Matthew 22
EasyEnglish Bible
Jesus tells a story about a meal at a marriage
22 Jesus continued to teach the people with stories. 2 He said, ‘This is what the kingdom of heaven is like. A king prepared a special meal for his son's marriage. 3 He asked many people to come. When the meal was ready, he sent his servants out to tell those people to come. But they refused to come.
4 So the king then sent out other servants. He said to them, “Tell this message to all those people that I have asked to come. Tell them that the master says, ‘My servants have prepared the meal. They have killed my large oxen and some fat young cows to eat. Everything is ready. Now come to the marriage party!’ ”
5 But the people did not think that the king's message was important. They went away to do their own work. One man went to his farm and another man went to his business. 6 Other people took hold of the king's servants. They hurt them and then they killed them. 7 The king was very angry. He sent his soldiers to the city where those people lived. They killed the people who killed the king's servants. They destroyed their city with fire.
8 Then the king said to his other servants, “The meal for my son's marriage is ready. But the people that I had asked to come did not deserve to come. 9 So go out now to the town's streets where people meet together. Ask all the people that you find there to come to the marriage party.” 10 Then those servants went out into the streets. They brought to the king's house all the people that they met. Some were good people and some were bad people. Very many people came. The room for the marriage was full!
11 Then the king came into the room to see all the people. He saw one man who was not wearing the right clothes for a marriage.[a] 12 The king said to the man, “How did you come in here, my friend? You are not wearing the right clothes for a marriage.” The man could not answer the king.
13 The king said to his servants, “Tie his hands and his feet. Take him and throw him into the dark place outside. There, people will cry and they will bite their teeth together.”
14 God asks many people to come to him. But he only chooses a few people to be there with him.’
The Pharisees ask Jesus about taxes
15 After the Pharisees heard this, they thought about what they could do. They wanted to ask Jesus difficult questions. They wanted to make him say something wrong about the Roman ruler. 16 So the Pharisees sent their own disciples to Jesus. They also sent people who were friends of King Herod. They said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we know that you only say true things. You teach us what God wants us to do. It does not matter to you what other people think. If someone is important, you do not change your answers to make them happy. 17 So tell us your answer to this question: Should we pay our taxes to the Roman ruler, Caesar? Is it right to give that money to him, or not?’
18 Jesus knew that these men wanted to do bad things to him. So he said to them, ‘You are asking that question to cause trouble for me. You are not being honest! 19 Now, show me the coin that you use for the tax.’ So they brought a coin to him. 20 Then Jesus asked them, ‘Whose picture is on this coin? Whose name is on it?’
21 They replied, ‘It is Caesar's picture and Caesar's name.’
Jesus said to them, ‘So you should give to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar. And give to God the things that belong to God.’
22 When they heard Jesus' answer, they were very surprised. So they left him and they went away.
The Sadducees ask Jesus a question
23 On that day, some Sadducees also came to Jesus. Sadducees do not believe that anyone becomes alive again after they die. They wanted to ask Jesus a question.[b]
24 ‘Teacher,’ they said to him, ‘Moses said in the Bible: A man may die and leave behind a wife but no children. Then that man's brother must marry the woman. Then their children will be called the children of the brother who died. 25 Once, there were seven brothers who lived here. The oldest brother married a woman. Then he died before they had any children. So the second brother married the woman. 26 But then he also died with no children. So a third brother married this woman. And the same thing happened to all the brothers down to the seventh brother. They all died before the woman had any children. 27 After all this, the woman also died. 28 You teach that one day dead people will become alive again. On that day, whose wife will that woman be? She had married all seven of those brothers.’
29 Jesus said to the Sadducees, ‘You are wrong. This is because you do not know the Bible. And you do not know how powerful God is. 30 One day, God will raise people up after they have died. They will become alive again. But then men and women will not marry. They will not have husbands or wives. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 It is true that one day dead people will become alive again. You have read in the Bible about what God said to you: 32 “I am the God of Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. And I am the God of Jacob.” God is not the God of people who are dead. He is the God of people who are alive.’[c]
33 The crowd heard this. They were very surprised about what Jesus was teaching.
Jesus teaches the Pharisees about the most important Law
34 The Pharisees heard that Jesus had said these things to the Sadducees. Now the Sadducees could not say anything more to him. So the Pharisees met together. They decided what they would say to Jesus.
