Jesus Teaches about the Faith of a Child ^(A)

18 At that time the followers came to Jesus. They said, “Who is the greatest in the holy nation of heaven?” ² Jesus took a little child and put him among them. ³ He said, “For sure, I tell you, unless you have a change of heart and become like a little child, you will not get into the holy nation of heaven. ⁴ Whoever is without pride as this little child is the greatest in the holy nation of heaven. ⁵ Whoever receives a little child because of Me receives Me. ⁶ But whoever is the reason for one of these little children who believe in Me to fall into sin, it would be better for him to have a large rock put around his neck and to be thrown into the sea.

⁷ “It is bad for the world because of that which makes people sin. Men will be tempted to sin. But it is bad for the one who is the reason for someone to sin. ⁸ If your hand or your foot is the reason you sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to go into life without a hand or a foot, than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the fire of hell. ⁹ If your eye is the reason you sin, take it out and throw it away. It is better for you to go into life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. ¹⁰ Be sure you do not hate one of these little children. I tell you, they have angels who are always looking into the face of My Father in heaven.

The Lost Sheep

¹¹ “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. ¹² What do you think about this? A man has one hundred sheep and one of them is lost. Will he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to look for that one lost sheep? ¹³ If he finds it, for sure, I tell you, he will have more joy over that one, than over the ninety-nine that were not lost. ¹⁴ I tell you, My Father in heaven does not want one of these little children to be lost.

What to Do with a Brother Who Sins Against You

¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him what he did without other people hearing it. If he listens to you, you have won your brother back again. ¹⁶ But if he will not listen to you, take one or two other people with you. Every word may be remembered by the two or three who heard. ¹⁷ If he will not listen to them, tell the trouble to the church. If he does not listen to the church, think of him as a person who is as bad as one who does not know God and a person who gathers taxes.

¹⁸ “For sure, I tell you, whatever you do not allow on earth will not have been allowed in heaven. Whatever you allow on earth will have been allowed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I tell you this: If two of you agree on earth about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am with them.”

True Forgiveness

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and said, “Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him, up to seven times?” ²² Jesus said to him, “I tell you, not seven times but seventy times seven!

²³ “The holy nation of heaven is like a king who wanted to find out how much money his servants owed him. ²⁴ As he began, one of the servants was brought to him who owed him very much money. ²⁵ He could pay nothing that he owed. So the king spoke the word that he and his wife and his children and all that he had should be sold to pay what he owed. ²⁶ The servant got down on his face in front of the king. He said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you all the money.’ ²⁷ Then the king took pity on his servant and let him go. He told him he did not have to pay the money back.

²⁸ “But that servant went out and found one of the other servants who owed him very little money. He took hold of his neck and said, ‘Pay me the money you owe me!’ ²⁹ The other servant got down at his feet and said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you all the money.’ ³⁰ But he would not. He had him put in prison until he could pay the money.

³¹ “When his other servants saw what had happened, they were very sorry. They came and told the king all that was done. ³² Then the king called for the first one. He said, ‘You bad servant! I forgave you. I said that you would not have to pay back any of the money you owed me because you asked me. ³³ Should you not have had pity on the other servant, even as I had pity on you?’ ³⁴ The king was very angry. He handed him over to men who would beat and hurt him until he paid all the money he owed. ³⁵ So will My Father in heaven do to you, if each one of you does not forgive his brother from his heart.”

What Jesus Taught about Marriage and Divorce ^(B)

19 When Jesus had finished talking, He went from the country of Galilee. He came to the part of the country of Judea which is on the other side of the Jordan River. ² Many people followed Him and He healed them there.

³ The proud religious law-keepers came to Jesus. They tried to trap Him by saying, “Does the Law say a man can divorce his wife for any reason?” ⁴ He said to them, “Have you not read that He Who made them in the first place made them man and woman? ⁵ It says, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will live with his wife. The two will become one.’ ⁶ So they are no longer two but one. Let no man divide what God has put together.”

