1•1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

•2Abraham was the father of¹ Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, •3and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,² •4and Ram² the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, •5and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, •6and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David³ was the father of Solomon by the [former wife] of Uriah, •7and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa,⁴ •8and Asa⁴ the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, •9and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, •10and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos,⁵ and Amos⁵ the father of Josiah, •11and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at [the time of] the deportation to Babylon.

•12And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,⁶ and Shealtiel⁶ the father of Zerubbabel, •13and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, •14and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, •15and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, •16and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born,⁷ who is called Christ.

•17So all the generations from Abraham to David [were] fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

•18Now the birth of Jesus Christ⁸ was like this. When his mother Mary had been betrothed⁹ to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. •19Now her husband Joseph, being a just [man] and [yet] not wishing to expose her to public disgrace, resolved to divorce her secretly. •20But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife,¹⁰ for that which is fathered in her is from the Holy Spirit. •21And she will give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." •22Now all this has happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,

(which means when translated, God with us). •24And when Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife. •25And [yet] he did not start knowing her [sexually] until she had given birth to a son;¹² and he called his name Jesus.

2•1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi¹ from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, •2"Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in its rising,² and have come to worship him." •3Now when Herod the king heard [this], he was troubled, and [so was] all Jerusalem with him. •4And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he started inquiring from them where the Christ was to be born. •5And they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written through the prophet:

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⁸That is, had entered a state of marriage where the bridal gift had been delivered but the marriage not yet consumated; see Deut. 22:23-24
⁹Other ancient manuscripts read of the Christ
¹⁰Or, take Mary [as] your wife ¹¹Is. 7:14
¹²Other ancient manuscripts read her firstborn son
¹Members of a group which practiced astrology and dream interpretation.
²Or, in the East
³Mic. 5:2; II Sam. 5:2

Matthew 2

•7Then Herod called for the magi¹ secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared. •8And when he sent them to Bethlehem, he said, "Go and search carefully for the child, and when ^†you have found [him] tell me, that I may come and worship him also." •9Now when they had heard the king they went [their way]; and behold, the star which they had seen in its rising² started going before them, until it came and stood over [the place] where the child was. •10And when they saw the star, they rejoiced extremely with great joy. •11And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. •12And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

•13Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared* to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to start seeking the child, to destroy him." •14And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt, •15and remained there until the death of Herod. [This was] to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."⁴

•16Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the magi,¹ became very angry, and he sent and killed all the boys in Bethlehem and in all its region from two years old or under,⁵ according to the time which he had ascertained from the magi.¹ •17Then was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, saying:

Matthew 2

•19But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, •20saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life have died." •21And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. •22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he departed to the district of Galilee. •23And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazorean.⁸

3•1Now in those days John the Baptist came*, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, •2saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." •3For this is the one who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, saying,

•4Now John himself had on a garment of camel's hair, and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was grasshoppers and wild honey. •5Then [people from] Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, •6and they were being baptized² by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

•7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his³ baptism,⁴ he said to them, "[^†You] brood of vipers! Who warned ^†you to flee from the future wrath? •8Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance, •9and do not presume to be saying to ^†yourselves, 'We have Abraham [as our] father'; for I say to ^†you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. •10And already the axe is being laid to the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 3

•11"Indeed I am baptizing^{2 †}you in water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not fit to carry; he will baptize^{2 †}you in the Holy Spirit and fire. •12His winnowing fork [is] in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

•13Then Jesus came* from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized² by him. •14John tried preventing him, saying, "I need to be baptized² by you, and do you come to me?" •15But Jesus answered by saying to him, "Let [it be so] now, for it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness like this." Then he let* him [be baptized]. •16Now when Jesus had been baptized,² he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him⁵ and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and coming on him; •17and behold, a voice [spoke] from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son,⁶ with whom I am well pleased."

4•1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. •2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry. •3And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread." •4But he answered by saying, "It is written,

•5Then the devil took* him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple [complex], •6and said* to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

'He will give his angels a command about you . . .,' and
'On [their] hands they will lift you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"²
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²Greek baptizō means immerse
⁵Other ancient manuscripts omit to him
⁶Or, my Son, the Beloved
¹Deut. 8:3 ²Ps. 91:11-12

Matthew 4

'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"³

•8Again, the devil took* him to a very high mountain, and showed* him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. •9And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." •10Then Jesus said* to him, "Go away, Satan!⁴ For it is written,

'You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.'"⁵

•11Then the devil left* him, and behold, angels came and started ministering to him.

•12Now when he heard that John had been delivered up [to prison], he departed to Galilee; •13and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, •14so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, saying:

•17From then on Jesus began preaching and saying, "Repent, for⁸ the kingdom of heaven has come near."

•18As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. •19And he said* to them, "Follow me, and I will make ^†you fishers of men." •20Now immediately they left [their] nets and followed him. •21And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the [son] of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. •22Now immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Matthew 4

•23And he⁹ was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel¹⁰ of the kingdom and curing every kind of disease and every kind of ailment among the people. •24And his fame spread into all Syria, and they brought him all who were ill, those suffering from various diseases and pains, the demon-possessed and epileptics and paralytics, and he cured them. •25And large crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and the other side of the Jordan.

5•1And seeing the crowds, he went up onto the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. •2And he opened his mouth and started teaching them, saying:

•3"Blessed [are] the poor in spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

•4"Blessed [are] those who mourn, because they shall be comforted.

•5"Blessed [are] the meek, because they shall inherit the earth.¹

•6"Blessed [are] those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they shall be satisfied.

•7"Blessed [are] the merciful, because they shall obtain mercy.

•8"Blessed [are] the pure in heart, because they shall see God.

•9"Blessed [are] the peacemakers, because they shall be called sons of God.

•10"Blessed [are] those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

•11"Blessed are ^†you whenever [people] reproach ^†you and persecute [^†you] and say all kinds of evil against ^†you falsely² for my sake. •12Start rejoicing and being overjoyed, because ^†your reward [is] great in heaven, for [people] persecuted the prophets who were before ^†you like this.

Matthew 5

•13"^†You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt should lose its taste, with what will it be made salty [again]? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown outside and trodden underfoot by men.

•14"^†You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. •15Nor do [people] light a lamp and put it under a peck-measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all those in the house. •16^†Your light must shine before men like this, that they may see ^†your good works and give glory to ^†your Father who is in heaven.

•17"Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets; I have come not to destroy [them] but to fulfill [them]. •18For truly, I say to ^†you, until heaven and earth should pass away, not one iota nor one stroke³ will pass from the law until all has taken place. •19Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does [them] and teaches [them] shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. •20For I say to ^†you, unless ^†your righteousness exceeds [that] of the scribes and Pharisees, ^†you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

•21"^†You have heard that it was said to the [people] of old, 'You shall not murder;⁴ and whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' •22But I say to ^†you that everyone who is angry with his brother⁵ shall be liable to judgment; and whoever says 'Nit-wit!'⁶ to his brother shall be liable to the council,⁷ and whoever says, 'Fool!' shall be liable to the hell⁸ of fire. •23Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, •24leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. •25Make friends quickly with your opponent, while you are on the way with him

Matthew 5

[to court], lest your opponent should deliver you up to the judge, and the judge⁹ to the officer, and you be thrown into jail; •26truly, I say to you, you shall not come out of there until you have paid back the last penny.¹⁰

•27"^†You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'¹¹ •28But I say to ^†you that everyone who looks at a woman in order to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. •29Now if your right eye is ensnaring you [in sin], pluck it out and throw [it] from you; for it is [more] expedient for you to lose one of your members and not [have] your whole body be thrown into hell.⁸ •30And if your right hand is ensnaring you [in sin], cut it off and throw [it] from you; for it is [more] expedient for you to lose one of your members and not [have] your whole body go into hell.⁸

•31"Now it was said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'¹² •32But I say to ^†you that everyone who divorces his wife, unless it is a matter of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

•33"Again ^†you have heard that it was said to the [people] of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall keep your oaths [made] to the Lord.'¹³ •34But I say to ^†you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, because it is the throne of God, •35or by the earth, because it is the footstool for his feet, or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. •36And do not swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. •37But what ^†you say must be¹⁴ 'Yes,' 'Yes' [or] 'No,' 'No'; anything more than these is from the evil one.¹⁵

Matthew 5

•38"^†You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'¹⁶ •39But I say to ^†you, Do not resist one who is evil. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also; •40and [if anyone] wishes to sue you and take your tunic, let him [have your] cloak also; •41and whoever forces you [to go] one mile, go with him two [miles]. •42Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn away from the one who wishes to borrow from you.

