not recline in the place of honor, in case someone more honorable than you has been invited by him; ⁹ then he who invited you both will come and say, ‘You, give this man place!’ and then, with shame, you start to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ Rather, whenever you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’. Then you will have honor in the presence of your fellow guests. ¹¹ Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts; ⁴⁷ who ‘devour’ widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers. These will receive more severe judgment.”

¹⁰ showing family affection to one another in brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;

¹ My brothers, stop holding the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Glory, with partiality. ² For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothes, should enter your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy rags should also enter, ³ and you pay special attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit in this special seat,” but to the poor one you say, “You stand there,” or “Sit here at my footstool,” ⁴ have you not been separated among yourselves and become judges with malignant thoughts?

⁹ I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who wants to dominate the others, does not acknowledge us.

⁸ “But you (pl.), do not be called ‘Rabbi’; because your Teacher is one, the Christ, and you are all brothers.

⁵ Well Peter reacted by saying to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three shelters: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah”.

⁵¹ Jesus reacted by saying to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Raboni, that I may see again!”

³⁸ So turning and observing them following Jesus says to them, “What do you want?” So they said to Him, “Rabbi” (which translated means ‘Teacher’), “where are You staying?”

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

² The same went to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that you have come as a teacher from God, because no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

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!”

²⁵ When they found Him on another side of the sea they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

¹⁶ Jesus says to her, “Mary!” Turning she says to Him, “Raboni” (which means ‘Teacher’).

²⁵ It is enough for a disciple that he become like his teacher, and a slave like his master. Since they have stigmatized the master of the house as Beelzebub, how much more those of his household!

⁵ While he was still speaking a brilliant cloud overshadowed them and, double wow, a Voice came out of the cloud saying: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am always well pleased. Hear Him!”

¹⁰ Neither be called leaders/guides; because your Leader is one, the Christ.

⁴⁹ And he went right up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

³² But I have prayed for you (sg) so that your faith not fail completely; so you, when you have recovered, strengthen your brothers.”

¹³ You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and you speak correctly, because I am. ¹⁴ So then, if I, Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

⁹ For this very reason Christ both died and rose, and lived, so as to rule both dead and living. ¹⁰ But you, why do you judge your brother? And you too, why do you look down on your brother? Because we will all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

¹² What I mean is that you are individually saying: “I am of Paul”, or “I am of Apollos”, or “I am of Cephas”, or “I am of Christ”! ¹³ Has Christ been divided? It wasn’t Paul who was crucified for you, was it? You weren’t baptized into the name of Paul, were you?

³ because you are still fleshly! For since there is envy, strife and divisions among you, are you not carnal and acting like ordinary people? ⁴ For when one says, “I am of Paul”, and another, “I am of Apollos”, are you not carnal? ⁵ Who then is Paul, who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord has given to each one?

²⁴ (Not that we have control over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for it is by faith that you stand firm.)

⁵ Now we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake;

¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its name,

¹ Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and brother Timothy, ² to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

¹ My brothers, not many of you should become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

³ neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

⁹ I, John, your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Christ Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the Word of God and on account of the testimony of Jesus Christ.

¹⁰ And I fell at his feet to worship him, but he says to me, “Don’t! I am your fellow slave and among your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

⁹ but he says to me, “Don’t! I am your fellow slave and of your brothers the prophets, those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

⁸ So do not be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. ⁹ Therefore, you pray like this: ‘Our Father who is in the heavens, let Your name be reverenced;

³² For the pagans seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need each of these things.

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!

¹ “Men, brothers and fathers, listen to my defense before you now.”

¹⁴ Because as many as are led by God’s Spirit, these are God’s sons ¹⁵ —you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fear all over again, but you did receive the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children ¹⁷ —if children, also heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him).

¹⁵ Because even if you were to have thousands of tutors in Christ, you would not have many fathers, because I am the one who begot you in Christ Jesus, through the Gospel.

¹⁸ And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the LORD Almighty.”

¹ Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, ² older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity.

⁹ Furthermore, we have had our human fathers as correctors and respected them. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?

¹ Consider how great a love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God! The world does not acknowledge us for this reason: it did not acknowledge Him.

²⁶ but it must not be so among you. Rather, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave;

⁴³ But it must not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever desires to be your number one must be slave of all.

²⁶ But not so with you—rather let the greater among you become as the younger, and he who leads as he who serves. ²⁷ Who is greater, the one reclining or the one serving? Is it not the one reclining? Yet I am among you as the one who serves.

¹⁴ So then, if I, Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ Because I have given you an example, so that you also should do just as I did to you.