⁷ The proud religious law-keepers said to Jesus, “Then why did the Law of Moses allow a man to divorce his wife if he put it down in writing and gave it to her?” ⁸ Jesus said to them, “Because of your hard hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives. It was not like that from the beginning. ⁹ And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sex sins, and marries another, is guilty of sex sins in marriage. Whoever marries her that is divorced is guilty of sex sins in marriage.”

¹⁰ His followers said to Him, “If that is the way of a man with his wife, it is better not to be married.” ¹¹ But Jesus said to them, “Not all men are able to do this, but only those to whom it has been given. ¹² For there are some men who from birth will never be able to have children. There are some men who have been made so by men. There are some men who have had themselves made that way because of the holy nation of heaven. The one who is able to do this, let him do it.”

Jesus Gives Thanks for Little Children ^(C)

¹³ Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray for them. The followers spoke sharp words to them. ¹⁴ But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me. Do not stop them. The holy nation of heaven is made up of ones like these.” ¹⁵ He put His hands on them and went away.

Jesus Teaches about Keeping the Law ^(D)

¹⁶ A man came to Jesus and asked, “Good Teacher, what good work must I do to have life that lasts forever?” ¹⁷ Jesus said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One Who is good. If you want to have life that lasts forever, you must obey the Laws.” ¹⁸ The man said to Him, “What kind of laws?” Jesus said, “You must not kill another person. You must not be guilty of sex sins. You must not steal. You must not lie. ¹⁹ Show respect to your father and your mother. And love your neighbor as you love yourself.” ²⁰ The young man said to Jesus, “I have obeyed all these Laws. What more should I do?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have and give the money to poor people. Then you will have riches in heaven. Come and follow Me.” ²² When the young man heard these words, he went away sad for he had many riches.

The Danger of Riches

²³ Jesus said to His followers, “For sure, I tell you, it will be hard for a rich man to get into the holy nation of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into the holy nation of heaven.” ²⁵ When His followers heard this, they could not understand it. They said, “Then who can be saved from the punishment of sin?” ²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “This cannot be done by men. But with God all things can be done.”

²⁷ Then Peter said to Him, “We have given up everything and have followed You. Then what will we have?” ²⁸ Jesus said to them, “For sure, I tell you, when all the earth will be new and the Son of Man will sit on His throne in His shining-greatness, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, and judge the twelve family groups of the Jewish nation. ²⁹ Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands because of Me, will get a hundred times more. And you will get life that lasts forever. ³⁰ Many who are first will be last. Many who are last will be first.

The Picture-Story of the Workmen in the Grape-Field

20 “For the holy nation of heaven is like the owner of a grape-field. He went out early in the morning to hire workmen to work in his grape-field. ² He promised to give them a day’s pay and then sent them to his grape-field. ³ Later in the morning he went to the center of the town where people gather. He saw men standing there doing nothing. ⁴ He said to them, ‘You go to my grape-field and work also. Whatever is right, I will pay you.’ And they went. ⁵ Again he went out about noon and at three o’clock and did the same thing. ⁶ About five o’clock he went out and still found others doing nothing. He asked them, ‘Why do you stand here all day and do nothing?’ ⁷ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said, ‘Go to my grape-field and work. Whatever is right, I will pay you.’

⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the grape-field said to the boss of the workmen, ‘Call the workmen. Give them their pay. Start with the last ones hired and go on to the first ones hired.’ ⁹ The workmen who had been hired at five o’clock came up. Each one of them got a day’s pay for his work. ¹⁰ When the workmen who had been hired the first thing in the morning came, they thought they would get more. But each one got a day’s pay. ¹¹ After they received it, they talked against the owner. ¹² They said, ‘The last workmen hired have only worked one hour. You have given to them the same as to us. We have worked hard through the heat of the day.’ ¹³ But he said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me when I promised to pay you a day’s pay? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the last ones hired the same as I have given you. ¹⁵ Do I not have the right to do what I want to do with my own money? Does your eye make you want more because I am good?’ ¹⁶ So those who are last will be first and the first will be last.”

Jesus Tells of His Death the Third Time ^(E)

¹⁷ As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He talked also to the twelve followers by the side of the road. He said, ¹⁸  “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the religious leaders and to the teachers of the Law. They will say that He must be put to death. ¹⁹ They will hand Him over to the people who do not know God. They will make fun of Him and will beat Him. They will nail Him to a cross. Three days later He will be raised to life.”

