Matthew 21

1 AND when they drew nigh to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto mount Olivet, then Jesus sent two disciples,2 Saying to them: Go ye into the village that is over against you, and immediately you shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them and bring them to me.3 And if any man shall say anything to you, say ye, that the Lord hath need of them: and forthwith he will let them go.4 Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion: Behold thy king cometh to thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of her that is used to the yoke.6 And the disciples going, did as Jesus commanded them.7 And they brought the ass and the colt, and laid their garments upon them, and made him sit thereon.8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way: and others cut boughs from the trees, and strewed them in the way:9 And the multitudes that went before and that followed, cried, saying: Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, saying: Who is this?11 And the people said: This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth of Galilee.12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the chairs of them that sold doves:13 And he saith to them: It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.14 And there came to him the blind and the lame in the temple; and he healed them.15 And the chief priests and scribes, seeing the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying: Hosanna to the son of David; were moved with indignation.16 And said to him: Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus said to them: Yea, have you never read: Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise?17 And leaving them, he went out of the city into Bethania, and remained there.18 And in the morning, returning into the city, he was hungry.19 And seeing a certain fig tree by the way side, he came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves only, and he saith to it: May no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And immediately the fig tree withered away.20 And the disciples seeing it wondered, saying: How is it presently withered away?21 And Jesus answering, said to them: Amen, I say to you, if you shall have faith, and stagger not, not only this of the fig tree shall you do, but also if you shall say to this mountain, Take up and cast thyself into the sea, it shall be done.22 And in all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.23 And when he was come into the temple, there came to him, as he was teaching, the chief priests and ancients of the people, saying: By what authority dost thou these things? and who hath given thee this authority?24 Jesus answering, said to them: I also will ask you one word, which if you shall tell me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or from men? But they thought within themselves, saying:26 If we shall say, from heaven, he will say to us: Why then did you not believe him? But if we shall say, from men, we are afraid of the multitude: for all held John as a prophet.27 And answering Jesus, they said: We know not. He also said to them: Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.28 But what think you? A certain man had two sons; and coming to the first, he said: Son, go work to day in my vineyard.29 And he answering, said: I will not. But afterwards, being moved with repentance, he went.30 And coming to the other, he said in like manner. And he answering, said: I go, Sir; and he went not.31 Which of the two did the father's will? They say to him: The first. Jesus saith to them: Amen I say to you, that the publicans and the harlots shall go into the kingdom of God before you.32 For John came to you in the way of justice, and you did not believe him. But the publicans and the harlots believed him: but you, seeing it, did not even afterwards repent, that you might believe him.33 Hear ye another parable. There was a man an householder, who planted a vineyard, and made a hedge round about it, and dug in it a press, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen; and went into a strange country.34 And when the time of the fruits drew nigh, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits thereof.35 And the husbandmen laying hands on his servants, beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.36 Again he sent other servants more than the former; and they did to them in like manner.37 And last of all he sent to them his son, saying: They will reverence my son.38 But the husbandmen seeing the son, said among themselves: This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and we shall have his inheritance.39 And taking him, they cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him.40 When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those husbandmen?41 They say to him: He will bring those evil men to an evil end; and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, that shall render him the fruit in due season.42 Jesus saith to them: Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? By the Lord this has been done; and it is wonderful in our eyes.43 Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation yielding the fruits thereof.44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone, shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they knew that he spoke of them.46 And seeking to lay hands on him, they feared the multitudes: because they held him as a prophet.

Matthew 21

The Triumphal Entry

1 Nowt when they approached Jerusalems and came to Bethphage,s at the Mount of Olives,s Jesus sent two disciples,2 telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you.t Right away you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.3 If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’s and he will send them at once.”

4 Thist took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:t

5 “Tell the people of Zion,t
‘Look, your king is coming to you,
unassuming and seated on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”t
6 Sot the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloakst on them, and he sat on them.8 At very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those following kept shouting,t “Hosannats to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!sHosanna in the highest!”10 As he entered Jerusalem the whole city was thrown into an uproar,t saying, “Who is this?”

11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareths in Galilee.”

Cleansing the Temple

12 Thent Jesus entered the temple areats and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple courts,ts and turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.

13 And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’s but you are turning it into a dentof robbers!”s
14 The blind and lame came to him in the temple courts, and he healed them.15 But when the chief priests and the experts in the lawt saw the wonderful things he did and heard the children crying out in the temple courts,t “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant16 and said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of children and nursing infants you have prepared praise for yourself’?”s

17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.

The Withered Fig Tree

18 Now early in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry.19 After noticing a fig treets by the road he went to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, “Never again will there be fruit from you!” And the fig tree withered at once.20 When the disciples saw it they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”21 Jesust answered them, “I tell you the truth,t if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

22 And whatever you ask in prayer, if you believe,t you will receive.”

The Authority of Jesus

23 Now after Jesust entered the temple courts,t the chief priests and elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authorityt are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”24 Jesust answered them, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.25 Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from people?”ts They discussed this among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’26 But if we say, ‘From people,’ we fear the crowd, for they all consider John to be a prophet.”

27 Sot they answered Jesus,t “We don’t know.”s Then he said to them, “Neither will I tell yous by what authorityt I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 “Whatt do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’29 The boy answered,t ‘I will not.’ But later he had a change of heartt and went.30 The fathert went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered,t ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go.31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.”s Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth,t tax collectorss and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God!

32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe. Althought you saw this, you did not later change your mindss and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landownert who planted a vineyard.s He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Thent he leased it to tenant farmerss and went on a journey.34 When the harvest time was near, he sent his slavests to the tenants to collect his portion of the crop.t35 But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one,s killed another, and stoned another.36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the same way.37 Finally he sent his son to them,s saying, ‘They will respect my son.’38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’39 Sot they seized him,t threw him out of the vineyard,s and killed him.40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

41 They said to him, “He will utterly destroy those evil men! Then he will lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his portion at the harvest.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:
‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.ts
This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?s
43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a peoplet who will produce its fruit.44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.”ssts45 Whent the chief priests and the Phariseess heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.

46 They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, because the crowdst regarded him as a prophet.