1 A nd when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

They were near Jerusalem and had come to the town of Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two followers on ahead.

2 s aying to them, Go into the village over against you, and immediately ye will find an ass tied, and a colt with it; loose and lead to me.

He said to them, “Go to the town over there. You will find a donkey tied and her young with her. Let them loose and bring them to Me.

3 A nd if any one say anything to you, ye shall say, The Lord has need of them, and straightway he will send them.

If anyone says something to you, say, ‘The Lord needs them.’ He will send them at once.”

4 B ut all this came to pass, that that might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,

It happened as the early preacher said it would happen, saying,

5 S ay to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy King cometh to thee, meek, and mounted upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

“Say to the people in Jerusalem, ‘See! Your King is coming to you. He is gentle. He is riding on a young donkey.’”

6 B ut the disciples, having gone and done as Jesus had ordered them,

The followers went and did as Jesus told them.

7 b rought the ass and the colt and put their garments upon them, and he sat on them.

They brought the donkey and her young one. They put their clothes on the donkey and Jesus sat on them.

8 B ut a very great crowd strewed their own garments on the way, and others kept cutting down branches from the trees and strewing them on the way.

Many people put their coats down on the road. Other people cut branches from the trees and put them along the way.

9 A nd the crowds who went before him and who followed cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed he who comes in the name of Lord; hosanna in the highest.

The people who went in front and those who followed Jesus called out, “Greatest One! The Son of David! Great and honored is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Greatest One in the highest heaven.”

10 A nd as he entered into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, saying, Who is this?

When Jesus came into Jerusalem, all the people of the city were troubled. They said, “Who is this?”

11 A nd the crowds said, This is Jesus the prophet who is from Nazareth of Galilee.

Many people said, “This is Jesus, the One Who speaks for God from the town of Nazareth in the country of Galilee.” Jesus Stops the Buying and the Selling in the House of God

12 A nd Jesus entered into the temple, and cast out all that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those that sold the doves.

Then Jesus went into the house of God and made all those leave who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of the men who changed money. He turned over the seats of those who sold doves.

13 A nd he says to them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of robbers.

He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer.’ You have made it a place of robbers.”

14 A nd blind and lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

The blind and those who could not walk came to Jesus in the house of God and He healed them.

15 A nd when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders which he wrought, and the children crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, they were indignant,

The religious leaders of the Jews and the teachers of the Law saw the great things He did. They heard the children calling in the house of God and saying, “Greatest One! Son of David!” The leaders were very angry.

16 a nd said to him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus says to them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

They said to Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes, have you not read the writings, ‘Even little children and babies will honor Him’?”

17 A nd leaving them he went forth out of the city to Bethany, and there he passed the night.

Jesus left them and went out of the city to the town of Bethany. He stayed there that night. The Fig Tree Dries Up

18 B ut early in the morning, as he came back into the city, he hungered.

In the morning as He was coming back to the city, He was hungry.

19 A nd seeing one fig-tree in the way, he came to it and found on it nothing but leaves only. And he says to it, Let there be never more fruit of thee for ever. And the fig-tree was immediately dried up.

He saw a fig tree by the side of the road and went to it. There was nothing on it but leaves. He said to the tree, “No fruit will ever grow on you again.” At once the fig tree dried up.

20 A nd when the disciples saw, they wondered, saying, How immediately is the fig-tree dried up!

The followers saw it and were surprised and wondered. They said, “How did the fig tree dry up so fast?”

21 A nd Jesus answering said to them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and do not doubt, not only shall ye do what to the fig-tree, but even if ye should say to this mountain, Be thou taken away and be thou cast into the sea, it shall come to pass.

Jesus said to them, “For sure, I tell you this: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only be able to do what was done to the fig tree. You will also be able to say to this mountain, ‘Move from here and be thrown into the sea,’ and it will be done.

22 A nd all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

All things you ask for in prayer, you will receive if you have faith.” They Ask Jesus Who Gave Him the Power to Do These Things

23 A nd when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him teaching, saying, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

Jesus came into the house of God. The religious leaders and the other leaders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching. They said, “By what right and power are You doing these things? Who gave You the right and the power to do them?”

