Baruch Ha-Ba! Blessed Is He Who Comes!

21 Now as they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Yeshua sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village before you. Right away, you’ll find a donkey tied up and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to Me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Master needs them.’ And right away he will send them.”

⁴ This happened to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying,

⁶ The disciples went and did as Yeshua had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and colt and put their clothing on them, and He sat on the clothing. ⁸ Most of the crowd spread their clothing on the road, and others began cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. ⁹ The crowds going before Him and those following kept shouting, saying,

¹⁰ When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹ And the crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Yeshua, from Natzeret in the Galilee.”

¹² Then Yeshua entered the Temple^[c] and drove out all those selling and buying in the Temple. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers^[d] and the seats of those selling doves. ^{[e] 13} And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’^[f] but you are making it ‘a den of thieves’!”^[g]

¹⁴ The blind and lame came to Him in the Temple, and He healed them. ¹⁵ But when the ruling kohanim and Torah scholars saw the wonders He performed, and the children crying out in the Temple and saying, “Hoshia-na to Ben-David,” they became indignant. ¹⁶ And they said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Yeshua said to them. “Haven’t you ever read,

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

Faith Moves Mountains

¹⁸ Now early in the morning, as He was returning to the city, He became hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came up to it and found nothing on it except leaves only. And He said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree shriveled up at once.

²⁰ When the disciples saw it they were astonished. “How did the fig tree shrivel on the spot?” they asked.

²¹ Yeshua answered them, “Amen, I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. ²² And whatever you ask in prayer, trusting, you shall receive.”

Questions about Yeshua’s Authority

²³ Now when He entered the Temple, the ruling kohanim and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, saying, “By what authority are You doing these things? Who gave You this authority?”

²⁴ Yeshua replied to them, “I also will ask you one question. If you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ John’s immersion, where was it from? From heaven or from men?”

They began to dialogue among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the crowd, for all hold up John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So answering Yeshua, they said, “We don’t know.”

Then He said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.”

A Parable about Intentions and Actions

²⁸ “Now what do you think? A man had two sons, and he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ The son answered, ‘I won’t,’ but afterward he had a change of heart and went. ³⁰ The man went to the second son and said the same thing. But he answered, ‘I will, sir,’ and didn’t go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of the father?”

“The first,” they said.

Yeshua said to them, “Amen, I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are going ahead of you into the kingdom of God. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and even after you saw this, you had no change of heart to believe him.”

Parable of the Vineyard

³³ “Listen to another parable. There was a master of a household who planted a vineyard. He put a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower.^[i] Then He leased it to some tenant farmers and went on a journey. ³⁴ Now when fruit season drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. ³⁵ But grabbing his servants, the tenants beat up one, killed another, and stoned still another. ³⁶ Again the master sent other servants, even more than the first, and they did the same thing 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 among themselves, ‘This is the heir! Come on, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’ ³⁹ So grabbing him, they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ Therefore when the master of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

⁴¹ “He will bring those miserable men to a miserable end,” they said to Him, “and will lease the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the fruits in their seasons.” ⁴² Yeshua said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures^[j]?

⁴³ Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to people producing its fruits. ⁴⁴ Whoever falls on this stone will be shattered; but the one upon whom it falls, it will crush him.”^[l]

⁴⁵ When the ruling kohanim and Pharisees heard Yeshua’s parables, they realized He was talking about them. ⁴⁶ Although they were trying to seize Him, they feared the crowds, because they regarded Him as a prophet.

Invitation to the Wedding Feast

22 Yeshua answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, ² “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who made a wedding feast for his son. ³ He sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they wouldn’t come. ⁴ Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who were invited, “Look, I’ve prepared my meal. My oxen and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!”’

⁵ “But paying no attention, they went away, one to his own farm, another to his business. ⁶ And the rest grabbed his servants, humiliated them, and killed them. ⁷ Now the king became furious! Sending his troops, he destroyed those murderers and set fire to their city.

