§ The roots of Jesus
¤1 °1 This is the document of the origins of Jesus
Christ, son of David, son of Abraham. °2 Abraham was the
father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his
brothers. °3 Judah was the
father of Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar), Perez was the father of
Hezron, and Hezron of Aram. °4 Aram was the
father of Aminadab, Aminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon. °5 Salmon was the
father of Boaz. His mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed. His mother
was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. °6 Jesse was the
father of David, the king. David was the father of Solomon. His mother had
been Uriah’s wife. °7 Solomon was the
father of Rehoboam. Then came the kings: Abijah, Asaph, °8 Jehoshaphat, Joram,
Uzziah, °9 Jotham, Ahaz,
Hezekiah, °10 Manasseh, Amon,
Josiah. °11 Josiah was the
father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to
Babylon. °12 After the
deportation to Babylon Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel and Salathiel of
Zerubbabel. °13 Zerubbabel was
the father of Abiud, Abiud of Eliakim, and Eliakim of Azor. °14 Azor was the father of
Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, and Akim the father of Eliud. °15 Eliud was the father of
Eleazar, Eleazar of Matthan, and Matthan of Jacob. °16 Jacob was the
father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus who is called
the Christ – the Messiah. °17 There were then
fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, and fourteen generations
from David to the deportation to Babylon, and fourteen generations from the
deportation to Babylon to the birth of Christ. § Jesus born of a virgin mother°18 This is how
Jesus Christ was born. Mary his mother had been given to Joseph in marriage but
before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy
Spirit. °19 Then Joseph,
her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man,
and in no way did he want to discredit her. °20 While he was
pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and
said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your
wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, °21 and now she will bear a son. You shall call him
‘Jesus’ for he will save his people from their sins.” °22 All this
happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: °23The
virgin will conceive and bear a son, and he will be called Emmanuelwhich means:
God-with-us. °24 When Joseph
woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do and he took his
wife to his home. °25 So she gave
birth to a son and he had not had marital relations with her. Joseph gave him
the name of Jesus. § Wise men from the east¤2 °1 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Judea, during
the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem. °2 They asked, “Where is the
newborn king of the Jews? We saw the rising of his star in the east and have
come to honor him.” °3 When Herod
heard this he was greatly disturbed and with him all Jerusalem. °4 He immediately called a
meeting of all high-ranking priests and those who taught the people of God
his Law, and asked them where the Messiah was to be born. °5 “In the town of
Bethlehem in Judea,” they told him, “for this is what the prophet wrote: °6And
you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the
clans of Judah, for from you will come a leader, the one who is to shepherd
my people Israel.” °7 Then Herod secretly
called the wise men and asked them the precise time the star appeared. °8 Then he sent them to
Bethlehem with the instruction, “Go and get precise information about the
child. As soon as you have found him, report to me, so that I too may go and
honor him.” °9 After the
meeting with the king, they set out. The star that they had seen in the East
went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. °10 The wise men were
overjoyed on seeing the star again. °11 They went into the house and when they saw the
child with Mary his mother, they knelt and worshiped him. They opened their
bags and offered him their gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. °12 In a dream they
were warned not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their home country
by another way. § Escape to Egypt°13 After the wise
men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said,
“Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there
until I tell you for Herod will soon be looking for the child in order to
kill him.” °14 Joseph got up,
took the child and his mother, and left that night for Egypt, °15 where he stayed until the
death of Herod. In this way, what the Lord had said through the prophet was
fulfilled:I called my son out of Egypt. °16 When Herod
found out that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was furious. He gave
orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighborhood who were two
years old or under. This was done in line with what he had learned from the
wise men about the time when the star appeared. °17 In this way,
what the prophet Jeremiah had said was fulfilled: °18A cry is heard
in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation: Rachel weeps for her children. She
refuses to be comforted, for they are no more. § Joseph and Mary return to Nazareth°19 After Herod’s
death, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, °20 “Get up, take the child
and his mother and go back to the land of Israel, because those who tried to
kill the child are dead.” °21 So Joseph got up,
took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. °22 But when Joseph
heard that Archilaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea, he was
afraid to go there. He was given further
instructions in a dream, and went to the region of Galilee. °23 There he
settled in a town called Nazareth. In this way what was said by the prophets
was fulfilled:He shall be called a
Nazorean. § John the Baptist prepares the way¤3 °1 In the course of time John the Baptist appeared in
the desert of Judea and began to proclaim his message, °2 “Change your ways, the
Kingdom of heaven is now at hand!” °3 It was about him that the prophet Isaiah had
spoken when he said,A voice is shouting
in the desert: prepare a way for the Lord; make his paths straight. °4 John had a
leather garment around his waist and wore a cloak of camel’s hair; his food
was locusts and wild honey. °5 People came to
him from Jerusalem, from all Judea and from the whole Jordan valley, °6 and they were baptized by
him in the Jordan as they confessed their sins. °7 When he saw
several Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he baptized, he said to them,
“Brood of vipers! Who told you that you could escape the punishment that is
to come? °8 Let it be seen
that you are serious in your conversion, °9 and do not think: We have
Abraham for our father. I tell you that God can raise children for Abraham
from these stones! °10 The axe is
already laid to the roots of the trees; any tree that does not produce good
fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire. °11 I baptize you
in water for a change of heart, but the one who is coming after me is more
powerful than me; indeed I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will
baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire. °12 He has the winnowing fan in his hand and he will
clear out his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but
the chaff he will burn in everlasting fire.” § Jesus
baptized by John
°13 At that time
Jesus arrived from Galilee and came to John at the Jordan to be baptized by
him. °14 But John tried
to prevent him, and said, “How is it you come to me: I should be baptized by
you!” °15 But Jesus
answered him, “Let it be like that for now that we may fulfill the right
order.” John agreed. °16 As soon as he
was baptized, Jesus came up from the water. At once, the heavens opened and
he saw the Spirit of God come down like a dove and rest upon him. °17 At the same time a voice
from heaven was heard, “This is my Son, the Beloved; he is my Chosen One.” § Jesus
tempted in the wilderness
¤4 °1 Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert that he
be put to the test by the devil. °2
After spending forty days and nights without food, Jesus was hungry. °3 Then the devil
came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, order these stones to turn
into bread.” °4 But Jesus
answered, “Scripture says:one does not
live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” °5 Then the devil
took Jesus to the holy city, set him on the highest wall of the temple, and
said to him, °6 “If you are the
Son of God, throw yourself down, for scripture says,God has given orders to his angels about you. Their hands will hold
you up lest you hurt your foot against a stone.”°7 Jesus answered, “But
scripture also says:You shall not put
to the test the Lord your God.” °8 Then the devil
took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the nations of the
world in all their greatness and splendor. And he said, °9 “All this I will give you,
if you kneel and worship me.” °10 Then Jesus
answered, “Be off, Satan! Scripture says:worship
the Lord your God and serve him alone.” °11 Then the devil
left him, and angels came to serve him. °12 When Jesus
heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. °13 He left Nazareth and went
to settle down in Capernaum, a town by the lake of Galilee, at the border of
Zebulun and Naphtali. °14 In this way the
word of the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled: °15Land of Zebulun
and land of Naphtali crossed by the Road of the Sea, and you who live by the
Jordan, Galilee, land of pagans, listen: °16The people who lived in darkness have seen a great
light; on those who live in the land of the shadow of death, a light has
shone. °17 From that time
on Jesus began to proclaim his message, “Change your ways: the kingdom of
heaven is near.” °18 As Jesus walked
by the lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew
his brother, casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. °19 He said to them, “Come,
follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” °20 At once they
left their nets and followed him. °21 He went on from
there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother
John in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them. °22 At once they
left the boat and their father and followed him. °23 Jesus went
around all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news
of the Kingdom, and curing all kinds of sickness and disease among the
people. °24 The news about
him spread through the whole of Syria, and the people brought all their sick
to him, and all those who suffered: the possessed, the deranged, the
paralyzed, and he healed them all. °25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee and the Ten
Cities, from Jerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan. § The
Beatitudes
¤5 °1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the
mountain. He sat down and his disciples gathered around him. °2 Then he spoke and began to
teach them: °3 Fortunate are those who have the spirit of the
poor, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. °4 Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be
comforted. °5 Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess
the land. °6 Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for
justice, for they shall be
satisfied. °7 Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find
mercy. °8 Fortunate are those with a pure heart, for they shall see
God. °9 Fortunate are those who work for peace, they shall be called
children of God. °10 Fortunate are
those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. °11 Fortunate are
you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil
against you because you are my followers. °12 Be glad and joyful, for a great reward is kept for
you in God. This is how this people persecuted the prophets who lived before
you. § Salt and
light
°13 You are the
salt of the earth. But if salt has lost its strength, how can it be made
salty again? It has become useless. It can only be thrown away and people
will trample on it. °14 You are the
light of the world. A city built on a mountain cannot be hidden. °15 No one lights a lamp and
covers it; instead it is put on a lampstand, where it gives light to everyone
in the house. °16 In the same way
your light must shine before others, so that they may see the good you do and
praise your Father in heaven. § More perfect law°17 Do not think
that I have come to remove the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to
remove but to fulfill them. °18 I tell you
this: as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or stroke of
the Law will change until all is fulfilled. °19 So then,
whoever breaks the least important of these commandments and teaches others
to do the same will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand,
whoever obeys them and teaches others to do the same will be great in the
kingdom of heaven. °20 I tell you,
then, that if you are not righteous in a much broader way than the teachers
of the Law and the Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. °21 You have heard
that it was said to our people in the past:Do not commit murder; anyone who does kill will have to face trial.°22 But now I tell you: whoever
gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial. Whoever insults
a brother or sister deserves to be brought before the council; whoever
humiliates a brother or sister deserves to be thrown into the fire of hell. °23 So, if you are about to
offer your gift at the altar and you remember that your brother has something
against you, °24 leave your gift
there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with him, and then
come back and offer your gift to God. °25 Don’t forget
this: be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the
way to court. Otherwise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you
over to the police, who will put you in jail. °26 There you will stay, until you have paid the last
penny. °27 You have heard
that it was said:Do not commit
adultery.°28 But I tell you
this: anyone who looks at a woman to satisfy his lust has in fact already
committed adultery with her in his heart. °29 So, if your
right eye causes you to sin, pull it out and throw it away! It is much better
for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into
hell. °30 If your right
hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to
lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. °31 It was also
said:anyone who divorces his wife must
give her a written notice of divorce.°32 But what I tell you is this: If a man divorces his
wife except in the case of unlawful union, he causes her to commit adultery.
