The Authority of Jesus Challenged

20 ^(A)One day, ^(B)as Jesus^[a] was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, ^(C)the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up ² and said to him, “Tell us ^(D)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 ^(E)from heaven or from man?” ⁵ And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ^(F)‘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 ^(G)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.”

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

^9 (H)And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted ^(I)a vineyard and ^(J)let it out to tenants and ^(K)went into another country for a long while. ¹⁰ When the time came, he sent a servant^[b] to the tenants, so that ^(L)they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. ^(M)But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ^11 (N)And ^(O)he sent another servant. But they also beat and ^(P)treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ^12 (Q)And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. ¹³ Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my ^(R)beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ ¹⁴ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ^(S)‘This is the heir. ^(T)Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵ And they ^(U)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ^16 (V)He will ^(W)come and destroy those tenants and ^(X)give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” ¹⁷ But he ^(Y)looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

^18 (AA)Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls ^(AB)on anyone, it will crush him.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

^19 (AC)The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. ^20 (AD)So they ^(AE)watched him and sent spies, who ^(AF)pretended to be sincere, that they might ^(AG)catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of ^(AH)the governor. ²¹ So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and ^(AI)show no partiality,^[d] but truly teach ^(AJ)the way of God. ²² Is it lawful for us to give ^(AK)tribute to ^(AL)Caesar, or not?” ²³ But he perceived their ^(AM)craftiness, and said to them, ²⁴ “Show me ^(AN)a denarius.^[e] Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar's.” ²⁵ He said to them, “Then ^(AO)render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” ²⁶ And they were not able in the presence of the people ^(AP)to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

²⁷ There came to him ^(AQ)some Sadducees, ^(AR)those who deny that there is a resurrection, ²⁸ and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us ^(AS)that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man^[f] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰ And the second ³¹ and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. ³² Afterward the woman also died. ³³ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

³⁴ And Jesus said to them, ^(AT)“The sons of this age ^(AU)marry and ^(AV)are given in marriage, ³⁵ but those who are ^(AW)considered worthy to attain to ^(AX)that age and to the resurrection from the dead ^(AY)neither marry ^(AZ)nor are given in marriage, ³⁶ for ^(BA)they cannot die anymore, because they are ^(BB)equal to angels and ^(BC)are ^(BD)sons of God, being ^(BE)sons^[g] of the resurrection. ³⁷ But that the dead are raised, ^(BF)even Moses showed, in ^(BG)the passage about the bush, where he calls ^(BH)the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all ^(BI)live to him.” ³⁹ Then some of the scribes ^(BJ)answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ For ^(BK)they no longer dared to ask him any question.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

^41 (BL)But he said to them, “How can they say that ^(BM)the Christ is ^(BN)David's son? ⁴² For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

⁴⁴ David thus calls him Lord, so ^(BQ)how is he his son?”

Beware of the Scribes

^45 (BR)And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, ⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and ^(BS)the places of honor at feasts, ^47 (BT)who devour widows' houses and ^(BU)for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

The Widow's Offering

21 ^(BV)Jesus^[h] looked up and saw the rich ^(BW)putting their gifts into ^(BX)the offering box, ² and he saw a poor widow put in two ^(BY)small copper coins.^{[i] 3} And he said, “Truly, I tell you, ^(BZ)this poor widow has put in more than all of them. ⁴ For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her ^(CA)poverty put in all ^(CB)she had to live on.”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

^5 (CC)And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, ⁶ “As for these things that you see, ^(CD)the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” ⁷ And they asked him, “Teacher, ^(CE)when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” ⁸ And he said, ^(CF)“See that you are not led astray. For ^(CG)many will come in my name, saying, ^(CH)‘I am he!’ and, ^(CI)‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. ⁹ And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be ^(CJ)terrified, for these things ^(CK)must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution

¹⁰ Then he said to them, ^(CL)“Nation will rise against nation, and ^(CM)kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great ^(CN)earthquakes, and in various places ^(CO)famines and pestilences. And there will be ^(CP)terrors and great ^(CQ)signs from heaven. ¹² But before all this ^(CR)they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to ^(CS)the synagogues and ^(CT)prisons, and you ^(CU)will be brought before ^(CV)kings and ^(CW)governors for my name's sake. ^13 (CX)This will be your opportunity to bear witness. ¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your minds ^(CY)not to meditate beforehand how to answer, ¹⁵ for ^(CZ)I will give you a mouth and ^(DA)wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or ^(DB)contradict. ¹⁶ You will be delivered up ^(DC)even by parents and brothers^[j] and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. ^17 (DD)You will be hated by all for my name's sake. ¹⁸ But ^(DE)not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹ By your ^(DF)endurance you will gain your lives.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem

²⁰ “But ^(DG)when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that ^(DH)its desolation has come near. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, ²² for these are ^(DI)days of ^(DJ)vengeance, to fulfill ^(DK)all that is written. ^23 (DL)Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and ^(DM)wrath against this people. ²⁴ They will fall by the edge of the sword and ^(DN)be led captive among all nations, and ^(DO)Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, ^(DP)until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁵ “And ^(DQ)there will be signs in sun and moon ^(DR)and stars, and on the earth ^(DS)distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, ²⁶ people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For ^(DT)the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ And then they will see ^(DU)the Son of Man coming in a cloud ^(DV)with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and ^(DW)raise your heads, because ^(DX)your redemption is drawing near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁹ And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰ As soon as they come out in leaf, you see ^(DY)for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. ³¹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ^32 (DZ)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. ^33 (EA)Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^(EB)my words will not pass away.

Watch Yourselves

³⁴ “But watch yourselves ^(EC)lest ^(ED)your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and ^(EE)cares of this life, and ^(EF)that day come upon you suddenly ^(EG)like a trap. ³⁵ For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ But ^(EH)stay awake at all times, ^(EI)praying that you may ^(EJ)have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and ^(EK)to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷ And ^(EL)every day he was teaching in the temple, but ^(EM)at night he went out and lodged on ^(EN)the mount called Olivet. ³⁸ And early in the morning ^(EO)all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.

Israel Has Not Returned to the Lord

A Time for Everything

3 For everything there is a season, and ^(A)a time for every matter under heaven:

The God-Given Task

⁹ What ^(M)gain has the worker from his toil? ¹⁰ I have seen ^(N)the business that ^(O)God has given to the children of man to be busy with. ¹¹ He has ^(P)made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot ^(Q)find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. ¹² I perceived that there is ^(R)nothing better for them than to be joyful and to ^(S)do good as long as they live; ¹³ also ^(T)that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is ^(U)God's gift to man.

¹⁴ I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; ^(V)nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. ¹⁵ That which is, ^(W)already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God ^(X)seeks what has been driven away.^[a]

From Dust to Dust

¹⁶ Moreover, ^(Y)I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even ^(Z)there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. ¹⁷ I said in my heart, ^(AA)God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is ^(AB)a time for every matter and for every work. ¹⁸ I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but ^(AC)beasts. ^19 (AD)For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.^{[b] 20} All go to one place. All are from ^(AE)the dust, and to dust all return. ²¹ Who knows whether ^(AF)the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? ²² So I saw that there is ^(AG)nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for ^(AH)that is his lot. Who can bring him to see ^(AI)what will be after him?