Psalm 30^[a]

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple.^[b] Of David.

Naaman Healed of Leprosy

5 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram.^(A) He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.^[a](B)

² Now bands of raiders^(C) from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet^(D) who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

⁴ Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. ⁵ “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents^[b] of silver, six thousand shekels^[c] of gold and ten sets of clothing.^{(E) 6} The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

⁷ As soon as the king of Israel read the letter,^(F) he tore his robes and said, “Am I God?^(G) Can I kill and bring back to life?^(H) Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel^(I) with me!”

⁸ When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet^(J) in Israel.” ⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash^(K) yourself seven times^(L) in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand^(M) over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters^(N) of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.^(O)

¹³ Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father,^(P) if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times,^(Q) as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored^(R) and became clean like that of a young boy.^(S)

Doing Good to All

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit^(A) should restore^(B) that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. ² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.^{(C) 3} If anyone thinks they are something^(D) when they are not, they deceive themselves.^{(E) 4} Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone,^(F) without comparing themselves to someone else,^{(G) 5} for each one should carry their own load.^{(H) 6} Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.^(I)

Doing Good to All

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit^(A) should restore^(B) that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. ² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.^{(C) 3} If anyone thinks they are something^(D) when they are not, they deceive themselves.^{(E) 4} Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone,^(F) without comparing themselves to someone else,^{(G) 5} for each one should carry their own load.^{(H) 6} Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.^(I)

⁷ Do not be deceived:^(J) God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.^{(K) 8} Whoever sows to please their flesh,^(L) from the flesh will reap destruction;^(M) whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.^{(N) 9} Let us not become weary in doing good,^(O) for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.^{(P) 10} Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good^(Q) to all people, especially to those who belong to the family^(R) of believers.

Not Circumcision but the New Creation

¹¹ See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!^(S)

¹² Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh^(T) are trying to compel you to be circumcised.^(U) The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted^(V) for the cross of Christ. ¹³ Not even those who are circumcised keep the law,^(W) yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh.^{(X) 14} May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,^(Y) through which^[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.^{(Z) 15} Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything;^(AA) what counts is the new creation.^{(AB) 16} Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to^[b] the Israel of God.

¹⁷ From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks^(AC) of Jesus.

¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ^(AD) be with your spirit,^(AE) brothers and sisters. Amen.

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two^(A)(B)(C)

10 After this the Lord^(D) appointed seventy-two^[a] others^(E) and sent them two by two^(F) ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.^{(G) 2} He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.^{(H) 3} Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.^{(I) 4} Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.^(J) Do not move around from house to house.

⁸ “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.^{(K) 9} Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God^(L) has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you.^(M) Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’^(N)

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

16 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.^{(A) 2} So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— ⁴ I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

⁵ “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

⁶ “‘Nine hundred gallons^[a] of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

⁷ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels^[b] of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

⁸ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world^(B) are more shrewd^(C) in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.^{(D) 9} I tell you, use worldly wealth^(E) to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.^(F)

¹⁰ “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,^(G) and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth,^(H) who will trust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

¹³ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”^(I)

¹⁴ The Pharisees, who loved money,^(J) heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.^{(K) 15} He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves^(L) in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts.^(M) What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

Additional Teachings

¹⁶ “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John.^(N) Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached,^(O) and everyone is forcing their way into it. ¹⁷ It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.^(P)

¹⁸ “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.^(Q)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.^{(R) 20} At his gate was laid a beggar^(S) named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹ and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.^(T) Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,^(U) have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’^(V)

²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,^(W) but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.^{(X) 26} And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

²⁷ “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, ²⁸ for I have five brothers. Let him warn them,^(Y) so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

²⁹ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses^(Z) and the Prophets;^(AA) let them listen to them.’

³⁰ “‘No, father Abraham,’^(AB) he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Sin, Faith, Duty

17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble^(AC) are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.^{(AD) 2} It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones^(AE) to stumble.^{(AF) 3} So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister^[c] sins against you, rebuke them;^(AG) and if they repent, forgive them.^{(AH) 4} Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”^(AI)

⁵ The apostles^(AJ) said to the Lord,^(AK) “Increase our faith!”

⁶ He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,^(AL) you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.^(AM)

⁷ “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? ⁸ Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me^(AN) while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? ⁹ Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”^(AO)

Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem,^(AP) Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.^{(AQ) 12} As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy^[d](AR) met him. They stood at a distance^{(AS) 13} and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master,^(AT) have pity on us!”

¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”^(AU) And as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God^(AV) in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.^(AW)

¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”^(AX)

The Coming of the Kingdom of God^(AY)

²⁰ Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,^(AZ) Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, ²¹ nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’^(BA) because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”^[e]

²² Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man,^(BB) but you will not see it.^{(BC) 23} People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.^{(BD) 24} For the Son of Man in his day^[f] will be like the lightning,^(BE) which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. ²⁵ But first he must suffer many things^(BF) and be rejected^(BG) by this generation.^(BH)

²⁶ “Just as it was in the days of Noah,^(BI) so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸ “It was the same in the days of Lot.^(BJ) People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. ²⁹ But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

³⁰ “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.^{(BK) 31} On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.^{(BL) 32} Remember Lot’s wife!^{(BM) 33} Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.^{(BN) 34} I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. ³⁵ Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”^{(BO) [36] [g]}

³⁷ “Where, Lord?” they asked.