•43"^†You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'¹⁷ •44But I say to ^†you, Start loving ^†your enemies¹⁸ and praying for¹⁹ those who persecute ^†you, •45so that ^†you may be sons of ^†your Father who is in heaven; because he makes his sun rise on the evil and [on] the good, and sends rain on the just and [on] the unjust. •46For if ^†you love those who love ^†you, what reward do ^†you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? •47And if ^†you greet only ^†your brothers, what more are ^†you doing [than others]? Do not even the Gentiles²⁰ do the same? •48^†You, therefore, shall be perfect, as ^†your heavenly Father is perfect.

6•1"Take care not to be practicing ^†your righteousness¹ before men in order to be seen by them; otherwise ^†you have no reward with ^†your Father who is in heaven.

•2"Therefore, whenever you do an act of charity, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to ^†you, they have their reward. •3But when you do an act of charity your left [hand] must not know what your right [hand] is doing, •4so that your act of charity may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.²

Matthew 6

•5"And whenever ^†you are praying, ^†you shall not be like the hypocrites; because they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to ^†you, they have their reward. •6But whenever you pray, go into your inner room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.²

•7"And when ^†you are praying, do not speak repetitiously like the Gentiles [do]; for they think they will be heard for their many words. •8Therefore, do not be like them, for ^†your Father³ knows what ^†you need before ^†you ask him. •9Pray then like this:

•14For if ^†you forgive men their trespasses, ^†your heavenly Father also will forgive ^†you; •15but if ^†you do not forgive men,⁶ neither will ^†your Father forgive ^†your trespasses.

•16"And whenever ^†you fast, do not have a sad look, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to ^†you, they have their reward. •17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, •18that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.²

Matthew 6

•19"Do not be laying up for ^†yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust⁷ consume and where thieves break in and steal, •20but be laying up for ^†yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust⁷ consumes and where thieves do not break in nor steal. •21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

•22"The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is generous,⁸ your whole body will be full of light; •23but if your eye is grudging,⁹ your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great [is] the darkness!

•24"No one can be serving two masters;¹⁰ for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. ^†You cannot be serving God and wealth.¹¹

•25"Therefore I say to ^†you, do not be worrying [about] ^†your life,¹² what ^†you shall eat or what ^†you shall drink,¹³ nor [about] ^†your body, what ^†you shall put on. Is not life¹² more [than] food, and the body [more than] clothing? •26Look at the birds of the sky: [^†you see] that they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and [yet] ^†your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ^†you not of more value than they? •27And which of ^†you by worrying can add one minute¹⁴ to his life-span?¹⁵ •28And why do ^†you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither labor nor spin;¹⁶ •29yet I say to ^†you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed [himself] like one of these. •30But if God dresses the grass of the field like this, which today is [alive] and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, [will he] not much more [clothe] ^†you, [O ^†you] of little faith? •31Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' •32For the pagans are seeking for all these things; for ^†your heavenly Father knows that ^†you

Matthew 6

need all these. •33But keep seeking first the kingdom of God¹⁷ and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to ^†you. •34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself. [Each day's] own evil [is] enough for the day.

7•1"Do not be judging, lest ^†you should be judged. •2For with the judgment with which ^†you judge ^†you will be judged, and the measure with which ^†you measure out will be used to measure out to ^†you. •3And why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the beam [of wood] that is in your [own] eye? •4Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, [there is] the beam in your [own] eye? •5[You] hypocrite, first take the beam out of your [own] eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

•6"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; and do not throw ^†your pearls before the pigs, lest they trample them under their feet and [the dogs] turn and tear ^†you to pieces.

•7"Keep asking, and it will be given to ^†you; keep seeking, and ^†you will find; keep knocking, and it will be opened to ^†you. •8For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. •9Or there is not any man among ^†you who, [if] his son asks for bread, will give him a stone, [is there]? •10Or indeed [if] he asks for a fish, no one will give him a snake, [will he]? •11If ^†you then, who are evil, know [how] to give good gifts to ^†your children, how much more will ^†your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

•12"Therefore, what all ^†you wish that men would do for ^†you, so also do for them; for this is the law and the prophets.

•13"Enter through the narrow gate; because the gate [is] wide and the way [is] broad,¹ that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. •14How narrow the gate [is], and

Matthew 7

confined the way,² that leads to life, and those who find it are few!

•15"Beware of false prophets, who come to ^†you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are swindling wolves. •16^†You will know them by their fruits. [People] do not collect grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles, [do they]? •17So, every sound tree produces good fruit, but the rotten tree produces bad fruit. •18A sound tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor [can] a rotten tree produce good fruit. •19Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. •20So ^†you will know them by their fruits.

•21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. •22Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?' •23And then I will confess to them, 'I never knew ^†you; depart from me, [^†you] who work lawlessness.'

•24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock; •25and the rain descended, and the floods³ came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. •26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; •27and the rain descended, and the floods³ came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it."

•28And it happened [that] when Jesus had finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, •29for he was teaching them like [one] who had authority, and not like their scribes.

Matthew 8

8•1Now when he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him; •2and behold, a leper came to [him] and started worshiping¹ him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." •3And he stretched out [his] hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be made clean." And immediately his leprosy was made clean. •4And Jesus said* to him, "See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them."²

•5Now as he entered into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him •6and saying, "Lord, my servant³ is lying paralyzed at the house, terribly tortured." •7And he said* to him, "I will come and cure him." •8But the centurion answered by saying, "Lord, I am not fit to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant³ will be healed. •9For I also am a man under authority,⁴ having soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does [it]." •10Now when Jesus heard [this], he marveled and said to those who were following [him], "Truly, I say to ^†you, I have found so great a faith with no one in Israel.⁵ •11And I say to ^†you that many will come from east and west and sit [at the table]⁶ with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, •12but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there." •13And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; let it be done for you as you have believed." And the servant³ was healed in that [very] hour.

Matthew 8

•14And when Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying [down] and sick with a fever; •15and he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and started serving him. •16Now with the coming of evening they brought to him many who were demon-possessed; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were ill. •17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, saying, "He took our sicknesses and bore [our] diseases."⁷

•18Now when Jesus saw a crowd⁸ around him, he gave orders to go across to the other side. •19And one scribe came up and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." •20And Jesus said* to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky [have] nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay [his] head." •21And another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." •22But Jesus said* to him, "Keep following me, and leave the dead to bury their [own] dead."

•23And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. •24And behold, there arose a great raging storm in the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was sleeping. •25And they came and woke him, saying, "Lord, save [us]; we are perishing." •26And he said* to them, "Why are ^†you cowardly, [O ^†you] of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. •27And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of [man] is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

•28And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,⁹ two demon-possessed [men] met him, coming out of the tombs. [They were] very dangerous, so that no one was strong [enough] to pass through that way. •29And behold, they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with you, [O] Son of God?¹⁰ Have you come here to torment us before the time?"

Matthew 8

•30Now at some distance from them a herd of many pigs was feeding. •31And the demons started appealing to him, saying, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs." •32And he said to them, "Go." And they came out and went into the pigs; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters. •33But those who fed [them] fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what [had happened] to the demon-possessed [men]. •34And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they appealed to [him] to move on from their region.

9•1And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to [his] own city. •2And behold, they were bringing to him a paralytic, lying on a cot; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Have courage, [my] child; your sins are forgiven." •3And behold, some of the scribes said within themselves, "This [man] is blaspheming." •4But Jesus, seeing¹ their thoughts, said, "Why do ^†you think evil in ^†your hearts? •5For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and start walking'? •6But so that ^†you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—then he said* to the paralytic—"Rise, take up your cot and go to your house." •7And he rose and went to his house. •8Now when the crowds saw [this], they were afraid,² and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

•9And as Jesus was passing on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said* to him, "Start following me." And he rose and followed him.

•10And it happened that as he was sitting³ [at the table] in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting down with Jesus and his disciples. •11And when the Pharisees saw [this], they started saying to his disciples, "Why does ^†your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" •12But when he heard [this], he said, "Those who are well have no need for a doctor, but those who are ill. •13But go and learn what [this] means, 'I want mercy and not

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sacrifice.'⁴ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."⁵

•14Then John's disciples came* to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,⁶ but your disciples do not fast?" •15And Jesus said to them, "The sons of the bridal chamber⁷ cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, [can they]? But the days will come, whenever the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. •16And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak and a worse tear is made. •17Neither do [people] put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wineskins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and [so] both are preserved."

•18While he was speaking these things to them, behold a ruler came and started worshiping⁸ him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live." •19And Jesus rose and started following him, and [so did] his disciples. •20And behold, a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind [him] and touched the tassel of his cloak. •21For she was saying to herself, "If I only touch his cloak I shall be made well."⁹ •22And Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Have courage, daughter, your faith has made you well."⁹ And the woman was made well⁹ from that [very] hour. •23And when Jesus came to the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd making a commotion, •24he started saying, "Depart; for the lass has not died but is sleeping." And they started laughing at him. •25But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the lass arose. •26And the news of this went out into all that land.

