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Matthew 18:18-22:14
English Standard Version
Matthew 18:18-22:14
English Standard Version
18 Truly, I say to you, (A)whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[a] in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you (B)agree on earth about anything they ask, (C)it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are (D)gathered in my name, (E)there am I among them.”
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often (F)will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? (G)As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished (H)to settle accounts with his servants.[b] 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him (I)ten thousand (J)talents.[c] 25 (K)And since he could not pay, his master ordered him (L)to be sold, with his wife and (M)children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant[d] (N)fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and (O)forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred (P)denarii,[e] and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 (Q)And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 (R)And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,[f] (S)until he should pay all his debt. 35 (T)So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother (U)from your heart.”
Teaching About Divorce
19 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from (V)Galilee and (W)entered (X)the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And (Y)large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 And Pharisees came up to him and (Z)tested him by asking, (AA)“Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, (AB)“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, (AC)‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and (AD)the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. (AE)What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, (AF)“Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your (AG)hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 (AH)And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”[g]
10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, (AI)“Not everyone can receive this saying, but only (AJ)those to (AK)whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs (AL)for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”
Let the Children Come to Me
13 (AM)Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples (AN)rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, (AO)“Let the little children (AP)come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.
The Rich Young Man
16 (AQ)And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to (AR)have (AS)eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. (AT)If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, (AU)“You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, (AV)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, (AW)“All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be (AX)perfect, go, (AY)sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have (AZ)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 (BA)When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, (BB)only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 (BC)Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter (BD)the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus (BE)looked at them and said, (BF)“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, (BG)we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world,[h] (BH)when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me (BI)will also sit on twelve thrones, (BJ)judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 (BK)And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold[i] and will (BL)inherit eternal life. 30 But (BM)many who are (BN)first will be last, and the last first.
Laborers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius[j] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And (BO)about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And (BP)when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his (BQ)foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and (BR)the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, (BS)‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take (BT)what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 (BU)Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or (BV)do you begrudge my generosity?’[k] 16 So (BW)the last will be first, and the first last.”
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
17 (BX)And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, (BY)we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will (BZ)condemn him to death 19 and (CA)deliver him over to the Gentiles (CB)to be mocked and flogged and (CC)crucified, and he will be raised on (CD)the third day.”
A Mother's Request
20 (CE)Then (CF)the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and (CG)kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine (CH)are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, (CI)in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, (CJ)“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able (CK)to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, (CL)“You will drink (CM)my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, (CN)but it is for those for whom it has been (CO)prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, (CP)“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles (CQ)lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 (CR)It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[l] 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,[m] 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but (CS)to serve, and (CT)to give his life as a ransom for (CU)many.”
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
29 (CV)And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord,[n] have mercy on us, (CW)Son of David!” 31 The crowd (CX)rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
The Triumphal Entry
21 (CY)Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to (CZ)the Mount of Olives, then Jesus (DA)sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place (DB)to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 (DC)“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
(DD)humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt,[o] the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd (DE)spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, (DF)“Hosanna to (DG)the Son of David! (DH)Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna (DI)in the highest!” 10 And (DJ)when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is (DK)the prophet Jesus, (DL)from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
12 (DM)And Jesus entered the temple[p] and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of (DN)the money-changers and the seats of those who sold (DO)pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, (DP)‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but (DQ)you make it a den of robbers.”
14 (DR)And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 (DS)But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, (DT)“Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; (DU)have you never read,
17 And (DX)leaving them, he (DY)went out of the city to (DZ)Bethany and lodged there.
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
18 (EA)In the morning, as he was returning to the city, (EB)he became hungry. 19 (EC)And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.
20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, (ED)“Truly, I say to you, (EE)if you have faith and (EF)do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, (EG)‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And (EH)whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, (EI)if you have faith.”
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
23 (EJ)And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him (EK)as he was teaching, and said, (EL)“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, (EM)from where did it come? (EN)From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, (EO)‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ (EP)we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was (EQ)a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 (ER)“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in (ES)the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he (ET)changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, (EU)the tax collectors and (EV)the prostitutes go into (EW)the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you (EX)in the way of righteousness, and (EY)you did not believe him, but (EZ)the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward (FA)change your minds and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants
33 (FB)“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted (FC)a vineyard (FD)and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and (FE)leased it to tenants, and (FF)went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants[q] to the tenants (FG)to get his fruit. 35 (FH)And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and (FI)stoned another. 36 (FJ)Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, (FK)‘This is the heir. Come, (FL)let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and (FM)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 (FN)When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, (FO)“He will put those wretches to a miserable death and (FP)let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus said to them, (FQ)“Have you never read in the Scriptures:
(FR)“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;[r]
this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God (FS)will be taken away from you and given to a people (FT)producing its fruits. 44 And (FU)the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and (FV)when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”[s]
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And (FW)although they were seeking to arrest him, (FX)they feared the crowds, because they held him to be (FY)a prophet.