And the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. § Oaths°33 You have also
heard that people were told in the past:Do
not break your oath; an oath sworn to the Lord must be kept.°34 But I tell you this: do
not take oaths. Do not swear by the heavens, for they are God’s throne, °35 nor by the earth, because
it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem because it is the city of the great
king. °36 Do not even
swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. °37 Sayyeswhen you mean yes
and saynowhen you meanno.Anything else you say comes from
the devil. § Love of
enemies
°38 You have heard
that it was said:An eye for an eye and
a tooth for a tooth.°39 But I tell you
this: do not oppose evil with evil; if someone slaps you on your right cheek,
turn and offer the other. °40 If someone sues
you in court for your shirt, give your coat as well. °41 If someone forces you to
go one mile, go also the second mile. °42 Give when asked and do not turn your back on
anyone who wants to borrow from you. °43 You have heard
that it was said:Love your neighbor and
do not do good to your enemy.°44
But this I tell you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who
persecute you, °45 so that you may
be children of your Father in Heaven. For he makes his sun rise on both the
wicked and the good, and he gives rain to both the just and the unjust. °46 If you love
those who love you, what is special about that? Do not even tax collectors do
as much? °47 And if you are
friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even
the pagans do as much? °48 For your part
you shall be righteous and perfect in the way your heavenly Father is
righteous and perfect. § Doing good for God alone¤6 °1 Be careful not to make a show of your
righteousness before people. If you do so, you do not gain anything from your
Father in heaven. °2 When you give
something to the poor, do not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who
want to be seen in the synagogues and in the streets in order to be praised
by the people. I assure you, they have been already paid in full. °3 If you give
something to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is
doing, °4 so that your
gift remains really secret. Your Father who sees what is kept secret, will
reward you. °5 When you pray,
do not be like those who want to be seen. They love to stand and pray in the
synagogues or on street corners to be seen by everyone. I assure you, they
have already been paid in full. °6
When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your
Father who is with you in secret; and your Father who sees what is kept
secret will reward you. § Our Father…
°7 When you pray,
do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do, for they hold that the more they
say, the more chance they have of being heard. °8 Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you
need, even before you ask him. °9 This, then, is
how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, holy be your name, °10 your kingdom
come and your will be
done, on earth as in
heaven. °11 Give us today
the kind of bread we need. °12 Forgive us our
debts just as we have
forgiven those who are in debt to us. °13 Do not bring us
to the test but deliver us from
the evil one. °14 If you forgive others
their wrongs, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. °15 If you do not forgive
others, then your Father will not forgive you either. °16 When you fast,
do not put on a miserable face as do the hypocrites. They put on a gloomy
face, so people can see they are fasting. I tell you this: they have been
paid in full already. °17 When you fast,
wash your face and make yourself look cheerful, °18 because you are not fasting for appearances or for
people, but for your Father who sees beyond appearances. And your Father, who
sees what is kept secret will reward you. °19 Do not store up
treasure for yourself here on earth where moth and rust destroy it, and where
thieves can steal it. °20 Store up
treasure for yourself with God, where no moth or rust can destroy nor thief
come and steal it. °21 For where your
treasure is, there also your heart will be. °22 The lamp of the
body is the eye; if your eyes are sound, your whole body will be in the
light. °23 If your eyes
are diseased your whole body will be in darkness. Then, if your light has
become darkness, how dark will be the darkest part of you! § Set your
heart on the kingdom
°24 No one can
serve two masters; for he will either hate one and love the other, or he will
be loyal to the first and look down on the second. You cannot at the same
time serve God and money. °25 This is why I
tell you not to be worried about food and drink for yourself, or about
clothes for your body. Is not life more important than food and is not the
body more important than clothes? °26
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, they do not harvest
and do not store food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you not worth much more than birds? °27 Can any of you
add a day to your life by worrying about it? °28 Why are you so worried about your clothes? Look at
the flowers in the fields how they grow. They do not toil or spin. °29 But I tell you that not
even Solomon in all his wealth was clothed like one of these. °30 If God so clothes the
grass in the field which blooms today and is to be burned tomorrow in an
oven, how much more will he clothe you? What little faith you have! °31 Do not worry
and say: What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? Or: what shall
we wear? °32 The pagans busy
themselves with such things; but your heavenly Father knows that you need
them all. °33 Set your heart
first on the kingdom and justice of God and all these things will also be
given to you. °34 Do not worry
about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough
trouble of its own. § Don’t be a judge¤7 °1 Do not judge and you will not be judged. °2 In the same way you judge
others, you will be judged, and the measure you use for others will be used
for you. °3 Why do you look
at the speck in your brother’s eye and not see the plank in your own eye? °4 How can you say to your
brother: ‘Come, let me take the speck from your eye,’ as long as that plank
is in your own? °5 Hypocrite, take
first the plank out of your own eye, then you will see clear enough to take
the speck out of your brother’s eye. °6 Do not give
what is holy to the dogs, or throw your pearls to the pigs: they might
trample on them and even turn on you and tear you to pieces. °7 Ask and you
will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. °8 For everyone who asks,
receives; whoever seeks, finds; and the door will be opened to him who
knocks. °9 Would any of
you give a stone to your son when he asks for bread? °10 Or give him a snake, when
he asks for a fish? °11 As bad as you
are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then,
will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! °12 So, do to
others whatever you would that others do to you: there you have the Law and the
Prophets. °13 Enter through
the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many go that way. °14 How narrow is the gate that leads to life and how
rough the road; few there are who find it. § The tree is known by its fruits°15 Beware of false
prophets: they come to you in sheep’s clothing but inside they are wild
wolves. °16 You will
recognize them by their fruits. Do you ever pick grapes from thornbushes, or
figs from thistles? °17 A good tree always
produces good fruit, a rotten tree produces bad fruit. °18 A good tree cannot produce
bad fruit and a rotten tree cannot bear good fruit. °19 Any tree that does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire. °20 So you will know them by
their fruit. § Wise and foolish builders°21 Not everyone
who says to me: Lord! Lord! will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who
does the will of my heavenly Father. °22 Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did
we not speak in your name? Did we not cast out devils and perform many
miracles in your name?” °23 Then I will
tell them openly: I have never known you;away
from me, you evil people! °24 “So, then,
anyone who hears these words of mine and acts accordingly is like a wise man,
who built his house on rock. °25 The rain
poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house, but it
did not collapse because it was built on rock. °26 But anyone who hears these words of mine and does
not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. °27 The rain poured, the
rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and
what a terrible fall that was!” °28 When Jesus had
finished this discourse, the crowds were struck by the way he taught, °29 because he taught with
authority unlike their teachers of the Law. § Cure of a leper¤8 °1 When Jesus came down from the mountain, large
crowds followed him. °2 Then a leper
came forward. He knelt before him and said, “Sir, if you want to, you can
make me clean.” °3 Jesus stretched
out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to, be clean again.” At that
very moment the man was cleansed from his leprosy. °4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you do not tell
anyone, but go to the priest, have yourself declared clean, and offer the
gift that Moses ordered as proof of it.” § The faith of the centurion°5 When Jesus
entered Capernaum, an army captain approached him to ask his help, °6 “Sir, my servant lies sick
at home. He is paralyzed and suffers terribly.” °7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” °8 The captain
answered, “I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just give an order and
my boy will be healed. °9 For I myself, a
junior officer, give orders to my soldiers. And if I say to one: ‘Go,’ he
goes, and if I say to another: ‘Come,’ he comes, and to my servant: ‘Do
this,’ he does it.” °10 When Jesus
heard this he was astonished and said to those who were following him, “I