35 One of the Pharisees had studied God's Law very well. He asked Jesus a question to see how he would answer. 36 He said, ‘Teacher, which of God's Laws is the most important rule for us to obey?’
37 Jesus replied to him, ‘You should love the Lord your God completely: Love him with all your mind. Love him with all that you are. Love him in all that you think. 38 This is the greatest rule and the most important of all God's Laws. 39 The second rule is also important, like the first one. You should love other people as much as you love yourself. 40 All God's Laws that Moses gave us come from these two rules. All the things that the prophets wrote also come from them.’
Jesus teaches people about the Messiah
41 While the Pharisees met together with Jesus, he asked them, 42 ‘What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?’
The Pharisees replied, ‘He will be King David's son.’
43 Jesus said to them, ‘So think about this: God's Holy Spirit helped King David to call the Messiah his Lord. David said, 44 “The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit at my right side until I win against your enemies.
Then you will be able to put your feet on them.”
45 We know that King David calls the Messiah his Lord. So can you really say that the Messiah is David's son?’ 46 Nobody could answer the question that Jesus asked. After this, everyone was afraid to ask Jesus any more questions.
Footnotes
- 22:11 At that time, a man asked his friends to a special meal when he got married. He also gave them special clothes to wear. They wore these clothes when they came in to the meal. In the story, people came in from the streets, so they were not wearing special clothes. One person had not accepted the special clothes that the king gave to him. The special clothes are like what God gives us because of Jesus. Each person must accept what God gives. A person cannot save himself. That is what Jesus is teaching in this story.
- 22:23 The Sadducees were a group of Jewish leaders.
- 22:32 See Exodus 3:6.
Mateus 22
Nova Versão Transformadora
A parábola do banquete de casamento
22 Jesus lhes contou outras parábolas. Disse ele: 2 “O reino dos céus pode ser ilustrado com a história de um rei que preparou um grande banquete de casamento para seu filho. 3 Quando o banquete estava pronto, o rei enviou seus servos para avisar os convidados, mas todos se recusaram a vir.
4 “Então ele enviou outros servos para lhes dizer: ‘Já preparei o banquete; os bois e novilhos gordos foram abatidos, e tudo está pronto. Venham para a festa!’. 5 Mas os convidados não lhes deram atenção e foram embora: um para sua fazenda, outro para seus negócios. 6 Outros, ainda, agarraram os mensageiros, os insultaram e os mataram.
7 “O rei ficou furioso e enviou seu exército para destruir os assassinos e queimar a cidade deles. 8 Disse a seus servos: ‘O banquete de casamento está pronto, e meus convidados não são dignos dessa honra. 9 Agora, saiam pelas esquinas e convidem todos que vocês encontrarem’. 10 Então os servos trouxeram todos que encontraram, tanto bons como maus, e o salão do banquete se encheu de convidados.
11 “Quando o rei entrou para recebê-los, notou um homem que não estava vestido de forma apropriada para um casamento 12 e perguntou-lhe: ‘Amigo, como é que você se apresenta sem a roupa de casamento?’. O homem não teve o que responder. 13 Então o rei disse: ‘Amarrem-lhe as mãos e os pés e lancem-no para fora, na escuridão, onde haverá choro e ranger de dentes’.
14 “Pois muitos são chamados, mas poucos são escolhidos”.
Impostos para César
15 Então os fariseus se reuniram para tramar um modo de levar Jesus a dizer algo que desse motivo para o prenderem. 16 Enviaram alguns de seus discípulos, junto com os partidários de Herodes, para se encontrarem com ele. Disseram: “Mestre, sabemos como o senhor é honesto e ensina o caminho de Deus de acordo com a verdade. É imparcial e não demonstra favoritismo. 17 Agora, diga-nos o que o senhor pensa a respeito disto: É certo pagar impostos a César ou não?”.