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
22 And again Jesus (FZ)spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 (GA)“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave (GB)a wedding feast for his son, 3 and (GC)sent his servants[t] to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 (GD)Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my (GE)dinner, (GF)my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But (GG)they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, (GH)treated them shamefully, and (GI)killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and (GJ)destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not (GK)worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and (GL)gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there (GM)a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, (GN)‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and (GO)cast him into the outer darkness. In that place (GP)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are (GQ)called, but few are (GR)chosen.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 18:18 Or shall have been bound… shall have been loosed
- Matthew 18:23 Or bondservants; also verses 28, 31
- Matthew 18:24 A talent was a monetary unit worth about twenty years' wages for a laborer
- Matthew 18:26 Or bondservant; also verses 27, 28, 29, 32, 33
- Matthew 18:28 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
- Matthew 18:34 Greek torturers
- Matthew 19:9 Some manuscripts add and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery; other manuscripts except for sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery
- Matthew 19:28 Greek in the regeneration
- Matthew 19:29 Some manuscripts manifold
- Matthew 20:2 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
- Matthew 20:15 Or is your eye bad because I am good?
- Matthew 20:26 Greek diakonos
- Matthew 20:27 Or bondservant, or servant (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface)
- Matthew 20:30 Some manuscripts omit Lord
- Matthew 21:5 Or donkey, and on a colt
- Matthew 21:12 Some manuscripts add of God
- Matthew 21:34 Or bondservants; also verses 35, 36
- Matthew 21:42 Greek the head of the corner
- Matthew 21:44 Some manuscripts omit verse 44
- Matthew 22:3 Or bondservants; also verses 4, 6, 8, 10
Matthew 18:18-22:14
New International Version
Matthew 18:18-22:14
New International Version
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be[a] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[b] loosed in heaven.(A)
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them(B) by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”(C)
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?(D) Up to seven times?”(E)
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[c](F)
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like(G) a king who wanted to settle accounts(H) with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[d] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay,(I) the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold(J) to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him.(K) ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.[e] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”(L)
Divorce(M)
19 When Jesus had finished saying these things,(N) he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them(O) there.
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife(P) for any and every reason?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’[f](Q) 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’[g]?(R) 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”(S)
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”(T)
10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.(U) 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
The Little Children and Jesus(V)
13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them(W) and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs(X) to such as these.”(Y) 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
The Rich and the Kingdom of God(Z)
16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life(AA)?”(AB)
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”(AC)
18 “Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery,(AD) you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’[h](AE) and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[i]”(AF)
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect,(AG) go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,(AH) and you will have treasure in heaven.(AI) Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich(AJ) to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(AK)
27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you!(AL) What then will there be for us?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,(AM) you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.(AN) 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[j] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.(AO) 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.(AP)
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like(AQ) a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.(AR) 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[k] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came,(AS) the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble(AT) against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat(AU) of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend.(AV) Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’(AW)
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”(AX)
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time(AY)
17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem,(AZ) and the Son of Man(BA) will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law.(BB) They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged(BC) and crucified.(BD) On the third day(BE) he will be raised to life!”(BF)
A Mother’s Request(BG)
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons(BH) came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down,(BI) asked a favor of him.
21 “What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”(BJ)
22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup(BK) I am going to drink?”
“We can,” they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup,(BL) but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant(BM) with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,(BN) 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man(BO) did not come to be served, but to serve,(BP) and to give his life as a ransom(BQ) for many.”
Two Blind Men Receive Sight(BR)
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David,(BS) have mercy on us!”
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King(BT)(BU)
21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,(BV) Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill(BW) what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[l](BX)
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks(BY) on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet(CC) from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus at the Temple(CD)
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying(CE) and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers(CF) and the benches of those selling doves.(CG) 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[p](CH) but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[q]”(CI)
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.(CJ) 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,”(CK) they were indignant.(CL)
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany,(CN) where he spent the night.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree(CO)
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.(CP)
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt,(CQ) not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for(CR) in prayer.”
The Authority of Jesus Questioned(CS)
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority(CT) are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”(CU)
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’(CV)
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors(CW) and the prostitutes(CX) are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness,(CY) and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors(CZ) and the prostitutes(DA) did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent(DB) and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants(DC)
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted(DD) a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower.(DE) Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.(DF) 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants(DG) to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.(DH) 36 Then he sent other servants(DI) to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir.(DJ) Come, let’s kill him(DK) and take his inheritance.’(DL) 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,”(DM) they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,(DN) who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’[s]?(DO)
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you(DP) and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”[t](DQ)
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.(DR)
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet(DS)
22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like(DT) a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants(DU) to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4 “Then he sent some more servants(DV) and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers(DW) and burned their city.
8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners(DX) and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good,(DY) and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend(DZ)?’ The man was speechless.
13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’(EA)
14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”(EB)
Footnotes
- Matthew 18:18 Or will have been
- Matthew 18:18 Or will have been
- Matthew 18:22 Or seventy times seven
- Matthew 18:24 Greek ten thousand talents; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wages.
- Matthew 18:28 Greek a hundred denarii; a denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see 20:2).
- Matthew 19:4 Gen. 1:27
- Matthew 19:5 Gen. 2:24
- Matthew 19:19 Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20
- Matthew 19:19 Lev. 19:18
- Matthew 19:29 Some manuscripts do not have or wife.
- Matthew 20:2 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.
- Matthew 21:5 Zech. 9:9
- Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
- Matthew 21:9 Psalm 118:25,26
- Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
- Matthew 21:13 Isaiah 56:7
- Matthew 21:13 Jer. 7:11
- Matthew 21:16 Psalm 8:2 (see Septuagint)
- Matthew 21:42 Psalm 118:22,23
- Matthew 21:44 Some manuscripts do not have verse 44.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.