¹⁹ Though being free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, in order that I might win the more:

²³ Are they ministers of Christ? (I’m being irrational) I am more: in labors more abundantly, in beatings beyond count, in prison more frequently, in ‘deaths’ often —

¹³ Now you, brothers, have been called to freedom; only do not use that freedom as an opening for the flesh, but slave for one another through love.

⁵ In fact, let this mindset be in you that was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, existing in God’s form, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but divested Himself, taking a slave’s form, coming to be in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to the point of death —even death on a cross!

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.

⁴ Therefore whoever will humble himself like this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of the heavens.

⁵¹ He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has dispersed the arrogant in the reasoning of their hearts. ⁵² He has dethroned rulers and exalted the lowly.

¹¹ Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹⁴ I say to you that this one went back home justified rather than that one; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

⁶ But He gives greater grace; therefore He says: “God resists proud ones, but gives grace to humble ones.”

⁵ Similarly, you younger ones, submit to elders. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility, submitting to one another, because ‘God resists proud ones, but gives grace to humble ones’.

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.

¹³ “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you devour the houses of the widows, while making long prayers as a pretense. Therefore you will receive a greater condemnation. ¹⁴ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!! Because you bar the entrance to the kingdom of the heavens in the face of the people; for you neither go in yourselves nor do you allow those who are trying to enter to go in. ¹⁵ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!!! Because you travel all over, land and sea, to make one convert, and when he joins up you make him twice as much a son of Hell as yourselves.

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.

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.

²⁹ “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!!!! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous;

⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! You love the best seat in the synagogues, and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like unperceived graves, that people walk on without knowing it.”

⁵² Woe to you lawyers! You have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering!”

⁴⁶ The operatives answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” ⁴⁷ So the Pharisees answered: “You haven’t been fooled too, have you? ⁴⁸ None of the rulers or the Pharisees have believed into him, have they? ⁴⁹ But this crowd that doesn’t know the law is accursed!” ⁵⁰ Nicodemus (the one who came to Him at night, being one of them) says to them, ⁵¹ “Our law doesn’t judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing, does it?” ⁵² They answered and said to him: “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you? Search and see that no prophet has ever arisen out of Galilee.”

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.

²⁴ So they summoned the man who had been blind a second time and said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.”

³⁴ They answered and said to him, “You were totally born in sins, and you are teaching us ?” And they expelled him.

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’.

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!”

⁴⁰ Well they were persuaded by him, and summoned the Apostles; after beating them they commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

¹ At that time a major persecution arose against the church that was in Jerusalem, so all, except the Apostles, were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.

⁸ But the sorcerer Elymas (for so his name is translated) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

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).

⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these oppose the truth—men of depraved mind, disqualified as regards the faith—

¹⁵ You also guard against him, because he strongly opposed our words.

²⁴ So I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of judgment than for you.”

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.

⁴⁰ who devour the houses of widows, while praying long and loud for a show. These will receive a more severe judgment.”

⁴⁸ But he who did not know, yet did things worthy of blows, will be beaten with few. Everyone to whom much has been given, from him much will be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him much more will be asked.

⁴⁷ who ‘devour’ widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers. These will receive more severe judgment.”

⁶ because they are the sort that press into households and ‘capture’ gullible women loaded down with sins, who are led along by various lusts,

¹⁰ Because there really are lots of rebels, loudmouths and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group, ¹¹ who must be silenced—they are ruining whole households, teaching things that they ought not, and for dishonest gain!

³ And in covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; since way back the judgment for such people is not slack, and their destruction will not sleep.

¹⁴ having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls; having a heart trained in greediness they are children of a curse; ¹⁵ having forsaken the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

²² But I say to you that whoever gets angry with his brother without cause will be liable to the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Numbskull!’ will be liable to the council. But whoever says, ‘You absolute idiot!’ will be liable to hell fire.

²⁹ So if your right eye is causing you to fall, tear it out and throw it away; because it is better for you that one of your members perish than that your whole body be thrown into hell.

⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and it is the desires of your father that you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks the lie he speaks from his own things, because he is a liar and the father of lying .

¹⁰ in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene; and visitors from Rome—both Jews and proselytes—

⁵ The statement pleased the whole multitude; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and Holy Spirit, and Philip and Prochorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch,

¹⁰ said: “O full of all deceit and all trickery, son of a devil, enemy of all righteousness! Will you not stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?

⁴³ When the synagogue service was dismissed, many of the Jews and the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who started addressing them urging them to continue in the grace of God.