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•27And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind [men] followed him, crying out and saying, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." •28And when he came into the house, the blind [men] came to him; and Jesus said* to them, "Do ^†you believe that I am able to do this?" They said* to him, "Yes, Lord." •29Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to ^†your faith let it be done to ^†you." •30And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See [that] ^†you let no one know [it]."¹⁰ •31But they went away and spread the news about him in all that land.

•32Now as they were going away, behold, [some people] brought him a mute [person] who was demon-possessed. •33And when the demon had been cast out, the mute [person] spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was [anything] like this seen in Israel." •34But the Pharisees were saying, "He casts out demons by the prince of the demons."¹¹

•35And Jesus was going about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every kind of disease and every kind of ailment.¹² •36But when he saw the crowds, he had pity for them, because they had been harassed and put down, like sheep without a shepherd. •37Then he said* to his disciples, "Indeed, the harvest [is] plentiful, but the workers [are] few. •38Therefore implore the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest."

10•1And he called to [him] his twelve disciples and gave them authority [over] unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every kind of disease and every kind of ailment. •2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James¹ the [son] of Zebedee, and John his brother; •3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and

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Matthew the tax collector; James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;² •4Simon the Cananaean,³ and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

•5These twelve Jesus sent out, commanding them, saying, "Do not go to the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans, •6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. •7And be preaching as ^†you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' •8Be curing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, casting out demons. ^†You received free of cost, give free of cost. •9Do not acquire gold, nor silver, nor copper in ^†your belts, •10no bag for [^†your] journey, nor two tunics, nor shoes, nor a staff, for the worker [is] worthy of his food. •11And into whatever city or village ^†you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay there [with him] until ^†you depart. •12And as ^†you enter into the house, greet it. •13And if the house is worthy, let ^†your peace come on it; but if it is not worthy, let ^†your peace return to ^†you. •14And whoever does not receive ^†you nor listen to ^†your words, when ^†you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust [from] ^†your feet. •15Truly, I say to ^†you, it will be more tolerable in the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city.

•16"Behold, I am sending ^†you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be sensible as snakes and innocent as doves. •17But beware of men; for they will deliver ^†you up to councils,⁴ and whip ^†you in their synagogues, •18and ^†you will be led before governors and kings for my sake, to [give] testimony to them and the Gentiles. •19But whenever they deliver ^†you up, do not worry [about] how or what ^†you should say; for what ^†you should say will be given to ^†you in that hour; •20for it is not ^†you who are speaking, but the Spirit of ^†your Father who is speaking in ^†you. •21Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father [his] child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. •22And ^†you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. •23Now whenever they persecute ^†you in this city, flee to another; for truly, I say to ^†you, ^†you will not finish [going through] the cities of Israel, until the Son of man comes.

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•24"A disciple is not above [his] teacher, nor a slave above his lord; •25it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the slave like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,⁵ how much more [will they slander] those of his household.

•26"Therefore do not fear them; for nothing has been covered that will not be revealed, or secret that will not be known. •27What I say to ^†you in the darkness, say in the light; and what ^†you hear [whispered] in [^†your] ear, preach on the housetops. •28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.⁶ •29Are not two sparrows sold for a nickel⁷? And not one of them will fall on the ground without [the consent of] ^†your Father. •30But even the hairs of ^†your head have all been numbered. •31Therefore, quit being afraid; ^†you are of more value than many sparrows. •32Therefore, everyone who will confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven; •33but whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.

•34"Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. •35For I have come to set a man against his 'father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; •36and a man's enemies [will be] those of his own household.'⁸ •37The one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; •38and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. •39The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life for my sake will find it.

•40"The one who receives ^†you receives me, and the one who receives me receives the One who sent me. •41The one who receives a prophet because he is⁹ a prophet will receive a prophet's

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reward, and the one who receives a righteous man because he is⁹ a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. •42And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold [water] to drink because he is⁹ a disciple, truly, I say to ^†you, he shall not lose his reward."

11•1And it happened that when Jesus had finished giving orders to his twelve disciples, he moved on from there to be teaching and preaching in their cities.

•2Now when John heard in prison [about] the works of the Christ, he sent [word] through his¹ disciples •3and said to him, "Are you the Coming One, or should we be looking for [someone] different?" •4And Jesus answered by saying to them, "Go and tell John what ^†you hear and see: •5the blind receive their sight and the crippled walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel proclaimed to them. •6And blessed is [the one] who is not ensnared [in sin] by [rejecting] me."

•7Now as they were going away, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John: "What did ^†you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? •8But what did ^†you go out to see? A man dressed in soft [clothes]? Behold, those who wear soft [clothes are] in king's houses. •9But what did ^†you go out to see? A prophet?² Yes, I say to ^†you, and more than a prophet. •10This is [the one] about whom it is written,

•11Truly, I say to ^†you, among those born of women there has not risen [anyone] greater than John the Baptist; but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. •12And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence,⁴ and violent [men] are seizing it. •13For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; •14and if ^†you are willing to accept [it], he is Elijah who [was] going to come. •15The one who has ears,⁵ let him hear.
_______________
⁹Lit., in [the] name of
¹Other manuscripts read [by] two of his, as in Luke 7:18
²Other ancient manuscripts read But why did ^†you go out? To see a prophet?
³Mal. 3:1 ⁴Or, has been coming violently
⁵Other ancient manuscripts read ears to hear

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•16"But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to the other [children], saying,

•18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' •19The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a man [who is] a glutton and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' And [yet] wisdom is justified by her works.⁶"

•20Then he began reproaching the cities in which most of his miracles had been done, because they did not repent. •21"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! Because if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. •22However, I say to ^†you, it will be more tolerable in the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for ^†you. •23And you, Capernaum, you will not be exalted to heaven, [will you]? You shall be brought down⁷ to Hades. Because if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. •24However, I say to ^†you that it will be more tolerable in the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."

•25At that time Jesus continued by saying, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants; •26yes, Father, because so it was pleasing in your sight. •27All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; neither does anyone know the Father except the Son and [the one] to whom the Son may want to reveal [him]. •28Come to me, all who labor and have been loaded down, and I will give ^†you rest. •29Take my yoke on ^†you, and learn from me; because I am meek and humble in heart, and ^†you will find rest for ^†your souls. •30For my yoke [is] easy, and my load is light."

Matthew 12

12•1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath. Now his disciples were hungry, and they began picking heads of grain and eating [them]. •2But when the Pharisees saw [this], they said to him, "Behold, your disciples are doing what is not permissible to be doing on the sabbath." •3But he said to them, "Have ^†you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him [were too]: •4how he entered into the house of God and they¹ ate the bread of the presentation, which it was not permissible for him nor for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?² •5Or have ^†you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless?³ •6But I say to ^†you that [something] greater [than] the temple is here. •7And if ^†you had known what [this] means, 'I want mercy, and not sacrifice,'^{4 †}you would not have condemned the guiltless. •8For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath."

•9And he moved on from there, and went into their synagogues. •10And behold, [there was] a man who had a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, "Is it permissible to cure on the sabbath?" so that they might accuse him. •11But he said to them, "What man is there among ^†you who, if he has one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift [it] out? •12Then of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is permissible to be doing good on the sabbath." •13Then he said* to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched [it] out, and it was restored [as] healthy as the other [one]. •14But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him [as to] how they might destroy him.

•15Now Jesus, knowing [about this], withdrew from there. And large crowds⁵ followed him, and he cured them all, •16and warned them that they should not

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make him known. •17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, saying:

•22Then one who was demon-possessed, blind, and mute was brought to him, and he cured him, so that the mute [person was] speaking and seeing. •23And all the crowds were astounded and were saying, "This is not the Son of David, [is it]?" •24But when the Pharisees heard [this] they said, "This [man] does not cast out the demons, except by Beelzebul,⁸ the prince of the demons." •25But knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is made desolate, and any city or household divided against itself will not stand. •26And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? •27And if I am casting out demons by Beelzebul,⁸ by whom do ^†your sons cast [them] out? Therefore they shall be ^†your judges. •28But if I am casting out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon ^†you. •29Or how can anyone enter into a strong [man's] house to plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong [man]? Then indeed he will plunder his house. •30The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.

•31"Therefore I say to ^†you, every kind of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy [against] the Spirit will not be forgiven.⁹ •32And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the future one.

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•33"Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree rotten, and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by [its] fruit. •34[^†You] brood of vipers! How can ^†you be speaking good things, when ^†you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. •35The good man out of [his] good treasure takes out good things, and the evil man out of [his] evil treasure takes out evil things. •36But I say to ^†you, on the day of judgment men will give account for every careless word that they speak; •37for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

•38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." •39But he answered by saying to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. •40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of the sea-monster, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. •41The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, [something] greater [than] Jonah [is] here. •42The queen of the South will be raised at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, [something] greater [than] Solomon [is] here.

