Matthew 21
1 Jesus and his disciples went to Jerusalem. As they were getting close, they came to the village of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two disciples on ahead,
And when they approached Jerusalem, and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them.
2 telling them, “Go into the village. Right there you'll find a donkey tied up with a colt. Untie them and bring them to me.
"Go on into the village facing you, and at once you will find an ass tied, and her colt with her. Loose them and bring them to me.
3 If anyone asks you what you're doing, just tell them, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and they will send them right away.”
"And if any one says anything to you, tell him, ‘The Master needs them,’ and he will send them without delay."
4 This was to fulfill what the prophet said:
This happened in fulfilment of the word spoken though the prophet.
5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, and rides a donkey, and a colt, the offspring of a donkey.’”
Say to the daughter of Zion, "Behold thy King cometh to thee, Gentle and sitting upon an ass, And upon a colt, the fool of a beast of burden."
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed.
So the disciples went and did as Jesus told them;
7 They brought back the donkey and the colt. They placed their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.
they led back the ass and her colt, and placed their cloaks on them.
8 Many people in the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and laid them on the road.
Then Jesus seated himself upon them, and most of the crowd kept spreading their cloaks on the road, and others began cutting branches off the trees, and spreading them in the road.
9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed were all shouting, “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
And the crowds who preceded and those who followed after him shouted again and again, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed be he who is coming in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
10 When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar. “Who is this?” they were asking.
And as he came into Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred. "Who is this?" they said.
11 “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee,” the crowds replied.
And the crowds answered, "This is the Prophet Jesus, from Nazareth, in Galilee."
12 Jesus went into the Temple, and threw out all the people buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the chairs of the dove-sellers.
Then Jesus entered into the Temple courts, and cast out all who were buying and selling there, and overturned the tables of the money- changers, and the seats of those who sold pigeons.
13 He told them, “Scripture says, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you've turned it into a den of thieves.”
"It is written," he said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves."
14 The blind and the lame came to Jesus in the Temple, and he healed them.
Then the blind and the lame came to him in the Temple courts, and he healed them.
15 But when the chief priests and religious teachers saw the wonderful miracles he did, and the children shouting in the Temple, “Hosanna to the son of David,” they were offended. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
But when the chief priests and the Scribes saw the wonderful works he did, and the boys who were shouting in the Temple Courts and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!"
16 “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven't you ever read the Scripture that says, ‘You arranged for children and infants to give you perfect praise’?”
they asked him, "Do you hear what they are saying?" "Surely," said Jesus, "and have you never read, Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?"
17 Jesus left them and went out of the city to stay at Bethany.
So he left them and went outside the city, to Bethany, and spent the night there.
18 The next morning as he walked back into the city, he was hungry.
At dawn, when he was on his way back into the city, he was hungry;
19 He saw a fig tree at the side of the road, so he went over to it but didn't find any fruit, only leaves. He told the fig tree, “May you never ever produce fruit again!” Immediately the fig tree withered. (aiōn g165)
and when he saw a solitary fig tree beside the road, he went to it, but found nothing on it but leaves. And he said to it, "Let no man gather fruit from you forever." And at once the fig tree withered away. (aiōn g165)
20 The disciples were amazed to see this. “How did the fig tree wither so suddenly?” they asked.
When his disciples saw this, they were astonished. "How instantaneously," they said, "the fig tree withered!"
21 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “If you really trust in God, and don't doubt him, you could not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even more. If you said to this mountain, ‘Get up and throw yourself into the sea,’ it would happen!
In reply Jesus said to them, "In solemn truth I tell you that if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Up, cast yourself into the sea!’ it shall be done;
22 You will receive everything you ask for in prayer, as long as you trust in God.”
"and everything that you ask for in your prayers you shall have, if you believe."
23 Jesus went into the Temple. The chief priests and the ruling elders of the people came to him while he was teaching and asked, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”
When he had entered the Temple courts, and was teaching, the high priests and elders of the people came to him and asked him, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"
24 “I too will ask you a question,” Jesus replied. “If you give me the answer, I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Jesus answered. "I also will put a question to you, which, if you tell me, I also will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
25 Where did the baptism of John come from? Was it from heaven, or was it from human beings?” They argued with each other. “If we say ‘it was from heaven,’ then he'll ask us why we didn't believe him.
