Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
19 (A)Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to [a]the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
The (B)righteous will enter through it.
21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have (C)answered me,
And You have (D)become my salvation.
22 The (E)stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
23 This is [b]the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us (F)rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O Lord, (G)do save, we beseech You;
O Lord, we beseech You, do send (H)prosperity!
26 (I)Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord;
We have (J)blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27 (K)The Lord is God, and He has given us (L)light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords [c]to the (M)horns of the altar.
28 (N)You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, (O)I extol You.
29 (P)Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Triumphal Entry
28 After He had said these things, He (A)was going on ahead, (B)going up to Jerusalem.
29 (C)When He approached Bethphage and (D)Bethany, near the [a]mount that is called (E)Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its [b]owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 They brought it to Jesus, (F)and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road. 37 As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of (G)the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to (H)praise God [c]joyfully with a loud voice for all the [d]miracles which they had seen, 38 shouting:
“(I)Blessed is the (J)King who comes in the name of the Lord;
Peace in heaven and (K)glory in the highest!”
39 (L)Some of the Pharisees [e]in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” 40 But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, (M)the stones will cry out!”
4 The Lord [a]God has given Me the tongue of (A)disciples,
That I may know how to (B)sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me (C)morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5 The Lord God has (D)opened My ear;
And I was (E)not disobedient
Nor did I turn back.
6 I (F)gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard;
I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.
7 For the Lord God (G)helps Me,
Therefore, I am (H)not disgraced;
Therefore, I have set My face like (I)flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He who (J)vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us (K)stand up to each other;
Who has a case against Me?
Let him draw near to Me.
9 Behold, (L)the Lord God helps Me;
(M)Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, (N)they will all wear out like a garment;
The moth will eat them.
9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for (A)I am in distress;
My (B)eye is wasted away from grief, (C)my soul and my body also.
10 For my life is spent with (D)sorrow
And my years with sighing;
My (E)strength has failed because of my iniquity,
And (F)my [a]body has wasted away.
11 Because of all my adversaries, I have become a (G)reproach,
Especially to my (H)neighbors,
And an object of dread to my acquaintances;
Those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I am (I)forgotten as a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the [b](J)slander of many,
(K)Terror is on every side;
While they (L)took counsel together against me,
They (M)schemed to take away my life.
5 (A)Have this attitude [a]in yourselves which was also in (B)Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He (C)existed in the (D)form of God, (E)did not regard equality with God a thing to be [b]grasped, 7 but [c](F)emptied Himself, taking the form of a (G)bond-servant, and (H)being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, (I)He humbled Himself by becoming (J)obedient to the point of death, even (K)death [d]on a cross. 9 (L)For this reason also, God (M)highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him (N)the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus (O)every knee will bow, of (P)those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is (Q)Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Lord’s Supper
14 (A)When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and (B)the apostles with Him. 15 And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I shall never again eat it (C)until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 (D)And when He had taken a cup and (E)given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; 18 for (F)I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And when He had taken some bread and (G)given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is (H)poured out for you is the (I)new covenant in My blood. 21 (J)But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with [a]Mine on the table. 22 For indeed, the Son of Man is going (K)as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” 23 And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.
Who Is Greatest
24 And there arose also (L)a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. 25 (M)And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ 26 But it is not this way with you, (N)but the one who is the greatest among you must become like (O)the youngest, and the leader like the servant. 27 For (P)who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But (Q)I am among you as the one who serves.
28 “You are those who have stood by Me in My (R)trials; 29 and just as My Father has granted Me a (S)kingdom, I grant you 30 that you may (T)eat and drink at My table in My (U)kingdom, and (V)you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
31 “Simon, Simon, behold, (W)Satan has [b]demanded permission to (X)sift you like wheat; 32 but I (Y)have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, (Z)strengthen your brothers.” 33 (AA)But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” 34 And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”
35 And He said to them, “(AB)When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” 36 And He said to them, “But now, [c]whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and [d]whoever has no sword is to sell his [e]coat and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘(AC)And He was numbered with transgressors’; for (AD)that which refers to Me has its [f]fulfillment.” 38 They said, “Lord, look, here are two (AE)swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”
The Garden of Gethsemane
39 (AF)And He came out and proceeded (AG)as was His custom to (AH)the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 (AI)When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “(AJ)Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He (AK)knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this (AL)cup from Me; (AM)yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43 [g]Now an (AN)angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And (AO)being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. 45 When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46 and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and (AP)pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Jesus Betrayed by Judas
47 (AQ)While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. 48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 When those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the (AR)sword?” 50 And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus answered and said, “[h]Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and (AS)officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs (AT)as you would against a robber? 53 While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but [i]this hour and the power of darkness are yours.”
Jesus’ Arrest
54 (AU)Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but (AV)Peter was following at a distance. 55 (AW)After they had kindled a fire in the middle of (AX)the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. 56 And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” 58 A little later, (AY)another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59 After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, (AZ)for he is a Galilean too.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 (BA)The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “(BB)Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
63 (BC)Now the men who were holding [j]Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, 64 and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “(BD)Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” 65 And they were saying many other things against Him, (BE)blaspheming.