⁸ “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ⁹ So go into the highways and byways, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.’ ¹⁰ And those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was filled with guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to look over the guests, he saw a man there who wasn’t dressed in wedding clothes. ¹² ‘Friend,’ he said to him, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was silent. ¹³ Then the king said to his servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

A Trap about Paying Taxes

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might trap Him with a word. ¹⁶ And they sent to Him some of their disciples, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are honest and teach the way of God in truth. And what others think doesn’t concern You, for You do not look at men’s appearance. ¹⁷ Tell us therefore, what do You think? Is it permitted to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

¹⁸ But Yeshua, knowing their wickedness, said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show Me the tax money.”

So they brought Him a denarius.

²⁰ And He said to them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

²¹ “Caesar’s,” they said to Him.

Then He said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²² And hearing this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.

Religious Leaders Ask a Tricky Question

²³ On that day, Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Yeshua and questioned Him, saying, ²⁴ “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If someone dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his widow and father children for his brother.’ ^{[m] 25} Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died; and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ In the same way also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. ²⁷ Last of all, the woman died. ²⁸ So in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”

²⁹ But answering, Yeshua said to them, “You’ve gone astray, because you don’t understand the Scriptures or the power of God. ³⁰ For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ³¹ But concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ³² ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living!” ^{[n] 33} When the crowds heard this, they were astounded at His teaching.

The Greatest Mitzvot

³⁴ But the Pharisees, when they heard that Yeshua had silenced the Sadducees, gathered together in one place. ³⁵ And testing Him, one of them, a lawyer, asked, ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?”

³⁷ And He said to him, “‘You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ^{[o] 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ^{[p] 40} The entire Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Yeshua Overturns the Arguments

⁴¹ Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Yeshua asked them a question, ⁴² saying, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose Son is He?”^[q]

“David’s,” they say to Him.

⁴³ “Then how is it,” He says to them, “that David by the Ruach calls him ‘Lord’?

⁴⁵ If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” ⁴⁶ No one was able to answer Him a word. Nor did anyone dare from that day on to question Him any longer.

Seven Woes

23 Then Yeshua spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, ² saying, “The Torah scholars and Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. ³ So whatever they tell you, do and observe. But don’t do what they do; for what they say, they do not do. ⁴ They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry,^[s] and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger to move them. ⁵ All their works they do to be noticed by men. They make their tefillin wide and their tzitziyot long. ^{[t] 6} They love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷ greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called rabbi by men.

⁸ “But you are not to be called rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And call no man on earth your father; for One is your Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Messiah. ¹¹ But the greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

¹³ “But woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not enter yourselves, nor do you let those enter who are trying to go in. (¹⁴ )^[u]

¹⁵ “Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel over land and sea to make one convert. And when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourself.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘Whoever swears by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the Temple, he is obligated.’ ¹⁷ O fools and blind ones! Which is greater, the gold or the Temple that made the gold holy? ^{[v] 18} And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’ ¹⁹ O blind ones! Which is greater, the offering or the altar that makes the offering holy? ^{[w] 20} Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the Temple, swears both by the Temple and by Him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

²³ “Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe^[x] mint and dill and cumin, yet you have neglected the weightier matters of Torah—justice and mercy and faithfulness. It is necessary to do these things without neglecting the others. ²⁴ O blind guides, straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and uncontrolled desire. ²⁶ O blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.

²⁷ “Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. ²⁸ In the same way, you appear righteous to men on the outside, but are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²⁹ “Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the tzaddikim. ³⁰ And you say, ‘If we’d been alive in the days of our forefathers, we wouldn’t have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers! ³³ O snakes, you brood of vipers! How will you escape the condemnation of Gehenna?

³⁴ “Because of this, behold, I’m sending you prophets and wise men and Torah scholars. Some of them you will kill and execute at the stake, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city. ³⁵ And so, upon you shall come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah,^[y] whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar. ^{[z] 36} Amen, I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.”