tell you, I have not found such faith in Israel. °11 I say to you, many will come from east and west
and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of
heaven; °12 but the heirs
of the kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness; there they will wail and
grind their teeth.” °13 Then Jesus said
to the captain, “Go home now. As you believed, so let it be.” And at that
moment his servant was healed. °14 Jesus went to
Peter’s house and found Peter’s mother-in-law in bed with fever. °15 He took her by the hand
and the fever left her; she got up and began to wait on him. °16 Towards evening
they brought to Jesus many possessed by evil spirits, and with a word he
drove out the spirits. He also healed all who were sick. °17 In doing this he fulfilled
what was said by the prophet Isaiah:He
bore our infirmities and took on himself our diseases. °18 When he saw the
crowd press around him, Jesus gave orders to cross to the other shore. °19 A teacher of the Law
approached him and said, “Master, I will follow you wherever you go.” °20 Jesus said to him, “Foxes
have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his
head.” °21 Another
disciple said to him, “Lord, let me go and bury my father first.” °22 But Jesus answered him,
“Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” § Jesus calms the storm°23 Jesus got into
the boat and his disciples
followed him. °24 Without warning
a fierce storm hit the lake, with waves sweeping the boat. But Jesus was
asleep. °25 They woke him
and cried, “Lord save us! We are lost!” °26 But Jesus answered, “Why are you so afraid, you of
little faith?” Then he stood up and ordered the wind and sea; and it became
completely calm. °27 The people were
astonished. They said, “What kind of man is he? Even the winds and the sea
obey him.” § The demoniacs and the pigs°28 When Jesus
reached Gadara on the other side, he was met by two demoniacs who came out
from the tombs. They were so fierce that no one dared to pass that way. °29 Suddenly they shouted,
“What do you want with us, you, Son of God? Have you come to torture us
before the time?” °30 At some
distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding. °31 So the demons begged him,
“If you drive us out, send us into that herd of pigs.” °32 Jesus ordered them, “Go.”
So they left and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the cliff
into the lake and drowned. °33 The men in
charge of them ran off to the town, where they told the whole story, also
what had happened to the men possessed with the demons. °34 Then the whole town went
out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their
area. § Jesus cures a paralytic¤9 °1 Jesus got back into the boat, crossed the lake
again, and came to his hometown. °2
Here they brought a paralyzed man to him, lying on a bed. Jesus saw
their faith and said to the paralytic, “Courage, my son! Your sins are
forgiven.” °3 Then some
teachers of the Law said to themselves, “This man insults God.” °4 Jesus was aware of what
they were thinking, and said, “Why have you such evil thoughts? °5 Which is easier to say: ‘Your
sins are forgiven’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? °6 You must know that the Son of Man has authority on
earth to forgive sins.” He then said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up! Take
your stretcher and go home.” °7 The man got up,
and went home. °8 When the crowds
saw this, they were filled with awe and praised God for giving such power to
human beings. § Jesus calls Matthew°9 As Jesus moved
on from there, he saw a man named Matthew at his seat in the custom-house,
and he said to him, “Follow me.” And Matthew got up and followed him. °10 Now it happened, while
Jesus was at table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and other sinners
joined Jesus and his disciples. °11
When the Pharisees saw this they said to his disciples, “Why is it
that your master eats with those sinners and tax collectors?” °12 When Jesus
heard this he said, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do.
°13 Go and find out
what this means:What I want is mercy,
not sacrifice.I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” °14 Then the
disciples of John came to him with the question, “How is it that we and the
Pharisees fast on many occasions, but not your disciples?” °15 Jesus answered
them, “How can you expect wedding guests to mourn as long as the bridegroom
is with them? Time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from
them, then they will fast. °16 No one patches
an old coat with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for the patch will shrink and
tear an even bigger hole in the coat. °17 Besides you don’t put new wine in old wineskins.
If you do, the wineskins will burst and the wine be spilt. No, you put new
wine in fresh skins; then both are preserved.” § A woman healed, a child raised to life°18 While Jesus was
speaking to them, an official of the synagogue came up to him, bowed before
him and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and place your hands on
her, and she will live.” °19 Jesus stood up
and followed him with his disciples. °20 Then a woman
who had suffered from a severe bleeding for twelve years came up from behind
and touched the edge of his cloak. °21 For she thought, “If I only touch his cloak, I
will be healed.” °22 Jesus turned,
saw her and said, “Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you.” And from
that moment the woman was cured. °23 When Jesus
arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the excited
crowd, he said, °24 “Get out of
here! The girl is not dead. She is only sleeping!” And they laughed at him. °25 But once the crowd had
been turned out, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood
up. °26 The news of
this spread through the whole area. °27 As Jesus moved
on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, “Son of David, help us!”
°28 When he was
about to enter the house, the blind men caught up with him, and Jesus said to
them, “Do you believe that I am able to do what you want?” They answered,
“Yes, sir!” °29 Then Jesus
touched their eyes and said, “As you have believed, so let it be.” °30 And their eyes were
opened. Then Jesus gave them a stern warning, “Be careful and let no one know
about this.” °31 But as soon as
they went away, they spread the news about him through the whole area. °32 When they had
just left, some people brought to Jesus a man who was dumb because he was
possessed by a demon. °33 When the demon
was driven out, the dumb man began to speak. The crowds were astonished and
said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” (°34 But the Pharisees said,
“He drives away demons with the help of the prince of demons.”) °35 Jesus went around
all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the
good news of the Kingdom, and he cured every sickness and disease. °36 When he saw the crowds he
was moved with pity, for they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a
shepherd. °37 Then he said to
his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the workers are only few. °38 Ask the master of the
harvest to send workers to gather his harvest.” § The twelve apostles¤10 °1 Then he called his twelve disciples to him and
gave them authority over the unclean spirits to drive them out and to heal
every disease and sickness. °2 These are the
names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother
Andrew; °3 James, the son
of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew,
the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; °4 Simon, the Canaanite, and
Judas Iscariot, the man who would betray him. § Jesus sends out the first missionaries°5 Jesus sent these
twelve on mission with the instruction: “Do not visit pagan territory and do
not enter a Samaritan town. °6 Go instead to
the lost sheep of the people of Israel. °7 Go and proclaim
this message: The kingdom of heaven is near. °8 Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life,
cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. You received this as a gift, so
give it as a gift. °9 Do not carry
any gold, silver or copper in your purses. °10 Do not carry a traveler’s bag, or an extra shirt,
or sandals, or walking-stick: workers deserve their living. °11 When you come
to a town or a village, look for a worthy person and stay there until you
leave. °12 As you enter
the house, wish it peace. °13 If the people
in the house deserve it, your peace will be on them; if they do not deserve
it, your blessing will come back to you. °14 And if you are
not welcomed and your words are not listened to, leave that house or that
town and shake the dust off your feet. °15 I assure you, it will go easier for the people of
Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than it will for the people of that
town. § You will be persecuted°16 Look, I send
you out like sheep among wolves. You must be clever as snakes and innocent as
doves. °17 Be on your
guard with respect to people, for they will hand you over to their courts and
they will flog you in their synagogues. °18 You will be brought to trial before rulers and
kings because of me, and so you may witness to them and the pagans. °19 But when you
are arrested, do not worry about what you are to say and how you are to say
it; when the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say. °20 For it is not you who will
speak; but it will be the Spirit of your Father in you. °21 Brother will
hand over brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn
against parents and have them put to death. °22 Everyone will hate you because of me, but whoever
stands firm to the end will be saved. °23 When they
persecute you in one town, flee to the next. For sure, you will not have gone
through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. °24 A student is
not above his teacher, or a slave above his master. °25 A student should be glad
to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If the head of the
family has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of the family!