•43"Now whenever the unclean spirit has gone out from a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest, and it does not find [any]. •44Then it says, 'I will return to my house from where I came.' And when it comes, it finds [it] vacant, swept, and decorated. •45Then it goes and brings with him seven other spirits more evil [than] itself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last [state] of that man becomes worse [than] the first. It will be like this also with this evil generation."

•46While he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, [his] mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him. •47And someone said to him, "Behold, your mother and your

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brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to you."¹⁰ •48But he answered by saying to the one who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" •49And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Behold, [here are] my mother and my brothers! •50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother."

13•1On that [same] day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting beside the sea. •2And large crowds gathered to him, so that he got into a boat to sit down. And all the crowd stood on the beach. •3And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. •4And as he was sowing, some [seeds] fell beside the road, and the birds came and devoured them. •5And other seeds fell on rocky [ground], where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil, •6but when the sun rose they were scorched; and because they had no root they withered away. •7And other [seeds] fell on thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them. •8And other [seeds] fell on good soil and started yielding fruit, in one case a hundred [times as much], in another sixty, in another thirty. •9The one who has ears,¹ let him hear."

•10And the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" •11And he answered by saying to them, "To ^†you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. •12For whoever has, [more] will be given to him, and he will have in abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. •13For this [reason] I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they comprehend. •14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says:

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•16But blessed [are] ^†your eyes, because they see, and ^†your ears, because they hear. •17For truly, I say to ^†you that many prophets and righteous [men] desired to see the things which ^†you see, and did not see [them], and to hear the things which ^†you hear, and did not hear [them].

•18"Hear then the parable of the sower. •19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not comprehend [it], the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart; this is what was sown beside the road. •20And [as for] what was sown on rocky [ground], this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; •21yet he has no root in himself, but is temporary, and when tribulation or persecution happens because of the word, immediately he is ensnared [so as to fall away]. •22And [as for] what was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and [yet] the worry of the³ age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it is unfruitful. •23And [as for] what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and comprehends [it]; he indeed bears fruit, and produces in one case a hundred [times as much], in another sixty, and in another thirty."

•24Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; •25but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and was sowing weeds among the wheat, and went away. •26Now when the blade sprouted and produced fruit, then the weeds also appeared. •27And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then from where does it have weeds?' •28And he said to them, 'A man who is an enemy has done this.' And the slaves said* to him, 'Then do you want us to go and collect them?' •29But he said*, 'No; lest while collecting the weeds ^†you should root up the wheat together with them. •30Let both keep growing together until the harvest; and at the time of the

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harvest I will say to the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

•31Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; •32indeed it is the smallest of all the seeds, but whenever it grows [up] it is the greatest of the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches."

•33Another parable he spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures⁴ of flour until the whole thing was leavened."

•34All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed he was speaking nothing to them without a parable. •35This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet,⁵ saying,

•36Then he left⁷ the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." •37He answered by saying, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of man; •38and the field is the world, and [as for] the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one, •39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; and the harvest is the completion of the age, and the reapers are angels. •40Therefore, just as the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so will it be at the completion of the age. •41The Son of man will send out his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all the

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snares [to sin] and those who practice lawlessness, •42and throw them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there. •43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears,¹ let him hear.

•44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid [again]; and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

•45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls; •46and, finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

•47"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a drag-net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; •48when it was full, they pulled it up to the shore and sat down and collected the good into containers but threw away the bad. •49It will be like this at the completion of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from among the righteous, •50and throw them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there.

•51"Have ^†you comprehended all these things?"⁸ They said* to him, "Yes." •52And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a man [who is] a householder who takes out of his treasure [both] new things and old things."

•53And it happened [that] when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, •54and coming to his hometown he started teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and were saying, "From where [did] this [man get] this wisdom and [these] miracles? •55Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary and his brothers James and Joseph⁹ and Simon and Judah?¹⁰ •56And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this [man get] all this?" •57And they were being ensnared [in sin] by [rejecting] him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is

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not without honor except in [his] hometown and in his household." •58And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

14•1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard [about] the fame of Jesus; •2and he said to his servants,¹ "This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this [reason] miraculous powers are at work in him." •3For Herod had seized John and bound him and put [him] in jail, because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.² •4For John used to say to him, "It is not permissible for you to have her." •5And although he wished to kill him, he feared the crowd, because they held him to be a prophet. •6But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst [of the company], and pleased Herod. •7Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. •8And being prompted by her mother, she said*, "Give me [right] here the head of John the Baptist on a platter." •9And the king was sorry; [but] because of his oaths and the guests sitting [at the table] with [him] he commanded [it] to be given [to her]; •10and he sent and had John beheaded in the jail, •11and his head was brought on a platter and given to the lass, and she brought [it] to her mother. •12And his disciples came and took the corpse and buried him;³ and they went and told Jesus.

•13Now when Jesus heard [this], he privately departed from there in a boat to a desolate place. And when the crowds heard [about it], they followed him on foot from the cities. •14And when he got out he saw a large crowd, and he had pity on them and cured their sick. •15Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him, saying, "[This] place is desolate and the hour has already passed. Therefore send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." •16But Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; ^†you give them [something] to eat." •17And they said* to him, "We do not have [anything] here except five loaves and two fish." •18And he said, "Bring them here to me." •19And when he had commanded the crowds to sit down on the grass, he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke

Matthew 14

and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples [gave them] to the crowds. •20And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. •21Now those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

•22And immediately he⁴ made the disciples get into the boat and start going before him to the other side, while he sent away the crowds. •23And after he had sent away the crowds, he went up onto the mountain privately to pray. Now when it was evening, he was there alone. •24But the boat was already many stadia distant from the land,⁵ harassed by the waves; for the wind was against [them]. •25Now in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. •26But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out from fear. •27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Have courage, it is I; quit being afraid." •28And Peter answered him by saying, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." •29And he said, "Come." And getting out of the boat, Peter walked on the water and went⁶ toward Jesus. •30But when he saw the strong⁷ wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me." •31And Jesus immediately reached out [his] hand and caught him, and said* to him, "[O you] of little faith, why did you doubt?" •32And when they got into the boat, the wind stopped. •33And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

•34And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. •35And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent [word] to that whole region around [there] and brought to him all those who were ill, •36and started appealing to him that they might only touch the tassel of his cloak; and as many as touched [it] were made well.

Matthew 15

15•1Then Pharisees and scribes came* to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, •2"Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands whenever they are eating bread." •3And he answered by saying to them, "And why do ^†you transgress the commandment of God because of ^†your tradition? •4For God said,¹ 'Honor [your] father and [your] mother,'² and, 'The one who speaks evil of father or mother must meet his end by death.'³ •5But ^†you say, 'Whoever says to [his] father or [his] mother, [I have given as] a gift [to God] whatever you might have gained from me, •6he shall not honor his father.'⁴ And [so] ^†you have made void the word⁵ of God because of ^†your tradition. •7[^†You] hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about ^†you, saying:

•10And he called the crowd to [him] and said to them, "Hear and comprehend: •11not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles a man." •12Then the disciples came* and said* to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended⁸ when they heard [this] saying?" •13But he answered by saying, "Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. •14Let them alone; they are blind leaders of the blind.⁹ And if a blind [man] leads a blind [man], both will fall into a pit." •15But Peter replied by saying to him, "Explain this parable to us." •16And he¹⁰ said, "Are ^†you also still without comprehension? •17Do ^†you not¹¹

Matthew 15

understand that anything which enters into the mouth goes into the stomach, and is passed out into the latrine. •18But the things that proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those defile a man. •19For out of the heart come wicked thoughts, [acts of] murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.¹² •20These are what defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

•21And Jesus went away from there and departed into the district of Tyre and Sidon. •22And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from that region and started crying out,¹³ saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely demon-possessed." •23But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and started requesting of him, saying, "Send her away, because she is crying out after us." •24But he answered by saying, "I was not sent [to anyone] except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." •25But she came and started worshiping¹⁴ him, saying, "Lord, start helping me." •26And he answered by saying, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw [it] to the lap-dogs." •27But she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the lap-dogs eat from the crumbs that fall from their master's table." •28Then Jesus answered by saying to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour.

