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Matthew 21-24
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Jesus’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

21 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead 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, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.”[a] 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:

5 “Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
    humble and mounted on a donkey,
        and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”(A)

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd[b] spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.(B) 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
    Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”(C)

10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”(D)

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12 Then Jesus entered the temple[c] and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.(E) 13 He said to them, “It is written,

‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’
    but you are making it a den of robbers.”(F)

14 The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did and heard[d] the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry(G) 16 and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies
    you have prepared praise for yourself’?”(H)

17 He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

18 In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then 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 were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done.(I) 22 Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”(J)

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

23 When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”(K) 24 Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for all regard John as a prophet.”(L) 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’(M) 29 He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father[e] went to the second and said the same, and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.(N) 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it you did not change your minds and believe him.(O)

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

33 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went away.(P) 34 When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce.(Q) 35 But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.(R) 36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them in the same way. 37 Then he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’(S) 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”(T)

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;[f]
this was the Lord’s doing,
    and it is amazing in our eyes’?(U)

43 “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces its fruits.(V) 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”[g]

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46 They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.(W)

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

22 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.(X) 3 He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.(Y) 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’(Z) 5 But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.(AA) 8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.(AB) 9 Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad, so the wedding hall was filled with guests.(AC)

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe,(AD) 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.(AE) 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’(AF) 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The Question about Paying Taxes

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one, for you do not regard people with partiality.(AG) 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”(AH) 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, “Whose head is this and whose title?” 21 They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”(AI) 22 When they heard this, they were amazed, and they left him and went away.

The Question about the Resurrection

23 The same day some Sadducees came to him saying there is no resurrection,[h] and they asked him a question:(AJ) 24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.’(AK) 25 Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. 26 The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. 27 Last of all, the woman herself died. 28 In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.”

29 Jesus answered them, “You are wrong because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.(AL) 30 For in the resurrection people neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels of God[i] in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead but of the living.”(AM) 33 And when the crowds heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.(AN)

The Greatest Commandment

34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him.(AO) 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’(AP) 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’(AQ) 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”(AR)

The Question about David’s Son

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: 42 “What do you think of the Messiah?[j] Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”(AS) 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit[k] calls him Lord, saying,

44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
    until I put your enemies under your feet” ’?(AT)

45 “If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” 46 No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.(AU)

Jesus Denounces Scribes and Pharisees

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’s seat;(AV) 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it, but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,[l] and lay them on the shoulders of others, but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.(AW) 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others, for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.(AX) 6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues(AY) 7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters.(AZ) 9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father, the one in heaven.(BA) 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.[m] 11 The greatest among you will be your servant.(BB) 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.(BC)

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in you stop them.[n](BD) 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell[o] as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.’(BE) 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred?(BF) 18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.’ 19 How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?(BG) 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it, 21 and whoever swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by the one who dwells in it, 22 and whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.(BH)

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others.(BI) 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the plate,[p] so that the outside also may become clean.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of uncleanness. 28 So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, 30 and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. 33 You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape the judgment of hell?[q] 34 For this reason I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, 35 so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.

The Lament over Jerusalem

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you, desolate.[r] 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”(BJ)

The Destruction of the Temple Foretold

24 As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.(BK) 2 Then he asked them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”(BL)

Signs of the End of the Age

3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray.(BM) 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’[s] and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines[t] and earthquakes in various places:(BN) 8 all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

Persecutions Foretold

9 “Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name.(BO) 10 Then many will fall away,[u] and they will betray one another and hate one another.(BP) 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.(BQ) 12 And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.(BR) 14 And this good news[v] of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.(BS)

The Desolating Sacrilege

15 “So when you see the desolating sacrilege, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),(BT) 16 then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; 17 the one on the housetop must not go down to take things from the house; 18 the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. 19 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.(BU) 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved, but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.(BV) 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’[w] or ‘There he is!’—do not believe it.(BW) 24 For false messiahs[x] and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.(BX) 25 Take note, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look! He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look! He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.(BY) 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the eagles will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

