The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree

20 (A)As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, (B)“Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have (C)faith in God. 23 (D)Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, (E)‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not (F)doubt in his heart, but (G)believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, (H)whatever you ask in prayer, (I)believe that you (J)have received[a] it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever (K)you stand praying, (L)forgive, (M)if you have anything against anyone, so that (N)your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”[b]

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

27 (O)And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, (P)“By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John (Q)from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, (R)‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—(S)they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was (T)a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Tenants

12 (U)And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted (V)a vineyard (W)and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and (X)leased it to tenants and (Y)went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant[c] to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. (Z)And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. (AA)Again (AB)he sent to them another servant, and (AC)they struck him on the head and (AD)treated him shamefully. (AE)And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. He had still one other, (AF)a beloved son. (AG)Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, (AH)‘This is the heir. Come, (AI)let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and (AJ)threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? (AK)He will (AL)come and destroy the tenants and (AM)give the vineyard to others. 10 (AN)Have you not read (AO)this Scripture:

(AP)“‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;[d]
11 this was the Lord's doing,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

12 And (AQ)they were seeking to arrest him (AR)but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they (AS)left him and went away.

Paying Taxes to Caesar

13 (AT)And they sent to him some of (AU)the Pharisees and some of (AV)the Herodians, to (AW)trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, (AX)we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For (AY)you are not swayed by appearances,[e] but truly teach (AZ)the way of God. Is it lawful to pay (BA)taxes to (BB)Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing (BC)their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why (BD)put me to the test? Bring me (BE)a denarius[f] and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.” 17 Jesus said to them, (BF)“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

18 And (BG)Sadducees came to him, (BH)who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that (BI)if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man[g] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because (BJ)you know neither the Scriptures nor (BK)the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither (BL)marry nor (BM)are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, (BN)have you not read in (BO)the book of Moses, in (BP)the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, (BQ)‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

The Great Commandment

28 (BR)And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, (BS)‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, (BT)the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 (BU)The second is this: (BV)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment (BW)greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that (BX)he is one, and (BY)there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all (BZ)the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, (CA)is much more than all (CB)whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (CC)And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

35 (CD)And as (CE)Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that (CF)the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, (CG)in the Holy Spirit, declared,

(CH)“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
    until I put your enemies (CI)under your feet.”’

37 David himself calls him Lord. So (CJ)how is he his son?” And the great throng (CK)heard him gladly.

Beware of the Scribes

38 (CL)And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and (CM)the places of honor at feasts, 40 (CN)who devour widows' houses and (CO)for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

The Widow's Offering

41 (CP)And he sat down opposite (CQ)the treasury and watched the people (CR)putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two (CS)small copper coins, which make a penny.[h] 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, (CT)this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her (CU)poverty has put in everything she had, all (CV)she had to live on.”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

13 (CW)And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? (CX)There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

And as he sat on (CY)the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, (CZ)Peter and James and John and (DA)Andrew asked him (DB)privately, “Tell us, (DC)when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” And Jesus began to say to them, (DD)“See that no one leads you astray. (DE)Many will come in my name, saying, (DF)‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, (DG)do not be alarmed. This (DH)must take place, but the end is not yet. For (DI)nation will rise against nation, and (DJ)kingdom against kingdom. There will be (DK)earthquakes in various places; there will be (DL)famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

(DM)“But (DN)be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten (DO)in synagogues, and you will stand before (DP)governors and (DQ)kings for my sake, (DR)to bear witness before them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed (DS)to all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, (DT)do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say (DU)whatever is given you in that hour, (DV)for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 (DW)And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 (DX)And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. (DY)But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation

14 “But when you see (DZ)the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be ((EA)let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 (EB)Let the one who is on (EC)the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, 16 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 17 And (ED)alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 18 Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19 For in those days there will be (EE)such (EF)tribulation as has not been (EG)from the beginning of the creation that (EH)God created until now, and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for (EI)the sake of the elect, whom (EJ)he chose, he shortened the days. 21 And (EK)then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 (EL)For false christs and false prophets will arise and (EM)perform signs and wonders, (EN)to lead astray, if possible, (EO)the elect. 23 But (EP)be on guard; (EQ)I have told you all things beforehand.

The Coming of the Son of Man

24 “But in those days, after (ER)that tribulation, (ES)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and (ET)the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see (EU)the Son of Man coming in clouds (EV)with great power and glory. 27 And then (EW)he will send out the angels and (EX)gather (EY)his elect from (EZ)the four winds, from (FA)the ends of the earth (FB)to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, (FC)at the very gates. 30 (FD)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 (FE)Heaven and earth will pass away, but (FF)my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day or Hour

32 “But concerning that day or that hour, (FG)no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, (FH)nor the Son, (FI)but only the Father. 33 (FJ)Be on guard, (FK)keep awake.[i] For you do not know when the time will come. 34 (FL)It is like a man (FM)going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants[j] in charge, (FN)each with his work, and commands (FO)the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 (FP)Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, (FQ)in the evening, or (FR)at midnight, or (FS)when the rooster crows,[k] or (FT)in the morning— 36 lest (FU)he come suddenly and (FV)find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: (FW)Stay awake.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

14 (FX)It was now two days before (FY)the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes (FZ)were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, “Not during the feast, (GA)lest there be an uproar from the people.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 11:24 Some manuscripts are receiving
  2. Mark 11:25 Some manuscripts add verse 26: But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses
  3. Mark 12:2 Or bondservant; also verse 4
  4. Mark 12:10 Greek the head of the corner
  5. Mark 12:14 Greek you do not look at people's faces
  6. Mark 12:15 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
  7. Mark 12:19 Greek his brother
  8. Mark 12:42 Greek two lepta, which make a kodrantes; a kodrantes (Latin quadrans) was a Roman copper coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius (which was a day's wage for a laborer)
  9. Mark 13:33 Some manuscripts add and pray
  10. Mark 13:34 Or bondservants
  11. Mark 13:35 That is, the third watch of the night, between midnight and 3 a.m.

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