Jesus before the Sanhedrin
66 (BF)When it was day, (BG)the [k]Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their (BH)council chamber, saying, 67 “(BI)If You are the [l]Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe; 68 and if I ask a question, you will not answer. 69 (BJ)But from now on (BK)the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 And they all said, “Are You (BL)the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “[m](BM)Yes, I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”
Jesus before Pilate
23 Then the whole body of them got up and (BN)brought Him before Pilate. 2 (BO)And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man (BP)misleading our nation and (BQ)forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is [n]Christ, a King.” 3 So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “(BR)It is as you say.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “(BS)I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, (BT)starting from Galilee even as far as this place.”
6 When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to (BU)Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem [o]at that time.
Jesus before Herod
8 Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for (BV)he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some [p]sign performed by Him. 9 And he questioned Him [q]at some length; but (BW)He answered him nothing. 10 And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. 11 And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, (BX)dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 Now (BY)Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.
Pilate Seeks Jesus’ Release
13 Pilate summoned the chief priests and the (BZ)rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who (CA)incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I (CB)have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. 15 No, nor has (CC)Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. 16 Therefore I will (CD)punish Him and release Him.” 17 [[r]Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]
18 But they cried out all together, saying, “(CE)Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” 19 (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.) 20 Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, 21 but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” 22 And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will (CF)punish Him and release Him.” 23 But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. 24 And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. 25 And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.
Simon Bears the Cross
26 (CG)When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of (CH)Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.
27 And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were [s](CI)mourning and lamenting Him. 28 But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘(CJ)Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30 Then they will begin to (CK)say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things [t]when the tree is green, what will happen [u]when it is dry?”
32 (CL)Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.
The Crucifixion
33 (CM)When they came to the place called [v]The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 [w]But Jesus was saying, “(CN)Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (CO)And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. 35 And the people stood by, looking on. And even the (CP)rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; (CQ)let Him save Himself if this is the [x]Christ of God, His Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, (CR)offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “(CS)If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” 38 Now there was also an inscription above Him, “(CT)THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
39 (CU)One of the criminals who were hanged there was [y]hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the [z]Christ? (CV)Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving [aa]what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come [ab]in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in (CW)Paradise.”
44 (CX)It was now about [ac](CY)the sixth hour, and darkness [ad]fell over the whole land until [ae]the ninth hour, 45 [af]because the sun was obscured; and (CZ)the veil of the temple was torn [ag]in two. 46 And Jesus, (DA)crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, (DB)into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last. 47 (DC)Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began (DD)praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was [ah]innocent.” 48 And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, [ai](DE)beating their breasts. 49 (DF)And all His acquaintances and (DG)the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.
Jesus Is Buried
50 (DH)And a man named Joseph, who was a (DI)member of the Council, a good and righteous man 51 (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was (DJ)waiting for the kingdom of God; 52 this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain. 54 It was (DK)the [aj]preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to [ak]begin. 55 Now (DL)the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and (DM)prepared spices and perfumes.
And (DN)on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Jesus before Pilate
23 Then the whole body of them got up and (A)brought Him before Pilate. 2 (B)And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man (C)misleading our nation and (D)forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is [a]Christ, a King.” 3 So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “(E)It is as you say.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “(F)I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, (G)starting from Galilee even as far as this place.”
6 When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to (H)Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem [b]at that time.
Jesus before Herod
8 Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for (I)he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some [c]sign performed by Him. 9 And he questioned Him [d]at some length; but (J)He answered him nothing. 10 And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. 11 And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, (K)dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 Now (L)Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.
Pilate Seeks Jesus’ Release
13 Pilate summoned the chief priests and the (M)rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who (N)incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I (O)have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. 15 No, nor has (P)Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. 16 Therefore I will (Q)punish Him and release Him.” 17 [[e]Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]
18 But they cried out all together, saying, “(R)Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” 19 (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.) 20 Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, 21 but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” 22 And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will (S)punish Him and release Him.” 23 But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. 24 And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. 25 And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.
Simon Bears the Cross
26 (T)When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of (U)Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.
27 And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were [f](V)mourning and lamenting Him. 28 But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘(W)Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30 Then they will begin to (X)say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things [g]when the tree is green, what will happen [h]when it is dry?”
32 (Y)Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.
The Crucifixion
33 (Z)When they came to the place called [i]The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 [j]But Jesus was saying, “(AA)Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (AB)And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. 35 And the people stood by, looking on. And even the (AC)rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; (AD)let Him save Himself if this is the [k]Christ of God, His Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, (AE)offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “(AF)If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” 38 Now there was also an inscription above Him, “(AG)THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
39 (AH)One of the criminals who were hanged there was [l]hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the [m]Christ? (AI)Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving [n]what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come [o]in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in (AJ)Paradise.”
44 (AK)It was now about [p](AL)the sixth hour, and darkness [q]fell over the whole land until [r]the ninth hour, 45 [s]because the sun was obscured; and (AM)the veil of the temple was torn [t]in two. 46 And Jesus, (AN)crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, (AO)into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last. 47 (AP)Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began (AQ)praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was [u]innocent.” 48 And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, [v](AR)beating their breasts. 49 (AS)And all His acquaintances and (AT)the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.