The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet ^(A)the bridegroom. ^2 (B)Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ But while the bridegroom was delayed, ^(C)they all slumbered and slept.

⁶ “And at midnight ^(D)a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom ^[a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins arose and ^(E)trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and ^(F)the door was shut.

¹¹ “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ^(G)‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹² But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, ^(H)I do not know you.’

^13 (I)“Watch therefore, for you ^(J)know neither the day nor the hour ^[b]in which the Son of Man is coming.

The Parable of the Talents^(K)

^14 (L)“For the kingdom of heaven is ^(M)like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. ¹⁵ And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, ^(N)to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. ¹⁶ Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. ¹⁷ And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. ¹⁸ But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. ¹⁹ After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

²⁰ “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ ²¹ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were ^(O)faithful over a few things, ^(P)I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into ^(Q)the joy of your lord.’ ²² He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ ²³ His lord said to him, ^(R)‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into ^(S)the joy of your lord.’

²⁴ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

²⁶ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You ^(T)wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. ²⁷ So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

^29 (U)‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And cast the unprofitable servant ^(V)into the outer darkness. ^(W)There will be weeping and ^(X)gnashing of teeth.’

The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations

^31 (Y)“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the ^[c]holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ^32 (Z)All the nations will be gathered before Him, and ^(AA)He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the ^(AB)sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, ^(AC)inherit the kingdom ^(AD)prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ^35 (AE)for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; ^(AF)I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was ^(AG)naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; ^(AH)I was in prison and you came to Me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, ^(AI)inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ^(AJ)‘Depart from Me, you cursed, ^(AK)into the everlasting fire prepared for ^(AL)the devil and his angels: ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer ^[d]Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, ^(AM)inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ And ^(AN)these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus^(AO)

26 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, ^2 (AP)“You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

^3 (AQ)Then the chief priests, ^[e]the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, ⁴ and ^(AR)plotted to take Jesus by ^[f]trickery and kill Him. ⁵ But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the ^(AS)people.”

The Anointing at Bethany^(AT)

⁶ And when Jesus was in ^(AU)Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, ⁷ a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. ^8 (AV)But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”

¹⁰ But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. ^11 (AW)For you have the poor with you always, but ^(AX)Me you do not have always. ¹² For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My ^(AY)burial. ¹³ Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus^(AZ)

^14 (BA)Then one of the twelve, called ^(BB)Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, ^(BC)“What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

Jesus Celebrates Passover with His Disciples^(BD)

^17 (BE)Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

¹⁸ And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, ^(BF)“My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ’ ”

¹⁹ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

^20 (BG)When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. ²¹ Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will ^(BH)betray Me.”

²² And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”

²³ He answered and said, ^(BI)“He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. ²⁴ The Son of Man indeed goes just ^(BJ)as it is written of Him, but ^(BK)woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(BL)It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

²⁵ Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?”

He said to him, “You have said it.”

Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper^(BM)

^26 (BN)And as they were eating, ^(BO)Jesus took bread, ^[g]blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; ^(BP)this is My body.”

²⁷ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ^(BQ)“Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ For ^(BR)this is My blood ^(BS)of the ^[h]new covenant, which is shed ^(BT)for many for the ^[i]remission of sins. ²⁹ But ^(BU)I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on ^(BV)until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

^30 (BW)And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial^(BX)

³¹ Then Jesus said to them, ^(BY)“All of you will ^(BZ)be ^[j]made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

³² But after I have been raised, ^(CB)I will go before you to Galilee.”

³³ Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are ^[k]made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”

³⁴ Jesus said to him, ^(CC)“Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

³⁵ Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

And so said all the disciples.

The Prayer in the Garden^(CD)

^36 (CE)Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” ³⁷ And He took with Him Peter and ^(CF)the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. ³⁸ Then He said to them, ^(CG)“My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

³⁹ He went a little farther and fell on His face, and ^(CH)prayed, saying, ^(CI)“O My Father, if it is possible, ^(CJ)let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, ^(CK)not as I will, but as You will.”

⁴⁰ Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? ^41 (CL)Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. ^(CM)The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, ^[l]if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” ⁴³ And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

⁴⁴ So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. ⁴⁵ Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour ^[m]is at hand, and the Son of Man is being ^(CN)betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane^(CO)

⁴⁷ And ^(CP)while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.

⁴⁸ Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” ⁴⁹ Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” ^(CQ)and kissed Him.

⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, ^(CR)“Friend, why have you come?”

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. ⁵¹ And suddenly, ^(CS)one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

⁵² But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, ^(CT)for all who take the sword will ^[n]perish by the sword. ⁵³ Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with ^(CU)more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, ^(CV)that it must happen thus?”

⁵⁵ In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. ⁵⁶ But all this was done that the ^(CW)Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.”