The Mother of James and John Asks Jesus Something Hard ^(F)

²⁰ The mother of Zebedee’s children (James and John) came to Jesus with her sons. She got down on her knees before Jesus to ask something of Him. ²¹ He said to her, “What do you want?” She said, “Say that my two sons may sit, one at Your right side and one at Your left side, when You are King.” ²² Jesus said to her, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to take the suffering that I am about to take? (*Are you able to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?)” They said, “Yes, we are able.” ²³ He said to them, “You will suffer as I will suffer. But the places at My right side and at My left side are not Mine to give. Whoever My Father says will have those places.”

²⁴ The other ten followers heard this. They were angry with the two brothers. ²⁵ Jesus called them to Him and said, “You know how the kings of the nations show their power to the people. Important leaders use their power over the people. ²⁶ It must not be that way with you. But whoever wants to be great among you, let him care for you. ²⁷ Whoever wants to be first among you, let him be your servant. ²⁸ For the Son of Man came not to be cared for. He came to care for others. He came to give His life so that many could be bought by His blood and made free from the punishment of sin.”

The Healing of the Blind Men ^(G)

²⁹ As they went away from the city of Jericho, many people followed Him. ³⁰ Two blind men were sitting by the side of the road. They called out when they heard that Jesus was going by. They said, “Lord, take pity on us, Son of David!” ³¹ Many people spoke sharp words to them. They told the blind men not to call out. But they called all the more, “Lord! Take pity on us, Son of David!” ³² Jesus stopped and called them. He asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?” ³³ The blind men said to Jesus, “Lord, we want our eyes opened!” ³⁴ Jesus had loving-pity on them and put His hands on their eyes. At once they could see, and they followed Jesus.

The Last Time Jesus Goes into Jerusalem ^(H)

21 They were near Jerusalem and had come to the town of Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two followers on ahead. ² He said to them, “Go to the town over there. You will find a donkey tied and her young with her. Let them loose and bring them to Me. ³ If anyone says something to you, say, ‘The Lord needs them.’ He will send them at once.”

⁴ It happened as the early preacher said it would happen, saying, ⁵ “Say to the people in Jerusalem, ‘See! Your King is coming to you. He is gentle. He is riding on a young donkey.’” ^(I)

⁶ The followers went and did as Jesus told them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and her young one. They put their clothes on the donkey and Jesus sat on them. ⁸ Many people put their coats down on the road. Other people cut branches from the trees and put them along the way. ⁹ The people who went in front and those who followed Jesus called out, “Greatest One! The Son of David! Great and honored is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Greatest One in the highest heaven.”

¹⁰ When Jesus came into Jerusalem, all the people of the city were troubled. They said, “Who is this?” ¹¹ Many people said, “This is Jesus, the One Who speaks for God from the town of Nazareth in the country of Galilee.”

Jesus Stops the Buying and the Selling in the House of God ^(J)

¹² Then Jesus went into the house of God and made all those leave who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of the men who changed money. He turned over the seats of those who sold doves. ¹³ He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer.’ You have made it a place of robbers.” ^(K)

¹⁴ The blind and those who could not walk came to Jesus in the house of God and He healed them. ¹⁵ The religious leaders of the Jews and the teachers of the Law saw the great things He did. They heard the children calling in the house of God and saying, “Greatest One! Son of David!” The leaders were very angry. ¹⁶ They said to Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes, have you not read the writings, ‘Even little children and babies will honor Him’?” ¹⁷ Jesus left them and went out of the city to the town of Bethany. He stayed there that night.

The Fig Tree Dries Up ^(L)

¹⁸ In the morning as He was coming back to the city, He was hungry. ¹⁹ He saw a fig tree by the side of the road and went to it. There was nothing on it but leaves. He said to the tree, “No fruit will ever grow on you again.” At once the fig tree dried up. ²⁰ The followers saw it and were surprised and wondered. They said, “How did the fig tree dry up so fast?” ²¹ Jesus said to them, “For sure, I tell you this: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only be able to do what was done to the fig tree. You will also be able to say to this mountain, ‘Move from here and be thrown into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² All things you ask for in prayer, you will receive if you have faith.”