² But the disobedient Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

¹⁹ Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came, and having persuaded the crowd and having stoned Paul, they dragged him out of the city, supposing him to have died.

⁵ But the disobedient Jews rounded up some wicked men from the marketplace, and forming a mob they created an uproar in the city; and attacking the house of Jason, they wanted to bring them out to the crowd. ⁶ But not finding them they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials vociferating: “These who have upset the whole world have come here too,

¹³ But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was also being proclaimed by Paul in Berea, they came too, agitating the crowds.

¹⁷ They zealously court you —not for good but intending to isolate you, so that you may seek them.

¹² Those who want to make a good showing in the flesh are pressuring you to be circumcised, but only so as not to be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

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.

³³ “Again you have heard that it was said to the ancients: ‘You shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform your oaths to the Lord’. ³⁴ But I say to you not to swear at all: neither by heaven, because it is God’s throne; ³⁵ nor by the earth, because it is a stool for His feet; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.

⁵ But you say: ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever you might be profited by me is a gift to God ”— ⁶ then he must not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have nullified the commandment of God through your tradition.

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

¹⁷ Stupid and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

¹⁹ Stupid and blind!! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat but gulp down a camel!

²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and the dish, so that their outside may also be clean.

¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death’. ¹¹ But you say that if a man should say to father or mother, ‘Whatever profit you might have received from me is Korban’ (that is, a gift to God), ¹² you don’t even allow him to do anything for his father or his mother any more, ¹³ making the Word of God of no effect by your tradition that you have handed down. Yes, you do many such things.”

³⁹ And Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see, and those who ‘see’ may become blind.” 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.”

³ Further, I testify again to every man who gets circumcised that he is obligated to keep the whole law.

¹² But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or any other oath. Let your “Yes” be “Yes”, and your “No”, “No”, lest you fall into pretense.

²² in whom you also are being built together to become a habitation of God by the Spirit.

⁹ Because all the Fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him in bodily form,

³⁴ But I say to you not to swear at all: neither by heaven, because it is God’s throne;

⁴⁹ ‘Heaven is my throne, while the earth is a footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build me, says the LORD, or what place for my rest?

² And immediately I was in spirit, and there, a throne set in heaven (and One sitting on the throne) ³ similar in appearance to a stone, jasper and carnelian, and there was a rainbow around the throne, similar in appearance to an emerald.

¹⁹ Therefore, whoever annuls one of the least of these commandments and teaches that to the people will be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whoever does and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of the heavens. ²⁰ For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will absolutely not enter the kingdom of the heavens!

¹³ But go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

⁷ If you had but known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’, you would not have condemned the innocent.

³⁷ So Jesus said to him: ‘”You must love the LORD your God with your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with your whole mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets.”

⁴² “But woe to you Pharisees! You tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you ignore justice and the love of God. These it was necessary to do, without leaving those undone.

¹² I fast twice a week; I tithe all that I get.’

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control—against such things there is no law.

⁴ Or how will you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’, when hey, there’s a plank in yours?

² “Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands whenever they eat bread.” ³ So in answer He said to them: “Why do you even transgress the commandment of God through your tradition? ⁴ For God commanded saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’, and ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death’.

²⁴ And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.”

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’.

⁶ Then the chief priests took the coins and said, “It isn’t lawful to put them into the treasury, being blood money”. ⁷ So after consultation they bought the potter’s field with them, as a burial ground for strangers. ⁸ Therefore that field has been called ‘field of blood’ to this day.

⁷ so the scribes and the Pharisees started watching, to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against Him. ⁸ But He knew their thoughts and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in the center”. So he got up and stood. 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?” ¹⁰ And when He had looked around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” So he did that, and his hand was restored, as sound as the other.

²⁸ Then they lead Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so that they would not be defiled but could eat the Passover.

⁴⁰ Then they all cried out saying, “Not this fellow, but Barabbas!” Well, Barabbas was a bandit!

⁴ When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things they have received and hold—washings of cups, pitchers, copper vessels and couches.) ⁵ Then the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why don’t your disciples walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unwashed hands?” ⁶ So in answer He said to them: “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it stands written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. ⁷ But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ⁸ Because having left the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men—washings of pitchers and cups, and many other similar things that you do.” ⁹ Indeed He said to them: “You are very good at nullifying the commandment of God, so that you may keep your tradition.

³⁹ So the Lord said to him: “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but your inside is full of greed and malignancy. ⁴⁰ Fools! Did not He who made the outside also make the inside?

³³ “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by the fruit.

⁴⁵ The good man produces the good out of the good treasure in his heart, and the malignant man produces the malignant out of the malignant treasure in his heart; because his mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart.