So, do not be afraid of them. °26 There is
nothing covered that will not be uncovered, and nothing hidden that will not
be made known. °27 What I am
telling you in the dark, you must speak in the light. What you hear in
private, proclaim from the housetops. °28 Do not be
afraid of those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul. Rather
be afraid of him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. °29 For only a few cents you
can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your
Father’s consent. °30 As for you,
every hair of your head has been counted. °31 So do not be afraid: you are worth much more than
many sparrows. °32 Whoever
acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. °33 Whoever rejects me before
others I will reject before my Father in heaven. °34 Do not think
that I have come to establish peace on earth. I have not come to bring peace,
but a sword. °35 For I have come
to set a man against his father and daughter against her mother; a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. °36 Each one will have as enemies those of one’s own
family. °37 Whoever loves
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me. °38 And whoever does not take up his cross and come
after me is not worthy of me. °39 One who wants
to benefit from his life will lose it; one who loses his life for my sake
will find it. °40 Whoever
welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me. °41 The one who welcomes a
prophet as a prophet will receive the reward of a prophet; the one who
welcomes a just man because he is a just man will receive the reward of a
just man. °42 And if anyone
gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is a
disciple of mine, I assure you, he will not go unrewarded.” § Jesus and John the Baptist¤11 °1 When Jesus had finished giving his twelve
disciples these instructions, he went on from there to teach and to proclaim
his message in their towns. °2 When John the
Baptist heard in prison about the activities of Christ, he sent a message by
his disciples, °3 asking him:
“Are you the one who is to come or should we expect someone else?” °4 Jesus answered
them, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: °5 the blind see, the lame
walk, the lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead are brought back to
life and good news is reaching the poor. °6 And how fortunate is the one who does not take offense
at me.” °7 As the
messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “When you
went out to the desert, what did you expect to see? A reed swept by the wind?
°8 What did you go out to
see? A man dressed in fine clothes? People who wear fine clothes live in
palaces. °9 What did you
actually go out to see? A prophet? Yes, indeed, and even more than a prophet.
°10 He is the man
of whom Scripture says:I send my
messenger ahead of you to prepare the way before you. °11 I tell you
this: no one greater than John the Baptist has come forward among the sons of
women, and yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. °12 From the days of John the
Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven is something to be conquered and the
unyielding seize it. °13 Up to the time
of John, there was only prophesy: all the prophets and the Law; °14 and if you believe me,
John is this Elijah, whose coming was predicted. °15 Let anyone with ears listen! °16 Now, to what
can I compare the people of this day? They are like children sitting in the
marketplace, about whom their companions complain: °17 ‘We played the flute for you but you would not
dance. We sang a funeral-song but you would not cry!’ °18 For John came
fasting and people said: ‘He is possessed.’ °19 Then the Son of Man came, he ate and drank, and
people said: ‘Look at this man! A glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and sinners!’ Yet the outcome will prove Wisdom to be right.” °20 Then Jesus
began to denounce the cities in which he had performed most of his miracles,
because the people there did not change their ways, °21 “Alas for you Chorazin and
Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon,
the people there would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. °22 But I assure you, for Tyre
and Sidon it will be more bearable on the day of judgment than for you. °23 And you, Capernaum, will
you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead!
For if the miracles which were performed in you had taken place in Sodom, it
would still be there today! °24 But I tell you,
it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” § Take my yoke upon you°25 On that
occasion Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you, because
you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to
simple people. °26 Yes, Father,
this is what pleased you. °27 Everything has
been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses
to reveal him. °28 Come to me, all
you who work hard and who carry heavy burdens and I will refresh you. °29 Take my yoke upon you and
learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. °30 For my yoke is good and my
burden is light.” § Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath¤12 °1 It happened that Jesus walked through the wheat
fields on a sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and began to pick some heads
of wheat and crush them to eat the grain. °2 When the Pharisees noticed this, they said to
Jesus, “Look at your disciples; they are doing what is prohibited on the
sabbath!” °3 Jesus answered,
“Have you not read what David did when he and his men were hungry? °4 He went into the house of
God, and they ate the bread offered to God, although neither he nor his men
had the right to eat it, but only the priests. °5 And have you not read in the Law that on the
Sabbath the priests in the Temple break the Sabbath rest, yet they are not
guilty? °6 I tell you,
there is greater than the Temple here. °7 If you really knew the meaning of the words:It is mercy I want, not sacrifice,you
would not have condemned the innocent. °8 Besides the Son
of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” °9 Jesus then left
that place and went into one of their synagogues. °10 A man was there with a paralyzed hand, and people
who wanted to bring a charge against Jesus asked him, “Is it permitted to
heal on the Sabbath?” °11 But he said to
them, “What if one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath?
Will you not take hold of your sheep and lift it out? °12 But a human person is much
more valuable than a sheep! It is therefore permitted to do good on the
Sabbath.” °13 Then Jesus said
to the man, “Stretch out your arm.” He stretched it out and it was completely
restored, as sound as the other one. °14 Then the
Pharisees went out and made plans to get rid of him. °15 As Jesus was aware of the
plot, he went away from that place. Many people followed him and he cured all
who were sick. °16 Then he gave
them strict orders not to make him known. °17 In this way
Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled: °18Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I
love, and with whom I am pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him and he will
announce my judgment to the nations. °19He will not argue or shout, nor will his voice be
heard in the streets. °20 The bruised reed he will not crush, nor snuff out
the smoldering wick. He will persist until justice is made victorious °21 and
in him all the nations will put their hope.” § The
unforgivable sin
°22 Then some
people brought to him a possessed man who was blind and who could not talk.
Jesus healed the man, who was then able to speak and see. °23 All in the crowd were
amazed and wondered, “Could he be the Son of David?” °24 When the Pharisees heard
this, they said, “It is by Beelzebul, prince of the devils, that this man
drives out devils.” °25 Jesus knew
their thinking, so he said to them, “Every kingdom that is divided by civil
war will fall apart, and every dynasty that is divided cannot last. °26 So if Satan drives out
Satan, he is divided: how then can his reign stand? °27 And if it is by Beelzebul
that I drive out devils, by whom do your own people drive them out? They
themselves will give you the answer. °28 But if it is by
the Spirit of God that I drive out devils, then the kingdom of God has
already come upon you. °29 How can anyone
break into the strong man’s house and make off with his belongings, unless he
first ties him up? Only then can he plunder his house. °30 The one who is
not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters. °31 And so I tell
you this: people can be forgiven any sin and any evil thing they say against
God, but whoever says evil words against the Spirit will not be forgiven. °32 The one who speaks against
the Son of Man, will be forgiven; but the one who speaks against the Holy
Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. °33 If you have a
sound tree, its fruit will be sound; if you have a rotten tree, its fruit
will be rotten. For you can know a tree by its fruit. °34 You brood of vipers, how
can you say anything good, when you are so evil? For the mouth speaks of what
fills the heart. °35 A good person
produces good things from his good store, and an evil person produces evil
from his evil store. °36 I tell you
this; on the judgment day people will have to give an account of any
unjustified word they have spoken. °37 Your own words will declare you either innocent or
guilty.” § Jesus criticizes his own generation°38 Then some
teachers of the Law and some Pharisees spoke up, “Teacher, we want to see a
sign from you.” °39 Jesus answered
them, “An evil and unfaithful people want a sign, but no sign will be given
them except the sign of the prophet Jonah. °40 In the same way that Jonah spent three days and
three nights in the belly of the monster fish, so will the Son of Man spend
three days and three nights in the depths of the earth. °41 At the
judgment, the people of Niniveh will rise with this generation and condemn
it, because they reformed their lives at the preaching of Jonah, and here
there is greater than Jonah. °42 At the
judgment, the Queen of the South will stand up and condemn you. She came from
the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and here there is
greater than Solomon. °43 When an evil
spirit goes out of a person, it wanders over arid wastelands looking for a
place to rest but it cannot find one. °44 Then it says to itself: ‘I will go back to my
house which I had to leave.’ So it goes back and finds the house empty,
clean, and in order. °45 Off it goes
again to bring back with it, this time, seven spirits, more evil than itself.