Holy Temple to Be Destroyed

³⁷ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you desolate! ^{[aa] 39} For I tell you, you will never see Me again until you say, ‘Baruch ha-ba b’shem Adonai. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”^[ab]

24 Now when Yeshua went out and was going away from the Temple, His disciples came up to point out to Him the Temple buildings. ² “Don’t you see all these?” He responded to them. “Amen, I tell you, not one stone will be left here on top of another—every one will be torn down!”

Signs of the End of Time

³ As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen? What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”

⁴ Yeshua answered them, “Be careful that no one leads you astray! ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will lead many astray. ⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must happen but it is not yet the end. ⁷ For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.^[ac] And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ But all these things are only the beginning of birth pains.

⁹ “Then they will hand you over to persecution and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of My name. ¹⁰ And then many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one other. ¹¹ Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹² Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ This Good News of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

¹⁵ “So when you see ‘the abomination of desolation,’^[ad] which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ The one on the roof must not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸ and the one in the field must not turn back to get his coat. ¹⁹ Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your escape will not happen in winter, or on Shabbat. ²¹ For then there will be great trouble,^[ae] such as has not happened since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. ²² And unless those days were cut short, no one would be delivered. But for the sake of the chosen, those days will be cut short.

²³ “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here’s the Messiah,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up^[af] and show great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen. ²⁵ See, I have told you beforehand.

²⁶ “So if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. Or, ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For just as lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸ For wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.

²⁹ “But immediately after the trouble of those days,

³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the land will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’^[ah] with power and great glory. ³¹ He will send out His angels with a great shofar, and they will gather together His chosen from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”^[ai]

Watching for Messiah’s Return

³² “Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the door. ³⁴ Amen, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. ^{[aj] 36} But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son,^[ak] except the Father alone.

³⁷ “For just as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. ³⁹ And they did not understand until the flood came and swept them all away.^[al] So shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field, one taken and one left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill, one taken and one left. ^{[am] 42} Therefore stay alert; for you do not know what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known what time the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and not let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

The Faithful Servant

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master put in charge of his household to give them food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whose master finds him so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Amen, I tell you, his master will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is taking a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he begins to beat his fellow servants, and he eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. ⁵¹ And he will cut him in two and assign his place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ^{[an] 2} Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ For when the foolish ones took their lamps, they took no oil with them. ⁴ But the wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps.

⁵ “Now while the bridegroom was taking a long time, they all got drowsy and started falling asleep. ⁶ But in the middle of the night there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ Now the foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, since our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Instead, go to those who sell, and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “But while they were going off to buy, the bridegroom came. And those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. ¹¹ Now later, the other virgins came, saying, ‘Sir, Sir, open up for us!’

¹² “But he replied, ‘Amen, I tell you, I do not know you.’ ¹³ Therefore stay alert, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Parable of the Talents

¹⁴ “For it is like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and handed over his possessions to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents,^[ao] to another two, and to another one, each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey.

¹⁶ “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them and gained five more. ¹⁷ In the same way, the one with two gained two more. ¹⁸ But the one who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ “Now after a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The one who had received the five talents came up and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed me five talents. Look, I’ve gained five more.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a little, so I’ll put you in charge of much. Enter into your master’s joy!’

²² “The one who had received the two talents also came up and said, ‘Master, you handed me two talents. Look, I’ve gained two more.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a little, so I’ll put you in charge of much. Enter into your master’s joy!’

