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Matthew 21
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Matthew 21
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 21
The Entry into Jerusalem.[a] 1 (A)When they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage[b] on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her.[c] Untie them and bring them here to me. 3 And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, ‘The master has need of them.’ Then he will send them at once.” 4 [d]This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
5 (B)“Say to daughter Zion,
‘Behold, your king comes to you,
meek and riding on an ass,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them. 7 [e]They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and he sat upon them. 8 [f](C)The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. 9 (D)The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying:
“Hosanna[g] to the Son of David;
blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;
hosanna in the highest.”
10 And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken[h] and asked, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet,[i] from Nazareth in Galilee.”
The Cleansing of the Temple.[j] 12 (E)Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those engaged in selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.[k](F) 13 (G)And he said to them, “It is written:
‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’[l]
but you are making it a den of thieves.”
14 (H)The blind and the lame[m] approached him in the temple area, and he cured them. 15 When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wondrous things[n] he was doing, and the children crying out in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant 16 [o](I)and said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; and have you never read the text, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nurslings you have brought forth praise’?” 17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany, and there he spent the night.
The Cursing of the Fig Tree.[p] 18 (J)When he was going back to the city in the morning, he was hungry. 19 (K)Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went over to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again.” And immediately the fig tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed and said, “How was it that the fig tree withered immediately?” 21 [q](L)Jesus said to them in reply, “Amen, I say to you, if you have faith and do not waver, 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. 22 (M)Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”
The Authority of Jesus Questioned.[r] 23 (N)When he had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things?[s] And who gave you this authority?”(O) 24 Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question,[t] and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26 [u](P)But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” 27 So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.[v]
The Parable of the Two Sons.[w] 28 “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. 30 The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. 31 [x]Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. 32 [y](Q)When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants.[z] 33 (R)“Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,[aa] put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.(S) 34 When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants[ab] to the tenants to obtain his produce. 35 But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. 36 Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. 37 Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 [ac]But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ 39 [ad](T)They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” 41 They answered[ae] him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” 42 [af](U)Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the scriptures:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes’?
43 [ag]Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit. 44 [[ah] The one who falls on this stone will be dashed to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.]” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees[ai] heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.
Footnotes
- 21:1–11 Jesus’ coming to Jerusalem is in accordance with the divine will that he must go there (cf. Mt 16:21) to suffer, die, and be raised. He prepares for his entry into the city in such a way as to make it a fulfillment of the prophecy of Zec 9:9 (Mt 21:2) that emphasizes the humility of the king who comes (Mt 21:5). That prophecy, absent from the Marcan parallel account (Mk 11:1–11) although found also in the Johannine account of the entry (Jn 12:15), is the center of the Matthean story. During the procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem, Jesus is acclaimed as the Davidic messianic king by the crowds who accompany him (Mt 21:9). On his arrival the whole city was shaken, and to the inquiry of the amazed populace about Jesus’ identity the crowds with him reply that he is the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee (Mt 21:10, 11).
- 21:1 Bethphage: a village that can no longer be certainly identified. Mark mentions it before Bethany (Mk 11:1), which suggests that it lay to the east of the latter. The Mount of Olives: the hill east of Jerusalem that is spoken of in Zec 14:4 as the place where the Lord will come to rescue Jerusalem from the enemy nations.
- 21:2 An ass tethered, and a colt with her: instead of the one animal of Mk 11:2, Matthew has two, as demanded by his understanding of Zec 9:9.
- 21:4–5 The prophet: this fulfillment citation is actually composed of two distinct Old Testament texts, Is 62:11 (Say to daughter Zion) and Zec 9:9. The ass and the colt are the same animal in the prophecy, mentioned twice in different ways, the common Hebrew literary device of poetic parallelism. That Matthew takes them as two is one of the reasons why some scholars think that he was a Gentile rather than a Jewish Christian who would presumably not make that mistake (see Introduction).
- 21:7 Upon them: upon the two animals; an awkward picture resulting from Matthew’s misunderstanding of the prophecy.
- 21:8 Spread…on the road: cf. 2 Kgs 9:13. There is a similarity between the cutting and strewing of the branches and the festivities of Tabernacles (Lv 23:39–40); see also 2 Mc 10:5–8 where the celebration of the rededication of the temple is compared to that of Tabernacles.