He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”^(BP)

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.^{(BQ) 2} He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice^(BR) against my adversary.’

⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”^(BS)

⁶ And the Lord^(BT) said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out^(BU) to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man^(BV) comes,^(BW) will he find faith on the earth?”

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness^(BX) and looked down on everyone else,^(BY) Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray,^(BZ) one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself^(CA) and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast^(CB) twice a week and give a tenth^(CC) of all I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast^(CD) and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’^(CE)

¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”^(CF)

The Little Children and Jesus^(CG)

¹⁵ People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷ Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child^(CH) will never enter it.”

The Rich and the Kingdom of God^(CI)

¹⁸ A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”^(CJ)

¹⁹ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’^[h]”^(CK)

²¹ “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor,^(CL) and you will have treasure in heaven.^(CM) Then come, follow me.”

²³ When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. ²⁴ Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!^{(CN) 25} Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”^(CO)

²⁸ Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”^(CP)

²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ³⁰ will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come^(CQ) eternal life.”^(CR)

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time^(CS)

³¹ Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem,^(CT) and everything that is written by the prophets^(CU) about the Son of Man^(CV) will be fulfilled. ³² He will be delivered over to the Gentiles.^(CW) They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; ³³ they will flog him^(CX) and kill him.^(CY) On the third day^(CZ) he will rise again.”^(DA)

³⁴ The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.^(DB)

A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight^(DC)

³⁵ As Jesus approached Jericho,^(DD) a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶ When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”^(DE)

³⁸ He called out, “Jesus, Son of David,^(DF) have mercy^(DG) on me!”

³⁹ Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”^(DH)

⁴⁰ Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

⁴² Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”^{(DI) 43} Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.^(DJ)

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

19 Jesus entered Jericho^(DK) and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig^(DL) tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.^(DM)

⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”^(DN)

⁸ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord,^(DO) “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything,^(DP) I will pay back four times the amount.”^(DQ)

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.^{(DR) 10} For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”^(DS)

The Parable of the Ten Minas^(DT)

¹¹ While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God^(DU) was going to appear at once.^{(DV) 12} He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. ¹³ So he called ten of his servants^(DW) and gave them ten minas.^[i] ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’

¹⁴ “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

¹⁵ “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

¹⁶ “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’

¹⁷ “‘Well done, my good servant!’^(DX) his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’^(DY)

¹⁸ “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’

¹⁹ “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

²⁰ “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. ²¹ I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’^(DZ)

²² “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words,^(EA) you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow?^{(EB) 23} Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’

²⁴ “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

²⁵ “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

²⁶ “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away.^{(EC) 27} But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King^(ED)(EE)

²⁸ After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.^{(EF) 29} As he approached Bethphage and Bethany^(EG) at the hill called the Mount of Olives,^(EH) he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ³⁰ “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

³² Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.^{(EI) 33} As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

³⁴ They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

³⁵ They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. ³⁶ As he went along, people spread their cloaks^(EJ) on the road.

³⁷ When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives,^(EK) the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”^(EN)

⁴⁰ “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”^(EO)

⁴¹ As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it^{(EP) 42} and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.^{(EQ) 44} They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls.^(ER) They will not leave one stone on another,^(ES) because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming^(ET) to you.”

Jesus at the Temple^(EU)

⁴⁵ When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. ⁴⁶ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’^[k];^(EV) but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’^[l]”^(EW)

⁴⁷ Every day he was teaching at the temple.^(EX) But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.^{(EY) 48} Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

The Authority of Jesus Questioned^(EZ)

20 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts^(FA) and proclaiming the good news,^(FB) the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. ² “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”^(FC)

³ He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: ⁴ John’s baptism^(FD)—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

⁵ They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people^(FE) will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”^(FF)

⁷ So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”

⁸ Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

The Parable of the Tenants^(FG)

⁹ He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard,^(FH) rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time.^{(FI) 10} At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. ¹² He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love;^(FJ) perhaps they will respect him.’

¹⁴ “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ¹⁵ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and kill those tenants^(FK) and give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”

¹⁷ Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”^(FM)

¹⁹ The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him^(FN) immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.^(FO)

Paying Taxes to Caesar^(FP)

²⁰ Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said,^(FQ) so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.^{(FR) 21} So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.^{(FS) 22} Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

²³ He saw through their duplicity and said to them, ²⁴ “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

²⁵ He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s,^(FT) and to God what is God’s.”

²⁶ They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.

The Resurrection and Marriage^(FU)

²⁷ Some of the Sadducees,^(FV) who say there is no resurrection,^(FW) came to Jesus with a question. ²⁸ “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.^{(FX) 29} Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. ³⁰ The second