²⁴ “Then the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

²⁶ “But his master responded, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow and gather where I scattered no seed? ²⁷ Then you should have brought my money to the brokers, and when I came I would have received it back with interest. ²⁸ Therefore take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents. ²⁹ For to the one who has, more shall be given, and he shall have an abundance. But from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. ³⁰ Throw the worthless servant out, into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

The Righteous Judge

³¹ “Now when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ^{[ap] 33} And He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on His left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’^[aq]

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You? Or thirsty and give You something to drink? ³⁸ And when did we see You a stranger and invite You in? Or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

⁴⁰ “And answering, the King will say to them, ‘Amen, I tell you, whatever you did to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ ^{[ar] 41} Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Go away from Me, you cursed ones, into the everlasting fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in; naked and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they too will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not care for You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Amen, I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’ ⁴⁶ These shall go off to everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.”^[as]

Ben-David Enters Jerusalem

11 Now as they draw near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, to the Mount of Olives, Yeshua sends two of His disciples ² and says to them, “Go into the village ahead of you. Right away as you enter it, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever sat upon.^[a] Untie it and bring it. ³ If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Master needs it.’ And right away he will send it back here.”^[b]

⁴ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a door. And they untied it. ⁵ Some people standing there began saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”

⁶ They answered just as Yeshua had told them, and the people let them go. ⁷ And they brought the colt to Yeshua and laid their cloaks on it, and He sat on it. ⁸ Many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread branches cut from the fields. ^{[c] 9} Those going before and those following kept shouting,

¹¹ And He entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around at everything, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve, since it was already late.

The Fruit of the Faithful

¹² The next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. ¹³ Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if He would find any fruit on it. When He came up to it, He found nothing except leaves, because it wasn’t the season for figs. ¹⁴ And He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

¹⁵ Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the Temple and started to drive out those selling and buying in the Temple. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and He wouldn’t let anyone carry goods through the Temple. ¹⁷ And He began to teach them, saying, “Is it not written,

¹⁸ The ruling kohanim and Torah scholars heard this and began looking for a way to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching. ¹⁹ Whenever evening came, Yeshua and His disciples would leave the city.

²⁰ As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree shriveled from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered and said to Yeshua, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree You cursed has shriveled up!”

²² And Yeshua answered, saying to them, “Have faith in God! ²³ Amen, I tell you, if someone says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but trusts that what he says is happening, so shall it be for him. ²⁴ For this reason I say to you, whatever you pray and ask, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your transgressions.” ^(26) [g]

A Question for a Question

²⁷ Again they come to Jerusalem. While Yeshua was walking in the Temple, the ruling kohanim, Torah scholars, and elders come up to Him. ²⁸ And they start saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? Who gave You this authority to do these things?”

²⁹ Yeshua said to them, “I will put one question to you. Answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ³⁰ The immersion of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me!”

³¹ They began to dialogue among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘From men’. . .?” They were afraid of the crowd, for all held that John really was a prophet. ³³ So answering Yeshua, they say, “We don’t know.”

And Yeshua tells them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Taking the Kingdom by Force

12 Yeshua began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a hedge around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a tower. He leased it to some tenant farmers and went on a journey. ² And at the season, he sent a servant to collect from the tenants part of the vineyard’s fruit. ³ But grabbing him, they beat him up and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ And again the man sent another servant to them, and they wounded his head and treated him shamefully. ⁵ He sent another, and that one they killed; and so on with many others, beating some and killing some. ⁶ He had yet one, a well-loved son. He sent him to them last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷ “But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir! Come on, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’ ⁸ So grabbing the son, they killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹ “What then will the master of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Haven’t you read this Scripture?

¹² They were trying to seize Yeshua, because they realized that He spoke the parable against them. But they feared the crowd, so they left Him and went away.

A Test of Loyalty

¹³ Then they send some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Yeshua in order to trap Him with a word. ¹⁴ They come and say to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are honest, and what others think doesn’t concern You. You don’t look at men’s appearance, but teach the way of God according to the truth. Is it permitted to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? ¹⁵ Should we pay, or shouldn’t we?”

But Yeshua saw through their hypocrisy and said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius so I may see it.”

¹⁶ They brought one. And He said to them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they said to Him.

¹⁷ Then Yeshua said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were completely amazed at Him.