- 21:9 Hosanna: the Hebrew means “(O Lord) grant salvation”; see Ps 118:25, but that invocation had become an acclamation of jubilation and welcome. Blessed is he…in the name of the Lord: see Ps 118:26 and the note on Jn 12:13. In the highest: probably only an intensification of the acclamation, although Hosanna in the highest could be taken as a prayer, “May God save (him).”
- 21:10 Was shaken: in the gospels this verb is peculiar to Matthew where it is used also of the earthquake at the time of the crucifixion (Mt 27:51) and of the terror of the guards of Jesus’ tomb at the appearance of the angel (Mt 28:4). For Matthew’s use of the cognate noun, see note on Mt 8:24.
- 21:11 The prophet: see Mt 16:14 (“one of the prophets”) and 21:46.
- 21:12–17 Matthew changes the order of (Mk 11:11, 12, 15) and places the cleansing of the temple on the same day as the entry into Jerusalem, immediately after it. The activities going on in the temple area were not secular but connected with the temple worship. Thus Jesus’ attack on those so engaged and his charge that they were making God’s house of prayer a den of thieves (Mt 21:12–13) constituted a claim to authority over the religious practices of Israel and were a challenge to the priestly authorities. Mt 21:14–17 are peculiar to Matthew. Jesus’ healings and his countenancing the children’s cries of praise rouse the indignation of the chief priests and the scribes (Mt 21:15). These two groups appear in the infancy narrative (Mt 2:4) and have been mentioned in the first and third passion predictions (Mt 16:21; 20:18). Now, as the passion approaches, they come on the scene again, exhibiting their hostility to Jesus.
- 21:12 These activities were carried on in the court of the Gentiles, the outermost court of the temple area. Animals for sacrifice were sold; the doves were for those who could not afford a more expensive offering; see Lv 5:7. Tables of the money changers: only the coinage of Tyre could be used for the purchases; other money had to be exchanged for that.
- 21:13 ‘My house…prayer’: cf. Is 56:7. Matthew omits the final words of the quotation, “for all peoples” (“all nations”), possibly because for him the worship of the God of Israel by all nations belongs to the time after the resurrection; see Mt 28:19. A den of thieves: the phrase is taken from Jer 7:11.
- 21:14 The blind and the lame: according to 2 Sm 5:8 LXX the blind and the lame were forbidden to enter “the house of the Lord,” the temple. These are the last of Jesus’ healings in Matthew.
- 21:15 The wondrous things: the healings.
- 21:16 ‘Out of the mouths…praise’: cf. Ps 8:3 LXX.
- 21:18–22 In Mark the effect of Jesus’ cursing the fig tree is not immediate; see Mk 11:14, 20. By making it so, Matthew has heightened the miracle. Jesus’ act seems arbitrary and ill-tempered, but it is a prophetic action similar to those of Old Testament prophets that vividly symbolize some part of their preaching; see, e.g., Ez 12:1–20. It is a sign of the judgment that is to come upon the Israel that with all its apparent piety lacks the fruit of good deeds (Mt 3:10) and will soon bear the punishment of its fruitlessness (Mt 21:43). Some scholars propose that this story is the development in tradition of a parable of Jesus about the destiny of a fruitless tree, such as Lk 13:6–9. Jesus’ answer to the question of the amazed disciples (Mt 21:20) makes the miracle an example of the power of prayer made with unwavering faith (Mt 21:21–22).
- 21:21 See Mt 17:20.
- 21:23–27 Cf. Mk 11:27–33. This is the first of five controversies between Jesus and the religious authorities of Judaism in Mt 21:23–22:46, presented in the form of questions and answers.
- 21:23 These things: probably his entry into the city, his cleansing of the temple, and his healings there.
- 21:24 To reply by counterquestion was common in rabbinical debate.
- 21:26 We fear…as a prophet: cf. Mt 14:5.
- 21:27 Since through embarrassment on the one hand and fear on the other the religious authorities claim ignorance of the origin of John’s baptism, they show themselves incapable of speaking with authority; hence Jesus refuses to discuss with them the grounds of his authority.