¹ Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

²² let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts having been sprinkled from an evil conscience and our body having been washed with clean water.

⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Sinners, cleanse your hands! Double-minded, purify your hearts!

⁴⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like unperceived graves, that people walk on without knowing it.”

³ Then Paul said to him: “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you command me to be struck contrary to the law!”

³⁴ Brood of vipers! How can you, being malignant, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good man out of the good reservoir brings forth good things, and the malignant man out of the malignant reservoir brings forth malignant things.

⁵ “Rather, they do all their works in order to be seen by people. They make their phylacteries broad and the tassels on their garments large;

²¹ Because from within, out of men’s hearts, the evil designs proceed—adulteries, fornications, murders, ²² thefts, covetings, malignancies; deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, arrogance, foolishness— ²³ all these malignant things proceed from within and defile the man.”

¹² Because the Word of God is living and efficient, and sharper than any two-edged sword, actually penetrating to the point of separating soul and spirit, joints and marrow; in fact, it is able to evaluate a heart’s reflections and intentions. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from His sight; rather all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

⁴⁷ Woe to you! You build the tombs of the prophets, it being your fathers who killed them. ⁴⁸ Thereby you witness to and approve of the deeds of your fathers; because they indeed killed them, while you build their tombs.

²⁹ “Men, brothers, be it permitted to speak to you plainly about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

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.

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.

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.

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always oppose the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so you do. 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;

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).

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?

³⁴ Brood of vipers! How can you, being malignant, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

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.

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?

³ But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve with his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted from the integrity that is in Christ.

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,

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?

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!

⁹ So the great dragon was expelled, that ancient serpent, who is called Slanderer and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited world; he was thrown into the earth, and his angels were expelled with him.

¹⁶ “Now then, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be prudent like snakes and innocent like doves. ¹⁷ But beware of the people, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues.

²³ But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly I say to you, you will certainly not go through all the cities of Israel before the Son of the Man comes.

⁵² So He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been discipled into the kingdom of the heavens is like a man, a householder, who brings out of his reservoir things new and old.”

¹⁹ As you go make disciples in all ethnic nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; ²⁰ teaching them to obey everything that I commanded you; and take note, I am with you every day, until the end of the age!” Amen.

⁴⁹ Also, because of this ‘the wisdom of God’ said: ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute’, ⁵⁰ so that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation!

⁴⁷ and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

² —they will excommunicate you; indeed, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering God service!

²¹ So Jesus said to them again: “Peace to you! Just as the Father sent me, I also send you.”

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be witnesses to me —both in Jerusalem, and all Judea and Samaria, and even to the last part of the earth.”

⁵⁸ and throwing him out of the city they stoned him. (The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.) ⁵⁹ Yes, they stoned Stephen as he called out and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”.

¹ Meanwhile Saul, still exhaling murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ² and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he should find any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

²⁷ Now in these days, prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.

² James, the brother of John, he put to death by sword.

¹ Now in the congregation that was in Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon (the one called Niger), Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.

³² Both Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.

¹⁹ So I said: ‘Lord, they know that I used to imprison and beat those believing into you, from one synagogue to another; ²⁰ and when the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing there and agreeing to his murder, even guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’

⁶ However, we do speak wisdom among the mature, albeit not the wisdom of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are being set aside;

¹⁰ According to the grace of God that was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid a foundation, while another builds on it. But let each one be careful how he builds;

³ Therefore I inform you that no one speaking by God’s Spirit calls Jesus accursed, and no one can declare Jesus to be Lord except by the Holy Spirit. ⁴ Now there are allotments of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ And there are allotments of ministries, and the same Lord. ⁶ And there are allotments of activities, but the same God is He who works them all, in all. ⁷ But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the common good. ⁸ So to one a word of wisdom is given, by the Spirit; to another a word of knowledge, by the same Spirit; ⁹ to a different one faith, by the same Spirit; to another presents of healings, by the same Spirit; ¹⁰ to another workings of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discernings of spirits; to a different one kinds of languages, to another interpretation of languages. ¹¹ However, the one and the same Spirit produces all of these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

²⁴ five times from the Jews I received the ‘forty lashes minus one’; ²⁵ three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked (I spent twenty-four hours in the open sea)—

⁸ That is why He says, “When He ascended into the heights He captured the concentration camp, and distributed gifts to men.” ⁹ (What does ‘He ascended’ imply if not that He also first descended into the interior regions of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is the very one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) ¹¹ Yes, He Himself gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints into the work of the ministry, so as to build up the body of Christ,

²⁸ whom we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ.

