---------Genesis---------
---------I.--------
In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and
void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and
there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was
good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the
darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a
firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the
waters.
And God made the firmament, and
divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were
above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven.
And the evening and the morning were the second day.
And God said, Let the waters under
the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear:
and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth;
and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it
was good.
And God said, Let the earth bring
forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after
his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
And the earth brought forth grass,
and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed
was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
And the evening and the morning were
the third day.
And God said, Let there be lights in
the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be
for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
And let them be for lights in the
firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
And God made two great lights; the
greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made
the stars also.
And God set them in the firmament of
the heaven to give light upon the earth,
And to rule over the day and over the
night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
And the evening and the morning were
the fourth day.
And God said, Let the waters bring
forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly
above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
And God created great whales, and
every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly,
after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was
good.
And God blessed them, saying, Be
fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply
in the earth.
And the evening and the morning were
the fifth day.
And God said, Let the earth bring
forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast
of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
And God made the beast of the earth
after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon
the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
And God said, Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
And God blessed them, and God said
unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it:
and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
And God said, Behold, I have given
you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every
tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for
meat.
And to every beast of the earth, and
to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
And God saw every thing that he had
made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the
sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were
finished, and all the host of them.
And on the seventh day God ended his
work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work
which he had made.
And God blessed the seventh day, and
sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God
created and made.
These are the generations of the
heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God
made the earth and the heavens,
And every plant of the field before
it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord
God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till
the ground.
But there went up a mist from the
earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
And the Lord God formed man of the
dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living soul.
And the Lord God planted a garden
eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And out of the ground made the Lord
God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the
tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good
and evil.
And a river went out of Eden to water
the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
The name of the first is Pison: that
is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
And the gold of that land is good:
there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
And the name of the second river is
Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
And the name of the third river is
Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth
river is Euphrates.
And the Lord God took the man, and
put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
And the Lord God commanded the man,
saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die.
And the Lord God said, It is not good
that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
And out of the ground the Lord God
formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them
unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every
living creature, that was the name thereof.
And Adam gave names to all cattle,
and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there
was not found an help meet for him.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep
to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the
flesh instead thereof;
And the rib, which the Lord God had
taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my
bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken
out of Man.
Therefore shall a man leave his
father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one
flesh.
And they were both naked, the man and
his wife, and were not ashamed.
Now the serpent was more subtil than
any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman,
Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
And the woman said unto the serpent,
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
But of the fruit of the tree which is
in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither
shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said unto the woman,
Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye
eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing
good and evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree
was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be
desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave
also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
And the eyes of them both were
opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together,
and made themselves aprons.
And they heard the voice of the Lord
God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid
themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
And the Lord God called unto Adam,
and said unto him, Where art thou?
And he said, I heard thy voice in the
garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
And he said, Who told thee that thou
wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou
shouldest not eat?
And the man said, The woman whom thou
gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
And the Lord God said unto the woman,
What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me,
and I did eat.
And the Lord God said unto the
serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and
above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt
thou eat all the days of thy life:
And I will put enmity between thee
and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel.
Unto the woman he said, I will
greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring
forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over
thee.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou
hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which
I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for
thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it
bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou
eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for
dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
And Adam called his wife's name Eve;
because she was the mother of all living.
Unto Adam also and to his wife did
the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
And the Lord God said, Behold, the
man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth
his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Therefore the Lord God sent him forth
from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
So he drove out the man; and he
placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which
turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she
conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
And she again bare his brother Abel.
And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
And in process of time it came to
pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
And Abel, he also brought of the
firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto
Abel and to his offering:
But unto Cain and to his offering he
had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art
thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be
accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee
shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
And Cain talked with Abel his
brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up
against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is
Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
And he said, What hast thou done? the
voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
And now art thou cursed from the
earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy
hand;
When thou tillest the ground, it
shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond
shalt thou be in the earth.
And Cain said unto the LORD, My
punishment is greater than I can bear.
Behold, thou hast driven me out this
day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall
be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that
every one that findeth me shall slay me.
And the LORD said unto him, Therefore
whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD
set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
And Cain went out from the presence
of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
And Cain knew his wife; and she
conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the
city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
And unto Enoch was born Irad: and
Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
And Lamech took unto him two wives:
the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
And Adah bare Jabal: he was the
father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
And his brother's name was Jubal: he
was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain,
an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain
was Naamah.