- 21:28–32 The series of controversies is interrupted by three parables on the judgment of Israel (Mt 21:28–22:14) of which this, peculiar to Matthew, is the first. The second (Mt 21:33–46) comes from Mark (12:1–12), and the third (Mt 22:1–14) from Q; see Lk 14:15–24. This interruption of the controversies is similar to that in Mark, although Mark has only one parable between the first and second controversy. As regards Matthew’s first parable, Mt 21:28–30 if taken by themselves could point simply to the difference between saying and doing, a theme of much importance in this gospel (cf. Mt 7:21; 12:50); that may have been the parable’s original reference. However, it is given a more specific application by the addition of Mt 21:31–32. The two sons represent, respectively, the religious leaders and the religious outcasts who followed John’s call to repentance. By the answer they give to Jesus’ question (Mt 21:31) the leaders condemn themselves. There is much confusion in the textual tradition of the parable. Of the three different forms of the text given by important textual witnesses, one has the leaders answer that the son who agreed to go but did not was the one who did the father’s will. Although some scholars accept that as the original reading, their arguments in favor of it seem unconvincing. The choice probably lies only between a reading that puts the son who agrees and then disobeys before the son who at first refuses and then obeys, and the reading followed in the present translation. The witnesses to the latter reading are slightly better than those that support the other.
- 21:31 Entering…before you: this probably means “they enter; you do not.”
- 21:32 Cf. Lk 7:29–30. Although the thought is similar to that of the Lucan text, the formulation is so different that it is improbable that the saying comes from Q. Came to you…way of righteousness: several meanings are possible: that John himself was righteous, that he taught righteousness to others, or that he had an important place in God’s plan of salvation. For the last, see note on Mt 3:14–15.
- 21:33–46 Cf. Mk 12:1–12. In this parable there is a close correspondence between most of the details of the story and the situation that it illustrates, the dealings of God with his people. Because of that heavy allegorizing, some scholars think that it does not in any way go back to Jesus, but represents the theology of the later church. That judgment applies to the Marcan parallel as well, although the allegorizing has gone farther in Matthew. There are others who believe that while many of the allegorical elements are due to church sources, they have been added to a basic parable spoken by Jesus. This view is now supported by the Gospel of Thomas, 65, where a less allegorized and probably more primitive form of the parable is found.
- 21:33 Planted a vineyard…a tower: cf. Is 5:1–2. The vineyard is defined in Is 5:7 as “the house of Israel.”
- 21:34–35 His servants: Matthew has two sendings of servants as against Mark’s three sendings of a single servant (Mk 12:2–5a) followed by a statement about the sending of “many others” (Mk 12:2, 5b). That these servants stand for the prophets sent by God to Israel is clearly implied but not made explicit here, but see Mt 23:37. His produce: cf. Mk 12:2 “some of the produce.” The produce is the good works demanded by God, and his claim to them is total.
- 21:38 Acquire his inheritance: if a Jewish proselyte died without heir, the tenants of his land would have final claim on it.
- 21:39 Threw him out…and killed him: the change in the Marcan order where the son is killed and his corpse then thrown out (Mk 12:8) was probably made because of the tradition that Jesus died outside the city of Jerusalem; see Jn 19:17; Hb 13:12.
- 21:41 They answered: in Mk 12:9 the question is answered by Jesus himself; here the leaders answer and so condemn themselves; cf. Mt 21:31. Matthew adds that the new tenants to whom the vineyard will be transferred will give the owner the produce at the proper times.
- 21:42 Cf. Ps 118:22–23. The psalm was used in the early church as a prophecy of Jesus’ resurrection; see Acts 4:11; 1 Pt 2:7. If, as some think, the original parable ended at Mt 21:39 it was thought necessary to complete it by a reference to Jesus’ vindication by God.
- 21:43 Peculiar to Matthew. Kingdom of God: see note on Mt 19:23–24. Its presence here instead of Matthew’s usual “kingdom of heaven” may indicate that the saying came from Matthew’s own traditional material. A people that will produce its fruit: believing Israelites and Gentiles, the church of Jesus.
- 21:44 The majority of textual witnesses omit this verse. It is probably an early addition to Matthew from Lk 20:18 with which it is practically identical.
- 21:45 The Pharisees: Matthew inserts into the group of Jewish leaders (Mt 21:23) those who represented the Judaism of his own time.
Матей 21
Библия, ревизирано издание
Матей 21
Библия, ревизирано издание
Влизането на Исус Христос в Йерусалим
21 (A)И когато се приближиха до Йерусалим и дойдоха във Витфагия при Елеонския хълм, Исус изпрати двама ученици и им каза:
2 Идете в селото, което е отсреща; и веднага ще намерите вързана ослица и осле с нея; отвържете ги и Ми ги докарайте.