They Ask Jesus Who Gave Him the Power to Do These Things ^(M)

²³ Jesus came into the house of God. The religious leaders and the other leaders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching. They said, “By what right and power are You doing these things? Who gave You the right and the power to do them?” ²⁴ Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing also. If you tell Me, then I will tell you by what right and power I do these things. ²⁵ Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” They thought among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ then He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, because they all think John was one who spoke for God.” ²⁷ They said to Jesus, “We do not know.” He said to them, “Then I will not tell you by what right and power I do these things.

The Picture-Story of the Two Sons

²⁸ “What do you think about this? There was a man who had two sons. He came to the first son and said, ‘My son, go to my grape-field and work today.’ ²⁹ He said, ‘I will go.’ But he did not go. ³⁰ The father came to the second son and asked the same thing. The son said, ‘No, I will not go.’ Later he was sorry and went. ³¹ Which one of the two sons did what his father wanted?” They said to Jesus, “The second son.” Jesus said to them, “For sure, I tell you this: Tax-gatherers and women who sell the use of their bodies will get into the holy nation of heaven before you. ³² For John came to you preaching about being right with God. You did not believe him. But tax-gatherers and women who sell the use of their bodies did believe him. When you saw this, you were not sorry for your sins and did not turn from them and believe him.

The Picture-Story of the Grape-Field ^(N)

³³ “Listen to another picture-story. A man who owned land planted grapes in a field and put a fence around it. He made a place for making wine. He built a tower to look over the grape-field. He let farmers rent it and then he went into another country. ³⁴ The time came for gathering the grapes. He sent his servants to the farmers to get the grapes. ³⁵ The farmers took his servants and hit one. They killed another and threw stones at another. ³⁶ Again he sent other servants. He sent more than the first time. The farmers did the same to those servants. ³⁷ After this he sent his son to them. He said to himself, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸ When the farmers saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the one who will get everything when the owner dies. Let us kill him and we will get it all.’ ³⁹ They took him and threw him out of the grape-field and killed him. ⁴⁰ When the owner of the grape-field comes, what will he do to those farmers?” ⁴¹ They said to Him, “He will put those bad men to death. Then he will rent the grape-field to other farmers who will give him the grapes when they are ready.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you not read in the Holy Writings, ‘The Stone that was put aside by the workmen has become the most important Stone in the building? The Lord has done this. We think it is great!’ ^{(O) 43} I say to you, because of this, the holy nation of God will be taken from you. It will be given to a nation that will give fruit. ⁴⁴ Whoever falls on this Stone will be broken. And on the one it falls, it will make him like dust.”

⁴⁵ When the religious leaders and the proud religious law-keepers heard this picture-story, they knew He spoke of them. ⁴⁶ When they tried to put their hands on Him, they were afraid of the many people. The people thought He was One Who spoke for God.

The Picture-Story of the Marriage Supper

22 Again Jesus spoke to them in picture-stories. He said, ² “The holy nation of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding supper for his son. ³ He sent his servants to tell the people, who had been asked, to come to the supper. But the people did not want to come.

⁴ “He sent other servants, saying to them, ‘Tell those who have been asked to come, “See! My supper is ready. My cows and fat calves are killed. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding supper!”’ ⁵ But they did not listen and went on working. One went to his farm. Another went to his store. ⁶ The others took hold of his servants, and hurt them and killed them.

⁷ “When the king heard this, he was very angry. He sent his soldiers to put those to death who had killed his servants. He burned their city. ⁸ Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding supper is ready. Those who were asked to come to the supper were not good enough. ⁹ Go out into the roads and as many people as you can find, ask them to come to the wedding supper.’

¹⁰ “The servants went out into the roads and brought all they could find, both bad and good. The wedding supper room was full of people. ¹¹ The king came in to see those who had come. He saw one man who did not have on wedding supper clothes. ¹² He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding supper clothes?’ The man could not speak! ¹³ Then the king said to his servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet, and throw him out into the darkness. In that place there will be loud crying and grinding of teeth.’ ¹⁴ For many are called but few are chosen.”