They move in and settle there, so that this person is finally in a worse
state than he was at the beginning. This is what will happen to this evil
generation.” °46 While Jesus was
still talking to the people, his mother and his brothers wanted to speak to
him and they waited outside. °47 So someone said
to him, “Your mother and your brothers are just outside; they want to speak
with you.” °48 Jesus answered,
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” °49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look!
Here are my mother and my brothers. °50 Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is
for me brother, sister, or mother.” § The parable
of the sower
¤13 °1 That same day Jesus left the house and sat down by
the lakeside. °2 As many people
gathered around him, he got in a boat. There he sat while the whole crowd
stood on the shore, °3 and he spoke to
them in parables about many things. °4 Jesus said,
“The sower went out to sow and, as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path
and the birds came and ate them up. °5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground where there was little
soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was not deep. °6 But as soon the sun rose
the plants were scorched and withered because they had no roots. °7 Again other seeds fell
among thistles; and the thistles grew and choked the plants. °8 Still other seeds fell on
good soil and produced a crop; some produced a hundredfold, others sixty and
others thirty. °9 If you have
ears, then hear!” °10 Then his
disciples came to him with the question, “Why do you speak to them in
parables?” °11 Jesus answered,
“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but
not to these people. °12 For the one who
has, will be given more and he will have in abundance. But the one who does
not have will be deprived of even what he has. °13 That is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look and do not see; they hear, but they do not listen or understand. °14 In them the
words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled:Much
as you hear, you do not understand; much as you see, you do not perceive. °15For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their
ears hardly hear and their eyes dare not see. If they were to see with their
eyes, hear with their ears and understand with their heart, they would turn
back and I would heal them. °16 But blessed are
your eyes because they see, and your ears, because they hear. °17 For I tell you
that many prophets and upright people would have longed to see the things you
see, but they did not, and to hear the things you hear, but they did not hear
it. °18 Now listen to
the parable of the sower. °19 When a person
hears the message of the Kingdom but without taking it to himself, the devil
comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that
fell along the footpath. °20 The seed that
fell on rocky ground stands for the one who hears the word and accepts it at
once with joy. °21 But this fickle
and has no roots. No sooner is he harassed or persecuted because of the word,
than he gives up. °22 The seed that
fell among the thistles is the one who hears the word, but then the worries
of this life and the love of money choke the word, and it does not bear
fruit. °23 As for the seed
that fell on good soil it is the one who hears the word and understands it;
this bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more.” § The parable of the weeds°24 Jesus told them
another parable, “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a man who sowed
good seed in his field. °25 While everyone
was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and left. °26 When the plants
sprouted and produced grain, the weeds also appeared. °27 Then the servants of the
owner came to him and said: ‘Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your
field? Where did the weeds come from?’ °28 He answered them:
‘This is the work of an enemy.’ They asked him: ‘Do you want us to go and
pull up the weeds?’ °29 He told them:
‘No, when you pull up the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them. °30 Let them just grow
together until harvest; and at harvest time I will say to the workers: Pull
up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them; then gather the wheat
into my barn.” § The mustard seed and the yeast°31 Jesus put
another parable before them, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed,
that a man took and sowed in his field. °32 It is smaller
than all other seeds, but once it has fully grown, it is bigger than any
garden plant; likea tree, the birds
come and rest in its branches.” °33 He told them
another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast that a woman took
and buried in three measures of flour until the whole mass of dough began to
rise.” °34 Jesus taught
all this to the crowds by means of parables; he did not say anything to them
without using a parable. °35 So what the
Prophet had said was fulfilled:I will
speak in parables. I will proclaim things kept secret since the beginning of
the world. °36 Then he sent
the crowds away and went into the house. And his disciples came to him
saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” °37 Jesus answered them, “The
one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. °38 The field is the world; the good seed are the
people of the Kingdom; the weeds are those who follow the evil one. °39 The enemy who sows them is
the devil; the harvest is the end of time and the workers are the angels. °40 Just as the
weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of time. °41 The Son of Man will send
his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom all that is scandalous and
all who do evil. °42 And these will
be thrown in the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth. °43 Then the just
will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. If you have ears,
then hear. § The treasure, the pearl and the net
°44 The kingdom of
heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. The one who finds it buries it
again; and so happy is he, that he goes and sells everything he has, in order
to buy that field. °45 Again the
kingdom of heaven is like a trader who is looking for fine pearls. °46 Once he has found a pearl
of exceptional quality, he goes away, sells everything he has and buys it. °47 Again, the
kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net let down into the sea, in which
every kind of fish has been caught. °48 When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then
they sit down and gather the good fish in buckets, but throw the worthless
ones away. °49 That is how it
will be at the end of time; the angels will go out to separate the wicked
from the just °50 and throw them
into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth.” °51 Jesus asked,
“Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered. °52 So he said to them, “You
will see that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom
is like a householder who can produce from his store things both new and
old.” °53 When Jesus had
finished these parables, he left the place. °54 He went to his hometown and taught the people in
their synagogue. They were amazed and said, “Where did he get this wisdom and
these special powers? °55 Isn’t he the
carpenter’s son? Isn’t Mary his mother and aren’t James, Joseph, Simon and
Judas his brothers? °56 Aren’t all his
sisters living here? How did he get all this?” °57 And so they took offense at him. Jesus said to them,
“The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their
own family.” °58 And he did not
perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith. § John the Baptist beheaded¤14 °1 At that time the news about Jesus reached King
Herod. °2 And he said to
his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. John has risen from the dead,
and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” °3 Herod had, in
fact, ordered that John be arrested, bound in chains and put in prison
because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. °4 For John had said to him,
“It is not right for you to have her as wife.” °5 Herod wanted to kill him but he did not dare,
because he feared the people who regarded John as a prophet. °6 On Herod’s
birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst of the guests; she so
delighted Herod °7 that he
promised under oath to give her anything she asked. °8 The girl, following the
advice of her mother, said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a
dish.” °9 The king was
very displeased, but because he had made this promise under oath in the
presence of the guests, he ordered it to be given her. °10 So he had John beheaded in
prison °11 and his head
brought on a dish and given to the girl. The girl then took it to her mother. °12 Then John’s
disciples came to take his body and bury it. And they went to bring the news
to Jesus. § First miracle of the loaves°13 On hearing
this, Jesus set out secretly by boat for a secluded place. But the people
heard of it, and they followed him on foot from their towns. °14 When Jesus went ashore, he
saw the crowd gathered there and he had compassion on them. And he healed
their sick. °15 Late in the
afternoon, his disciples came to him and said, “We are in a lonely place and
it is now late. You should send these people away, so they can go to the
villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” °16 But Jesus
replied, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat.” °17 They answered, “We have
nothing here but five loaves and two fishes.” °18 Jesus said to them, “Bring them here to me.” °19 Then he made
everyone sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fishes,
raised his eyes to heaven, pronounced the blessing, broke the loaves and
handed them to the disciples to distribute to the people. °20 And they all ate, and
everyone had enough; then the disciples gathered up the leftovers, filling
twelve baskets. °21 About five
thousand men had eaten there besides women and children. § Jesus walks on the water°22 Immediately
Jesus obliged his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the
other side, while he sent the crowd away. °23 And having sent
the people away, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. At nightfall, he
was there alone. °24 Meanwhile, the
boat was very far from land, dangerously rocked by the waves for the wind was
against it. °25 At daybreak,
Jesus came to them walking on the lake. °26 When they saw him walking on the sea, they were
terrified, thinking that it was a ghost. And they cried out in fear. °27 But at once Jesus said to
them, “Courage! Don’t be afraid. It’s me!” °28 Peter answered, “Lord, if it is you, command me to
come to you walking on the water.” °29 Jesus said to
him, “Come.” And Peter got out of the boat, walking on the water to go to
Jesus. °30 But, in face of
the strong wind, he was afraid and began to sink. So he cried out, “Lord,
save me!” °31 Jesus
immediately stretched out his hand and took hold of him, saying, “Man of
little faith, why did you doubt?” °32 As they got
into the boat, the wind dropped. °33
Then those in the boat bowed down before Jesus saying, “Truly, you
are the Son of God!” °34 They came ashore
at Gennesareth. °35 The local
people recognized Jesus and spread the news throughout the region. So they
brought all the sick to him, °36 begging him to
let them touch just the fringe of his cloak. All who touched it became
perfectly well. § God’s command and human tradition¤15 °1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the Law who
had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. And they said to him, °2 “Why don’t your disciples
follow the tradition of the elders? In fact, they don’t wash their hands
before eating.” °3 Jesus answered,
“And you, why do you break God’s command for the sake of your traditions? °4 For God commanded: Do your duty to your father and your
mother,and: whoever curses his
father or his mother is to be put to death.°5 But you say that anyone may say to his father or
mother: ‘What you could have expected from me, I have reserved for the
Temple.’ °6 In this case,
according to you, a person is freed of his duty to his father and mother. And
so, you have nullified the command of God for the sake of your traditions. °7 Hypocrites!