3 И ако някой ви каже нещо, отговорете: На Господа трябват; и веднага ще ги изпрати.
4 А това стана, за да се сбъдне изреченото от пророка, който казва:
5 (B)
„Кажете на Сионовата дъщеря:
Ето, твоят Цар иде при тебе,
кротък и възседнал на осел
и на осле, рожба на ослица.“
6 (C)И така, учениците отидоха и направиха, както им нареди Исус;
7 (D)докараха ослицата и ослето и намятаха на тях дрехите си; и Той седна върху тях.
8 (E)А по-голямата част от множеството разстлаха дрехите си по пътя; други пък сечаха клони от дърветата и ги постилаха по пътя.
9 (F)А множествата, които вървяха пред Него и които идваха след Него, викаха: Осанна[a] на Давидовия Син! Благословен, Който иде в Господнето име! Осанна във висините!
10 (G)И когато влезе в Йерусалим, целият град се раздвижи; и казваха: Кой е Този?
11 (H)А народът казваше: Той е пророкът Исус, Който е от Назарет в Галилея.
Изгонването на търговците от храма
12 (I)И Исус влезе в Божия храм и изпъди всички, които продаваха и купуваха в храма, и преобърна масите на обменителите на пари и столовете на онези, които продаваха гълъбите, и им каза:
13 (J)Писано е: „Домът Ми ще се нарече молитвен дом“, а вие го правите разбойнически вертеп.
14 И някои слепи и куци дойдоха при Него в храма; и Той ги изцели.
15 А главните свещеници и книжниците, като видяха чудесата, които извърши, и децата, които викаха в храма: Осанна на Давидовия Син!, възнегодуваха и Му казаха:
16 (K)Чуваш ли какво казват тези? А Исус им отговори: Чувам. Не сте ли чели никога тези думи:
„От устата на младенци и кърмачетата
приготвил си хвала“?
17 (L)И след като ги остави, излезе вън от града до Витания, където и пренощува.
Безплодната смокиня
18 (M)А на сутринта, когато се връщаше в града, огладня.
19 (N)И като видя една смокиня край пътя, дойде при нея, но не намери нищо на нея освен едни листа; и каза: Отсега нататък да няма плод от тебе до века. И смокинята веднага изсъхна.
20 (O)И учениците, които видяха това, се удивиха и казаха: Как вднага изсъхна смокинята?
21 (P)А Исус отговори: Истина ви казвам: Ако имате вяра и не се усъмните, не само ще извършите стореното на смокинята, но даже ако кажете на този хълм: Вдигни се и се хвърли в морето!, ще стане.
22 (Q)И всичко, което поискате в молитва, като вярвате, ще получите.
За властта на Исус Христос
23 (R)И когато дойде в храма, като поучаваше, главните свещеници и старейшините на народа дойдоха при Него и казаха: С каква власт правиш тези неща и кой Ти е дал тази власт?
24 А Исус им отговори: Ще ви задам и Аз един въпрос, на който ако ми отговорите, то и Аз ще ви кажа с каква власт правя тези неща.
25 Йоановото кръщение откъде беше? От небето или от човеците? А те разискваха помежду си: Ако кажем: От небето, Той ще ни каже: Тогава защо не му повярвахте?
26 (S)Но ако кажем: От човеците, боим се от народа; защото всички смятат Йоан за пророк.
27 И така, в отговор на Исус казаха: Не знаем. И Той им каза: Нито Аз ви казвам с каква власт правя тези неща.
Притча за двамата сина
28 А какво мислите за това? Един човек имаше двама сина; отиде при първия и му каза: Синко, иди, работи днес на лозето.
29 А той отговори: Не искам; но после се разкая и отиде.
30 Отиде и при втория и му каза същото. А той отговори: Аз ще ида, господарю! Но не отиде.
31 (T)Кой от двамата изпълни волята на баща си? Отвърнаха Му: Първият. Исус им каза: Истина ви казвам, че бирниците и блудниците ви изпреварват в Божието царство.
32 (U)Защото Йоан дойде при вас в пътя на правдата и не му повярвахте; но бирниците и блудниците му повярваха; а вие, като видяхте това, дори и впоследствие не се разкаяхте, за да му вярвате.
Притча за злите земеделци
33 (V)Чуйте друга притча. Имаше един стопанин, който насади лозе, огради го с плет, изкопа в него лин и построи кула; и като го даде под наем на земеделци, отиде в чужбина.