The Proud Religious Law-Keepers Try to Trap Jesus ^(P)

¹⁵ Then the proud religious law-keepers got together to think how they could trap Jesus in His talk. ¹⁶ They sent their followers to Jesus with some of King Herod’s men. They asked, “Teacher, we know that You are true. We know that You are teaching the truth about God. We know You are not afraid of what men think or say about You. ¹⁷ Tell us what You think of this. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” ¹⁸ Jesus knew their sinful thoughts and said, “You pretend to be someone you are not! Why do you try to trap Me? ¹⁹ Show Me a piece of money.” They brought Him a piece. ²⁰ Jesus said to them, “Whose picture is this? Whose name is on it?” ²¹ They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Pay to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar. Pay to God the things that belong to God.” ²² When they heard this, they were surprised and wondered about it. Then they went away from Him.

They Ask about Being Raised from the Dead ^(Q)

²³ The same day some people from the religious group who believe no one will be raised from the dead came to Jesus. They asked, ²⁴ “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man should die without having children, then his brother must marry his wife. He should have children for his brother.’ ^{(R) 25} There were seven brothers with us. The first was married but died before he had any children. The second brother then married the first brother’s wife. ²⁶ The second brother died and the same with the third and on to the seventh. ²⁷ Then the woman died also. ²⁸ When people are raised from the dead, whose wife will she be of the seven? They all had her for a wife.”

²⁹ Jesus said to them, “You are wrong because you do not know the Holy Writings or the power of God. ³⁰ After people are raised from the dead, they do not marry. They are like the angels in heaven. ³¹ Have you not read what God said to you about those who are raised from the dead? He said, ³² ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead but of the living!” ^{(S) 33} When the people heard this, they were surprised and wondered about His teaching.

The Great Law ^(T)

³⁴ The proud religious law-keepers got together when they heard that the religious group of people who believe no one will be raised from the dead were not able to talk anymore to Jesus. ³⁵ A proud religious law-keeper who knew the Law tried to trap Jesus. He said, ³⁶ “Teacher, which one is the greatest of the Laws?” ³⁷ Jesus said to him, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest of the Laws. ³⁹ The second is like it, ‘You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Laws and the writings of the early preachers depend on these two most important Laws.”

⁴¹ The proud religious law-keepers were gathered together. Then Jesus asked, ⁴² “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” ⁴³ Jesus said to them, “Then how is it that David, being led by the Holy Spirit, calls Him ‘Lord’? He said, ⁴⁴ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right side until I make those who hate You a place to rest Your feet.”’ ^{(U) 45} If David calls Him ‘Lord,’ then how can He be the Son of David?” ⁴⁶ No one could answer a word, and after that day no one asked Him anything.

The Teachers of the Law and the Proud Religious Law-Keepers ^(V)

23 Then Jesus talked to the many people and to His followers. ² He said, “The teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers have put themselves in Moses’ place as teachers. ³ Do what they tell you to do and keep on doing it. But do not follow what they do. They preach but do not obey their own preaching. ⁴ They make heavy loads and put them on the shoulders of men. But they will not help lift them with a finger. ⁵ Everything they do, they do to be seen of men. They have words from the Holy Writings written in large letters on their left arm and forehead and they make wide trimming for their clothes. ⁶ They like to have the important places at big suppers and the best seats in the Jewish places of worship. ⁷ They like to have people show respect to them as they stand in the center of town where people gather. They like to be called teacher.

⁸ “But you are not to be called teacher. There is only one Teacher, and all of you are brothers. ⁹ Do not call any man here on earth your father. There is only one Father and He is in heaven. ¹⁰ You are not to be called leader. There is only one Leader and He is Christ.

¹¹ “He who is greatest among you will be the one to care for you. ¹² The person who thinks he is important will find out how little he is worth. The person who is not trying to honor himself will be made important.

Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Proud Religious Law-Keepers

¹³ “It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You keep men from going into the holy nation of heaven. You are not going in yourselves, and you do not allow those to go in who are about to go in. ¹⁴ It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! (*You take houses from poor women whose husbands have died. Then you try to cover it up by making long prayers. You will be punished all the more because of this.) ¹⁵ It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You go over land and sea to win one follower. When you have him, you make him twice as much a child of hell as you are.

