Matthew 7:1-21:46 "Do not judge, so that you won't be judged.

NHEB⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ "Do not judge, so that you won't be judged. ² For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. ³ And why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴ Or how will you tell your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye;' and look, the log is in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite. First remove the log out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye. ⁶ "Do not give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, or they will trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces. ⁷ "Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or who is there among you, who, if his son will ask him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he will ask for a fish, who will give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him. ¹² Therefore whatever you desire for people to do to you, so also you should do to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets. ¹³ "Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it. ¹⁴ How narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way that leads to life. Few are those who find it. ¹⁵ "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore, by their fruits you will know them. ²¹ Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will tell me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did not we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?' ²³ And then I will tell them, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.' ²⁴ "Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, will be compared to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. ²⁵ And the rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine, and does not do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall." ²⁸ And it happened, when Jesus had finished saying these things, that the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ²⁹ for he taught them with authority, and not like their scribes. ⁸ ¹ And when he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. ² And look, a leper came to him and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean." ³ And he stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, "I am willing. Be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ⁴ And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell nobody, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." ⁵ And when he came into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking him, ⁶ and saying, "Lord, my servant lies in the house paralyzed, grievously tormented." ⁷ And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." ⁸ And the centurion answered, "Lord, I'm not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I am also a man under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and tell another, 'Come,' and he comes; and tell my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." ¹⁰ And when Jesus heard it, he was amazed, and said to those who followed, "Truly I tell you, I have not found so great a faith with anyone in Israel. ¹¹ And I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, ¹² but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and grinding of teeth." ¹³ And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed in that hour. ¹⁴ And when Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. ¹⁵ So he touched her hand, and the fever left her. She got up and served him. ¹⁶ And when evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick; ¹⁷ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, "He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases." ¹⁸ Now when Jesus saw large crowds around him, he gave the order to depart to the other side. ¹⁹ Then a scribe came, and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." ²⁰ And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." ²¹ And another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father." ²² But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead." ²³ And when he got into a boat, his disciples followed him. ²⁴ And look, a violent storm came up on the sea, so much that the boat was covered with the waves, but he was asleep. ²⁵ They came to him, and woke him up, saying, "Save us, Lord. We are dying." ²⁶ And he said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm. ²⁷ And the men were amazed, saying, "What kind of person is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" ²⁸ And when he came to the other side, into the country of the Gadarenes, two people possessed by demons met him there, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that nobody could pass that way. ²⁹ And look, they shouted, saying, "What do we have to do with you, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" ³⁰ Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding far away from them. ³¹ And the demons begged him, saying, "If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of pigs." ³² And he said to them, "Go." And they came out, and went into the pigs, and look, the whole herd rushed down the cliff into the sea, and died in the water. ³³ And those who fed them fled, and went away into the city, and told everything, including what happened to those who were possessed with demons. ³⁴ And look, all the city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region. ⁹ ¹ And he entered into a boat, and crossed over, and came into his own city. ² And look, they brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, cheer up. Your sins are forgiven." ³ And look, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man blasphemes." ⁴ But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven;' or to say, 'Get up, and walk?' ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." (then he said to the paralytic), "Get up, and take up your mat, and go up to your house." ⁷ And he arose and departed to his house. ⁸ Now when the crowds saw it, they were afraid and glorified God who had given such authority to men. ⁹ And as Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. ¹⁰ And it happened as he sat in the house, look, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" ¹² When he heard it, he said to them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. ¹³ But you go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." ¹⁴ Then John's disciples came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?" ¹⁵ And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. ¹⁶ And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made. ¹⁷ Neither do people put new wine into old wineskins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine pours out, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved." ¹⁸ While he told these things to them, look, a ruler came and worshiped him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live." ¹⁹ And Jesus got up and followed him, as did his disciples. ²⁰ And look, a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment; ²¹ for she said within herself, "If I just touch his garment, I will be made well." ²² But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, "Daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour. ²³ And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd in noisy disorder, ²⁴ he said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead, but asleep." And they laughed at him. ²⁵ But when the crowd was put out, he entered in, took her by the hand, and the girl arose. ²⁶ And the report of this went out into all that land. ²⁷ And as Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, "Have mercy