34 (W)И когато наближи гроздоберът, изпрати слугите си при земеделците да приберат плода му.
35 (X)А земеделците хванаха слугите му, един биха, друг убиха, а трети с камъни замериха.
36 Пак изпрати други слуги, повече на брой от първите; и на тях сториха същото.
37 Най-после изпрати при тях сина си, като мислеше: Ще се засрамят поне от сина ми.
38 (Y)Но земеделците, като видяха сина, казаха помежду си: Той е наследникът; елате да го убием и да присвоим наследството му.
39 (Z)И като го хванаха, изхвърлиха го вън от лозето и го убиха.
40 И така, когато си до̀йде стопанинът на лозето, какво ще направи на тези земеделци?
41 (AA)Казаха Му: Злодеите ще погуби зле, а лозето ще даде под наем на други земеделци, които ще му дават плодовете на времето им.
42 (AB)Исус им каза: Никога ли не сте чели в Писанията тези думи:
„Камъкът, който отхвърлиха зидарите,
Той стана глава на ъгъла.
От Господа е това.
И чудно е в нашите очи“?
43 (AC)Затова ви казвам, че Божието царство ще се отнеме от вас и ще се даде на народ, който принася плодовете му.
44 (AD)И който падне върху този камък, ще се разбие; а върху когото падне камъкът – ще го смаже.
45 И главните свещеници и фарисеите, като чуха притчите Му, разбраха, че за тях говори;
46 (AE)но когато поискаха да Го хванат, се изплашиха от народа, понеже Го смяташе за пророк.
Footnotes
- 21:9 От евр. спасение, спасѝ.
Matteo 21
Conferenza Episcopale Italiana
Matteo 21
Conferenza Episcopale Italiana
Ingresso messianico a Gerusalemme
21 Quando furono vicini a Gerusalemme e giunsero presso Bètfage, verso il monte degli Ulivi, Gesù mandò due dei suoi discepoli 2 dicendo loro: «Andate nel villaggio che vi sta di fronte: subito troverete un'asina legata e con essa un puledro. Scioglieteli e conduceteli a me. 3 Se qualcuno poi vi dirà qualche cosa, risponderete: Il Signore ne ha bisogno, ma li rimanderà subito». 4 Ora questo avvenne perché si adempisse ciò che era stato annunziato dal profeta:
5 Dite alla figlia di Sion:
Ecco, il tuo re viene a te
mite, seduto su un'asina,
con un puledro figlio di bestia da soma.
6 I discepoli andarono e fecero quello che aveva ordinato loro Gesù: 7 condussero l'asina e il puledro, misero su di essi i mantelli ed egli vi si pose a sedere. 8 La folla numerosissima stese i suoi mantelli sulla strada mentre altri tagliavano rami dagli alberi e li stendevano sulla via. 9 La folla che andava innanzi e quella che veniva dietro, gridava:
Osanna al figlio di Davide!
Benedetto colui che viene nel nome del Signore!
Osanna nel più alto dei cieli!
10 Entrato Gesù in Gerusalemme, tutta la città fu in agitazione e la gente si chiedeva: «Chi è costui?». 11 E la folla rispondeva: «Questi è il profeta Gesù, da Nazaret di Galilea».
I venditori cacciati dal tempio
12 Gesù entrò poi nel tempio e scacciò tutti quelli che vi trovò a comprare e a vendere; rovesciò i tavoli dei cambiavalute e le sedie dei venditori di colombe 13 e disse loro: «La Scrittura dice:
La mia casa sarà chiamata casa di preghiera
ma voi ne fate una spelonca di ladri».
14 Gli si avvicinarono ciechi e storpi nel tempio ed egli li guarì. 15 Ma i sommi sacerdoti e gli scribi, vedendo le meraviglie che faceva e i fanciulli che acclamavano nel tempio: «Osanna al figlio di Davide», si sdegnarono 16 e gli dissero: «Non senti quello che dicono?». Gesù rispose loro: «Sì, non avete mai letto:
Dalla bocca dei bambini e dei lattanti
ti sei procurata una lode?».