Isaiah rightly prophesied of you when he said: °8This people
honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. °9 The
worship they offer me is worthless, for they only teach human rules.” § Washing hands and cleanness of heart°10 Jesus then
called the people near him and said to them, “Listen and understand: °11 what enters into the mouth
does not make a person unclean, what defiles one is what comes out of his
mouth.” °12 After a while
the disciples gathered around Jesus and said, “Do you know that the Pharisees
were offended by what you said?” °13
Jesus answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted
shall be uprooted. °14 Pay no
attention to them! They are blind leading the blind. When a blind person
leads another, the two will fall into a pit.” °15 Peter said to
him, “Explain this sentence to us.” °16 Jesus replied, “So even you, too, are dull? °17 Do you not see that
whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach, and then out of the body? °18 But what comes out of the
mouth comes from the heart, and that is what makes a person unclean. °19 Indeed, it is
from the heart that evil desires come – murder, adultery, immorality, theft,
lies, slander. °20 These are the
things that make a person unclean; but eating without washing the hands does
not make a person unclean.” § The faith of the Canaanite woman°21 Leaving that
place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. °22 Now a Canaanite woman came
from those borders and began to cry out, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on
me! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” °23 But Jesus did not answer her, not even a word. So
his disciples approached him and said, “Send her away: see how she is
shouting after us.” °24 Then Jesus said
to her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.” °25 But the woman
was already kneeling before Jesus and said, “Sir, help me!” °26 Jesus answered, “It is not
right to take the bread from the children and throw it to the little dogs.” °27 The woman replied, “It is
true, sir, but even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their
master’s table.” °28 Then Jesus
said, “Woman, how great is your faith! Let it be as you wish.” And her
daughter was healed at that moment. § Second miracle of the loaves°29 From there
Jesus went to the shore of Lake Galilee, and then went up into the hills
where he sat down. °30 Great crowds
came to him, bringing the dumb, the blind, the lame, the crippled, and many
with other infirmities. The people carried them to the feet of Jesus, and he
healed them. °31 All were
astonished when they saw the dumb speaking, the lame walking, the crippled
healed and the blind able to see; so they glorified the God of Israel. °32 Jesus called his
disciples and said to them, “I am filled with compassion for these people;
they have already followed me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I
do not want to send them away fasting, or they may faint on the way.” °33 His disciples said to him,
“And where shall we find enough bread in this wilderness to feed such a
crowd?” °34 Jesus said to
them, “How many loaves do you have?” They answered, “Seven, and a few small
fish.” °35 So Jesus
ordered the people to sit on the ground. °36 Then he took the seven loaves and the small fish
and gave thanks to God. He broke them and gave them to his disciples, who
distributed them to the people. °37 They all ate
and were satisfied, and the leftover broken pieces filled seven wicker
baskets. °38 Four thousand
men had eaten, besides women and children. °39 Then Jesus sent away the crowd, got into the boat
and went to Magdala. § The Pharisees ask for a sign¤16 °1 The Pharisees and Sadducees appeared. They wanted
to put Jesus to the test and asked him for some heavenly sign. °2 Jesus answered,
“(When evening comes, you say: ‘It will be a good day for the sky is red.’ °3 And in the morning you
say: ‘Stormy weather today, for the sky in the east is red.’ If you know how
to interpret the appearance of the sky, why can’t you interpret the signs of
the times?) °4 An evil and
unbelieving people want a sign, but no sign will be given them except the
sign of Jonah.” So Jesus left them
and went away. °5 When the
disciples went to the other side, they forgot to take bread. °6 It was then that Jesus
said to them, “Beware and do not trust the yeast of the Pharisees and
Sadducees.” °7 And the
disciples said to one another, “He means the bread we did not bring.” °8 Jesus was aware
of this, so he said to them, “You of little faith! Why do you speak about the
bread you haven’t got? °9 Do you still
not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand and
how many baskets you gathered? °10
Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many wicker baskets
you gathered? °11 How can you
fail to understand that I was not talking of bread when I told you: Beware of
the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees?” °12 Then they understood that he was not talking of
yeast for bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. § Peter’s faith; Jesus’ promises°13 After that
Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, “What do people say
of the Son of Man? Who do they say I am?” °14 They said, “For some of them you are John the
Baptist, for others Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” °15 Jesus asked
them, “But you, who do you say I am?” °16 Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of
the living God.” °17 Jesus replied,
“It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has
revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. °18 And now I say
to you: You are Peter (orRock)and
on this rock I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death
overcome it. °19 I will give you
the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound
in heaven, and what you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.” °20 Then he ordered
his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. § Jesus predicts his death°21 From that day
Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem;
he would suffer many things from the Jewish authorities, the chief priests
and the teachers of the Law. He would be killed and be raised on the third
day. °22 Then Peter took
him aside and began to reproach him, “Never, Lord! No, this must never happen
to you.” °23 But Jesus
turned to him and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You would have me stumble. You
are their king not as God does, but as people do.” °24 Then Jesus said
to his disciples, “If you want to follow me, deny yourself, take up your
cross and follow me. °25 For whoever
chooses to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life for my
sake will find it. °26 What will one
gain by winning the whole world if he destroys himself? There is nothing you
can give to recover your own self. °27 Know that the
Son of Man will come in the Glory of his Father with the holy angels, and he
will reward each one according to his deeds. °28 Truly, I tell you, there are some here who will
not die before they see the Son of Man coming as king.” § The transfiguration of Jesus¤17 °1 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and
James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they were
alone. °2 Jesus’
appearance was changed before them: his face shone like the sun and his
clothes became bright as light. °3
Just then Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. °4 Peter spoke and
said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. If you so wish, I will
make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” °5 Peter was still
speaking when a bright cloud covered them in its shadow, and a voice from the
cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” °6 On hearing the voice,
the disciples fell to the ground, full of fear. °7 But Jesus came, touched them and said, “Stand up,
do not be afraid.” °8 When they
raised their eyes, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus. °9 And as they came down the
mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had just seen,
until the Son of Man be raised from the dead. °10 The disciples
then asked him, “Why do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah must come
first?” °11 And Jesus
answered, “So it is: first comes Elijah to set everything as it has to be. °12 But I tell you, Elijah has
already come and they did not recognize him, but treated him as they pleased.