18 Jesus, porém, sabia de sua má intenção e disse: “Hipócritas! Por que vocês tentam me apanhar numa armadilha? 19 Mostrem-me a moeda usada para pagar o imposto”. Quando lhe deram uma moeda de prata,[a] 20 ele disse: “De quem são a imagem e o título nela gravados?”.
21 “De César”, responderam.
“Então deem a César o que pertence a César, e deem a Deus o que pertence a Deus”, disse ele.
22 Sua resposta os deixou admirados, e eles foram embora.
Discussão sobre a ressurreição dos mortos
23 No mesmo dia, vieram a Jesus alguns saduceus, líderes religiosos que afirmam não haver ressurreição dos mortos, 24 e perguntaram: “Mestre, Moisés disse: ‘Se um homem morrer sem deixar filhos, o irmão dele deve se casar com a viúva e ter um filho, que dará continuidade ao nome do irmão’.[b] 25 Numa família havia sete irmãos. O mais velho se casou e morreu sem deixar filhos, de modo que seu irmão se casou com a viúva. 26 O segundo irmão também morreu, e o terceiro irmão se casou com ela. E assim por diante, até o sétimo irmão. 27 Por fim, a mulher também morreu. 28 Diga-nos, de quem ela será esposa na ressurreição? Afinal, os sete se casaram com ela”.
29 Jesus respondeu: “O erro de vocês está em não conhecerem as Escrituras nem o poder de Deus, 30 pois, quando os mortos ressuscitarem, não se casarão nem se darão em casamento. Nesse sentido, serão como os anjos do céu.
31 “Agora, quanto a haver ressurreição dos mortos, vocês não leram a esse respeito nas Escrituras? Deus disse: 32 ‘Eu sou o Deus de Abraão, o Deus de Isaque e o Deus de Jacó’.[c] Portanto, ele é o Deus dos vivos, e não dos mortos”.
33 Quando as multidões o ouviram, ficaram admiradas com seu ensino.
O mandamento mais importante
34 Sabendo os fariseus que Jesus tinha calado os saduceus com essa resposta, reuniram-se novamente para interrogá-lo. 35 Um deles, especialista na lei, tentou apanhá-lo numa armadilha com a seguinte pergunta: 36 “Mestre, qual é o mandamento mais importante da lei de Moisés?”.
37 Jesus respondeu: “‘Ame o Senhor, seu Deus, de todo o seu coração, de toda a sua alma e de toda a sua mente’.[d] 38 Este é o primeiro e o maior mandamento. 39 O segundo é igualmente importante: ‘Ame o seu próximo como a si mesmo’.[e] 40 Toda a lei e todas as exigências dos profetas se baseiam nesses dois mandamentos”.
De quem o Cristo é filho?
41 Então, rodeado pelos fariseus, Jesus lhes fez a seguinte pergunta: 42 “O que vocês pensam do Cristo? De quem ele é filho?”.
Eles responderam: “É filho de Davi”.
43 Jesus perguntou: “Então por que Davi, falando por meio do Espírito, chama o Cristo de ‘meu Senhor’? Pois Davi disse:
44 ‘O Senhor disse ao meu Senhor:
Sente-se no lugar de honra à minha direita
até que eu humilhe seus inimigos
debaixo de seus pés’.[f]
45 Portanto, se Davi chamou o Cristo de ‘meu Senhor’, como ele pode ser filho de Davi?”.
46 Ninguém conseguiu responder e, depois disso, não se atreveram a lhe fazer mais perguntas.
Matthew 22
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
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.(A) 3 He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.(B) 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.’(C) 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.(D) 8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.(E) 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.(F)
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe,(G) 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.(H) 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.’(I) 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.(J) 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”(K) 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.”(L) 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,[a] and they asked him a question:(M) 24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.’(N) 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.(O) 30 For in the resurrection people neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels of God[b] 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.”(P) 33 And when the crowds heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.(Q)
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.(R) 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.’(S) 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’(T) 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”(U)
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?[c] Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”(V) 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit[d] calls him Lord, saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet” ’?(W)
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.(X)
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BÍBLIA SAGRADA, NOVA VERSÃO TRANSFORMADORA copyright © 2016 by Mundo Cristão. Used by permission of Associação Religiosa Editora Mundo Cristão, Todos os direitos reservados.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.