on us, son of David." ²⁸ And when he had come into the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They told him, "Yes, Lord." ²⁹ Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." ³⁰ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, "See that no one knows about this." ³¹ But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land. ³² And as they went out, look, a mute man who was demon possessed was brought to him. ³³ And when the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds were amazed, saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." ³⁴ But the Pharisees said, "By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons." ³⁵ And Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. ³⁶ But when he saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ³⁸ Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest." ¹⁰ ¹ And he called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness. ² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these. The first, Simon, who is called Peter; and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. ⁵ Jesus sent these twelve out, and commanded them, saying, "Do not go among the non-Jews, and do not enter into any city of the Samaritans. ⁶ Rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ And as you go, proclaim, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. ⁹ Do not take any gold, nor silver, nor copper in your money belts. ¹⁰ Take no bag for your journey, neither two tunics, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food. ¹¹ And into whatever city or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy; and stay there until you go on. ¹² And as you enter into the household, greet it. ¹³ And if the household is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ And whoever does not receive you, nor hear your words, as you leave that house or that city, shake off the dust from your feet. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. ¹⁶ "Look, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be cunning as snakes and innocent as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of people: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you. ¹⁸ Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations. ¹⁹ But when they deliver you over, do not be anxious how or what you will say, for it will be given you in that hour what you will say. ²⁰ For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. ²¹ "And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. ²² And you will be hated by all for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved. ²³ But when they persecute you in one city, flee to the other. And if they persecute you in the other, flee to the next. For truly I tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. ²⁴ "A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his lord. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household. ²⁶ Therefore do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸ And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ "Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father's will, ³⁰ but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Therefore do not be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. ³² Everyone therefore who confesses me before people, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies me before people, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven. ³⁴ "Do not think that I came to send peace on the earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ And a person's foes will be those of his own household. ³⁷ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And whoever does not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever seeks his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ⁴⁰ Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. ⁴¹ The one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. The one who receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. ⁴² And whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, truly I tell you he will in no way lose his reward." ¹¹ ¹ And it happened that when Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and proclaim in their cities. ² Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent [a message] by his disciples ³ and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" ⁴ And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is he who is not offended by me." ⁷ And as these went their way, 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 in soft clothing? Look, those who wear soft things are in kings' houses. ⁹ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is the one of whom it is written, 'Look, I send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' ¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those who are born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. ¹³ For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, who is to come. ¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, let him hear. ¹⁶ "But to what should I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call to their companions ¹⁷ and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance. We wailed in mourning, and you did not mourn.' ¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is justified by her children." ²⁰ Then he began to denounce the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. ²¹ "Woe to you, Chorazin. Woe to you, Bethsaida. For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²² But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you will be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you, it would have remained until this day. ²⁴ But I tell you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, on the day of judgment, than for you." ²⁵ At that time, Jesus answered, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight. ²⁷ All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows the Son, except the Father; neither does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and he to whom the Son desires to reveal him. ²⁸ "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." ¹² ¹ At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ² But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, "Look, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath." ³ But he said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he and his companions were hungry; ⁴ how he entered into the house of God, and they ate the show bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for those who were with him, but only for the priests? ⁵ Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless? ⁶ But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. ⁷ But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." ⁹ And he departed from there and went into their synagogue. ¹⁰ And look, there was a man with a withered hand. They asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?" that they might accuse him. ¹¹ And he said to them, "Which one of you who has one sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹² Of how much more value then is a person than a sheep. Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." ¹³ Then he told the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored whole, just like the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out, and conspired against him, how they might destroy him. ¹⁵ But Jesus, perceiving that, withdrew from there. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them all, ¹⁶ and commanded them that they should not make him known. ¹⁷ This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, ¹⁸ "Look, my servant whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul delights. I will put my Spirit on him; and he will proclaim justice to the nations. ¹⁹ He will not quarrel, nor shout; nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. ²⁰ He won't break a bruised reed. And he won't put out a smoldering wick, until he leads justice to victory. ²¹ And in his name the coastlands will hope." ²² Then one possessed by a demon, blind and mute, was brought to him and he healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. ²³ And all the crowds were amazed, and said, "Can this be the son of David?" ²⁴ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons." ²⁵ And knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶ And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷ If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁸ But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. ²⁹ Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and carry off his possessions, unless he first bind the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. ³⁰ "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters. ³¹ Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come. ³³ "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴ You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good person out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings out evil things. ³⁶ But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. ³⁷ For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." ³⁸ Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you." ³⁹ But he answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹ The people of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and look, something greater than Jonah is here. ⁴² The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look, someone greater than Solomon is here. ⁴³ But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the person, passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. ⁴⁴ Then he says, 'I will return into my house from which I came out,' and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that person becomes worse than the first. Even so will it be also to this evil generation." ⁴⁶ While he was yet speaking to the crowds, look, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him. ⁴⁷ Then one said to him, "Look, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you." ⁴⁸ But he answered him who spoke to him, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" ⁴⁹ And he stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said, "Look, my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother." ¹³ ¹ On that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside. ² And large crowds gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and sat, and all the crowd stood on the beach. ³ And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying, "Look, a farmer went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ And others fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away. ⁷ Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Still others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. ⁹ He who has ears, let him hear." ¹⁰ Then the disciples came, and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" ¹¹ And answering, he said to them, "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but it is not given to them. ¹² For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever does not have, from him will be taken away even that which he has. ¹³ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing, they do not hear, neither do they understand. ¹⁴ And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, 'In hearing you will hear, but will not understand, and seeing you will see, but not perceive. ¹⁵ For the heart of this people has grown dull, and their ears are sluggish in hearing, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn back, and I would heal them.' ¹⁶ "But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ For truly I tell you that many prophets and righteous people desired to see the things which you see, and did not see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them. ¹⁸ "Hear, then, the parable of the farmer. ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside. ²⁰ And what was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it; ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. ²² And what was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. ²³ And what was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who truly bears fruit, and brings forth, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty." ²⁴ He set another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field, ²⁵ but while everyone slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then the tares appeared also. ²⁷ So the servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where did these tares come from?' ²⁸ "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' "And the servants asked him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them up?' ²⁹ "But he said, 'No, lest perhaps while you gather up the tares, you root up the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, "First, gather up the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn."'" ³¹ He set another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; ³² which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches." ³³ He spoke another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened." ³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; and without a parable, he did not speak to them, ³⁵ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the beginning of the world." ³⁶ Then Jesus sent the crowds away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field." ³⁷ And he answered them, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸ and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the tares are the children of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity, ⁴² and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the grinding of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. ⁴⁴ "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. ⁴⁵ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls, ⁴⁶ and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. ⁴⁷ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind, ⁴⁸ which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away. ⁴⁹ So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come forth, and separate the wicked from among the righteous, ⁵⁰ and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the grinding of teeth." ⁵¹ "Have you understood all these things?" They answered him, "Yes, Lord." ⁵² And he said to them, "Therefore, every scribe who has been made a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things." ⁵³ And it happened that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there. ⁵⁴ And coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom, and these mighty works? ⁵⁵ Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ And are not all of his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all of these things?" ⁵⁷ And they were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house." ⁵⁸ And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. ¹⁴ ¹ At that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus, ² and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist. He is risen from the dead. That is why these powers work in him." ³ For Herod had arrested John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. ⁴ For John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." ⁵ And though he wanted to kill him, he feared the crowd because they regarded him as a prophet. ⁶ But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced among them and pleased Herod. ⁷ Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask. ⁸ And she, being prompted by her mother, said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." ⁹ And the king was grieved, but for the sake of his oaths, and of those who sat at the table with him, he commanded it to be given, ¹⁰ and he sent and beheaded John in the prison. ¹¹ And his head was brought on a platter, and given to the young woman: and she brought it to her mother. ¹² Then his disciples came, and took the dead body, and buried him; and they went and told Jesus. ¹³ Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat, to a secluded place to be alone. When the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the cities. ¹⁴ And he went out, and he saw a large crowd, and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. ¹⁵ Now when evening had come, the disciples came to him, saying, "This place is desolate, and the hour is already late. Send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves food." ¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." ¹⁷ And they told him, "We only have here five loaves and two fish." ¹⁸ So he said, "Bring them here to me." ¹⁹ Then he commanded the crowds to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the crowds. ²⁰ And they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of that which remained left over from the broken pieces. ²¹ Now those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. ²² And immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and to go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the crowds away. ²³ And after he had sent the crowds away, he went up into the mountain by himself to pray. When evening had come, he was there alone. ²⁴ But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, battered by the waves, for the wind was against it. ²⁵ And in the watch between three and six in the morning, he came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It's a ghost." and they screamed with fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying "Cheer up. It is I. Do not be afraid." ²⁸ Peter answered him and said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters." ²⁹ He said, "Come." Peter stepped down from the boat, and walked on the water and went toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the strong wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he yelled, saying, "Lord, save me." ³¹ Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" ³² When they got up into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³ Those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "You are truly the Son of God." ³⁴ When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. ³⁵ When the people of that place recognized him, they sent into all that surrounding region, and brought to him all who were sick, ³⁶ and they begged him that they might just touch the fringe of his garment. And all who touched it were healed. ¹⁵ ¹ Then the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, ² "Why do your disciples disobey the Tradition of the Elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." ³ And he answered them, "Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.' ⁵ But you say, 'Whoever may tell his father or his mother, "Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God," ⁶ he is not to honor his father or his mother.' You have made the word of God void because of your tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites. Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ⁸ 'These people honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. ⁹ And in vain do they worship me, teaching instructions that are the commandments of humans.'" ¹⁰ He summoned the crowd, and said to them, "Hear, and understand. ¹¹ That which enters into the mouth does not defile the person; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the person." ¹² Then the disciples came, and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying?" ¹³ But he answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit." ¹⁵ And answering, Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." ¹⁶ So he said, "Do you also still not understand? ¹⁷ Do you not understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body? ¹⁸ But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the person. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. ²⁰ These are the things which defile the person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the person." ²¹ Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And look, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and started shouting, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David. My daughter is severely demonized." ²³ But he did not answer her a word. His disciples came and pleaded with him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting at us." ²⁴ But he answered, "I was not sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel." ²⁵ But she came and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, help me." ²⁶ But he answered, "It is not appropriate to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." ²⁷ But she said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." ²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith. Be it done to you even as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that hour. ²⁹ Jesus departed there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there. ³⁰ Large crowds came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, crippled, and many others, and they put them down at his feet; and he healed them. ³¹ So the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, crippled healthy, lame walking, and blind seeing—and they glorified the God of Israel. ³² Jesus summoned the disciples and said, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way." ³³ Then the disciples said to him, "Where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a crowd?" ³⁴ Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish." ³⁵ He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground; ³⁶ and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds. ³⁷ They all ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸ Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹ Then he sent away the crowds, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magadan. ¹⁶ ¹ The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. ² But he answered and said to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' ³ In the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. ⁴ An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of Jonah." He left them, and departed. ⁵ The disciples came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread. ⁶ Jesus said to them, "Watch out and guard yourselves against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." ⁷ They reasoned among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread." ⁸ But Jesus, becoming aware of this, said, "You of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves about having no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? ¹⁰ Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? ¹¹ Why is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." ¹² Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. ¹³ Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" ¹⁴ They said, "Some say John the Baptist, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." ¹⁵ He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." ²⁰ Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he is the Christ. ²¹ From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up. ²² Peter took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord. This will never be done to you." ²³ But he turned, and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of humans." ²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a person, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a person give in exchange for his life? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds. ²⁸ Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom." ¹⁷ ¹ After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. ² He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light. ³ And look, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him. ⁴ Peter answered, and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let us make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." ⁵ While he was still speaking, look, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And look, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him." ⁶ When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid. ⁷ Jesus came and touched them and said, "Get up, and do not be afraid." ⁸ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus alone. ⁹ As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Do not tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead." ¹⁰ The disciples asked him, saying, "Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" ¹¹ And he answered and said, "Elijah indeed comes, and will restore all things, ¹² but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so the Son of Man will also suffer by them." ¹³ Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptist. ¹⁴ And when they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, ¹⁵ and said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic, and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. ¹⁶ So I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him." ¹⁷ Jesus answered, "Faithless and perverse generation. How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him here to me." ¹⁸ Jesus rebuked him, the demon went out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour. ¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, "Why weren't we able to cast it out?" ²⁰ So he said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." ²¹ ²² While they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up." They were exceedingly sorry. ²⁴ When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the didrachma coins came to Peter, and said, "Does not your teacher pay the didrachma?" ²⁵ He said, "Yes." When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive toll or tribute? From their children, or from strangers?" ²⁶ And when he said, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Therefore the children are exempt. ²⁷ But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater coin. Take that, and give it to them for me and you." ¹⁸ ¹ In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" ² He called a little child to himself, and set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, ⁶ but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea. ⁷ "Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks. For there will always be something to cause people to stumble, but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes. ⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you.[note: Hyperbole, or Semitic idiom, meaning to stop doing a sin] It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the everlasting fire. ⁹ If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you.[note: Hyperbole, or Semitic idiom, meaning to stop doing a sin] It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the fire of hell. ¹⁰ See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. ¹¹ ¹² "What do you think? If someone has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? ¹³ If he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. ¹⁴ Even so it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. ¹⁵ "If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. ¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to hear the church also, let him be to you as an unbeliever or a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again, truly I tell you, that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them." ²¹ Then Peter came to him and said, "Lord, how often can my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" ²² Jesus said to him, "I do not tell you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. ²³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵ But because he could not pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all.' ²⁷ The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. ²⁸ "But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay what you owe.' ²⁹ "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you all.' ³⁰ He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due. ³¹ So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done. ³² Then his lord called him in, and said to him, 'You wicked servant. I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. ³³ Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?' ³⁴ His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due. ³⁵ So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you do not each forgive your brother his trespasses from your heart." ¹⁹ ¹ It happened when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan. ² Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. ³ And Pharisees came to him, testing him, and saying to him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce a wife for any reason?" ⁴ He answered, and said, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, ⁵ and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; and the two will become one flesh?' ⁶ So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no one separate." ⁷ They asked him, "Why then did Moses command us to give her a certificate of divorce, and divorce her?" ⁸ He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. ⁹ I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery. And he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery." ¹⁰ The disciples said to him, "If this is the case of a husband with a wife, it is not expedient to marry." ¹¹ But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but those to whom it is given. ¹² For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it." ¹³ Then little children were brought to him, that he should lay his hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But Jesus said, "Allow the little children, and do not forbid them to come to me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to ones like these." ¹⁵ He placed his hands on them, and departed from there. ¹⁶ And look, someone came to him and said, "Teacher, what good thing must I do, that I may have everlasting life?" ¹⁷ He said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? No one is good but one. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." ¹⁸ He said to him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "'Do not murder.' 'Do not commit adultery.' 'Do not steal.' 