•29And Jesus moved on from there and went along the Sea of Galilee. And going up onto a mountain, he started sitting down there. •30And large crowds came to him, having with them the crippled, the deformed, the blind, the mute,¹⁵ and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he cured them, •31so that the crowd marveled, when they saw the mute¹⁵ speaking, the deformed healthy, the crippled walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

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•32And Jesus called his disciples to [him] and said, "I have pity on the crowd, because they have already remained with me three days, and do not have anything to eat; and I am not willing to send them away fasting, lest they faint on the way." •33And the disciples said* to him, "Where are we to get enough bread in the wilderness to satisfy so large a crowd?" •34And Jesus said* to them, "How many loaves do ^†you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few small fish." •35And commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, •36he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having giving thanks he broke [them] and started giving [them] to the disciples, and the disciples [gave them] to the crowds. •37And they all ate and were satisfied; and they took up seven baskets¹⁶ full of the broken pieces that were left over. •38Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. •39And sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.¹⁷

16•1And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. •2But he answered by saying to them, "When it is evening, ^†you say, '[It will be] fair weather; for the sky is red.' •3And in the morning, '[It will be] stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' ^†You¹ know [how] to discern the appearance of the sky, but ^†you cannot [discern] the signs of the times.² •4An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah."³ And he left them and went away.

•5And when the disciples came to the other side, they had forgotten to take [any] bread. •6And Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." •7And they started reasoning among themselves, saying, "[It is] because we took no bread." •8But Jesus, knowing [about this], said, "[O ^†you] of little faith, why are ^†you reasoning among ^†yourselves [that I said this] because ^†you have no bread? •9Do ^†you not yet understand? Do ^†you not

Matthew 16

remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ^†you took up? •10[Do ^†you] not [remember] the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets^{4 †}you took up? •11How [is it that] ^†you do not understand that I did not speak to ^†you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." •12Then they comprehended that he did not say to beware of the leaven of the bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

•13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he started questioning his disciples, saying, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?"⁵ •14And they said, "Some [say] John the Baptist, and others Elijah, and [still] others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." •15He said* to them, "But who do ^†you say that I am?" •16And Simon Peter answered by saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." •17And Jesus answered by saying to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood has not revealed [this] to you, but my Father who is in heaven. •18And I say to you, you are Peter,⁶ and on this rock⁷ I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. •19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall stay bound⁸ in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall stay loosed⁹ in heaven." •20Then he warned the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.¹⁰

•21From then [on] Jesus¹¹ began showing his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. •22And Peter took him aside and began rebuking him, saying, "[God] forgive you,¹² Lord! This shall never happen to you." •23But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are

Matthew 16

a snare to me, because you are not thinking [about] the things of God, but [about] the things of men."

•24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and keep following me. •25For whoever wishes to save his life¹³ will lose it, and whoever loses his life¹³ for my sake will find it. •26For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life?¹³ Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?¹³ •27For the Son of man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will repay each one according to his deeds. •28Truly, I say to ^†you, there are some of those standing here who shall not taste death until [after] they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."

17•1And after six days Jesus took* with [him] Peter and James and John his brother, and privately led* them up onto a high mountain. •2And he was transfigured¹ before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. •3And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. •4Now in response Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is a good [thing] for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three shelters² here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." •5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice [came] out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son,³ with whom I am well pleased; be listening to him." •6When the disciples heard [this], they fell on their faces, and were extremely afraid. •7But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Rise, and quit being afraid." •8And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

•9And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised⁴ from the dead." •10And the disciples questioned him, saying, "Then why do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?" •11And he⁵ answered by saying, "Indeed Elijah is coming,⁶ and he will restore all things. •12But I say to ^†you that Elijah has

Matthew 17

already come, and they did not recognize him, but did with him whatever they wished. The Son of man is also going to suffer at their [hands] like this." •13Then the disciples comprehended that he had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

•14And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and kneeling before him said, •15"Lord, have mercy on my son, because he is an epileptic and he suffers severely; for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. •16And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him." •17And Jesus answered by saying, "O faithless and perverted generation, how long shall I be with ^†you? How long shall I put up with ^†you? Bring him here to me." •18And Jesus rebuked it, and the demon came out from him, and the boy was cured from that [very] hour. •19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" •20And he⁵ said* to them, "Because of ^†your little faith.⁷ For truly, I say to ^†you, if ^†you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, ^†you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to ^†you.⁸"

•22As they were gathering⁹ in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, •23and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised." And they were extremely sorrowful.

•24And when they came to Capernaum, those who took up the half-shekel¹⁰ [temple tax] went to Peter and said, "Does not ^†your teacher pay the half- shekel¹⁰?" •25He said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tariff or tax? For their sons or from others?" •26And when he said,¹¹ "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. •27But lest we ensnare them [in sin], go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel;¹² take that and give [it] to them for me and you."

Matthew 17

18•1In that [very] hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" •2And calling to [him] a child he set him in their midst, •3and said, "Truly, I say to ^†you, unless ^†you turn and become like children, ^†you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. •4Therefore whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. •5And whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.

•6"But whoever ensnares one of these little ones who believe in me [in sin], it would be [more] expedient for him to have a heavy millstone¹ hung around his neck and to be drowned in the open depths of the sea. •7Woe to the world because of snares [to sin]! For it is necessary for the snares to come, but woe to the man through whom the snare does come!

•8"Now if your hand or your foot is ensnaring you [in sin], cut it off and throw [it] from you; it is better for you to enter into life deformed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. •9And if you eye is ensnaring you [in sin], pluck it out and throw [it] from you; it is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the hell² of fire.

•10"Keep seeing [to it] that ^†you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell ^†you that in heaven their angels always look at the face of my Father who is in heaven.³ •12What do ^†you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them should go astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go and seek the one that is going astray? •13And if he happens to find it,

Matthew 18

truly, I say to ^†you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that had not gone astray. •14So it is not the will of ^†your⁴ Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

•15"Now if your brother sins against you,⁵ go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. •16But if he does not listen, take with you one or two others that 'on [evidence from] the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'⁶ •17But if he refuses to listen to them, tell [it] to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, he must be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

•18"Truly, I say to ^†you, whatever ^†you bind on earth shall stay bound⁷ in heaven, and whatever ^†you loose on earth shall stay loosed⁸ in heaven. •19Again, truly I say to ^†you that if two of ^†you agree on earth about anything that they might ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. •20For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst."

•21Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" •22Jesus said* to him, "I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.⁹

•23"For this [reason] the kingdom of heaven is like a king¹⁰ who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. •24And when he began settling [the accounts], one was brought to him who owed [him] ten thousand talents.¹¹ •25And as he did not have [the money] to pay back, [his] lord commanded for him to be sold, with [his] wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. •26Therefore the slave fell down and started worshiping¹² him, saying,¹³ 'Have patience with me,

Matthew 18

and I will pay you back everything.' •27And having pity, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the loan. •28But that same slave, as he went out, found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii;¹⁴ and seizing him he started choking [him], saying, 'Pay back whatever you owe.' •29Therefore his fellow slave fell down¹⁵ and started appealing to him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.' •30And yet he was not willing, but went and threw him into jail until he should pay back the debt. •31Therefore when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were extremely sorrowful, and they went and reported to their lord all that had happened. •32Then his lord summoned him and said* to him, '[You] wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you appealed to me. •33Was it not also necessary for you to have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I also had mercy on you? •34And his lord was angry and delivered him to the torturers, until he should pay back all that he owed [him]. •35My heavenly Father will also do like this to ^†you, if each one of ^†you does not forgive his brother¹⁶ from ^†your hearts."

19•1And it happened [that] when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and came to the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan; •2and large crowds followed him, and he cured them there.

•3And Pharisees¹ came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it permissible for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" •4And he answered by saying, "Have ^†you not read that the One who created² [them] from the beginning made them male and female,³ •5and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave [his] father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh'?⁴ •6So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together, man must not separate." •7They said* to him, "Why then did Moses command to give [one's wife] a

Matthew 19

certificate of divorce, and to divorce her?"⁵ •8He said* to them, "For ^†your hardness of heart Moses allowed ^†you to divorce ^†your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. •9And I say to ^†you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits⁶ adultery."⁷

•10His⁸ disciples said* to him, "If the relationship of a man with [his] wife is like this, it is not expedient to marry." •11But he said to them, "Not everyone makes room for this saying, but [only those] to whom it has been given. •12For there are eunuchs who were born like this from [their] mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to make room for [this] must make room for [it]."

•13Then children were brought to him so that he might lay [his] hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked them. •14But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and quit hindering them. For to such belongs⁹ the kingdom of heaven." •15And he laid [his] hands on them and went [away] from there.

•16And behold, one came up to him and said, "Teacher,¹⁰ what good thing should I do so that I may have eternal life?" •17And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what [is] good? There is [only] One who is good.¹¹ But if you wish to enter into life, be keeping the commandments." •18He said* to him, "Which?" And Jesus said, "You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not testify falsely, •19Honor [your] father and mother, and, You shall love

Matthew 19

your neighbor as yourself."¹² •20The young man said* to him, "All these I have kept;¹³ what do I still lack?" •21Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, start following me." •22But when the young man heard [this] saying he went away sorrowful; for he had many possessions.