The Challenge of the Sadducees

¹⁸ Then Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came and began questioning Yeshua, saying, ¹⁹ “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that ‘if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, then his brother should take the widow and father children for his brother.’ ^{[i] 20} There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and, when he died, left no offspring. ²¹ And the second took her and died, leaving no offspring, and the third likewise. ²² Now the seven left no offspring. Last of all, the woman died, too. ²³ In the resurrection, when they rise up, whose wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”

²⁴ Yeshua said to them, “Isn’t this the reason you’ve gone astray, because you don’t understand the Scriptures or the power of God? ²⁵ For when they rise up from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ²⁶ But concerning the dead being raised, haven’t you read in the book of Moses about the burning bush? How God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? ^{[j] 27} He’s not the God of the dead, but of the living. You have gone far astray!”

Love Ends the Argument

²⁸ One of the Torah scholars came and heard them debating. Seeing that Yeshua had answered them well, he asked Him, “Which commandment is first of all?”

²⁹ Yeshua answered, “The first is, ‘Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. ³⁰ And you shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ^{[k] 31} The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’^[l] There is no other commandment greater than these.”

³² “Well said, Teacher,” the Torah scholar said to Him. “You have spoken the truth, that He is echad, and besides Him there is no other! ^{[m] 33} And ‘to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’^[n] and ‘to love the neighbor as oneself,’^[o] is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴ When Yeshua saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared any longer to question Him.

Who Is King David’s Lord?

³⁵ While Yeshua was teaching in the Temple, He said, “How is it that the Torah scholars say that the Messiah is Ben-David? ³⁶ David himself, through the Ruach ha-Kodesh, said,

³⁷ If David himself calls Him ‘Lord,’ in what way is He his son?” And the large crowd was listening to Him with delight.

³⁸ In His teaching He said, “Watch out for the Torah scholars, who like to walk around in long robes. They like greetings in the marketplaces, ³⁹ the best seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at feasts. ⁴⁰ They devour widows’ houses and make long prayers as a show. These men will receive greater condemnation!”

⁴¹ He sat down opposite the treasury and began watching how the people were putting money into the offering box. Many rich people were putting in a lot. ⁴² Then a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, worth less than a penny. ⁴³ Calling His disciples over, He said to them, “Amen, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those contributing to the box! ⁴⁴ For they all put in from their surplus; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had, her whole living.”

Signs of the End

13 As Yeshua was going out of the Temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look! What stones and what buildings!”

² Yeshua said to him, “You see these great buildings? Not one stone here will be left upon another. Every one will be torn down!”

³ As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple, Peter, Jacob, John, and Andrew were questioning Him privately, ⁴ “Tell us, when will these things happen? What will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?”

⁵ Yeshua began to tell them, “Watch out that no one leads you astray! ⁶ Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷ When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed, for this must happen but it is not yet the end. ⁸ For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines. These things are only the beginning of birth pains.

⁹ “Watch out for yourselves! They will hand you over to the courts, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of Me, as a witness to them. ¹⁰ The Good News must first be proclaimed to all the nations. ¹¹ When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Say whatever is given to you in that hour, for it is not you who speaks but the Ruach ha-Kodesh. ¹² Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. And children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ And you will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Birth Pangs Before Deliverance

¹⁴ “But when you see ‘the abomination of desolation’^[q] standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁵ The one on the roof must not go down, nor enter to take anything out of his house. ¹⁶ And the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ¹⁷ Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ¹⁸ Pray that it will not happen in winter.

¹⁹ “For in those days there will be trouble such as has never happened,^[r] not since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. ²⁰ And unless Adonai had cut short those days, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He cut short the days.

²¹ “And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here’s the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there He is!’ do not believe it. ²² For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up^[s] and show signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the chosen. ²³ So be careful! See, I have told you everything beforehand.”

Messianic Victory

²⁴ “But in those days, after that trouble,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.’^[t]

²⁶ And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’^[u] with great power and glory. ²⁷ Then He will send out the angels and will gather together His chosen from the four winds, from the end of the earth, to the end of heaven.”

