Luke 19:45-20:8

English Standard Version

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

^45 (A)And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, ⁴⁶ saying to them, “It is written, ^(B)‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but ^(C)you have made it a den of robbers.”

^47 (D)And he was teaching daily in the temple. ^(E)The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, ⁴⁸ but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

20 ^(F)One day, ^(G)as Jesus^[a] was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, ^(H)the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up ² and said to him, “Tell us ^(I)by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” ³ He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, ⁴ was the baptism of John ^(J)from heaven or from man?” ⁵ And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ^(K)‘Why did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was ^(L)a prophet.” ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it came from. ⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”