Chapter 19

Jesus and Zacchaeus, the Rich Tax Collector.^{[a] 1} Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. ² A man there, named Zacchaeus, was a chief tax collector and a rich man. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but since he was short in stature, he could not see him because of the crowd. ⁴ Therefore, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to catch a glimpse of him for he was going to pass that way.

⁵ When he reached that spot, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ Zacchaeus came down quickly and welcomed him joyfully.

⁷ When the people observed this, they began to complain, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ⁸ But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, I intend to give half of everything I possess to the poor, and if I have defrauded someone of anything, I will repay that amount four times over.”

⁹ Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man has come to seek out and to save what was lost.”

¹¹ The Parable of the Ten Gold Coins.^[b] While the people were listening to him speak, Jesus went on to tell them a parable, because now he was near Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdom of God might appear immediately. ¹² He said, “A man of noble birth was preparing to go to a distant country to receive a kingdom and then return. ¹³ So he summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins,^[c] instructing them, ‘Trade with the money I have given you until I return.’ ¹⁴ But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him to give this message, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’

¹⁵ “When he returned after having been made king, he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money to ascertain what profit they had made through their trading. ¹⁶ The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your money has increased tenfold in value.’ ¹⁷ He said to him, ‘Well done, my good servant. Because you have proved trustworthy in this very small matter, you shall be in charge of ten cities.’

¹⁸ “Next, the second servant came forward and said, ‘Sir, your money has increased fivefold in value.’ ¹⁹ He said to him, ‘You shall be in charge of five cities.’

²⁰ “Then the third one came forward, saying, ‘Sir, here is your money. I kept it wrapped up in a handkerchief. ²¹ For I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put down, and you reap what you did not sow.’

²² “The master said to him, ‘I will condemn you by your own words, you wicked servant. You knew I was a hard man, taking out what I did not put down, and reaping what I did not sow. ²³ Why then did you not deposit my money into a bank so that on my return I could have drawn it out with interest?’

²⁴ “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take the money from him and give it to the one with the ten gold coins.’ ²⁵ They said to him, ‘But sir, he already has ten gold coins.’ ²⁶ He replied, ‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he does have will be taken away. ²⁷ But as for those enemies of mine who did not want me for their king, bring them here and put them to death in my presence.’ ”

The Activity of Jesus at Jerusalem^[d]

²⁸ Jesus Enters Jerusalem as the Messiah.^[e] After he had said this, Jesus proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent off two of the disciples, saying, ³⁰ “Go into the village directly ahead, and upon entering it, you will find tied there a colt on which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ simply say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”

³² The two disciples who had been sent went off and found everything just as he had told them. ³³ As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ They answered, “The Lord needs it.”

³⁵ Then they brought the colt to Jesus, and after spreading their cloaks over the colt, they helped Jesus to mount it. ³⁶ As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. ³⁷ And when he approached the downward path of the Mount of Olives, the entire multitude of his disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen him perform, ³⁸ proclaiming:

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” ⁴⁰ He answered, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out.”

⁴¹ The Lament over Jerusalem.^[f] As Jesus drew near and beheld the city, he wept over it, ⁴² saying, “If only you had recognized on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your sight. ⁴³ Indeed, the days will come upon you when your enemies will raise up fortifications all around you and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴ They will smash you to the ground, you and your children with you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

⁴⁵ Jesus Cleanses the Temple.^[g] Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were engaging in selling, ⁴⁶ saying to them, “It is written,

⁴⁷ Every day he was teaching in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people plotted to kill him. ⁴⁸ However, they were unable to do so because all the people hung on his every word.