Beginning

10 Jesus left that place and went through the country of Judea on the other side of the Jordan river. Many people came to him there again. He taught them as he always did.

² The Pharisees came to him and asked, `Is it right for a man to send his wife away from him?' They asked this to test Jesus.

³ Jesus answered, `What law did Moses give you?'

⁴ They said, `Moses allowed a man to write a paper to show that he does not want her any more. Then he may send her away.'

⁵ Jesus said to them, `Moses wrote that law because your hearts are so hard.

⁶ From the time God first made people, he made them man and woman.

⁷ That is why a man must leave his father and mother and stay with his wife.

⁸ The two of them will be like one person. So they are not two people any more, but they are one person.

⁹ Man must not separate what God has joined together.'

¹⁰ When they were in the house, the disciples asked Jesus about this matter.

¹¹ So Jesus said, `If any man sends away his wife and marries another woman, he commits adultery against her. [He takes another woman who is not his wife.]

¹² If a woman sends away her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.'

¹³ They brought children to Jesus. They wanted him to put his hands on them. The disciples tried to stop the people.

¹⁴ When Jesus saw what the disciples did, he did not like it. He said, `Let the children come to me. Do not try to stop them.

¹⁵ I tell you the truth. If anyone does not believe in the kingdom of God like a child, he will never go in.'

¹⁶ Jesus took the children up in his arms. He put his hands on them and blessed them.

¹⁷ Jesus started on the way again. A man came running and kneeled down before him. He said, `Good Teacher, what must I do so that I will live for ever?'

¹⁸ Jesus said, `Why do you call me good? Only God is good.

¹⁹ You know the laws: "Do not commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not tell lies. Do not cheat. Respect your father and your mother." '

²⁰ The man answered Jesus. He said, `Teacher, I have kept all those laws since I was a boy.'

²¹ Jesus looked at him. He loved him. He said, `You need one thing more. Go home. Sell everything you have. Give the money to the poor people. You will be rich in heaven. So be ready to carry your own cross and come with me.'

²² When the young man heard that, he was sad, because he was very rich. So he went away.

²³ Then Jesus looked around at his disciples and said to them, `It is very hard for rich people to enter the kingdom of God.'

²⁴ The disciples were surprised at his words. But Jesus said again, `Children, it is very hard for people who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God.

²⁵ It is easier for a big animal to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'

²⁶ They were very much surprised. They said, `Then who can be saved?'

²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, `Men cannot do it but God can, because God can do anything.'

²⁸ Peter began to speak and said to him, `See, we have left all things and have come with you.'

³⁰ Jesus said, `I tell you the truth. If any man has left his house, or his brothers, or his sisters, his mother, or his father, or his children, or farms, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, he will receive his pay in this life. He will have a hundred times as many houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and farms. He will have trouble also. But in the next world he will live for ever.

³¹ But many people who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first.'

³² Jesus and his disciples were on the road to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking in front of them. The disciples were surprised. And the people who came behind were afraid. He took the twelve disciples and began to tell them what was going to happen to him.

³³ He said, `We are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will judge him and say he must die. They will give him over to rulers who are not Jews.

³⁴ They will make fun of him. They will spit on him. They will beat him and kill him. After three days, he will rise again.'

³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said, `Master, we want you to do for us anything we ask you.'

³⁶ Jesus said, `What do you want me to do for you?'

³⁷ They said, `Let one of us sit at your right side and one at your left side when you rule.'

³⁸ But Jesus said, `You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink from the cup that I will drink from? Can you go through the big trouble that I will go through?'

³⁹ `Yes,' they said. `We can.' Then Jesus said to them, `You will drink what I drink and you will have trouble the way I will have.

⁴⁰ But I cannot choose who will sit at my right hand or at my left. It has been planned who will sit there.'

⁴¹ When the other ten disciples heard about it, they were angry with James and John.

⁴² Jesus called them and said, `You know the people who rule over countries make their people obey them. The great will tell the others what to do.

⁴³ But that is not the way it is among you. Anyone among you who wants to be great must help the others.

⁴⁴ Anyone among you who wants to be first shall be a servant to the others.