24 A nd Jesus answering said to them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things:

Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing also. If you tell Me, then I will tell you by what right and power I do these things.

25 T he baptism of John, whence was it? of heaven or of men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we should say, Of heaven, he will say to us, Why then have ye not believed him?

Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” They thought among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ then He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’

26 b ut if we should say, Of men, we fear the crowd, for all hold John for a prophet.

But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, because they all think John was one who spoke for God.”

27 A nd answering Jesus they said, We do not know. He also said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

They said to Jesus, “We do not know.” He said to them, “Then I will not tell you by what right and power I do these things. The Picture-Story of the Two Sons

28 B ut what think ye? A man had two children, and coming to the first he said, Child, go to-day, work in vineyard.

“What do you think about this? There was a man who had two sons. He came to the first son and said, ‘My son, go to my grape-field and work today.’

29 A nd he answering said, I will not; but afterwards repenting himself he went.

He said, ‘I will go.’ But he did not go.

30 A nd coming to the second he said likewise; and he answering said, I, sir, and went not.

The father came to the second son and asked the same thing. The son said, ‘No, I will not go.’ Later he was sorry and went.

31 W hich of the two did the will of the father? They say, The first. Jesus says to them, Verily I say unto you that the tax-gatherers and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

Which one of the two sons did what his father wanted?” They said to Jesus, “The second son.” Jesus said to them, “For sure, I tell you this: Tax-gatherers and women who sell the use of their bodies will get into the holy nation of heaven before you.

32 F or John came to you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the tax-gatherers and the harlots believed him; but ye when ye saw repented not yourselves afterwards to believe him.

For John came to you preaching about being right with God. You did not believe him. But tax-gatherers and women who sell the use of their bodies did believe him. When you saw this, you were not sorry for your sins and did not turn from them and believe him. The Picture-Story of the Grape-Field

33 H ear another parable: There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and made a fence round it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and left the country.

“Listen to another picture-story. A man who owned land planted grapes in a field and put a fence around it. He made a place for making wine. He built a tower to look over the grape-field. He let farmers rent it and then he went into another country.

34 B ut when the time of fruit drew near, he sent his bondmen to the husbandmen to receive his fruits.

The time came for gathering the grapes. He sent his servants to the farmers to get the grapes.

35 A nd the husbandmen took his bondmen, and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

The farmers took his servants and hit one. They killed another and threw stones at another.

36 A gain he sent other bondmen more than the first, and they did to them in like manner.

Again he sent other servants. He sent more than the first time. The farmers did the same to those servants.

37 A nd at last he sent to them his son, saying, They will have respect for my son.

After this he sent his son to them. He said to himself, ‘They will respect my son.’

38 B ut the husbandmen, seeing the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him and possess his inheritance.

When the farmers saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the one who will get everything when the owner dies. Let us kill him and we will get it all.’

39 A nd they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him.

They took him and threw him out of the grape-field and killed him.

40 W hen therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what shall he do to those husbandmen?

When the owner of the grape-field comes, what will he do to those farmers?”

41 T hey say to him, He will miserably destroy those evil, and let out the vineyard to other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

They said to Him, “He will put those bad men to death. Then he will rent the grape-field to other farmers who will give him the grapes when they are ready.”

42 J esus says to them, Have ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which they that builded rejected, this has become the corner-stone: this is of Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes?

Jesus said to them, “Have you not read in the Holy Writings, ‘The Stone that was put aside by the workmen has become the most important Stone in the building? The Lord has done this. We think it is great!’

43 T herefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation producing the fruits of it.

I say to you, because of this, the holy nation of God will be taken from you. It will be given to a nation that will give fruit.

44 A nd he that falls on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.

Whoever falls on this Stone will be broken. And on the one it falls, it will make him like dust.”

45 A nd the chief priests and the Pharisees, having heard his parables, knew that he spoke about them.

When the religious leaders and the proud religious law-keepers heard this picture-story, they knew He spoke of them.

46 A nd seeking to lay hold of him, they were afraid of the crowds, because they held him for a prophet.

When they tried to put their hands on Him, they were afraid of the many people. The people thought He was One Who spoke for God.