And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah
and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I
have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
And Adam knew his wife again; and she
bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me
another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
And to Seth, to him also there was
born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name
of the LORD.
And the whole earth was of one
language, and of one speech.
And it came to pass, as they
journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and
they dwelt there.
And they said one to another, Go to,
let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and
slime had they for morter.
And they said, Go to, let us build us
a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name,
lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
And the LORD came down to see the
city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
And the LORD said, Behold, the people
is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now
nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Go to, let us go down, and there
confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
So the LORD scattered them abroad
from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the
city.
Therefore is the name of it called
Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and
from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been
made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in
the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ
came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before
they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her
to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of
David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you
are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their
sins."
All this took place to fulfill what
the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and
will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means,
"God with us."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the
angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had
no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name
Jesus.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in
Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and
asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his
star in the east and have come to worship him."
When King Herod heard this he was
disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the
people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ
was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this
is what the prophet has written:
After they had heard the king, they
went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them
until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star,
they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother
Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures
and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having
been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country
by another route.
When they had gone, an angel of the
Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the
child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for
Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
So he got up, took the child and his
mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of
Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet:
"Out of Egypt I called my son."
When Herod realized that he had been
outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys
in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance
with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the
prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
So he got up, took the child and his
mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was
reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.
Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he
went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said
through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."
In those days John the Baptist came,
preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is near." This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
But when he saw many of the Pharisees
and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You
brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in
keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have
Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up
children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every
tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the
fire.
"I baptize you with water for
repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose
sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing
floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with
unquenchable fire."
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the
Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I
need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
Jesus replied, "Let it be so
now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then
John consented.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he
went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from
heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well
pleased."
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into
the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty
nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the
Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
Jesus answered, "It is written:
'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth
of God.'"
Then the devil took him to the holy
city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the
Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
Again, the devil took him to a very
high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and
worship me."
Jesus said to him, "Away from
me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him
only.'"
Then the devil left him, and angels
came and attended him.
When Jesus heard that John had been
put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in
Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali-- to
fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea
of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.
They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come,
follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At
once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on from there, he saw two other
brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with
their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately
they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and
healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all
over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases,
those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and
the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,
Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Now when he saw the crowds, he went
up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to
teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they
will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they
will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for
they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted
because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people
insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because
of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the
same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
"You are the salt of the earth.
But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no
longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
"You are the light of the world.
A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it
under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone
in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may
see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
"Do not think that I have come
to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to
fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the
smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear
from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the
least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called
least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these
commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that
unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of
the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
"You have heard that it was said
to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject
to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be
subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is
answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger
of the fire of hell.
"Therefore, if you are offering
your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something
against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be
reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
"Settle matters quickly with your
adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the
way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to
the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will
not get out until you have paid the last penny.
"You have heard that it was
said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman
lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right
eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to
lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And
if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is
better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go
into hell.
"It has been said, 'Anyone who
divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that
anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to
become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits
adultery.
"Again, you have heard that it
was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths
you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by
heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by
Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be
'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
"You have heard that it was
said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil
person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as
well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the
one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from
you.
"You have heard that it was
said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your
Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends
rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what
reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you
greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even
pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
"Be careful not to do your 'acts
of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no
reward from your Father in heaven.
"So when you give to the needy,
do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on
the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received
their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand
know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then
your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"And when you pray, do not be
like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on
the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received
their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and
pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like
pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not
be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This, then, is how you should
pray:
"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed
be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven
our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil
one.'
For if you forgive men when they sin
against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not
forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
"When you fast, do not look
somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they
are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But
when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be
obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen;
and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and
steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do
not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also.
"The eye is the lamp of the
body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your
eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light
within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
"No one can serve two masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
"Therefore I tell you, do not
worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you
will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important
than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store
away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more
valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about
clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I
tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of
these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today
and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you
of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall
we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom
and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
"Do not judge, or you too will
be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with
the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of
sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own
eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,'
when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take
the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the
speck from your brother's eye.
"Do not give dogs what is
sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under
their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
"Ask and it will be given to
you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door
will be opened.
"Which of you, if his son asks
for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a
snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who
ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for
this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
"Enter through the narrow gate.
For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many
enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life,
and only a few find it.
"Watch out for false prophets.
They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes,
or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad
tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot
bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown
into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
"Not everyone who says to me,
'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will
of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform
many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me,
you evildoers!'
"Therefore everyone who hears
these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built
his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew
and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation
on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them
into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it
fell with a great crash."