'Do not offer false testimony.' ¹⁹ 'Honor your father and mother.' And, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" ²⁰ The young man said to him, "All these things I have kept. What do I still lack?" ²¹ Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." ²² But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions. ²³ Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich person to enter into the Kingdom of God." ²⁵ When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" ²⁶ Looking at them, Jesus said, "With humans this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." ²⁷ Then Peter answered, "Look, we have left everything, and followed you. What then will we have?" ²⁸ Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit everlasting life. ³⁰ But many will be last who are first; and first who are last. ²⁰ ¹ "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ He went out about nine in the morning, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. ⁴ To them he said, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went their way. ⁵ Again he went out about noon and at three in the afternoon, and did likewise. ⁶ About five that afternoon he went out, and found others standing. He said to them, 'Why do you stand here all day idle?' ⁷ "They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' "He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.' ⁸ When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.' ⁹ "When those who were hired at about five in the afternoon came, they each received a denarius. ¹⁰ When the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise each received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household, ¹² saying, 'These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' ¹³ "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take that which is yours, and go your way. It is my desire to give to this last just as much as to you. ¹⁵ Is it not lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?' ¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first last; for many are called, but few are chosen." ¹⁷ As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve aside, and on the way he said to them, ¹⁸ "Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, ¹⁹ and will hand him over to the non-Jews to mock, to scourge, and to crucify; and the third day he will be raised up." ²⁰ Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling and asking a certain thing of him. ²¹ He said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Command that these, my two sons, may sit, one on your right hand, and one on your left hand, in your Kingdom." ²² But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." ²³ He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it is for whom it has been prepared by my Father." ²⁴ When the ten heard it, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus summoned them, and said, "You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ²⁶ It will not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you must be your servant. ²⁷ And whoever desires to be first among you must be your slave, ²⁸ even as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." ²⁹ As they went out from Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰ And look, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, shouted, "Have mercy on us, Lord, son of David." ³¹ The crowd rebuked them, telling them that they should be quiet, but they shouted even more, "Have mercy on us, Lord, son of David." ³² Jesus stood still, and called them, and asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" ³³ They told him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." ³⁴ Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received their sight, and they followed him. ²¹ ¹ When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, "Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to me. ³ And if anyone says anything to you, you are to say, 'Because the Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." ⁴ This took place that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, ⁵ Say to the daughter of Zion, "Look, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." ⁶ The disciples went, and did just as Jesus directed them, ⁷ and brought the donkey and the colt, and placed their clothes on them; and he sat on them. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees, and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds who went before him, and who followed kept shouting, "Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." ¹⁰ When he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" ¹¹ The crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." ¹² Jesus entered into the temple, and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers' tables and the seats of those who sold the doves. ¹³ He said to them, "It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers." ¹⁴ The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the son of David." they were indignant, ¹⁶ and said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" Jesus said to them, "Yes. Did you never read, 'Out of the mouth of children and infants you have prepared praise?'" ¹⁷ He left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there. ¹⁸ Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves. He said to it, "Let there be no fruit from you forever." Immediately the fig tree withered away. ²⁰ When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, "How did the fig tree immediately wither away?" ²¹ Jesus answered them, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith, and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you told this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it would be done. ²² All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." ²³ When he had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority do you do these things? Who gave you this authority?" ²⁴ Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from people?" They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' ²⁶ But if we say, 'From people,' we fear the crowd, for all hold John as a prophet." ²⁷ They answered Jesus, and said, "We do not know." He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁸ But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, 'Son, go work today in the vineyard.' ²⁹ He answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind, and went. ³⁰ And he came to the other, and said the same thing. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering into the Kingdom of God before you. 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. When you saw it, you did not even repent afterward, that you might believe him. ³³ "Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, leased it out to tenant farmers, and went on a journey. ³⁴ When the season for the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to receive his fruit. ³⁵ The tenants took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶ Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they treated them the same way. ³⁷ But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, 'They will respect my son.' ³⁸ But the tenants, when they saw the son, said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and have his inheritance.' ³⁹ So they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. ⁴⁰ When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" ⁴¹ They told him, "He will utterly destroy those evil men, and will lease out the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him the fruit in its season." ⁴² Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes?' ⁴³ "Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation bringing forth its fruit. ⁴⁴ He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it will fall, it will crush him." ⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke about them. ⁴⁶ When they sought to seize him, they feared the crowds, because they considered him to be a prophet.