•23And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to ^†you that [only] with difficulty will a rich man enter into the kingdom of heaven. •24And again I say to ^†you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a [sewing] needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." •25Now when the disciples heard [this] they were extremely astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" •26But Jesus looked at [them] and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things [are] possible." •27Then Peter answered by saying to him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?" •28And Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to ^†you that in the regeneration, whenever the Son of man sits on his glorious throne, ^†you who have followed me will ^†yourselves also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. •29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother¹⁴ or children or farms, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold,¹⁵ and inherit eternal life. •30But many [who are] first will be last, and the last first.

20•1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a man [who is] a householder who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. •2And after agreeing with the workers for a denarius¹ a day, he sent them into his vineyard. •3And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; •4and he said to them, '^†You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give ^†you.' And they went. •5And going out again about the sixth [hour] and the ninth hour, he did the same thing. •6And about the eleventh [hour] he went out and found others standing;² and he said* to them, 'Why do ^†you stand here idle the whole day?' •7They said* to him, 'Because no

Matthew 20

one has hired us.' He said* to them, '^†You also go into the vineyard.'³ •8And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said* to his foreman, 'Call the workers, and pay [them their] wages, beginning from the last, up to the first.' •9Now when those [who were hired] about the eleventh hour came, they received a denarius apiece. •10And when those [hired] first came, they thought that they would receive more; but they also received a denarius apiece themselves. •11And [on] receiving [it] they started grumbling against the householder, •12saying, 'These last worked [only] one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' •13But he answered one of them by saying, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? •14Take what [is] yours, and go; but I wish to give to this last [man] as [I] also [give] to you. •15Or is it not permissible for me to do what I wish with what is mine? Or is your eye grudging⁴ because I am good? •16So the last will be first, and the first last."⁵

•17And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he privately took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, •18"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, •19and deliver him to the Gentiles for [them] to mock and whip and crucify [him], and on the third day he will be raised."⁶

•20Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him, with her sons, worshiping⁷ [him] and asking for something from him. •21And he said to her, "What do you wish?" She said* to him, "Say that these two sons of mine may sit, one at [your] right [hand] and one at your left, in your kingdom." •22But Jesus answered by saying, "^†You do not know what ^†you are asking. Are ^†you able to drink the cup that I am going to drink?"⁸ They said* to him, "We are able." •23He said* to them, "Indeed ^†you will drink my cup,⁹ but to sit at my right [hand] and at [my] left, this is not mine to give, but [is for those] for whom it has been prepared by my Father." •24And when the ten

Matthew 20

heard [this], they were indignant at the two brothers. •25But Jesus called them and said, "^†You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and [their] great [men] exercise authority over them. •26It is not [to be] like this among ^†you; but whoever wishes to become great among ^†you shall be ^†your servant, •27and whoever wishes to be first among ^†you shall be ^†your slave; •28even as the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life [as] a ransom for many."

•29And as they went out from Jericho, a large crowd followed him. •30And behold, when two blind [men] sitting beside the road heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, Lord,¹⁰ Son of David!" •31And the crowd rebuked them, so that they would keep quiet. But they cried out [even] more, "Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!" •32And Jesus stood still and called them and said, "What do ^†you wish me to do for ^†you?" •33They said* to him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." •34And Jesus had pity [on them] and touched their eyes, and immediately they received their sight and followed him.

21•1And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, •2saying to them, "Go into the village opposite ^†you, and immediately ^†you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie [them] and bring [them] to me. •3And if anyone says anything to ^†you, ^†you shall say, 'The Lord has a need for them,' and immediately he will send them." •4Now this has happened to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying,

•5"Tell the daughter of Zion,
Behold, your king is coming to you,
meek, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a burro."¹

Matthew 21

road. •9And the crowds that were going before him and that were following [him] were crying out, saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed [is] the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" •10And when he entered into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?" •11And the crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee."

•12And Jesus entered into the temple² and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves. •13He said* to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer.'³ But ^†you are making it a den of bandits."⁴

•14And the blind and the crippled came to him in the temple, and he cured them. •15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the marvelous things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant; •16and they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said* to them, "Yes; have you never read,

'Out of the mouths of infants and nursing [babies]
you have prepared praise [for yourself]'?"⁵

•18Now in the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry. •19And seeing a fig tree by the road he went to it, and found nothing on it except only leaves. And he said* to it, "No fruit shall ever come from you again!" And instantly the fig tree withered. •20And when the disciples saw [it] they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree instantly wither?" •21And Jesus answered by saying to them, "Truly, I say to ^†you, if ^†you keep having faith and do not doubt, ^†you will not only do what [has been done] to the fig tree, but even if ^†you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and

Matthew 21

thrown into the sea,' it will happen. •22And what all ^†you ask in prayer while believing, ^†you will receive."

•23And when he entered into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" •24But Jesus answered by saying to them, "I also will ask ^†you one question; and if ^†you tell me [the answer, then] I also will tell ^†you by what authority I do these things. •25The baptism⁶ of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they started reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did ^†you not believe him?' •26But if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all hold John as a prophet." •27And they answered Jesus by saying, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither am I telling ^†you by what authority I do these things.

•28"What do ^†you think? A man had two children; and he went to the first and said, 'Child, go and work in the vineyard today.' •29And he answered by saying, 'I do not wish to'; but afterwards he regretted [it] and went. •30And he went to the other and said the same thing; and he answered by saying, 'I [will go], sir,' but did not go.⁷ •31Which of the two did the will of [his] father?" They said*, "The first." Jesus said* to them, "Truly, I say to ^†you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God before ^†you. •32For John came to ^†you in the way of righteousness, and ^†you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and [even] when ^†you saw [it], ^†you did not afterwards regret [it so as] to believe him.

•33"Hear another parable. There was a man [who was] a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey. •34Now when the season of fruit came near, he sent his slaves to the

Matthew 21

tenant farmers, to receive his fruit; •35and the tenant farmers took his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. •36Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they did the same thing to them. •37Now finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' •38But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' •39And they took him and threw [him] outside the vineyard, and killed [him]. •40Therefore whenever the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenant farmers?" •41They said* to him, "He will severely destroy those evil [men], and rent the vineyard to other tenant farmers who will give him the fruits in their seasons."

•42Jesus said* to them, "Have ^†you never read in the scriptures:

'A stone which the builders rejected—
this has become the head of the corner;
this was from the Lord,
and it is marvelous in our eyes'?⁸

•45And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. •46And although they were seeking [a way] to seize him, they feared the crowds, since they held him as a prophet.

22•1And Jesus continued by speaking to them in parables again, saying, •2"The kingdom of heaven is like a king¹ who made a marriage feast for his son. •3And he sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the marriage feast; but they were not willing to come. •4Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my bulls and [my] fattened [cattle] have been killed, and all things [are] ready; come to the marriage feast.' •5But they were unconcerned and went off, one to [his] own farm, another about his business,

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•6and the rest seized his slaves, mistreated [them], and killed [them]. •7And the king² was angry, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. •8Then he said* to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. •9Therefore, go to where the highways leave the city, and invite to the marriage feast as many as ^†you find.' •10And those slaves went out into the highways and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; and the wedding [celebration]³ was filled with guests.

•11"But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had not put on a wedding garment; •12and he said* to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without having a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. •13Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind his feet and hands,⁴ and throw him out into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there.' •14For many are called, but few [are] chosen."

•15Then the Pharisees went and took counsel in order that they might entrap him in [his] talk. •16And they sent* their disciples to him, [along] with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God in [the] truth, and it does not matter to you about who anyone [is]; for you do not regard the position of men. •17Therefore, tell us what you think. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" •18But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said, "Why are ^†you putting me to the test, [^†you] hypocrites? •19Show me the money for the tax." And they brought him [a coin called] a denarius.⁵ •20And he said* to them, "Whose image and inscription [is] this?" •21They said* to him,⁶ "Caesar's." Then he said* to them, "Therefore, pay back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." •22And when they heard [this], they marveled. And they left him and went away.

•23On that [same] day Sadducees came to him, saying⁷ that there is no resurrection; and they asked him [a question], •24saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If any [man] dies, having no children, his

Matthew 22

brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.'⁸ •25Now there were seven brothers among us; and the first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. •26In the same way the second also [married her and died], and the third, down to the seventh. •27And after [them] all, the woman died. •28Therefore, in the resurrection to which of the seven will she be wife? For they all had her."

•29But Jesus answered by saying to them, "^†You are wrong, because ^†you do not know the scriptures nor the power of God. •30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels⁹ in heaven. •31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have ^†you not read what was spoken to ^†you by God, saying, •32'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?¹⁰ He¹¹ is not the God of the dead, but of the living." •33And when the crowd heard [this], they were astonished at his teaching.

