Old/New Testament
The triumphal entry
28 With these words, Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29 As they came close, as near as Bethany and Bethphage, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples on ahead. 30 “Go into the village over there,” he said, “and as you arrive you’ll find a colt tied up, one that nobody has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you should say, ‘Because the master needs it.’ ”
32 The two who were sent went off and found it just as Jesus had said to them. 33 They untied the colt, and its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34 “Because the master needs it,” they replied.
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and mounted Jesus on it. 36 As he was going along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came to the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began to celebrate and praise God at the tops of their voices for all the powerful deeds they had seen.
38 “Welcome, welcome, welcome with a blessing,” they sang.
“Welcome to the king in the name of the Lord!
“Peace in heaven, and glory on high!”
39 Some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell your disciples to stop that.”
40 “Let me tell you,” replied Jesus, “if they stayed silent, the stones would be shouting out!”
Jesus cleanses the Temple
41 When he came near and saw the city, he wept over it.
42 “If only you’d known,” he said, “on this day—even you!—what peace meant. But now it’s hidden, and you can’t see it. 43 Yes, the days are coming upon you when your enemies will build up earthworks all round you, and encircle you, and squeeze you in from every direction. 44 They will bring you crashing to the ground, you and your children within you. They won’t leave one single stone on another, because you didn’t know the moment when God was visiting you.”
45 He went into the Temple and began to throw out the traders.
46 “It’s written,” he said, “ ‘My house shall be a house of prayer; but you’ve made it a brigands’ cave.’ ”
47 He was teaching every day in the Temple. But the chief priests, the scribes and the leading men of the people were trying to destroy him. 48 They couldn’t find any way to do it, because all the people were hanging on his every word.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.