Keep Watch

²⁸ “Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ So also, when you see all these things happening, know that it is near, at the door. ³⁰ Amen, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. ³¹ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. ³² But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, except the Father.

³³ “Keep on the lookout! Stay alert! For you do not know when the time is. ³⁴ It is like a man away on a journey. After leaving his house and putting his servants in charge and giving each his task, he also commanded the doorkeeper to watch. ³⁵ Therefore stay alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the early morning. ³⁶ So watch in case, coming suddenly, he finds you asleep. ³⁷ What I say to you I say to all: ‘Stay alert!’”

Ben-David Enters Jerusalem

11 Now as they draw near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, to the Mount of Olives, Yeshua sends two of His disciples ² and says to them, “Go into the village ahead of you. Right away as you enter it, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever sat upon.^[a] Untie it and bring it. ³ If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Master needs it.’ And right away he will send it back here.”^[b]

⁴ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a door. And they untied it. ⁵ Some people standing there began saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”

⁶ They answered just as Yeshua had told them, and the people let them go. ⁷ And they brought the colt to Yeshua and laid their cloaks on it, and He sat on it. ⁸ Many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread branches cut from the fields. ^{[c] 9} Those going before and those following kept shouting,

¹¹ And He entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around at everything, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve, since it was already late.

The Fruit of the Faithful

¹² The next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. ¹³ Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if He would find any fruit on it. When He came up to it, He found nothing except leaves, because it wasn’t the season for figs. ¹⁴ And He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

¹⁵ Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the Temple and started to drive out those selling and buying in the Temple. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and He wouldn’t let anyone carry goods through the Temple. ¹⁷ And He began to teach them, saying, “Is it not written,

¹⁸ The ruling kohanim and Torah scholars heard this and began looking for a way to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching. ¹⁹ Whenever evening came, Yeshua and His disciples would leave the city.

²⁰ As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree shriveled from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered and said to Yeshua, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree You cursed has shriveled up!”

²² And Yeshua answered, saying to them, “Have faith in God! ²³ Amen, I tell you, if someone says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but trusts that what he says is happening, so shall it be for him. ²⁴ For this reason I say to you, whatever you pray and ask, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your transgressions.” ^(26) [g]

A Question for a Question

²⁷ Again they come to Jerusalem. While Yeshua was walking in the Temple, the ruling kohanim, Torah scholars, and elders come up to Him. ²⁸ And they start saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? Who gave You this authority to do these things?”

²⁹ Yeshua said to them, “I will put one question to you. Answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ³⁰ The immersion of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me!”

³¹ They began to dialogue among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘From men’. . .?” They were afraid of the crowd, for all held that John really was a prophet. ³³ So answering Yeshua, they say, “We don’t know.”

And Yeshua tells them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Riding into Jerusalem

²⁸ After saying these things, Yeshua was going on ahead, up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ When He got near Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives,^[a] He sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village ahead. As you enter, you will find a colt tied up, that no one has ever sat upon. Untie it and bring it. ³¹ And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say, ‘The Master needs it.’”

³² Those who were headed out found things just as He told them. ³³ Then as they were untying the colt, his owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

³⁴ They said, “The Master needs it.” ³⁵ Then they brought it to Yeshua, threw their cloaks^[b] on the colt, and set Yeshua on it. ^{[c] 36} And as He went along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road. ^{[d] 37} When Yeshua came near the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began to rejoice. They praised God with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen, ³⁸ saying,

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”

⁴⁰ But answering, Yeshua said, “I tell you that if these keep silent, the stones will shout out!”^[f]

⁴¹ As He drew near and saw Jerusalem, He wept over her, ⁴² saying, “If only you had recognized this day the things that lead to shalom! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For the days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with barricades and hem you in on all sides. ^{[g] 44} And they will smash you to the ground—you and your children within you. And they won’t leave within you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Confrontation at the Temple

⁴⁵ Then Yeshua entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants, ⁴⁶ saying to them, “It is written,

‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’^[h]

but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”^[i]

⁴⁷ And He was teaching every day in the Temple. The ruling kohanim and the Torah scholars, even the leaders of the people, were trying to destroy Him; ⁴⁸ but they could not find any way to do it, because all the people were hanging on His words.