⁴⁵ The Son of Man did not come to have others help him. But he came to help others. He came to give his life to make many people free.'

⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples left Jericho, many people followed him. A blind man named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. He was begging for money.

⁴⁷ He heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing. So he shouted, `Jesus, Son of David! Help me!'

⁴⁸ Many people said, `Be quiet!' But he shouted louder, `Son of David! Help me!

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, `Call him.' They called the blind man and said to him, `Be glad! Come, get up! He is calling you.'

⁵⁰ The man threw off his coat, jumped up, and went to Jesus.

⁵¹ Jesus said, `What do you want me to do for you?' The blind man said to him, `Teacher, I want to see.'

⁵² Jesus said, `Go home. Because you believe in me, your faith has made you well.' Right then he was able to see. He followed Jesus on the road.

11 They came to Bethphage and Bethany, near Jerusalem by the hill called Olives. Then he sent two of his disciples ahead.

² He said, `Go into the village in front of you. As soon as you go in, you will find an animal tied. No one has ever sat on it. Untie it and bring it to me.

³ If anyone asks you, "Why are you doing this?" tell him, "The Lord needs it. He will send it back soon." '

⁴ The disciples went. They found the animal tied outside a door in the street. They untied it.

⁵ People standing there said, `What are you doing, untying the animal?'

⁶ The disciples said what Jesus had told them to say. So they let them go.

⁷ They brought it to Jesus and laid their coats on it. He got on it.

⁸ Many people spread their coats on the road. Others cut leaves and branches from the fields and put them on the road.

⁹ People in front of him and people behind him shouted, `Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord!

¹⁰ God bless the kingdom of our father David which is coming. Praise him in heaven!'

¹¹ And so Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. He looked at everything. Then he went out with the twelve disciples to Bethany. It was late already.

¹² In the morning when they were on the way out of Bethany, Jesus was hungry.

¹³ He saw a fig tree a little way off with leaves on it. So he went to see if it had figs. He came to the tree. There was no fruit on it, only leaves. It was not the time for figs.

¹⁴ Jesus said to the tree, `No one will ever eat a fig from you again!' His disciples heard what he said.

¹⁵ They reached Jerusalem. Jesus went into the temple. He began to drive out the people who were buying and selling in the temple. He threw down the tables of the money changers. He pushed down the seats of those who sold doves.

¹⁶ He would not let anyone carry anything through the temple.

¹⁷ He taught the people, saying, `The holy writings say, "My house shall be called a house for all tribes and nations, where people talk with God." But you have made it a place for people who steal!'

¹⁸ The chief priests and scribes heard what he said. They wanted to find some way to kill him. They feared Jesus because all the people were surprised at his teaching.

¹⁹ In the evening Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

²⁰ The next morning they passed the fig tree again. They saw that it had died from the roots.

²¹ Peter remembered about it. He said, `Look Master, you cursed the fig tree and it has died.'

²² Jesus said, `Believe in God.

²³ I tell you the truth. Anyone may say to this hill, "Go and jump into the sea." He must not doubt in his heart, but he must believe that he will have the things he asks for and he will have them.

²⁴ So I tell you, when you ask God for anything believe that you will get it and you will have it.

²⁵ When you stand and talk with God, forgive others for the wrong things they have done to you. Then your Father in heaven will also forgive you for the wrong things you have done.

²⁶ But if you do not forgive others, your Father in heaven will not forgive you for the wrong things you have done.'

²⁷ They came to Jerusalem again. Jesus walked in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders came to him.

²⁸ They said, `What right have you to do these things? Who gave you the right to do them?'

²⁹ Jesus said, `I will ask you a question. If you answer me, I will answer you and tell you what right I have to do these things.

³⁰ Who gave John the right to baptise people? Did God or did men? Answer me!'

³¹ So they talked it over together. They said, `If we say, "God gave John the right," he will say, "Then why did you not believe him?"

³² But what if we say, "Men gave him the right to do it"?' They feared the people because they all believed that John was a prophet of God.

³³ So they answered Jesus, `We do not know.' Then Jesus said, `Neither will I tell you what right I have to do these things.'