When Jesus had finished saying these
things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who
had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
When he came down from the
mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt
before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me
clean."
Jesus reached out his hand and
touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"
Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, "See that
you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift
Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a
centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he said, "my
servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."
Jesus said to him, "I will go
and heal him."
The centurion replied, "Lord, I
do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my
servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers
under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he
comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was
astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have
not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will
come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the
kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth."
Then Jesus said to the centurion,
"Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant
was healed at that very hour.
When Jesus came into Peter's house,
he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and
the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
When evening came, many who were
demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word
and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the
prophet Isaiah:
Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes
and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his
head."
Another disciple said to him,
"Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
But Jesus told him, "Follow me,
and let the dead bury their own dead."
Then he got into the boat and his
disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake,
so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples
went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
He replied, "You of little
faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and
the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked,
"What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
When he arrived at the other side in
the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met
him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. "What do you
want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to
torture us before the appointed time?"
Some distance from them a large herd
of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send
us into the herd of pigs."
He said to them, "Go!" So
they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep
bank into the lake and died in the water. Those tending the pigs ran off, went
into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the
demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they
saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.
Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed
over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a
mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart,
son; your sins are forgiven."
At this, some of the teachers of the
law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said,
"Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to
say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so that you
may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...."
Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home."
And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with
awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a
man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me,"
he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
While Jesus was having dinner at
Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with
him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples,
"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
On hearing this, Jesus said, "It
is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this
means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the
righteous, but sinners."
Then John's disciples came and asked
him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not
fast?"
Jesus answered, "How can the
guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when
the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
"No one sews a patch of unshrunk
cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making
the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do,
the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.
No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
While he was saying this, a ruler
came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come
and put your hand on her, and she will live." Jesus got up and went with
him, and so did his disciples.
Just then a woman who had been
subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of
his cloak. She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be
healed."
Jesus turned and saw her. "Take
heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the
woman was healed from that moment.
When Jesus entered the ruler's house
and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away. The girl
is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been
put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of
this spread through all that region.
As Jesus went on from there, two
blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of
David!"
When he had gone indoors, the blind
men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do
this?"
"Yes, Lord," they replied.
Then he touched their eyes and said,
"According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was
restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about
this." But they went out and spread the news about him all over that
region.
While they were going out, a man who
was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon
was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said,
"Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."
But the Pharisees said, "It is
by the prince of demons that he drives out demons."
Jesus went through all the towns and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom
and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had
compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without
a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but
the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out
workers into his harvest field."
He called his twelve disciples to him
and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and
sickness.
These are the names of the twelve
apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son
of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew
the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and
Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the
following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of
the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this
message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received,
freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take
no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker
is worth his keep.
"Whatever town or village you
enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you
leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving,
let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If
anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your
feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more
bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. I am
sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and
as innocent as doves.
"Be on your guard against men;
they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.
On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to
them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to
say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will
not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
"Brother will betray brother to
death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and
have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands
firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to
another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of
Israel before the Son of Man comes.
"A student is not above his
teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be
like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has
been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
"So do not be afraid of them.
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not
be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is
whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who
kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can
destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ? Yet
not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And
even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are
worth more than many sparrows.
"Whoever acknowledges me before
men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever
disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
"Do not suppose that I have come
to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I
have come to turn
"He who receives you receives
me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a
prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who
receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous
man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these
little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly
not lose his reward."
After Jesus had finished instructing
his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of
Galilee.
When John heard in prison what Christ
was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to
come, or should we expect someone else?"
Jesus replied, "Go back and
report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk,
those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the
good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on
account of me."
As John's disciples were leaving,
Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into
the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to
see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in
kings' palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you,
and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:
"To what can I compare this
generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out
to others:
Then Jesus began to denounce the
cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not
repent. "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that
were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more
bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you,
Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the
depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom,
it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more
bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."
At that time Jesus said, "I
praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these
things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes,
Father, for this was your good pleasure.
"All things have been committed
to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the
Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
"Come to me, all you who are
weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
At that time Jesus went through the
grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some
heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,
"Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."
He answered, "Haven't you read
what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of
God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread--which was not lawful
for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven't you read in the Law that
on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are
innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known
what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have
condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
Going on from that place, he went
into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a
reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the
Sabbath?"
He said to them, "If any of you
has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of
it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is
lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
Then he said to the man,
"Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely
restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted
how they might kill Jesus.
Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from
that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, warning them not
to tell who he was. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet
Isaiah:
But when the Pharisees heard this,
they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this
fellow drives out demons."
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to
them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city
or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan,
he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive
out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they
will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the
kingdom of God has come upon you.
"Or again, how can anyone enter
a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the
strong man? Then he can rob his house.
"He who is not with me is
against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you,
every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the
Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man
will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be
forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
"Make a tree good and its fruit
will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is
recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say
anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good
man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man
brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men
will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they
have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you
will be condemned."
Then some of the Pharisees and
teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous
sign from you."
He answered, "A wicked and
adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it
except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three
nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and
three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the
judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the
preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the
South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she
came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one
greater than Solomon is here.
"When an evil spirit comes out
of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then
it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the
house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it
seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And
the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be
with this wicked generation."
While Jesus was still talking to the
crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone
told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak
to you."
He replied to him, "Who is my
mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said,
"Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my
Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
That same day Jesus went out of the
house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got
into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he
told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his
seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds
came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil.
It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up,
the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other
seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed
fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times
what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear."
The disciples came to him and asked,
"Why do you speak to the people in parables?"
He replied, "The knowledge of
the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not
have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in
parables:
"'You will be ever hearing but
never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this
people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they
have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with
their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' But
blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I
tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see
but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
"Listen then to what the parable
of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does
not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his
heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that
fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with
joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or
persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who
received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but
the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it
unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man
who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred,
sixty or thirty times what was sown."
Jesus told them another parable:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But
while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat,
and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also
appeared.
"The owner's servants came to
him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the
weeds come from?'
"'An enemy did this,' he
replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
"'No,' he answered, 'because
while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both
grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First
collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat
and bring it into my barn.'"
He told them another parable:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and
planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it
grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds
of the air come and perch in its branches."
He told them still another parable:
"The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a
large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."
Jesus spoke all these things to the
crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So
was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
He answered, "The one who sowed
the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed
stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and
the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and
the harvesters are angels.
"As the weeds are pulled up and
burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will
send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that
causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will
shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him
hear.
"The kingdom of heaven is like
treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in
his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is
like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he
went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
"Once again, the kingdom of
heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of
fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat
down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is
how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked
from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.
"Have you understood all these
things?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they replied.
He said to them, "Therefore
every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is
like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well
as old."
When Jesus had finished these
parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the
people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get
this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. "Isn't this the
carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James,
Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this
man get all these things?" And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, "Only in
his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
And he did not do many miracles there
because of their lack of faith.
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard
the reports about Jesus, and he said to his attendants, "This is John the
Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work
in him."
Now Herod had arrested John and bound
him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, for
John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her."
Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they
considered him a prophet.
On Herod's birthday the daughter of
Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an
oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said,
"Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." The king
was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that
her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was
brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.
John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told
Jesus. -- Mt :-
When Jesus heard what had happened,
he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds
followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd,
he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
As evening approached, the disciples
came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting
late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves
some food."
Jesus replied, "They do not need
to go away. You give them something to eat."
"We have here only five loaves
of bread and two fish," they answered.
"Bring them here to me," he
said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five
loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the
loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the
people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve
basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate
was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Immediately Jesus made the disciples
get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed
the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself
to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a
considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was
against it.
During the fourth watch of the night
Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking
on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and
cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them:
"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
"Lord, if it's you," Peter
replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
"Come," he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat,
walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was
afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus reached out his
hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did
you doubt?"
And when they climbed into the boat,
the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying,
"Truly you are the Son of God."
When they had crossed over, they
landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they
sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him
and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who
touched him were healed.
Then some Pharisees and teachers of
the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, "Why do your disciples
break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they
eat!"
Jesus replied, "And why do you
break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor
your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put
to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever
help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is
not to 'honor his father ' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the
sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied
about you:
Then the disciples came to him and
asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard
this?"
He replied, "Every plant that my
heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them;
they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a
pit."
Peter said, "Explain the parable
to us."
"Are you still so dull?"
Jesus asked them. "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into
the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth
come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come
evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not
make him 'unclean.'"
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to
the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him,
crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is
suffering terribly from demon-possession."
Jesus did not answer a word. So his
disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying
out after us."
He answered, "I was sent only to
the lost sheep of Israel."
The woman came and knelt before him.
"Lord, help me!" she said.
He replied, "It is not right to
take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
"Yes, Lord," she said,
"but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters'
table."
Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you
have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed
from that very hour.
Jesus left there and went along the
Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds
came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many
others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed
when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and
the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
Jesus called his disciples to him and
said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me
three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or
they may collapse on the way."
His disciples answered, "Where
could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"
"How many loaves do you
have?" Jesus asked.
"Seven," they replied,
"and a few small fish."
He told the crowd to sit down on the
ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given
thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the
people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up
seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who
ate was four thousand, besides women and children. After Jesus had sent the
crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.
The Pharisees and Sadducees came to
Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
He replied, "When evening comes,
you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning,
'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to
interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the
times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none
will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went
away.
When they went across the lake, the
disciples forgot to take bread. "Be careful," Jesus said to them.
"Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
They discussed this among themselves
and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread."
Aware of their discussion, Jesus
asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about
having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five
loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the
seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How
is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on
your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they
understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in
bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
When Jesus came to the region of
Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of
Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the
Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the
prophets."
"But what about you?" he
asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are
the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you,
Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father
in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys
of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Then he warned
his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
From that time on Jesus began to
explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at
the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he
must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and began to
rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to
you!"
Jesus turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in
mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross
and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains
the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for
his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his
angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I
tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they
see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
After six days Jesus took with him
Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by
themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before
them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it
is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for
you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, a bright
cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son,
whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
When the disciples heard this, they
fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them.
"Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." When they looked up,
they saw no one except Jesus.
As they were coming down the
mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen,
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
The disciples asked him, "Why then
do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"
Jesus replied, "To be sure,
Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already
come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they
wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."
Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the
Baptist.
When they came to the crowd, a man
approached Jesus and knelt before him. "Lord, have mercy on my son,"
he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into
the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not
heal him."
"O unbelieving and perverse
generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long
shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked the
demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
Then the disciples came to Jesus in
private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
He replied, "Because you have so
little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard
seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you. "
When they came together in Galilee,
he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of
men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life."
And the disciples were filled with grief.
After Jesus and his disciples arrived
in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked,
"Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax ?"
"Yes, he does," he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus
was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked.
"From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes--from their
own sons or from others?"
"From others," Peter
answered.
"Then the sons are exempt,"
Jesus said to him. "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and
throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will
find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and
yours."
At that time the disciples came to
Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
He called a little child and had him
stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change
and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven.
"And whoever welcomes a little
child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these
little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a
large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the
sea.
"Woe to the world because of the
things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man
through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off
and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than
to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye
causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to
enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of
hell.
"See that you do not look down
on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always
see the face of my Father in heaven.
"What do you think? If a man
owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the
ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if
he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than
about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in
heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.
"If your brother sins against
you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to
you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two
others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two
or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church;
and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan
or a tax collector.
"I tell you the truth, whatever
you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will
be loosed in heaven.
"Again, I tell you that if two
of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my
Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I
with them."
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked,
"Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?
Up to seven times?"
Jesus answered, "I tell you, not
seven times, but seventy-seven times.
"Therefore, the kingdom of
heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he
began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to
him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and
his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
"The servant fell on his knees
before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.'
The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
"But when that servant went out,
he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed
him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
"His fellow servant fell to his
knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
"But he refused. Instead, he
went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When
the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went
and told their master everything that had happened.
"Then the master called the
servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours
because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant
just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be
tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
"This is how my heavenly Father
will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
When Jesus had finished saying these
things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of
the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
Some Pharisees came to him to test
him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and
every reason?"
"Haven't you read," he
replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'
and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united
to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? So they are no longer two,
but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
"Why then," they asked,
"did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and
send her away?"
Jesus replied, "Moses permitted
you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this
way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except
for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."
The disciples said to him, "If
this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to
marry."
Jesus replied, "Not everyone can
accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are
eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and
others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who
can accept this should accept it."
Then little children were brought to
Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples
rebuked those who brought them.
Jesus said, "Let the little
children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs
to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from
there.
Now a man came up to Jesus and asked,
"Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
"Why do you ask me about what is
good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to
enter life, obey the commandments."
"Which ones?" the man
inquired.
Jesus replied, "'Do not murder,
do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your
father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' "
"All these I have kept,"
the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
Jesus answered, "If you want to
be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this, he
went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
"I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
When the disciples heard this, they
were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Peter answered him, "We have
left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"
Jesus said to them, "I tell you
the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his
glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or
brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will
receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are
first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
"For the kingdom of heaven is
like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his
vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his
vineyard.