29 “Immediately after the suffering of those days

the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from heaven,
    and the powers of heaven will be shaken.(BZ)

30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory.(CA) 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.(CB)

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he[y] is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.(CC) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.(CD)

The Necessity for Watchfulness

36 “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[z] but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.(CE) 38 For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so, too, will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.(CF) 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken, and one will be left. 42 Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day[aa] your Lord is coming.(CG) 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.(CH) 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.(CI)

The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave

45 “Who, then, is the faithful and wise slave whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves[ab] their allowance of food at the proper time?(CJ) 46 Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.(CK) 47 Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions.(CL) 48 But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. 51 He will cut him in pieces[ac] and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(CM)

Footnotes

  1. 21.3 Or ‘The Lord needs them and will send them back immediately.’
  2. 21.8 Or Most of the crowd
  3. 21.12 Other ancient authorities add of God
  4. 21.15 Gk lacks heard
  5. 21.30 Gk He
  6. 21.42 Or keystone (in an arch)
  7. 21.44 Other ancient authorities lack 21.44
  8. 22.23 Other ancient authorities read who say that there is no resurrection
  9. 22.30 Other ancient authorities lack of God
  10. 22.42 Or Christ
  11. 22.43 Gk in spirit
  12. 23.4 Other ancient authorities lack hard to bear
  13. 23.10 Or the Christ
  14. 23.13 Other authorities add 23.14 here (or after 23.12): Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for the sake of appearance you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation
  15. 23.15 Gk Gehenna
  16. 23.26 Other ancient authorities lack and of the plate
  17. 23.33 Gk Gehenna
  18. 23.38 Other ancient authorities lack desolate
  19. 24.5 Or the Christ
  20. 24.7 Other ancient authorities add and pestilences
  21. 24.10 Or stumble
  22. 24.14 Or gospel
  23. 24.23 Or the Christ
  24. 24.24 Or christs
  25. 24.33 Or it
  26. 24.36 Other ancient authorities lack nor the Son
  27. 24.42 Other ancient authorities read at what hour
  28. 24.45 Gk to give them
  29. 24.51 Or cut him off
Listen to Matthew 21-24
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Matthew 21-24
New International Version

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King(A)(B)

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,(C) 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(D) 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.’”[a](E)

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(F) 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,

“Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”(G)

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c](H)

“Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”(I)

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet(J) from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Jesus at the Temple(K)

12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying(L) and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers(M) and the benches of those selling doves.(N) 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[e](O) but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]”(P)

14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.(Q) 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,”(R) they were indignant.(S)

16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

“‘From the lips of children and infants
    you, Lord, have called forth your praise’[g]?”(T)

17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany,(U) where he spent the night.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree(V)

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.(W)

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,(X) 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(Y) in prayer.”

The Authority of Jesus Questioned(Z)

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(AA) 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.”(AB)

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.’(AC)

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(AD) and the prostitutes(AE) are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness,(AF) and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors(AG) and the prostitutes(AH) did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent(AI) and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants(AJ)

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted(AK) a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower.(AL) Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.(AM) 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants(AN) to the tenants to collect his fruit.

35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.(AO) 36 Then he sent other servants(AP) 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.(AQ) Come, let’s kill him(AR) and take his inheritance.’(AS) 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,”(AT) they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,(AU) 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’[h]?(AV)

43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you(AW) 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.”[i](AX)

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.(AY)

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet(AZ)

22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like(BA) a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants(BB) 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(BC) 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(BD) 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(BE) 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,(BF) 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(BG)?’ 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.’(BH)

14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”(BI)

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar(BJ)

15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.(BK) “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax[j](BL) to Caesar or not?”

18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s,(BM) and to God what is God’s.”

