Read the Gospels in 40 Days
25 ¶ Then shall the kingdom of the heavens be likened unto ten virgins who, taking their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were prudent, and five were foolish.
3 Those that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them;
4 but the prudent took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the prudent, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out.
9 But the prudent answered, saying, Lest there be not enough for us and you, but go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and those that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.
11 Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man comes.
14 ¶ For it is like a man travelling into a far country, who called his own slaves and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each one according to his faculty, and straightway took his journey.
16 And after he was gone, he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same and made another five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained another two.
18 But he that had received one went and dug in the earth and hid his lord’s money.
19 And after a long time the lord of those slaves came and reckoned accounts with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, Lord, thou didst deliver unto me five talents; behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful slave; thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou didst deliver unto me two talents; behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful slave; thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown and gathering where thou hast not scattered;
25 therefore, I was afraid and went and hid thy talent in the earth; behold, thou hast what is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful slave, thou knewest that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I have not scattered;
27 therefore, it was expedient for thee to have put my money to the bankers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with interest.
28 Take, therefore, the talent from him and give it unto him who has ten talents.
29 For unto every one that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he has.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable slave into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
31 ¶ When the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he shall sit upon the throne of his glory,
32 and before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats,
33 and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto those on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
35 for I was hungry, and ye gave me food; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in;
36 naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee? or thirsty and give thee drink?
38 When did we see thee a stranger and take thee in? or naked and clothe thee?
39 Or when did we see thee sick or in prison and come unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brothers, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then he shall also say unto those who shall be on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels;
42 for I was hungry, and ye gave me no food; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink;
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then they shall also answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then he shall answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of my brothers, ye did it not to me.
46 And they shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
26 ¶ And it came to pass when Jesus had finished all these words, he said unto his disciples,
2 Ye know that after two days is the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
3 Then the princes of the priests and the scribes and the elders of the people assembled together in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
4 and took counsel that they might take Jesus by guile and kill him.
5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
6 ¶ Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7 a woman came unto him having an alabaster box of very precious ointment and poured it on his head as he sat at the table.
8 But when his disciples saw it, they became indignant, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor.
10 But Jesus, understanding this, said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she has wrought a good work upon me.
11 For ye have the poor always with you, but me ye have not always.
12 For in that she has poured this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare for my burial.
13 Verily I say unto you, Wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman has done, be told for a memorial of her.
14 ¶ Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the princes of the priests
15 and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
17 ¶ Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
18 And he said, Go into the city to a certain man and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them, and they made ready the passover.
20 Now when the evening was come, he sat down at the table with the twelve.
21 And as they ate, he said, Verily I say unto you that one of you shall betray me.
22 And they were exceeding sorrowful and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
23 And he answered and said, He that dips his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
24 The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born.
25 Then Judas, who was betraying him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
26 ¶ And as they were eating, Jesus took the bread, and, having blessed it, broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And taking the cup and having given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 But I say unto you, I will not drink from now on of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
31 ¶ Then Jesus said unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night; for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended in thee, yet I will never be offended.
34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night before the cock crows, thou shalt deny me three times.
35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
36 ¶ Then Jesus came with them unto a place called Gethsemane and said unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then he said unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here and watch with me.
39 And he went a little further and fell on his face, praying and saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
40 And he came unto the disciples and found them asleep and said unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42 He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it, thy will be done.
43 And he came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
44 And leaving them, he went away again and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
45 Then he came unto his disciples and said unto them, Sleep on now and take your rest; behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46 Rise, let us be going; behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
47 ¶ And while he yet spoke, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the princes of the priests and elders of the people.
48 Now he that betrayed him had given them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; hold him fast.
49 And forthwith he came to Jesus and said, Receive joy, master; and kissed him.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, why art thou come? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him.
51 And, behold, one of those who was with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck a slave of the high priest and smote off his ear.
52 Then Jesus said unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place, for all those that take the sword shall perish by the sword.
53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be?
55 In that same hour Jesus said to the multitude, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
56 But all this was done that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him and fled.
57 ¶ And those that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
58 But Peter followed him afar off unto the patio of the high priest and went in and sat with the servants to see the end.
59 Now the princes of the priests and the elders and all the council sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
60 but found none; though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses
61 who said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.
62 And the high priest arose and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing to what these witness against thee?
63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God.
64 Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said it; nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.
65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He has spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
67 Then they spit in his face and buffeted him, and others smote him with the staves,
68 saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ; who is he that smote thee?
69 ¶ Now Peter sat outside in the patio; and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him and said unto those that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
73 And after a while those that stood by came unto him and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them, for thy speech makes thee manifest.
74 Then he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately a cock crew.
75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, who said unto him, Before the cock crows, thou shalt deny me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly.
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