"About the third hour he went
out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them,
'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So
they went.
"He went out again about the
sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour
he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have
you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'
"'Because no one has hired us,'
they answered.
"He said to them, 'You also go
and work in my vineyard.'
"When evening came, the owner of
the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages,
beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'
"The workers who were hired
about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came
who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also
received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the
landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said,
'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and
the heat of the day.'
"But he answered one of them,
'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius?
Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I
gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are
you envious because I am generous?'
"So the last will be first, and
the first will be last."
Now as Jesus was going up to
Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, "We are
going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests
and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him
over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day
he will be raised to life!"
Then the mother of Zebedee's sons
came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
"What is it you want?" he
asked.
She said, "Grant that one of
these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your
kingdom."
"You don't know what you are
asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to
drink?"
"We can," they answered.
Jesus said to them, "You will
indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to
grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my
Father."
When the ten heard about this, they
were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said,
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their
high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever
wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be
first must be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
As Jesus and his disciples were
leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the
roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted,
"Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"
The crowd rebuked them and told them
to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have
mercy on us!"
Jesus stopped and called them.
"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
"Lord," they answered,
"we want our sight."
Jesus had compassion on them and
touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
As they approached Jerusalem and came
to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,
"Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied
there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says
anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right
away."
This took place to fulfill what was
spoken through the prophet:
The crowds answered, "This is
Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
Jesus entered the temple area and
drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of
the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is
written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of
prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.' "
The blind and the lame came to him at
the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of
the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple
area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.
"Do you hear what these children
are saying?" they asked him.
"Yes," replied Jesus,
"have you never read,
Early in the morning, as he was on
his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went
up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May
you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.
When the disciples saw this, they
were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.
Jesus replied, "I tell you the
truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to
the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into
the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you
ask for in prayer."
Jesus entered the temple courts, and,
while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to
him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked.
"And who gave you this authority?"
Jesus replied, "I will also ask
you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am
doing these things. John's baptism--where did it come from? Was it from heaven,
or from men?"
They discussed it among themselves
and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you
believe him?' But if we say, 'From men'--we are afraid of the people, for they
all hold that John was a prophet."
So they answered Jesus, "We
don't know."
Then he said, "Neither will I
tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
"What do you think? There was a
man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in
the vineyard.'
"'I will not,' he answered, but
later he changed his mind and went.
"Then the father went to the
other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not
go.
"Which of the two did what his father
wanted?"
"The first," they answered.
Jesus said to them, "I tell you
the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of
God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness,
and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.
And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
"Listen to another parable:
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a
winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some
farmers and went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent
his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
"The tenants seized his
servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other
servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the
same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he
said.
"But when the tenants saw the
son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take
his inheritance.' So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed
him.
"Therefore, when the owner of
the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"
"He will bring those wretches to
a wretched end," they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to
other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time."
Jesus said to them, "Have you
never read in the Scriptures:
When the chief priests and the
Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. They
looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the
people held that he was a prophet.
Jesus spoke to them again in
parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a
wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited
to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
"Then he sent some more servants
and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My
oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to
the wedding banquet.'
"But they paid no attention and
went off--one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his
servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his
army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
"Then he said to his servants,
'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go
to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' So the
servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find,
both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
"But when the king came in to
see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man
was speechless.
"Then the king told the attendants,
'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
"For many are invited, but few
are chosen."
Then the Pharisees went out and laid
plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the
Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of
integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You
aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us
then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent,
said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin
used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, and he asked them,
"Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
Then he said to them, "Give to
Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
When they heard this, they were
amazed. So they left him and went away.
That same day the Sadducees, who say
there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. "Teacher,"
they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his
brother must marry the widow and have children for him. Now there were seven
brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no
children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the
second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman
died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since
all of them were married to her?"
Jesus replied, "You are in error
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection
people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the
angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead--have you not read
what God said to you, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob' ? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."
When the crowds heard this, they were
astonished at his teaching.
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the
Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law,
tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment
in the Law?"
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love
your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments."
While the Pharisees were gathered
together, Jesus asked them, "What do you think about the Christ ? Whose
son is he?"
"The son of David," they
replied.
He said to them, "How is it then
that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says,
If then David calls him 'Lord,' how
can he be his son?" No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on
no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to
his disciples: "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses'
seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what
they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and
put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a
finger to move them.
"Everything they do is done for
men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments
long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in
the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men
call them 'Rabbi.'