¹⁶ “It is bad for you, blind leaders! You say, ‘Whoever makes a promise by the house of God, his promise is worth nothing. But whoever makes a promise by the gold of the house of God, then his promise has to be kept.’ ¹⁷ You fools and blind men! Which is greater, the gold or the house of God that makes the gold holy? ¹⁸ You say, ‘Whoever will promise by the altar, his promise does not have to be kept. But whoever makes a promise by the gift on the altar, then his promise has to be kept.’ ¹⁹ You fools and blind men! Which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift holy? ²⁰ Whoever makes a promise by the altar, promises by it and by everything on it. ²¹ Whoever makes a promise by the house of God, promises by it and by Him Who is in it. ²² Whoever makes a promise by heaven, promises by the throne of God and by Him Who sits there.

²³ “It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You give one-tenth part of your spices, and have not done the most important things of the Law, such as thinking what is right and wrong, and having pity and faith. These you should have done and still have done the other things also. ²⁴ You blind leaders, you take a small bug out of your cup but you swallow a camel!

²⁵ “It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You clean the outside of the cup and plate, but leave the inside full of strong bad desires and are not able to keep from doing sinful things. ²⁶ You blind proud religious law-keepers! Clean the inside of the cup and plate, then the outside will be clean also.

²⁷ “It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You are like graves that have been made white and look beautiful on the outside. But inside you are full of the bones of dead men and of every sinful thing. ²⁸ As men look at you, you seem to be good and right but inside you are full of sin. You pretend to be someone you are not.

²⁹ “It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers, you who pretend to be someone you are not! You make buildings for the graves of the early preachers, and you make the graves beautiful of those who are right with God. ³⁰ You say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our early fathers, we would not have helped kill the early preachers.’ ³¹ In this way, you are showing that you are the sons of those who killed the early preachers. ³² You might as well finish what your early fathers did. ³³ You snakes! You family of snakes! How can you be kept from hell?

³⁴ “Because of this, I am going to keep on sending to you men who speak for God and wise men and teachers of the Law. Some of them you will kill and nail to a cross. Some of them you will beat in your places of worship. You will make it very hard for them as they go from city to city. ³⁵ Because of this, you will be guilty of the blood of all those right with God on the earth. It will be from the blood of Abel who was right with God to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachias. He was the one you killed between the house of God and the altar. ³⁶ For sure, I tell you, all these things will come on the people of this day.

Jesus Sorrows Over Jerusalem

³⁷ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the men who speak for God and throw stones at those who were sent to you. How many times I wanted to gather your children around Me, as a chicken gathers her young ones under her wings. But you would not let Me. ³⁸ See! Your house is empty. ³⁹ I say to you, you will not see Me again until you will say, ‘Great is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Jesus Tells of the House of God ^(W)

24 Jesus went out of the house of God. On the way His followers came to Him to show Him the buildings of the house of God. ² Jesus said to them, “Do you see all these things? For sure, I tell you, all these stones will be thrown down. Not one will be left standing on another.”

Jesus Teaches on the Mount of Olives

³ Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. The followers came to Him when He was alone and said, “Tell us, when will this happen? What can we look for to show us of Your coming and of the end of the world?”

⁴ Jesus said to them, “Be careful that no one leads you the wrong way. ⁵ Many people will come using My name. They will say, ‘I am Christ.’ They will fool many people and will turn them to the wrong way. ⁶ You will hear of wars and lots of talk about wars, but do not be afraid. These things must happen, but it is not the end yet. ⁷ Nations will have wars with other nations. Countries will fight against countries. There will be no food for people. The earth will shake and break apart in different places. ⁸ These things are the beginning of sorrows and pains.

⁹ “Then they will hand you over to be hurt. They will kill you. You will be hated by all the world because of My name. ¹⁰ Many people will give up and turn away at this time. People will hand over each other. They will hate each other. ¹¹ Many false religious teachers will come. They will fool many people and will turn them to the wrong way. ¹² Because of people breaking the laws and sin being everywhere, the love in the hearts of many people will become cold. ¹³ But the one who stays true to the end will be saved.