22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.(BN)

Marriage at the Resurrection(BO)

23 That same day the Sadducees,(BP) who say there is no resurrection,(BQ) came to him with a question. 24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.(BR) 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”

29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures(BS) or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage;(BT) they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[k]?(BU) He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.(BV)

The Greatest Commandment(BW)

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,(BX) the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law,(BY) tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[l](BZ) 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[m](CA) 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”(CB)

Whose Son Is the Messiah?(CC)

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

“The son of David,”(CD) they replied.

43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,

44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
    under your feet.”’[n](CE)

45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.(CF)

A Warning Against Hypocrisy(CG)(CH)

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law(CI) and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.(CJ)

5 “Everything they do is done for people to see:(CK) They make their phylacteries[o](CL) wide and the tassels on their garments(CM) long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;(CN) 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.(CO)

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father,(CP) and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant.(CQ) 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.(CR)

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!(CS) You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.(CT) [14] [p]

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert,(CU) and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell(CV) as you are.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides!(CW) You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’(CX) 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?(CY) 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?(CZ) 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells(DA) in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.(DB)

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth(DC) of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.(DD) You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides!(DE) You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish,(DF) but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.(DG) 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,(DH) which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets(DI) and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.(DJ) 32 Go ahead, then, and complete(DK) what your ancestors started!(DL)

33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers!(DM) How will you escape being condemned to hell?(DN) 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify;(DO) others you will flog in your synagogues(DP) and pursue from town to town.(DQ) 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel(DR) to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah,(DS) whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.(DT) 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.(DU)

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,(DV) how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,(DW) and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate.(DX) 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’[q]”(DY)

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times(DZ)

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another;(EA) every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives,(EB) the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming(EC) and of the end of the age?”(ED)

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.(EE) 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.(EF) 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.(EG) There will be famines(EH) and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted(EI) and put to death,(EJ) and you will be hated by all nations because of me.(EK) 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets(EL) will appear and deceive many people.(EM) 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.(EN) 14 And this gospel of the kingdom(EO) will be preached in the whole world(EP) as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place(EQ) ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[r](ER) spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop(ES) go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!(ET) 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.(EU)

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect(EV) those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.(EW) 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders(EX) to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning(EY) that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming(EZ) of the Son of Man.(FA) 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.(FB)

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[s](FC)

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[t] will mourn(FD) when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven,(FE) with power and great glory.[u] 31 And he will send his angels(FF) with a loud trumpet call,(FG) and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[v] is near, right at the door.(FH) 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.(FI) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.(FJ)

The Day and Hour Unknown(FK)(FL)

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[w] but only the Father.(FM) 37 As it was in the days of Noah,(FN) so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,(FO) up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.(FP) 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.(FQ) 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.(FR)

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.(FS) 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,(FT) he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready,(FU) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant,(FV) whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.(FW) 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.(FX) 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.(FY) 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(FZ)

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 21:5 Zech. 9:9
  2. Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
  3. Matthew 21:9 Psalm 118:25,26
  4. Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
  5. Matthew 21:13 Isaiah 56:7
  6. Matthew 21:13 Jer. 7:11
  7. Matthew 21:16 Psalm 8:2 (see Septuagint)
  8. Matthew 21:42 Psalm 118:22,23
  9. Matthew 21:44 Some manuscripts do not have verse 44.
  10. Matthew 22:17 A special tax levied on subject peoples, not on Roman citizens
  11. Matthew 22:32 Exodus 3:6
  12. Matthew 22:37 Deut. 6:5
  13. Matthew 22:39 Lev. 19:18
  14. Matthew 22:44 Psalm 110:1
  15. Matthew 23:5 That is, boxes containing Scripture verses, worn on forehead and arm
  16. Matthew 23:14 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.
  17. Matthew 23:39 Psalm 118:26
  18. Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11
  19. Matthew 24:29 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
  20. Matthew 24:30 Or the tribes of the land
  21. Matthew 24:30 See Daniel 7:13-14.
  22. Matthew 24:33 Or he
  23. Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts do not have nor the Son.
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