"But you are not to be called
'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call
anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are
you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest
among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and
whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law
and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces.
You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law
and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single
convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as
you are.
"Woe to you, blind guides! You
say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by
the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! Which is
greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, 'If
anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift
on it, he is bound by his oath.' You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or
the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, he who swears by the altar
swears by it and by everything on it. And he who swears by the temple swears by
it and by the one who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's
throne and by the one who sits on it.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law
and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and
cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice,
mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without
neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a
camel.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law
and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but
inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean
the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law
and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look
beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and
everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as
righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law
and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate
the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our
forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of
the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants
of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of
your forefathers!
"You snakes! You brood of
vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you
prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify;
others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so
upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from
the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you
murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, all this will
come upon this generation.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who
kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to
gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but
you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you,
you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord.' "
Jesus left the temple and was walking
away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.
"Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth,
not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown
down."
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of
Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said,
"when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of
the end of the age?"
Jesus answered: "Watch out that
no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,
' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to
it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to
come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will
be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of
birth pains.
"Then you will be handed over to
be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of
me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate
each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he
who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will
be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end
will come.
"So when you see standing in the
holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the
prophet Daniel--let the reader understand-- then let those who are in Judea
flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take
anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.
How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then
there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until
now--and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no
one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he
is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and
perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were
possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.
"So if anyone tells you, 'There
he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,'
do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in
the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass,
there the vultures will gather.
"Immediately after the distress
of those days
"Now learn this lesson from the
fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know
that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it
is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will
certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth
will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
"No one knows about that day or
hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it
was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in
the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving
in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about
what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it
will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will
be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one
will be taken and the other left.
"Therefore keep watch, because
you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the
owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he
would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you
also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not
expect him.
"Who then is the faithful and
wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his
household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that
servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth,
he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is
wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he
then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.
The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and
at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place
with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
"At that time the kingdom of
heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the
bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took
their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in
jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they
all became drowsy and fell asleep.
"At midnight the cry rang out:
'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
"Then all the virgins woke up
and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of
your oil; our lamps are going out.'
"'No,' they replied, 'there may
not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some
for yourselves.'
"But while they were on their
way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in
with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
"Later the others also came.
'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
"But he replied, 'I tell you the
truth, I don't know you.'
"Therefore keep watch, because
you do not know the day or the hour.
"Again, it will be like a man
going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.
To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another
one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man
who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and
gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But
the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and
hid his master's money.
"After a long time the master of
those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had
received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you
entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'
"His master replied, 'Well done,
good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put
you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
"The man with the two talents
also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have
gained two more.'
"His master replied, 'Well done,
good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put
you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
"Then the man who had received
the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man,
harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered
seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here
is what belongs to you.'
"His master replied, 'You
wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and
gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money
on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it
back with interest.
"'Take the talent from him and
give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given
more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has
will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the
darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
"When the Son of Man comes in
his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly
glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the
people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will
put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those
on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry
and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to
drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed
me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit
me.'
"Then the righteous will answer
him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you
something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or
needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to
visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell
you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine,
you did for me.'
"Then he will say to those on
his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared
for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did
not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in
prison and you did not look after me.'
"They also will answer, 'Lord,
when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick
or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the
truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do
for me.'
"Then they will go away to
eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
When Jesus had finished saying all
these things, he said to his disciples, "As you know, the Passover is two
days away--and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."
Then the chief priests and the elders
of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was
Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him.
"But not during the Feast," they said, "or there may be a riot
among the people."
While Jesus was in Bethany in the
home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster
jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining
at the table.
When the disciples saw this, they
were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume
could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."
Aware of this, Jesus said to them,
"Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.
The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When
she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell
you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she
has done will also be told, in memory of her."
Then one of the Twelve--the one
called Judas Iscariot--went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you
willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him
thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him
over.
On the first day of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you
want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
He replied, "Go into the city to
a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am
going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.'" So the
disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
When evening came, Jesus was
reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said,
"I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."
They were very sad and began to say
to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?"
Jesus replied, "The one who has
dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go
just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of
Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."
Then Judas, the one who would betray
him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?"
Jesus answered, "Yes, it is
you."
While they were eating, Jesus took
bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying,
"Take and eat; this is my body."
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and
offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood
of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I
tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day
when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."
When they had sung a hymn, they went
out to the Mount of Olives.