20 On one of the days while Yeshua was teaching the people in the Temple and proclaiming the Good News, the ruling kohanim and the Torah scholars, together with the elders, confronted Him. ² And they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is the one who gave You this authority?”

³ But answering, Yeshua said to them, “I also will ask you a question, and you tell Me: ⁴ the immersion of John—was it from heaven or from men?”

⁵ They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ then all the people will stone us, because they are convinced that John is a prophet.” ⁷ So they answered that they didn’t know where it came from.

⁸ And Yeshua said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

⁹ Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard,^[j] leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey for a long time. ¹⁰ And at the season, he sent a servant to the tenants so that they would give him part of the vineyard’s fruit. But the tenants beat him up and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ So he proceeded to send another servant. They beat him too and treated him shamefully, and they sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And he proceeded to send a third one. They wounded this one too, and they threw him out.

¹³ “Now the master of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love. Probably they will show him respect.’ ¹⁴ But when the tenants saw him, they discussed the matter among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir! Let’s kill him so the inheritance will be ours.’ ¹⁵ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the master of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

But when they heard this, they said, “May it never happen!”

¹⁷ Then Yeshua looked right at them and said, “Then what is this that has been written,

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be shattered; but the one upon whom it falls, it will crush him.”^[l]

¹⁹ The Torah scholars and the ruling kohanim tried to grab Him that very hour, because they realized that He spoke this parable against them—but they feared the people.

Silencing the Opposition

²⁰ Now they watched Him and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order to trap Him in His words so they could hand Him over to the power and authority of the governor. ²¹ And they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You tell it straight and You teach it straight. You show no partiality, but teach the way of God according to the truth. ²² Is it permitted for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

²³ But carefully considering their treachery, Yeshua said to them, ²⁴ “Show me a denarius.^[m] Whose image and inscription does it have?”

And they said, “Caesar’s.”

²⁵ Then He said to them, “Well then, give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²⁶ And they could not trap Him in His words in the presence of the people. Astonished by His answer, they kept silent.

²⁷ Then some of the Sadducees (who deny there is a resurrection) came and questioned Yeshua. ²⁸ “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that ‘if a man’s brother dies’ having a wife ‘but no children, then his brother should take the widow and father children for his brother.’ ^{[n] 29} Now there were seven brothers, and the first took a wife and died childless; ³⁰ and the second ³¹ and the third took her, but in this same way, each of the seven brothers died and left no children. ³² Finally the woman died too. ³³ So in the resurrection, whose wife is she? For all seven had married her.

³⁴ Yeshua said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵ But those considered worthy to reach the olam ha-ba and the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. ³⁶ For they can no longer die, because they are like angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. ³⁷ But at the burning bush even Moses revealed that the dead are raised, when he calls Adonai ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ ^{[o] 38} Now He is God not of the dead but of the living, for to Him they all are living.”

³⁹ Some of the Torah scholars replied, “Teacher, You have said it well.” ⁴⁰ For they no longer dared to question Him about anything.

⁴¹ Then Yeshua said to them, “How can they say that the Messiah is Ben-David? ⁴² For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

⁴⁴ David then calls Him ‘Lord’; so how is He his son?”

⁴⁵ Then with all the people listening, Yeshua said to the disciples, ⁴⁶ “Beware of the Torah scholars, who like to walk around in long robes. They love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at feasts. ⁴⁷ They devour widows’ houses and make long prayers as a show. These men will receive greater condemnation!”