Then ^(CX)all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin^(CY)

^57 (CZ)And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. ⁵⁸ But ^(DA)Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.

⁵⁹ Now the chief priests, ^[o]the elders, and all the council sought ^(DB)false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, ^60 [p]but found none. Even though ^(DC)many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last ^(DD)two ^[q]false witnesses came forward ⁶¹ and said, “This fellow said, ^(DE)‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”

^62 (DF)And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” ⁶³ But ^(DG)Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, ^(DH)“I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”

⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, ^(DI)hereafter you will see the Son of Man ^(DJ)sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

^65 (DK)Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His ^(DL)blasphemy! ⁶⁶ What do you think?”

They answered and said, ^(DM)“He is deserving of death.”

^67 (DN)Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and ^(DO)others struck Him with ^[r]the palms of their hands, ⁶⁸ saying, ^(DP)“Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?”

Peter Denies Jesus, and Weeps Bitterly^(DQ)

^69 (DR)Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.”

⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”

⁷¹ And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁷² But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”

⁷³ And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your ^(DS)speech betrays you.”

⁷⁴ Then ^(DT)he began to ^[s]curse and ^[t]swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, ^(DU)“Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Handed Over to Pontius Pilate^(DV)

27 When morning came, ^(DW)all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. ² And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and ^(DX)delivered Him to ^[u]Pontius Pilate the governor.

Judas Hangs Himself^(DY)

^3 (DZ)Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty ^(EA)pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, ⁴ saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”

⁵ Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and ^(EB)departed, and went and hanged himself.

⁶ But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” ⁷ And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. ⁸ Therefore that field has been called ^(EC)the Field of Blood to this day.

⁹ Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ^(ED)“And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, ¹⁰ and ^(EE)gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”

Jesus Faces Pilate^(EF)

¹¹ Now Jesus stood before the governor. ^(EG)And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus said to him, ^(EH)“It is as you say.” ¹² And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, ^(EI)He answered nothing.

¹³ Then Pilate said to Him, ^(EJ)“Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” ¹⁴ But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

Taking the Place of Barabbas^(EK)

^15 (EL)Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. ¹⁶ And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called ^[v]Barabbas. ¹⁷ Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that they had handed Him over because of ^(EM)envy.

¹⁹ While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”

^20 (EN)But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. ²¹ The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”

They said, ^(EO)“Barabbas!”

²² Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”

They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”

²³ Then the governor said, ^(EP)“Why, what evil has He done?”

But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”

²⁴ When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a ^[w]tumult was rising, he ^(EQ)took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this ^[x]just Person. You see to it.”

²⁵ And all the people answered and said, ^(ER)“His blood be on us and on our children.”

²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them; and when ^(ES)he had ^[y]scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus^(ET)

^27 (EU)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the ^[z]Praetorium and gathered the whole ^[aa]garrison around Him. ²⁸ And they ^(EV)stripped Him and ^(EW)put a scarlet robe on Him. ^29 (EX)When they had ^[ab]twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰ Then ^(EY)they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. ³¹ And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, ^(EZ)and led Him away to be crucified.

The King on a Cross^(FA)

^32 (FB)Now as they came out, ^(FC)they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. ^33 (FD)And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, ^34 (FE)they gave Him ^[ac]sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

^35 (FF)Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, ^[ad]that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

^36 (FH)Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. ³⁷ And they ^(FI)put up over His head the accusation written against Him:

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

^38 (FJ)Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.

³⁹ And ^(FK)those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, ^(FL)“You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! ^(FM)If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

⁴¹ Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the ^[ae]scribes and elders, said, ⁴² “He ^(FN)saved others; Himself He cannot save. ^[af]If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe ^[ag]Him. ^43 (FO)He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

^44 (FP)Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

Jesus Dies on the Cross^(FQ)

^45 (FR)Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. ⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour ^(FS)Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, ^(FT)“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

⁴⁷ Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” ⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, ^(FU)filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.

⁴⁹ The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

⁵⁰ And Jesus ^(FV)cried out again with a loud voice, and ^(FW)yielded up His spirit.

⁵¹ Then, behold, ^(FX)the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, ⁵² and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

^54 (FY)So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, ^(FZ)“Truly this was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ And many women ^(GA)who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, ^56 (GB)among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and ^[ah]Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb^(GC)

⁵⁷ Now ^(GD)when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. ⁵⁹ When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and ^(GE)laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. ⁶¹ And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting ^[ai]opposite the tomb.

Pilate Sets a Guard

⁶² On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, ⁶³ saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ^(GF)‘After three days I will rise.’ ⁶⁴ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come ^[aj]by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”

⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure, ^(GG)sealing the stone and setting the guard.

He Is Risen^(GH)

28 Now ^(GI)after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene ^(GJ)and the other Mary came to see the tomb. ² And behold, there was a great earthquake; for ^(GK)an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone ^[ak]from the door, and sat on it. ^3 (GL)His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. ⁴ And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like ^(GM)dead men.

