Matthew 21:1-46

MLV(i) 1 And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, toward the Mountain of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, Travel into the village which is in front of you, and immediately you will be finding a donkey that has been tied and a colt with her. After having loosed them, lead them to me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, You will say, The Lord has need of them, and immediately he will be sending them. 4 Now this whole thing has happened, in order that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, 5 ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King is coming to you, meek and has been mounted upon a donkey and a colt, the son of a donkey.’ 6 Now the disciples having traveled and having done just-as Jesus commanded them, 7 they led the donkey and the colt and placed their garments upon them, and he sat upon them. 8 But most of the crowd spread their garments in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.
9 Now the crowds who precede him and who are following him, were crying, saying, ‘Hosanna to the son of David. He who is coming in the name of the Lord has been blessed.’Hosanna in the highest.’ 10 And having entered into Jerusalem, all the city was shaken up, saying, Who is this?
11 But the crowds were saying, This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.


12 And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all those who are selling and buying in the temple, and turned over the tables of the brokers and the chairs of those selling the doves; 13 and he says to them, It has been written, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you made it a den of robbers.
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the high-priests and the scribes saw the marvelous things which he did, and the children crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the son of David.
They were indignant, 16 and said to him, Do you hear what they are saying?
But Jesus says to them, Yes. Have you never read, ‘You have matured praise out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies.’ 17 And having left them, he went forth outside the city to Bethany, and camped there.
18 Now in the morning, while leading them back to the city, he hungered. 19 And having seen a fig tree upon the road, he came upon it and found nothing in it, except leaves only, and he says to it, Let it happen that there is no fruit from you any longer, forever. And instantly the fig tree dried up.


20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How did the fig tree instantly dry up?
21 Now Jesus answered and said to them, Assuredly I am saying to you, If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only be doing the miracle of the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be lifted up and cast yourself into the sea, it will happen. 22 And all things, as many things as you may ask in prayer, and believing, you will be receiving.


23 And having come to him in the temple, the high-priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, saying, By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?
24 But Jesus answered and said to them, I will also ask you one question, which if you tell me, then I will also tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 The immersion of John, where was it from, from heaven or from men?
Now they were reasoning with themselves, saying, If we say, From heaven; he will say to us, Therefore why did you not believe him? 26 But if we say, From men; we fear the crowd; for all are holding John up like a prophet. 27 And they answered Jesus and said, We do not know.
He also said to them, Nor do I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.


28 But what do you think? A man had two children, and he came to the first and said, Child, go work today in my vineyard.
29 But he answered and said, I am not willing, but later he regretted it and went.
30 And he came to the second and said likewise. But he answered and said, I will go lord, and did not go. 31 Which one out of the two did the will of his father?
They say, The first.
Jesus says to them, Assuredly I am saying to you, that the tax collectors and the prostitutes will precede you into the kingdom of God. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe in him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed in him, and the n having seen it, you did not even regret it later, that you might believe in him.


33 Hear another parable: there was a certain man, a householder, who planted a vineyard and placed a fence around it, and shoveled a winepress in it, and built a tower and rented it out to farmers, and went-abroad. 34 Now when the time of the fruits drew near, he sent his bondservants to the farmers, to receive his fruits. 35 And then the farmers took his bondservants and whipped one, and killed one and stoned one. 36 Again, he sent other bondservants, more-than the first, and they did to them likewise. 37 But later he sent to them his son, saying, They will be revering my son. 38 But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir. Come-here. We should kill him, and we might hold-onto his inheritance. 39 And having taken him, they cast him forth outside the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Therefore, whenever the lord of the vineyard comes, what shall he do to those farmers?
41 They say to him, He will evilly destroy those evil men, and will be renting the vineyard to other farmers, who will be giving to him the fruits at their seasons.
42 Jesus says to them, Have you never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner; this has become from the Lord and it is marvelous in our eyes? 43 Because of this, I am saying to you, The kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation producing the fruits of it. 44 And he who falls upon this stone will be shattered, but upon whomever it falls, it will be smashing him. 45 And when the high-priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he is speaking concerning them. 46 And seeking to take-hold of him, but they feared the crowds, since they were holding him up like a prophet.