¹⁴ “This Good News about the holy nation of God must be preached over all the earth. It must be told to all nations and then the end will come.

Days of Trouble and Pain and Sorrow

¹⁵ “You will see a sinful man-made god standing in the house of God in Jerusalem. It was spoken of by the early preacher Daniel. ^(X) The one who reads this should understand it. ¹⁶ Then those in the country of Judea should run to the mountains. ¹⁷ The man who is on the top of his house should not come down to take anything out of his house. ¹⁸ The man who is in the field should not go back to get his coat. ¹⁹ It will be hard for a woman who will soon be a mother. It will be hard for the ones feeding babies in those days! ²⁰ Pray that you will not have to go in the winter or on the Day of Rest. ²¹ In those days there will be very much trouble and pain and sorrow. It has never been this bad from the beginning of the world and never will be again. ²² If the time had not been made short, no life would have been saved. Because of God’s people, the time will be made short.

The False Religious Teachers

²³ “If anyone says to you, ‘See! Here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ People who say they are Christ and false preachers will come. They will do special things for people to see. They will do great things, so that if it can be done, God’s people will be fooled to believe something wrong. ²⁵ Listen! I have told you before it comes. ²⁶ If they tell you, ‘See! He is in the desert,’ do not go to see. Or if they say, ‘See! He is in the inside room,’ do not believe them. ²⁷ The Son of Man will come as fast as lightning shines across the sky from east to west. ²⁸ Birds gather wherever there is a dead body.

Jesus Will Come Again in His Shining-Greatness

²⁹ “As soon as those days of trouble and pain and sorrow are over, the sun will get dark. The moon will not give light. The stars will fall from the sky. The powers in the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then something special will be seen in the sky telling of the Son of Man. All nations of the earth will have sorrow. They will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the sky with power and shining-greatness. ³¹ He will send His angels with the loud sound of a horn. They will gather God’s people together from the four winds. They will come from one end of the heavens to the other.

The Picture-Story of the Fig Tree

³² “Now learn something from the fig tree. When the branch begins to grow and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ In the same way, when you see all these things happen, you know the Son of Man is near, even at the door. ³⁴ For sure, I tell you, the people of this day will not pass away before all these things have happened.

No One Knows When Jesus Will Come Again

³⁵ “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. ³⁶ But no one knows the day or the hour. No! Not even the angels in heaven know. The Son does not know. Only the Father knows.

³⁷ “When the Son of Man comes, it will be the same as when Noah lived. ³⁸ In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking. They were marrying and being given in marriage. This kept on until the day Noah went into the large boat. ³⁹ They did not know what was happening until the flood came and the water carried them all away. It will be like this when the Son of Man comes.

⁴⁰ “Two men will be working in a field. One will be taken and the other will be left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding grain. One will be taken and the other will be left.

⁴² “Because of this, watch! You do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of a house had known when the robber was coming, he would have watched. He would not have allowed his house to have been broken into. ⁴⁴ You must be ready also. The Son of Man is coming at a time when you do not think He will come.

Faithful Servants and Servants Who Are Not Faithful

⁴⁵ “Who is the faithful and wise servant whom his owner has made boss over the other servants? He is to have food ready for them at the right time. ⁴⁶ That servant is happy who is doing what his owner wants him to do when he comes back. ⁴⁷ For sure, I tell you, he will make him boss over all that he has. ⁴⁸ But if that servant is bad, he will think, ‘The owner will not come soon.’ ⁴⁹ He will beat the others. He will eat and drink with those who are drunk. ⁵⁰ The owner will come on a day and at an hour when the servant is not looking for him. ⁵¹ The owner will punish the servant and will give him his place with those who pretend to be someone they are not. There will be loud crying and grinding of teeth.

The Picture-Story of Ten Young Women

25 “At that time the holy nation of heaven will be like ten women who have never had men. They took their lamps and went out to meet the man soon to be married. ² Five of them were wise and five were foolish. ³ The foolish women took their lamps but did not take oil with them. ⁴ The wise women took oil in a jar with their lamps. ⁵ They all went to sleep because the man to be married did not come for a long time.