17 E, lasciatili, uscì fuori dalla città, verso Betània, e là trascorse la notte.
Il fico sterile e seccato. Fede e preghiera
18 La mattina dopo, mentre rientrava in città, ebbe fame. 19 Vedendo un fico sulla strada, gli si avvicinò, ma non vi trovò altro che foglie, e gli disse: «Non nasca mai più frutto da te». E subito quel fico si seccò. 20 Vedendo ciò i discepoli rimasero stupiti e dissero: «Come mai il fico si è seccato immediatamente?». 21 Rispose Gesù: «In verità vi dico: Se avrete fede e non dubiterete, non solo potrete fare ciò che è accaduto a questo fico, ma anche se direte a questo monte: Levati di lì e gettati nel mare, ciò avverrà. 22 E tutto quello che chiederete con fede nella preghiera, lo otterrete».
Obiezione dei Giudei sull'autorità di Gesù
23 Entrato nel tempio, mentre insegnava gli si avvicinarono i sommi sacerdoti e gli anziani del popolo e gli dissero: «Con quale autorità fai questo? Chi ti ha dato questa autorità?». 24 Gesù rispose: «Vi farò anch'io una domanda e se voi mi rispondete, vi dirò anche con quale autorità faccio questo. 25 Il battesimo di Giovanni da dove veniva? Dal cielo o dagli uomini?». Ed essi riflettevano tra sé dicendo: «Se diciamo: "dal Cielò', ci risponderà: "perché dunque non gli avete creduto?''; 26 se diciamo "dagli uominì', abbiamo timore della folla, perché tutti considerano Giovanni un profeta». 27 Rispondendo perciò a Gesù, dissero: «Non lo sappiamo». Allora anch'egli disse loro: «Neanch'io vi dico con quale autorità faccio queste cose».
Parabola dei due figli
28 «Che ve ne pare? Un uomo aveva due figli; rivoltosi al primo disse: Figlio, và oggi a lavorare nella vigna. 29 Ed egli rispose: Sì, signore; ma non andò. 30 Rivoltosi al secondo, gli disse lo stesso. Ed egli rispose: Non ne ho voglia; ma poi, pentitosi, ci andò. 31 Chi dei due ha compiuto la volontà del padre?». Dicono: «L'ultimo». E Gesù disse loro: «In verità vi dico: I pubblicani e le prostitute vi passano avanti nel regno di Dio. 32 E' venuto a voi Giovanni nella via della giustizia e non gli avete creduto; i pubblicani e le prostitute invece gli hanno creduto. Voi, al contrario, pur avendo visto queste cose, non vi siete nemmeno pentiti per credergli.
Parabola dei vignaioli omicidi
33 Ascoltate un'altra parabola: C'era un padrone che piantò una vigna e la circondò con una siepe, vi scavò un frantoio, vi costruì una torre, poi l'affidò a dei vignaioli e se ne andò. 34 Quando fu il tempo dei frutti, mandò i suoi servi da quei vignaioli a ritirare il raccolto. 35 Ma quei vignaioli presero i servi e uno lo bastonarono, l'altro lo uccisero, l'altro lo lapidarono. 36 Di nuovo mandò altri servi più numerosi dei primi, ma quelli si comportarono nello stesso modo. 37 Da ultimo mandò loro il proprio figlio dicendo: Avranno rispetto di mio figlio! 38 Ma quei vignaioli, visto il figlio, dissero tra sé: Costui è l'erede; venite, uccidiamolo, e avremo noi l'eredità. 39 E, presolo, lo cacciarono fuori della vigna e l'uccisero. 40 Quando dunque verrà il padrone della vigna che farà a quei vignaioli?». 41 Gli rispondono: «Farà morire miseramente quei malvagi e darà la vigna ad altri vignaioli che gli consegneranno i frutti a suo tempo». 42 E Gesù disse loro: «Non avete mai letto nelle Scritture:
La pietra che i costruttori hanno scartata
è diventata testata d'angolo;
dal Signore è stato fatto questo
ed è mirabile agli occhi nostri?
43 Perciò io vi dico: vi sarà tolto il regno di Dio e sarà dato a un popolo che lo farà fruttificare. 44 Chi cadrà sopra questa pietra sarà sfracellato; e qualora essa cada su qualcuno, lo stritolerà».
45 Udite queste parabole, i sommi sacerdoti e i farisei capirono che parlava di loro e cercavano di catturarlo; ma avevano paura della folla che lo considerava un profeta.
Matthew 21
New International Version
Matthew 21
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,
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,
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)
Footnotes
- 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.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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