Teaching in the Temple

21 Then Yeshua looked up and saw the rich dropping their gifts into the treasury box. ² He also saw a poor widow dropping in two small copper coins. ^{[q] 3} And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all the rest. ⁴ For all these put in their gifts from their surplus. But she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on.”

⁵ And while some were talking about the Temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and offerings, Yeshua said, ⁶ “As for these things you are looking at, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another. Every one will be torn down!”

⁷ And they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, so when will these things happen? What will be the sign that these things are about to take place?”

⁸ And He said, “Watch out that you are not led astray! For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He’ and ‘The time is near!’ Do not follow them. ⁹ And when you hear of wars and chaos, do not be terrorized. For these things need to happen first, but the end will not come at once.”

¹⁰ Then He continued telling them, “Nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great earthquakes along with famines and epidemics in various places, and there will be terrors along with great signs from heaven. ¹² But before all these things, they will grab you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues and prisons, and leading you away to kings and governors on account of My name. ¹³ This will lead you to be a witness. ¹⁴ So make up your minds not to prepare ahead of time to defend yourselves— ¹⁵ for I Myself will give you speech and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. ¹⁶ But you will be handed over even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷ And you will be hated by all because of My name. ¹⁸ Yet not a hair of your head will be lost. ¹⁹ By your endurance, you will gain your souls.

²⁰ “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. ²¹ Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those inside the city must get out, and those in the countryside must not enter her. ²² For these are the days of punishment, to fulfill all that has been written.^[r]

²³ “Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath on this people. ²⁴ They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.^[s]

²⁵ “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars. And upon the earth nations will be confused by the roaring of the sea and its waves. ^{[t] 26} People will lose heart from fear and anticipation of what is overtaking the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ^{[u] 27} And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ^{[v] 28} Now when these things begin to happen, stand straight and lift up your heads, because your salvation is near!”

²⁹ Then Yeshua told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. ³⁰ As soon as they sprout their leaves, you see it and you know at once that summer is near. ³¹ So also, when you see these all these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Amen, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.^[w]

³⁴ “But watch out so your hearts are not weighed down by carousing, strong drink, and the worries of life. Do not let that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. ³⁵ For it will come rushing upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ But stay alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things about to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷ So during the days Yeshua was teaching in the Temple, but in the nights He went out and stayed on the Mount of Olives. ^{[x] 38} And all the people would come early in the morning to hear Him in the Temple.

Lazarus Is Dead

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Miriam and her sister Martha. ² This was the same Miriam who anointed the Master with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick. ³ So the sisters sent a word to Yeshua, saying, “Master, the one you love is sick!”

⁴ When Yeshua heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. It is for God’s glory, so that Ben-Elohim may be glorified through it.” ⁵ Now Yeshua loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ However, when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two more days.

⁷ Then after this, He said to His disciples, “Let’s go up to Judea again.”

⁸ “Rabbi,” the disciples say to Him, “just now the Judean leaders were trying to stone You! And You’re going back there again?”

⁹ Yeshua answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours in the day? If a man walks in the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of the world. ¹⁰ But if a man should walk around at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

¹¹ After He said this, He tells them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m going there to wake him up.”

¹² So the disciples said to Him, “Master, if he has fallen asleep, he will get better.” ¹³ Now Yeshua had spoken about his death, but they thought He was talking about ordinary sleep.

¹⁴ Then Yeshua told them clearly, “Lazarus is dead! ¹⁵ I’m glad for your sake I wasn’t there, so that you may believe. Anyway, let’s go to him!”

¹⁶ Then Thomas called the Twin^[a] said to the other disciples, “Let’s go too, so that we may die with Him!”

Comforting the Mourners

¹⁷ So when Yeshua arrived, He discovered that Lazarus had been in the tomb already for four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was less than two miles^[b] from Jerusalem, ¹⁹ and many of the Judeans had come to Martha and Miriam to console them about their brother.

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