John’s baptism, whence was it, from heaven or from man?" So they began debating about it among themselves.
26 But if we say, ‘it was from human beings,’ then the crowd will turn against us, because they all consider John to be a prophet.”
"If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all regard Johnas a prophet."
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don't know.” “Then I won't tell you by what authority I'm doing these things,” Jesus replied.
So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." He said to them, "Nor am I going to tell you in what authority I do these deeds.
28 “But what do you think about this illustration? Once there was a man who had two sons. He went to the first son, and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’
"But give me your judgment. There was once a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said to him, "‘Son, go work today in my vineyard!’
29 The son answered, ‘I won't,’ but afterwards he was sorry for what he said and he did go.
"‘I will go, sir,’ he answered; yet he did not go.
30 The man went to the second son, and told him the same thing. He replied, ‘I'll go,’ but he didn't.
"Then he went to the second, and said the same thing to him. "‘I will not,’ he answered; but afterward he changed his mind and went.
31 Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. “I tell you the truth: tax-collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you,” Jesus told them.
"Which of these two did the will of his father?" "The last," they replied. "I tell you truly," said Jesus, "that the tax-gatherers and harlots are going into the kingdom of heaven before you!
32 “John came to show you the way to live right with God, and you didn't believe him, but the tax-collectors and prostitutes did believe him. Later, when you saw what happened, you still didn't repent and believe him.
"For Johncame to you in the road of righteousness, and you did not give credence to him; but the tax-gatherers and the harlots gave credence to him. But you, although you saw this, did not even then change your minds and give credence to him.
33 Here's another illustration. There once was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, made a winepress, and built a watchtower. He rented it to some tenant farmers, and then left to go to a different country.
"Listen to another parable. "A man who was a householder planted a vineyard, fenced it about, dug a wine vat in it, built a tower, then rented it to vine-dressers and went abroad.
34 At harvest time, he sent his servants to the farmers to collect the fruit that belonged to him.
35 But the farmers attacked his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
"And the vine-dressers seized his slaves, flogged one, killed another, and stoned a third.
36 So he sent more servants, but the farmers did the same things to them.
"Again he sent other slaves, a larger number than at first, and they treated them in the same way.
37 So then he sent his son. ‘They will respect my son,’ he told himself.
"And last he sent his son to them; ‘Surely they will respect my son,’ he said.
38 But the farmers, when they saw the son, said to each other, ‘Here's the heir! Come on! Let's kill him so we can take his inheritance!’
"But when the vine-dressers saw his son, they said to themselves. "‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance.’
39 They grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
"So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40 When the vineyard owner returns, what will he do to those farmers?”
"When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-dressers?"
41 The chief priests and elders said to Jesus, “He will put to death those wicked men in the most awful way, and rent out the vineyard to other farmers who will be sure to give him his fruit at harvest time.”
"He will utterly destroy those wretches," they answered, "and will entrust his vineyard to other vine-dressers, who will pay back the fruits to him in their season."
42 “So haven't you read this in the Scriptures?” Jesus asked them. “‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it is wonderful in our eyes.’
"Have you never read in the Scriptures," Jesus answered, "how The stone that the builders rejected Has been made the corner-stone; This is the Lord’s doing, It is wonderful in our eyes?
43 That's why I'm telling you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you. It will be given to a people who produce the right kind of fruit.
"I tell you that for this reason the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation that does produce the fruit of it.
44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken, but it will completely crush anyone it falls upon.”
"He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but he upon whom it falls will be scattered as dust."
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his illustrations, they realized he was speaking about them.
As they listened to his parables, the chief priests and the Pharisees recognized that he was speaking about them;
46 They wanted him arrested, but they were afraid of what the people would do because the people believed he was a prophet.
but although they longed to apprehend him, they were afraid of the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.