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

¹⁰ And those who dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and they will enjoy themselves and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation!

⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than did Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying concerning his gifts; and by means of it he still speaks, even though being dead.

²⁴ to Jesus, Mediator of a new covenant, and to a blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

¹¹ Because this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another ¹² —not like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own works were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.

²⁴ And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, even of all who had been butchered on the earth.”

³⁴ Assuredly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen.

³⁰ Assuredly I tell you that this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things happen. ³¹ The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away.

³² I tell you assuredly, this generation will certainly not pass away until all has happened. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.

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

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.

⁶ But the rest, seizing his servants mistreated and killed them!

³⁰ yet you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets’.

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’.

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! ³⁵ So then, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you that you will definitely not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

¹⁷ And at meal time he sent his slave to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready’. ¹⁸ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him: ‘I bought a field, and I need to go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ ¹⁹ Another said: ‘I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ ²⁰ Yet another said, ‘I have married a wife, and so I can’t come’.

²⁸ So he became angry and refused to go in. Then his father came out and began to plead with him.

¹⁴ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us’. ¹⁵ It happened that he did receive the kingdom, and upon returning he ordered that those slaves to whom he had given the money be called to him, to know who had gained what by trading. ¹⁶ So the first one came and said, ‘Master, your mina earned ten minas!’ ¹⁷ He said to him: ‘Super, you good slave! Because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities!’ ¹⁸ And the second one came and said, ‘Master, your mina made five minas’. ¹⁹ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities’. ²⁰ Then a different one came, saying: ‘Master, here is your mina, that I kept laid away in a piece of cloth ²¹ —I feared you because you are a hard man, removing what you did not place, and reaping what you did not sow.’ 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. ²³ Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, and upon coming I would have collected it with interest?’ ²⁴ And to those standing by he said, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to him who has the ten minas’. ²⁵ (They even said to him, ‘Master, he already has ten minas!’) ²⁶ ‘Indeed I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ²⁷ But as for those enemies of mine who didn’t want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them in front of me!’” 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!” 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!” ⁴¹ Now as He approached, observing the city He wept over it, 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.”

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 (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,

⁷ When they finish their witness, the Beast of prey that comes up out of the Abyss will make war with them, overcome them and kill them ⁸ —and leave their corpses in the street of the great city! (which is called Sodom and Egypt, spiritually speaking), even where their Lord was crucified.

⁶ And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, even with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And upon seeing her I was tremendously impressed.

² But Jesus said to them: “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly I say to you, absolutely not a single stone here will be left upon another, that will not be thrown down.”

¹⁴ “Now whenever you see the ‘abomination of desolation’, the one spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where he should not”—let the reader understand—“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

³⁵ So then, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you that you will definitely not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

⁶ “These things that you see—the days will come in which not one stone will be left upon another that will not be thrown down.”

²⁰ “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that her desolation is at hand.

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.

¹³ and they put forward false witnesses who said: “This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against the holy place and the law; ¹⁴ for we have heard him saying that this Jesus the Natsorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses delivered to us.”

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!”

²⁶ (It had been revealed to him repeatedly by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he saw the Lord’s Messiah.) ²⁷ So by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought the Child Jesus in, to do concerning Him according to the custom of the law, ²⁸ Simeon took Him into his arms and blessed God and said: ²⁹ “Sovereign, now You can release your slave in peace, according to Your word, ³⁰ because my eyes have seen Your salvation,

²² And turning to the disciples He said: “All things have been entrusted to me by my Father; also, no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and to whomever the Son may choose to reveal Him.” ²³ Then turning to His disciples privately He said: “Blessed are the eyes that are seeing the things that you see;

²² Then He said to the disciples: “Days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

²¹ Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come.”

²⁴ That’s why I told you that you will die in your sins, because if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins.”

⁵⁶ Your father Abraham was overjoyed to see my day; yes, he saw it and rejoiced.”

⁹ Jesus says to him: “Such a long time I’ve been with you, and you haven’t known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

¹⁹ In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live you also will live.

²⁵ Brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant of this ‘mystery’ (so that you not be conceited): hardening has come upon Israel in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

¹⁴ But, it was their minds that were closed, because to this day that very veil remains in place when the Old Testament is read, since only in Christ is it taken away. ¹⁵ Yes, even to this day, when Moses is read a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ However, whenever anyone turns to the Lord the veil is removed. ¹⁷ Now the Spirit is the Lord, and where the Lord’s Spirit is there is freedom. ¹⁸ So we all, contemplating as in a mirror the glory of the Lord with unveiled face, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, precisely from Lord Spirit.