⁵ But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; for He is risen, ^(GN)as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. ⁷ And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed ^(GO)He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

⁸ So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

The Women Worship the Risen Lord

⁹ And ^[al]as they went to tell His disciples, behold, ^(GP)Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell ^(GQ)My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

The Soldiers Are Bribed

¹¹ Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. ¹² When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, ¹³ saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ ¹⁴ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” ¹⁵ So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

The Great Commission^(GR)

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain ^(GS)which Jesus had appointed for them. ¹⁷ When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some ^(GT)doubted.

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ^(GU)“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ^19 (GV)Go ^[am]therefore and ^(GW)make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ^20 (GX)teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am ^(GY)with you always, even to the end of the age.” ^[an]Amen.

John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)

1 The ^(B)beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, ^(C)the Son of God. ² As it is written in ^[a]the Prophets:

^4 (F)John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance ^[b]for the remission of sins. ^5 (G)Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

⁶ Now John was ^(H)clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And he preached, saying, ^(I)“There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. ^8 (J)I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you ^(K)with the Holy Spirit.”

John Baptizes Jesus^(L)

^9 (M)It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ^10 (N)And immediately, coming up ^[c]from the water, He saw the heavens ^[d]parting and the Spirit ^(O)descending upon Him like a dove. ¹¹ Then a voice came from heaven, ^(P)“You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Satan Tempts Jesus^(Q)

^12 (R)Immediately the Spirit ^[e]drove Him into the wilderness. ¹³ And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; ^(S)and the angels ministered to Him.

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry^(T)

^14 (U)Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, ^(V)preaching the gospel ^[f]of the kingdom of God, ¹⁵ and saying, ^(W)“The time is fulfilled, and ^(X)the kingdom of God ^[g]is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples^(Y)

^16 (Z)And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become ^(AA)fishers of men.” ^18 (AB)They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

¹⁹ When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. ²⁰ And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit^(AC)

^21 (AD)Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the ^(AE)synagogue and taught. ^22 (AF)And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

²³ Now there was a man in their synagogue with an ^(AG)unclean spirit. And he cried out, ²⁴ saying, “Let us alone! ^(AH)What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I ^(AI)know who You are—the ^(AJ)Holy One of God!”

²⁵ But Jesus ^(AK)rebuked him, saying, ^[h]“Be quiet, and come out of him!” ²⁶ And when the unclean spirit ^(AL)had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. ²⁷ Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ^[i]“What is this? What new ^[j]doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” ²⁸ And immediately His ^(AM)fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed^(AN)

^29 (AO)Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰ But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. ³¹ So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset^(AP)

^32 (AQ)At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. ³³ And the whole city was gathered together at the door. ³⁴ Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and ^(AR)cast out many demons; and He ^(AS)did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Preaching in Galilee^(AT)

³⁵ Now ^(AU)in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a ^[k]solitary place; and there He ^(AV)prayed. ³⁶ And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. ³⁷ When they found Him, they said to Him, ^(AW)“Everyone ^(AX)is looking for You.”

³⁸ But He said to them, ^(AY)“Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because ^(AZ)for this purpose I have come forth.”

^39 (BA)And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and ^(BB)casting out demons.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper^(BC)

^40 (BD)Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with ^(BE)compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ⁴² As soon as He had spoken, ^(BF)immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. ⁴³ And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things ^(BG)which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

^45 (BH)However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; ^(BI)and they came to Him from every direction.

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic^(BJ)

2 And again ^(BK)He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. ^2 [l]Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. ³ Then they came to Him, bringing a ^(BL)paralytic who was carried by four men. ⁴ And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

⁶ And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? ^(BM)Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁸ But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? ^9 (BN)Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has ^[m]power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, ¹¹ “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” ¹² Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and ^(BO)glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Matthew the Tax Collector^(BP)

^13 (BQ)Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. ^14 (BR)As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ^(BS)“Follow Me.” So he arose and ^(BT)followed Him.

^15 (BU)Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. ¹⁶ And when the scribes ^[n]and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, He said to them, ^(BV)“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, ^[o]to repentance.”

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting^(BW)

^18 (BX)The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁹ And Jesus said to them, “Can the ^[p]friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. ²⁰ But the days will come when the bridegroom will be ^(BY)taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. ²¹ No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. ²² And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(BZ)

^23 (CA)Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began ^(CB)to pluck the heads of grain. ²⁴ And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is ^(CC)not lawful on the Sabbath?”

²⁵ But He said to them, “Have you never read ^(CD)what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: ²⁶ how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, ^(CE)which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”

²⁷ And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the ^(CF)Sabbath. ²⁸ Therefore ^(CG)the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”