Then Jesus told them, "This very
night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
Peter replied, "Even if all fall
away on account of you, I never will."
"I tell you the truth,"
Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will
disown me three times."
But Peter declared, "Even if I
have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other
disciples said the same.
Then Jesus went with his disciples to
a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over
there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him,
and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul
is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with
me."
Going a little farther, he fell with
his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this
cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
Then he returned to his disciples and
found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one
hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into
temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
He went away a second time and
prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away
unless I drink it, may your will be done."
When he came back, he again found
them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away
once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Then he returned to the disciples and
said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near,
and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here
comes my betrayer!"
While he was still speaking, Judas,
one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and
clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the
betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man;
arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings,
Rabbi!" and kissed him.
Jesus replied, "Friend, do what
you came for."
Then the men stepped forward, seized
Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his
sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his
ear.
"Put your sword back in its
place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by
the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at
my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the
Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"
At that time Jesus said to the crowd,
"Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to
capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not
arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might
be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Those who had arrested Jesus took him
to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had
assembled. But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of
the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.
The chief priests and the whole
Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put
him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came
forward.
Finally two came forward and
declared, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and
rebuild it in three days.'"
Then the high priest stood up and
said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that
these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus remained silent.
The high priest said to him, "I
charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son
of God."
"Yes, it is as you say,"
Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the
Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds
of heaven."
Then the high priest tore his clothes
and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses?
Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?"
"He is worthy of death,"
they answered.
Then they spit in his face and struck
him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, "Prophesy to us,
Christ. Who hit you?"
Now Peter was sitting out in the
courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of
Galilee," she said.
But he denied it before them all.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.
Then he went out to the gateway,
where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was
with Jesus of Nazareth."
He denied it again, with an oath:
"I don't know the man!"
After a little while, those standing
there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your
accent gives you away."
Then he began to call down curses on
himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!"
Immediately a rooster crowed. Then
Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you
will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Early in the morning, all the chief
priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to
death. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the
governor.
When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw
that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty
silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he
said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood."
"What is that to us?" they
replied. "That's your responsibility."
So Judas threw the money into the
temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
The chief priests picked up the coins
and said, "It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it
is blood money." So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's
field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the
Field of Blood to this day. Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was
fulfilled: "They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the
people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter's field, as the Lord
commanded me."
Meanwhile Jesus stood before the
governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
"Yes, it is as you say,"
Jesus replied.
When he was accused by the chief
priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, "Don't
you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?" But Jesus made no
reply, not even to a single charge--to the great amazement of the governor.
Now it was the governor's custom at
the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a
notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate
asked them, "Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or
Jesus who is called Christ?" For he knew it was out of envy that they had
handed Jesus over to him.
While Pilate was sitting on the
judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do
with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream
because of him."
But the chief priests and the elders
persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
"Which of the two do you want me
to release to you?" asked the governor. "Barabbas," they
answered.
"What shall I do, then, with
Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked. They all answered,
"Crucify him!"
"Why? What crime has he
committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder,
"Crucify him!"
When Pilate saw that he was getting
nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his
hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he
said. "It is your responsibility!"
All the people answered, "Let
his blood be on us and on our children!"
Then he released Barabbas to them.
But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
Then the governor's soldiers took
Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around
him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together
a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand
and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!"
they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head
again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his
own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
As they were going out, they met a
man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came
to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they
offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused
to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by
casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head
they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE
JEWS. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying,
"You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save
yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"
In the same way the chief priests,
the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others,"
they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him
come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let
God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"
In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on
him.
From the sixth hour until the ninth
hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a
loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of those standing there
heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran and got a
sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to
Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah
comes to save him."
And when Jesus had cried out again in
a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the
temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were
raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they
went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him
who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were
terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"
Many women were there, watching from
a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among
them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of
Zebedee's sons.
As evening approached, there came a
rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of
Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be
given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and
placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big
stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and
the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
The next day, the one after
Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.
"Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive
that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' So give the order for
the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may
come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the
dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."
"Take a guard," Pilate
answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." So they went
and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the
first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the
tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for
an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back
the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes
were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became
like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do
not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He
is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he
lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is
going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told
you."
So the women hurried away from the
tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus
met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet
and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell
my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
While the women were on their way,
some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests
everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders
and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them,
"You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away
while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him
and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as
they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews
to this very day.
Then the eleven disciples went to
Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him,
they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said,
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age."
For God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish
but have everlasting life.
Email: inthemargins03@hotmail.com
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