And they will also make the Son of Man suffer.” °13 Then the
disciples understood that Jesus was referring to John the Baptist. § Jesus heals an epileptic boy°14 When they met
the people, a man approached Jesus, knelt before him and said, °15 “Sir, have pity on my son
who is an epileptic and is in a wretched state. He has often fallen into the
fire and at other times into the water. °16 I brought him to your disciples but they could not
heal him.” °17 Jesus replied,
“You, faithless and evil people! How long must I be with you? How long must I
put up with you? Bring him here to me.” °18 And Jesus commanded the evil spirit to leave the
boy, and the boy was immediately healed. °19 The disciples
then gathered around Jesus and asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive
out the spirit?” °20 Jesus said to
them, “Because you have little faith. I say to you: if only you had faith the
size of a mustard seed, you could tell that mountain to move from here to
there, and the mountain would obey. Nothing would be impossible to you. °21 (Only prayer and fasting
can drive out this kind of spirit.”) °22 While Jesus was
in Galilee with the Twelve, he said to them, “The Son of Man will be
delivered into human hands, °23 and they will
kill him. But he will rise on the third day.” The Twelve were deeply grieved. § The Temple
tax
°24 When they
returned to Capernaum, the Temple tax collectors came to Peter and asked him,
“Does your master pay the temple tax?” °25 He answered, “Certainly.” Peter then entered
the house, but immediately Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Simon? Who
pay taxes or tributes to the kings of the earth: their sons or the other
people?” °26 Peter replied,
“The others.” And Jesus told him, “The sons, then, are tax-free. °27 But so as not to offend
these people, go to the sea, throw in a hook and open the mouth of the first
fish you catch. You will find a coin in it, take it and let it pay for you
and for me.” § Who is the greatest? Scandals¤18 °1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked
him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” °2 Then Jesus
called a little child, set the child in the midst of the disciples, °3 and said, “I assure you
that unless you change and become like little children, you cannot enter the
kingdom of heaven. °4 Whoever becomes
lowly like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, °5 and whoever receives such a
child in my name receives me. °6 If any of you
should cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble and fall,
it would be better for you to be thrown into the depths of the sea with a
great millstone around your neck. °7 Woe to the
world because of so many scandals! Scandals necessarily come, but woe to the
one who has brought it about. °8 If your hand or
foot drags you into sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you
to enter life without a hand or a foot than to be thrown into eternal fire
with your two hands and two feet. °9
And if your eye drags you into sin, tear it out and throw it away. It
is better for you to enter life with one eye than to be thrown into the fire
of hell with your two eyes. °10 See that you do
not despise any of these little ones, for I tell you: their angels in heaven
continually see the face of my heavenly Father. °11 (The Son of Man
has come to save the lost). °12 What do you
think of this? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, won’t
he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? °13 And I tell you: when he
finally finds it, he is more pleased about it than about the ninety-nine that
did not get lost. °14 It is the same
with your Father in heaven: there they don’t want even one of these little
ones to be lost. § Living
together in the Church
°15 If your brother
or sister has sinned against you, go and point out the fault when the two of
you are in private, and if he listens to you, you have won your brother. °16 If you are not listened
to, take with you one or two others so thatthe case may be decided by the evidence of two or three witnesses.°17 If he still refuses to
listen to them, tell it to the assembled Church. But if he does not listen to
the Church, then regard such a one as a pagan or a publican. °18 I say to you:
whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind
on earth, heaven will keep unbound. °19 In like manner,
I say to you: if on earth two of you are united in asking for anything, it
will be granted to you by my heavenly Father. °20 For where two or three are gathered in my Name, I
am there among them.” °21 Then Peter
asked him, “Lord, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or
sister? Seven times?” °22 Jesus answered,
“No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. § The
unmerciful servant
°23 This story
throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A king decided to settle the accounts
of his servants. °24 Among the first
was one who owed him ten thousand gold ingots. °25 As the man could not repay the debt, the king
commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, children and all his
goods in payment. °26 The official
threw himself at the feet of the king and said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay
you back everything.’ °27 The king took
pity on him and not only set him free but even canceled his debt. °28 This official
then left the king’s presence and he met one of his companions who owed him a
hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the neck and almost strangled
him, shouting, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ °29 His companion threw himself at his feet and asked
him, ‘Give me time, and I will pay everything.’ °30 The other did not agree, but sent him to prison
until he had paid all his debt. °31 His companions
saw what happened. They were indignant and so they went and reported
everything to their lord. °32 Then the lord
summoned his official and said, ‘Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you
owed when you begged me to do so. °33
Weren’t you bound to have pity on your companion as I had pity on
you?’ °34 The lord was
now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid
his whole debt.” °35 Jesus added,
“So will my heavenly Father do with you unless each of you sincerely forgive
your brother or sister.” § Jesus
speaks about divorce
¤19 °1 When Jesus had finished this teaching, he left
Galilee and arrived at the border of Judea, on the other side of the Jordan
River. °2 A great crowd
was with him and there, too, he healed their sick. °3 Some Pharisees
approached him. They wanted to test him and asked, “Is a man allowed to
divorce his wife for any reason he wants?” °4 Jesus replied,
“Have you not read that in the beginning the Creatormade them male and female,°5 and he said:Man
has now to leave father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and the two
shall become one body?°6 So they are no
longer two but one body; let no one separate what God has joined.” °7 They asked him,
“Then, why did Moses command us to write a bill of dismissal in order to
divorce?” °8 Jesus replied,
“Moses knew your stubborn heart, so he allowed you to divorce your wives, but
it was not so in the beginning. °9
Therefore I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, unless it be for
infidelity, and marries another, commits adultery.” °10 The disciples
said, “If that is the condition of a married man, it is better not to marry.”
°11 Jesus said to
them, “Not everybody can accept what you have just said, but only those who
have received this gift. °12 Some are born
incapable of marriage. Some have been made that way by others. But there are
some who have given up the possibility of marriage for the sake of the
kingdom of heaven. Let the one who can accept it, accept it.” § Jesus and the children°13 Then little
children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them with a
prayer. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. °14 Jesus then said, “Let them
be! Do not stop the children from coming to me, for the kingdom of heaven
belongs to people such as these.” °15
So Jesus laid his hands on them and went his way. § The rich young man°16 It was then
that a young man approached him and asked, “Master, what good work must I do
to receive eternal life?” °17 Jesus answered,
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Only one is Good. If you want to
enter eternal life, keep the commandments.” °18 The young man said, “Which commandments?” Jesus
replied,“Do not kill, do not commit
adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, °19 honor
your father and mother, and
love your neighbor as yourself.” °20 The young man
said to him, “I have kept all these commandments, what is still lacking?” °21 Jesus answered, “If you wish
to be perfect, go and sell all that you possess and give the money to the
poor and you will become the owner of a treasure in heaven. Then come back
and follow me.” °22 On hearing this
answer, the young man went away sad for he was a man of great wealth. °23 Then Jesus said
to his disciples, “Truly I say to you: it will be hard for one who is rich to
enter the kingdom of heaven. °24 Yes, believe
me: it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the
one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.” °25 On hearing this
the disciples were astonished and said, “Who, then, can be saved?” °26 Jesus looked steadily at
them and answered, “For humans it is impossible, but for God all things are
possible.” °27 Then Peter
spoke up and said, “You see we have given up everything to follow you: what
will be our lot?” °28 Jesus answered,
“You who have followed me, listen to my words: on the Day of Renewal, when
the Son of Man sits on his throne in glory, you, too, will sit on twelve
thrones to rule the twelve tribes of Israel. °29 As for those who have left houses, brothers,
sisters, father, mother, children or property for my Name’s sake, they will
receive a hundredfold and be given eternal life. °30 Many who are now first will be last, and many who
are now last will be first. § The workers in the vineyard¤20 °1 This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven.