⁶ “At twelve o’clock in the night there was a loud call, ‘See! The man soon to be married is coming! Go out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all the women got up and made their lamps brighter. ⁸ The foolish women said to the wise women, ‘Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise women said, ‘No! There will not be enough for us and you. Go to the store and buy oil for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ While they were gone to buy oil, the man soon to be married came. Those who were ready went in with him to the marriage. The door was shut.

¹¹ “Later the foolish women came. They said, ‘Sir, Sir, open the door for us!’ ¹² But he said to them, ‘For sure, I tell you, I do not know you!’ ¹³ So watch! You do not know what day or what hour the Son of Man is coming.

The Picture-Story of the Three Servants and the Money

¹⁴ “For the holy nation of heaven is like a man who was going to a country far away. He called together the servants he owned and gave them his money to use. ¹⁵ He gave to one servant five pieces of money worth much. He gave to another servant two pieces of money worth much. He gave to another servant one piece of money worth much. He gave to each one as he was able to use it. Then he went on his trip. ¹⁶ The servant who had the five pieces of money went out to the stores and traded until he made five more pieces. ¹⁷ The servant who had two pieces of money did the same thing. He made two more pieces. ¹⁸ The servant who had received the one piece of money went and hid the money in a hole in the ground. He hid his owner’s money.

¹⁹ “After a long time the owner of those servants came back. He wanted to know what had been done with his money. ²⁰ The one who had received the five pieces of money worth much came and handed him five pieces more. He said, ‘Sir, you gave me five pieces of money. See! I used it and made five more pieces.’ ²¹ His owner said to him, ‘You have done well. You are a good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will put many things in your care. Come and share my joy.’ ²² The one who received two pieces of money worth much came also. He said, ‘Sir, you gave me two pieces of money. See! I used it and made two more pieces.’ ²³ His owner said to him, ‘You have done well. You are a good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will put many things in your care. Come and share my joy.’ ²⁴ The one who had received one piece of money worth much came. He said, ‘Sir, I know that you are a hard man. You gather grain where you have not planted. You take up where you have not spread out. ²⁵ I was afraid and I hid your money in the ground. See! Here is your money.’ ²⁶ His owner said to him, ‘You bad and lazy servant. You knew that I gather grain where I have not planted. You knew that I take up where I have not spread out. ²⁷ You should have taken my money to the bank. When I came back, I could have had my own money and what the bank paid for using it. ²⁸ Take the one piece of money from him. Give it to the one who has ten pieces of money.’ ²⁹ For the man who has will have more given to him. He will have more than enough. The man who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ Throw the bad servant out into the darkness. There will be loud crying and grinding of teeth.

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His shining-greatness, He will sit down on His throne of greatness. All the angels will be with Him. ³² All the nations of the earth will be gathered before Him. He will divide them from each other as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on His right side, but the goats He will put on His left side.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on His right side, ‘Come, you who have been called by My Father. Come into the holy nation that has been made ready for you before the world was made. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave Me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave Me water to drink. I was a stranger and you gave Me a room. ³⁶ I had no clothes and you gave Me clothes to wear. I was sick and you cared for Me. I was in prison and you came to see Me.’

³⁷ “Then those that are right with God will say, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You? When did we see You thirsty and give You a drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and give You a room? When did we see You had no clothes and we gave You clothes? ³⁹ And when did we see You sick or in prison and we came to You?’ ⁴⁰ Then the King will say, ‘For sure, I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of My brothers, you have done it to Me.’

⁴¹ “Then the King will say to those on His left side, ‘Go away from Me! You are guilty! Go into the fire that lasts forever. It has been made ready for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry but you did not give Me food to eat. I was thirsty but you did not give Me water to drink. ⁴³ I was a stranger but you did not give Me a room. I had no clothes but you did not give Me clothes. I was sick and in prison but you did not come to see Me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they will ask, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger? When did we see You without clothes or sick or in prison and did not care for You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will say to them, ‘For sure, I tell you, because you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ These will go to the place where they will be punished forever. But those right with God will have life that lasts forever.”