•34But when the Pharisees heard that he had muzzled the Sadducees, they came together. •35And one of them, a lawyer,¹² asked [him a question], to test him. •36"Teacher, which [is] the great commandment in the law?" •37And he said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'¹³ •38This is the great and first commandment. •39And a second [is] like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'¹⁴ •40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

•41Now while the Pharisees were gathering together, Jesus asked them [a question], •42saying, "What do ^†you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said* to him, "David's." •43He said* to them, "How then does David by the Spirit call him Lord, saying,

Matthew 22

Sit at my right [hand],
until I put your enemies underneath your feet'?¹⁵

23•1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, •2saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat. •3Therefore do and keep observing what all they tell ^†you, but do not be doing what they do;¹ for they say, and do not do. •4And they bind heavy and hard to carry² loads and lay [them] on men's shoulders; but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. •5But they do all their works to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries³ wide and their tassels⁴ large, •6and they love the place of honor in the banquets and the seats of honor in the synagogues, •7and greetings in the marketplaces, and being called rabbi by men. •8But ^†you must not be called rabbi, for [only] One is ^†your Teacher,⁵ and ^†you are all brothers. •9And do not call [anyone] ^†your father on earth, for [only] One is ^†your Father, the One who is in heaven. •10Neither be called professors, because [only] one is ^†your Professor, the Christ. •11But the one who is greatest among ^†you shall be ^†your servant. •12And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

•13"But woe to ^†you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ^†you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for ^†you do not enter ^†yourselves, nor do ^†you allow those who are trying to enter to go in.⁶

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•15"Woe to ^†you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ^†you travel about on sea and land to make [just] one proselyte, and whenever he becomes [one], ^†you make him twice as much a son of hell⁷ as ^†you [are].

•16"Woe to ^†you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.' •17^†You fools and blind [men]! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? •18And [^†you say], 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is upon it, he is obligated.' •19[^†You] blind⁸ [men]! For which [is] greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? •20Therefore the one who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all the things upon it; •21and the one who swears by the temple, swears by it and by the One who dwells in it; •22and the one who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the One who sits upon it.

•23"Woe to ^†you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ^†you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and [yet] have left [undone] the weightier [matters] of the law, justice and mercy and faith; but these [^†you] had to do, without leaving those [others undone]. •24[^†You] blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

•25"Woe to ^†you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ^†you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of swindling and lack of self-control. •26[You] blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside of it⁹ may also be clean.

•27"Woe to ^†you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ^†you are like whitewashed sepulchres, which indeed outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead [men's] bones and all uncleanness. •28So indeed ^†you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within ^†you are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

•29"Woe to ^†you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ^†you build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, •30and say, 'If we had been [living] in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in [shedding] the blood of the prophets.' •31So ^†you testify against ^†yourselves, that ^†you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. •32^†You then, fill up the measure of ^†your fathers. •33[^†You] snakes, [^†you] brood of vipers, how shall you escape the condemnation of hell?⁷ •34Behold, for this [reason] I am sending to ^†you

Matthew 23

•37"[O] Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How many times I wished to gather your children together in the way that a hen gathers her young chickens together under [her] wings, and ^†you were not willing! •38Behold, ^†your house is left to ^†you desolate.¹¹ •39For I say to ^†you, ^†you shall not see me from now [on] until ^†you say, 'Blessed [is] the One who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

24•1And Jesus went out from the temple and was going away, and his disciples came to show him the buildings of the temple. •2But he answered by saying to them, "Do ^†you not see all these things? Truly, I say to ^†you, there shall not be left here [one] stone on another, that will not be torn down."

•3Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what [will be] the sign of your arrival¹ and of the completion of the age?"

•4And Jesus answered by saying to them, "Keep looking out that no one leads ^†you astray. •5For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. •6Now ^†you are going to be hearing [about] wars and rumors of wars; see that ^†you are not alarmed; for [this]² has to happen, but the end is not yet. •7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom

Matthew 24

against kingdom, and there will be famines³ and earthquakes in [various] places: •8but all these things [are only] the beginning of the birth-pangs.

•9"Then they will deliver ^†you up to tribulation, and will kill ^†you. And ^†you will be hated by all nations because of my name. •10And then many will be ensnared [in sin], and betray one another, and hate one another. •11And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. •12And because lawlessness is multiplied, most [people's] love will become cold. •13But the one who endures to the end will be saved. •14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited [earth], to [give] testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.

•15"Therefore whenever ^†you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel,⁴ standing in a holy place (the reader must understand), •16then those who are in Judea must start fleeing to the mountains; •17the one who is on the housetop must not go down to take the things out of his house; •18and the one who is in the field must not turn back to take his cloak. •19And woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing [babies] in those days! •20And be praying that ^†your flight may not happen in winter nor on a sabbath. •21For then there will be great tribulation, as has not happened from the beginning of the world until now, nor will it ever happen [again]. •22And if those days had not been shortened, no one of flesh would be saved; but because of the chosen those days will be shortened.

•23"Then if anyone says to ^†you, 'Behold, here [is] the Christ!' or 'Here [he is]!' do not believe [it]. •24For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen. •25Behold, I have told ^†you beforehand. •26Therefore if they say to ^†you, 'Behold, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out; [if they say], 'Behold, [he is] in the inner rooms,' do not believe [it]. •27For just as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so shall be the arrival of the Son of man. •28Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures⁵ will be gathered together.

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•29"Now immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. •30And then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. •31And he will send out his angels with [the sound of] a loud trumpet,⁶ and they will gather his chosen from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

•32"Now learn the parable from the fig tree: whenever its branch has already become tender and is sprouting out its leaves, ^†you know that the summer [is] near. •33So also, whenever ^†you see all these things, ^†you know that he is near, at the [very] doors.

•34"Truly, I say to ^†you, this generation shall not pass away until all these things happen. •35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away. •36But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,⁷ but the Father only.

•37"For just as [were] the days of Noah, so shall be the arrival of the Son of man. •38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, •39and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so shall also be the arrival of the Son of man. •40Then two [men] will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. •41Two [women will be] grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left. •42Therefore keep watching, because ^†you do not know on what day^{8 †}your Lord is coming. •43But

Matthew 24

know this, that if the householder had known in what watch [of the night] the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. •44For this [reason] ^†you be ready also; because the Son of man is coming at an hour when ^†you do not think [he will].

•45"Who then is the faithful and sensible slave, whom [his] lord has appointed over his household, to give them [their] food at the [proper] time? •46Blessed [is] that slave whom his lord when he comes will find so doing. •47Truly, I say to ^†you that he will appoint him over all his belongings. •48But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My lord is taking [his] time,' •49and begins beating his fellow slaves, and is eating and drinking with those who are drunk, •50the lord of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect [him] and at an hour he does not know, •51and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there.

25•1"Then the kingdom of heaven is like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.¹ •2Now five of them were foolish, and five [were] sensible. •3For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; •4but the sensible took oil in [their] containers with their lamps. •5Now while the bridegroom was taking [his] time, they all became drowsy and started sleeping. •6But at midnight there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet² [him].' •7Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. •8And the foolish said to the sensible, 'Give us [some] of ^†your oil, because our lamps are going out.' •9But the sensible answered by saying, 'Certainly there will not be enough for us and for ^†you; go rather to those who sell [oil] and buy for ^†yourselves.' •10And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. •11Now afterwards the rest of the virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' •12But he answered by saying, 'Truly, I say to ^†you, I do not know ^†you.' •13Therefore, keep watching, because ^†you do not know the day nor the hour.³

Matthew 25

•14"For [it will be] as [when] a man going on a journey called [his] own slaves and delivered to them his belongings [for safe keeping]; •15now to one he gave five talents⁴ [of money], to another two, to another one, to each according to [his] own ability. And he went on [his] journey. •16Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and worked with them; and he gained another five [talents]. •17In the same way, the one who [had received] the two [talents] gained another two. •18But the one who had received the one [talent] went and dug in the ground and hid his lord's money. •19Now after a long time the lord of those slaves came* and settled* accounts with them. •20And the one who had received the five talents came forward and brought the other five talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents.' •21His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You have been faithful over a few things; I will appoint you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. •22The one who [had received] the two talents also came forward and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents.' •23His lord said to him, 'Well [done], good and faithful slave. You have been faithful over a few things; I will appoint you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' •24And the one who had received the one talent also came forward and said, 'Lord, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering from where you did not scatter. •25And I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Behold, [here] you have what [is] yours.' •26But his lord answered by saying to him, '[You] wicked and lazy slave! You know that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather from where I have not scattered, [did you]? •27Therefore you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have gotten back what was mine with interest. •28Therefore take the talent from him, and give [it] to the one who has the ten talents. •29For to every one who has will [more] be given, and he will have in abundance; but [as for] the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. •30And throw out the useless slave into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there.'

Matthew 25

•31"Now whenever the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels⁵ with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. •32And before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, •33and he will place the sheep at his right [hand], but the goats at the left.

•34"Then the King will say to those at his right [hand], 'Come, [^†you] blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for ^†you from the foundation of the world. •35For I was hungry and ^†you gave me [something] to eat, I was thirsty and ^†you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and ^†you invited me in, •36[I was] naked and ^†you clothed me, I was sick and ^†you visited me, I was in jail and ^†you came to me.' •37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed [you], or thirsty and give [you] a drink? •38And when did we see you a stranger and invite [you] in, or naked and clothe [you]? •39And when did we see you sick or in jail and come to you?' •40And the King will answer by saying to them, 'Truly, I say to ^†you, inasmuch as ^†you did [it] to one of the least of these my brothers, ^†you did [it] to me.'

•41"Then he will say to those at [his] left [hand], 'Depart from me, [^†you] cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. •42For I was hungry and ^†you did not give me [anything] to eat, I was thirsty and ^†you did not give me a drink, •43I was a stranger and ^†you did not invite me in, naked and ^†you did not clothe me, sick and in jail and ^†you did not visit me.' •44Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail, and did not minister to you?' •45Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to ^†you, inasmuch as ^†you did not do [it] to one of the least of these, neither did ^†you do [it] to me.' •46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

26•1And it happened [that] when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, •2"^†You know that after two days the Passover takes place, and the Son of man will be delivered up to be crucified."

•3Then the chief priests¹ and the elders of the people gathered in the mansion of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, •4and consulted together so that they might seize Jesus by cunning and kill [him]. •5But they were saying, "Not during the feast, lest there be a disturbance among the people."

Matthew 26

•6Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, •7a woman came up to him having an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured [it] on his head, as he sat [at the table]. •8But when the disciples saw [it], they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? •9For this [ointment] could have been sold for much [money], and given to the poor." •10But knowing [about this], Jesus said to them, "Why are ^†you giving the woman a hard time? For she has done a good deed to me. •11For ^†you always have the poor with ^†you, but ^†you [will] not always have me. •12For when she put this ointment on my body, she did [it] to prepare me for burial. •13Truly, I say to ^†you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will also be spoken of in memory of her."

•14Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests •15and said, "What are ^†you willing to give me if I will betray him to ^†you?" And they paid him thirty silver [coins]. •16And from then [on] he was seeking an opportunity to betray him.

•17Now on the first [day] of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you wish us to prepare for you to eat the passover?" •18And he said, "Go into the city to such a one, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is near; I am keeping the passover at your [house] with my disciples.'" •19And the disciples did as Jesus had ordered them, and they prepared the passover.

•20Now when it was evening, he was sitting [at the table] with the twelve.² •21And as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to ^†you that one of ^†you will betray me." •22And they were extremely sorrowful, and each one began saying to him, "It is not I, [is it], Lord?" •23And he answered by saying, "The one who has dipped [his] hand in the dish with me will betray me. •24The Son of man

Matthew 26

indeed goes just as it is written about him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." •25Judas, who betrayed him, responded by saying, "It is not I, [is it], Rabbi?" He said* to him, "You have said [it]."

•26Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed and broke [it], and gave [it] to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." •27And he took a cup³ and gave thanks, and gave [it] to them, saying, "Drink of it, all [of ^†you]; •28for this is my blood of the covenant,⁴ which is poured out for many for⁵ the forgiveness of sins. •29And I say to ^†you I shall not drink of this fruit of the vine from now [on] until that day whenever I drink it new with ^†you in my Father's kingdom." •30And when they had sung hymns,⁶ they went out to the Mount of Olives.

•31Then Jesus said* to them, "^†You will all be ensnared [in sin] by [rejecting] me this night; for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'⁷ •32But after I am raised up, I will go before ^†you to Galilee." •33But Peter responded by saying to him, "Though they will all be ensnared [in sin] by [rejecting] you, I will never be ensnared." •34Jesus said to him, "Truly, I say to you, that in this [very] night, before a rooster crows, you will deny me three times." •35Peter said* to him, "Even if I should have to die with you, I will not deny you." All the disciples said something like this too.

•36Then Jesus went* with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said* to the disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." •37And taking with [him] Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began being sorrowful and troubled. •38Then he said* to them, "My soul is very

Matthew 26

sorrowful, [even] to the point of death; remain here, and keep watching⁸ with me." •39And going⁹ a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup pass from me; however, not as I will, but as you [will]." •40And he came* to the disciples and found* them sleeping; and he said* to Peter, "So, could ^†you not watch⁸ with me one hour? •41Keep watching⁸ and praying that ^†you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak." •42Again, for the second [time], he went away and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass¹⁰ unless I drink it, may your will be done." •43And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. •44And leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third [time], saying the same words again. •45Then he came* to the disciples and said* to them, "Are ^†you sleeping and resting from now on? Behold, the hour has come near, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. •46Rise, let us be going. Behold, the one who betrays me has come near."

•47And while he was still speaking, behold, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. •48Now the one who betrayed him had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, he is the [one]; seize him." •49And he immediately went to Jesus and said, "Hello, Rabbi!" And he kissed him. •50But Jesus said to him, "Friend, what are you here for?"¹¹ Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. •51And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out [his] hand and drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and chopped off his ear. •52Then Jesus said* to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword. •53Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will right now provide me more [than] twelve legions of angels? •54But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, that it has to happen like this?" •55At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have ^†you come out as against a bandit, with swords and clubs to arrest me? Every day I was sitting in the temple teaching, and ^†you did not seize me. •56But this whole thing has happened so that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Matthew 26

•57Now those who had seized Jesus led [him] away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. •58But Peter was followed him from a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he started sitting with the officers to see the end. •59Now the chief priests and the whole council¹² were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, •60but they did not find [any], although many false witnesses came forward.¹³ Now finally two¹⁴ came forward •61and said, "This [fellow] said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build [it] in three days.'" •62And the high priest stood up and said to him, "Do you answer nothing? What [is it that] these [people] are testifying against you?" •63But Jesus kept quiet. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." •64Jesus said* to him, "You have said [it]. However, I say to ^†you, from now [on] ^†you will see the Son of man sitting at the right [hand] of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." •65Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, "He has blasphemed! What further need do we have for witnesses? Behold, now ^†you have heard the blasphemy. •66What do ^†you think?" And they answered by saying, "He is deserving of death." •67Then they spat on his face, and slugged him; and some slapped [him], •68saying, "Prophesy to us, [you] Christ! Who is it that struck you?"

•69Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a maid came up to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." •70But he denied [it] before [them] all, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." •71And when he went out to the porch, another [maid] saw him, and she said* to those who were there, "This [man] was with Jesus the Nazorean." •72And again he denied [it] with an oath, "I do not know the man." •73But after a little while those standing [around] came up and said to Peter, "Truly you are also [one] of them, for indeed your way of speaking makes [that] evident [about] you." •74Then he began cursing and swearing, "I do not know the man." And

Matthew 26

27•1Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus in order to put him to death. •2And when they had bound him, they led [him] away and delivered [him] to Pilate¹ the governor.

•3Then when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that he was condemned, he regretted [it] and returned the thirty silver [coins] to the chief priests and the elders, •4saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent² blood." But they said, "What [is that] to us? See [to it] yourself." •5And throwing the silver [coins] into the temple sanctuary, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. •6But the chief priests, taking the silver [coins], said, "It is not permissible to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood." •7And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field as a burial ground for strangers. •8Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood up to this day. •9Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah,³ saying, "And they⁴ took the thirty silver [coins], the price of the One whose price had been set, [the One on] whom some from among the sons of Israel had set a price, •10and they⁴ gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord ordered me."⁵

•11Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor questioned him, saying, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And Jesus replied, "You are saying [it]." •12And when he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. •13Then Pilate said* to him, "Do you not hear how many

Matthew 27

things they are testifying against you?" •14But he did not answer him, not even to a single charge;⁶ so that the governor was marveling greatly.

•15Now at [the] feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner for whom they were wishing. •16Now they had then a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas.⁷ •17Therefore when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do ^†you wish me to release to ^†you, Jesus Barabbas⁷ or Jesus who is called Christ?" •18For he knew that [it was] because of envy [that] they had delivered him up. •19And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent [word] to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him." •20Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. •21And the governor responded by saying to them, "Which of the two do ^†you wish me to release to ^†you?" And they said, "Barabbas." •22Pilate said* to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said*, "Let him be crucified." •23And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they started crying out even more, "Let him be crucified."