A landowner went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. °2 He agreed to pay the workers
a salary of a silver coin for the day, and sent them to his vineyard. °3 He went out
again at about nine in the morning, and seeing others idle in the square, °4 he said to them: ‘You,
too, go to my vineyard and I will pay you what is just.’ So they went. The owner went out at
midday and again at three in the afternoon, °5 and he did the
same. °6 Finally he went
out at the last working hour – it was the eleventh – and he saw others
standing there. So he said to them: ‘Why do you stay idle the whole day?’ °7 They answered: ‘Because no
one has hired us.’ The master said: ‘Go and work in my vineyard.’ °8 When evening
came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager: ‘Call the workers and
pay them their wage, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ °9 Those who had come to work
at the eleventh hour turned up and were given a denarius each (a silver
coin). °10 When it was the
turn of the first, they thought they would receive more. °11 But they, too, received a
denarius each. So, on receiving it, they began to grumble against the
landowner. °12 They said:
‘These last hardly worked an hour, yet you have treated them the same as us
who have endured the day’s burden and heat.’ °13 The owner said to one of them: ‘Friend, I have not
been unjust to you. Did we not agree on a denarius a day? °14 So take what is yours and
go. I want to give to the last the same as I give to you. °15 Don’t I have the right to
do as I please with my money? Why are you envious when I am kind?’ °16 So will it be: the
last will be first, the first will be last.” § Third
prophecy of the passion
°17 When Jesus was
going to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve aside and said to them on the way, °18 “See, we are going to
Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and
the teachers of the Law who will condemn him to death. °19 They will hand him over to
the foreigners who will mock him, scourge him and crucify him. But he will be
raised to life on the third day.” § The mother
of James and John asks for the first seats
°20 Then the mother
of James and John came to Jesus with her sons, and she knelt down to ask a
favor. °21 Jesus said to
her, “What do you want?” And she answered, “Here you have my two sons. Grant
that they may sit, one at your right and one at your left, when you are in
your kingdom.” °22 Jesus said to
the brothers, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup
that I am about to drink?” They answered, “We can.” °23 Jesus replied, “You will
indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right or at my left is not for me to
grant. That will be for those for whom the Father has prepared it.” °24 The other ten
heard all this and were angry with the two brothers. °25 Then Jesus called them to
him and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations act as tyrants, and
the powerful oppress them. °26 It shall not be
so among you; whoever wants to be more important in your group shall make
himself your servant. °27 And if you want
to be first, make yourself the servant of all. °28 Be like the Son of Man who has come, not to be
served but to serve and to give his life to redeem many.” °29 As they left
Jericho, a great crowd followed them on the way. °30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and
when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they began to call out, “Son of
David, have mercy on us!” °31 The people told
them to keep quiet. But they shouted even louder, “Lord, Son of David, have
mercy on us!” °32 Jesus stopped,
called out to them and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” °33 They said, “Lord, open our
eyes.” °34 Jesus was moved
with compassion and touched their eyes. Immediately they recovered their
sight and they began to follow Jesus. § Jesus enters Jerusalem¤21 °1 When they drew near Jerusalem and arrived at
Bethphage, on the mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, °2 saying, “Go to the village
in front of you, and there you will find a donkey tied up with its colt by
her. Untie them and bring them to me. °3 If anyone says something to you, say: The Lord
needs them but he will send them back immediately.” °4 This happened
in fulfillment of what the prophet said: °5Say to the
daughter of Zion: See, your king
comes to you in all simplicity, riding on a donkey, a beast of burden, with
its colt. °6 The disciples
went as Jesus had instructed them, °7 and they brought the donkey with its colt. Then
they threw their cloaks on its back, and Jesus sat on them. °8 Many people
also spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut leafy branches from
the trees and spread them on the road. °9 The people who walked ahead of Jesus and those who
followed him began to shout:“Hosanna to
the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna,
glory in the highest!” °10 When Jesus
entered Jerusalem, the whole city was disturbed. The people asked, “Who is
this man?” °11 And the crowd
answered, “This is the Prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.” § Jesus expels the dealers°12 So Jesus went into the
Temple and drove out all who were buying and selling in the temple area. He
overturned the tables of the money changers, and the stools of those who sold
pigeons. °13 And he said to
them,“It is written: My house shall be
called a house of prayer.But you have turned itinto a den of thieves.” °14 The blind and
the lame also came to him in the Temple and Jesus healed them. °15 The chief
priests and the teachers of the Law saw the wonderful things Jesus had just
done, and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of
David!” °16 They became indignant
and said to Jesus, “Do you hear what they say?” Jesus answered them, “Yes.
Have you never read this text:From the
mouths of children and infants you have got perfect praise?” °17 So leaving them
he went out of the city and came to Bethany where he spent the night. § Jesus curses the fig tree°18 While returning
to the city early in the morning, Jesus felt hungry. °19 He noticed a fig tree by
the road, went up to it and found nothing on it but leaves. Then he said to
the tree, “Never again bear fruit!” And immediately, the fig tree withered. °20 When the
disciples saw this, they were astonished and they said, “How did the fig tree
suddenly dry up!” °21 Jesus told
them, “Truly, I say to you: if you had faith and did not doubt, not only
could you do what I have done with the fig tree, but you could even say to
that mountain: ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea!’ and it would be done. °22 Whatever you ask for in
prayer full of faith, you will receive.” § Jesus’ response to the authorities°23 Jesus had entered
the Temple and was teaching when the chief priests, the teachers of the Law
and the Jewish authorities came to him and asked, “What authority have you to
act like this? Who gave you authority to do all this?” °24 Jesus answered
them, “I will also ask you a question, only one. And if you give me an
answer, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. When John
began to baptize, was it a work of God, or was it merely something human?” °25 They reasoned
out among themselves, “If we reply that it was a work of God, he will say:
Why, then, did you not believe him? °26 And if we say: The baptism of John was merely
something human, beware of the people: since all hold John as a prophet.” °27 So they answered Jesus,
“We do not know.” And Jesus said to
them, “Neither will I tell you by what right I do these things.” § The parable of the two sons°28 Jesus went on
to say, “What do you think of this? A man had two sons. He went to the first
and said to him: ‘Son, today go and work in my vineyard.’ °29 And the son answered: ‘I
don’t want to.’ But later he thought better of it and went. °30 Then the father went to
the second and gave him the same command. This son replied: ‘I will go, sir,’
but he did not go. °31 Which of the
two did what the father wanted?” They answered, “The first.” And Jesus said
to them, “Truly, I say to you: the publicans and the prostitutes are ahead of
you on the way to the kingdom of heaven. °32 For John came to show you the way of goodness but
you did not believe him, yet the publicans and the prostitutes did. You were
witnesses of this, but you neither repented nor believed him. § The parable of the tenants°33 Listen to
another example: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence
around it, dug a hole for the winepress, built a watchtower, leased the
vineyard to tenants and then went to a distant country. °34 When harvest time came,
the landowner sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the
harvest. °35 But the tenants
seized his servants, beat one, killed another and stoned another. °36 Again the owner
sent more servants, but they were treated in the same way. °37 Finally, he
sent his son, thinking: ‘They will respect my son.’ °38 But when the tenants saw
the son, they thought: ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let
us kill him and his inheritance will be ours.’ °39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard
and killed him. °40 Now, what will
the owner of the vineyard do with the tenants when he comes?” °41 They said to him, “He will
bring those evil to an evil end, and lease the vineyard to others who will
pay him in due time.” °42 And Jesus
replied, “Have you never read what the Scriptures say?The stone which the builders rejected has become the keystone. This
was the Lord’s doing; and we marvel at it.°43 Therefore I say to you: the kingdom of heaven will
be taken from you and given to a people who will yield a harvest. °44 (Whoever falls
on this stone will be broken to pieces, and it will ground to dust on whom it
falls.)” °45 When the chief
priests and the Pharisees heard these parables, they realized that Jesus was
referring to them. °46 They would have
arrested him, but they were afraid of the crowd who regarded him as a
prophet. § The wedding feast¤22 °1 Jesus went on speaking to them in parables: °2 “This story
throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A king celebrated the wedding of his
son. °3 He sent his
servants to call the invited guests to the wedding feast, but the guests
refused to come. °4 Again he sent other
servants ordering them to say to the invited guests: ‘I have prepared a
banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now everything
is ready; come then, to the wedding feast.’ °5 But they paid no attention and went away, some to their
fields, and others to their work. °6 While the rest seized the servants of the king,
insulted them and killed them. °7 The king became
angry. He sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. °8 Then he said to his
servants: ‘The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not
worthy. °9 Go, then, to
the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.’ °10 The servants
went out at once into the streets and gathered everyone they found, good and
bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests. °11 The king came
in to see those who were at table, and he noticed a man not wearing the
festal garment. °12 So he said to
him: ‘Friend, how did you get in without the wedding garment?’ But the man
remained silent. °13 So the king
said to his servants: ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the dark
where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ °14 Know that many
are called, but few are chosen.” § Paying taxes to Caesar°15 The Pharisees
went out and took counsel on how they could trap Jesus with his own words. °16 They then sent their
disciples with the members of Herod’s party for this purpose. They said to Jesus,
“Master, we know that you are an honest man and truly teach God’s way; you
are not influenced by others nor are you afraid of anyone. °17 Tell us, then, what you
think: is it against the Law to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” °18 But Jesus
understood their evil intent, and said to them, “Hypocrites! Why are you
testing me? °19 Show me the
coin with which you pay the taxes.” They showed him a
denarius, °20 and Jesus said
to them, “Whose head is this, and whose name?” °21 They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then Jesus replied,
“Therefore, return to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” °22 Astonished by
his answer, they left him and went away. § The resurrection of the dead°23 That same day,
some of the Sadducees came to Jesus. Since they claim that there is no
resurrection, they questioned him in this way, °24 “Master, Moses said that if anyone dies without
any children, his brother must take the wife and have a child who will be
considered the child of the deceased man. °25 Now, there were seven brothers. The first married
a wife, and he died; since he had no children, he left his wife to his
brother. °26 The same thing
happened to the second and to the third until the seventh. °27 Then, last of all, the
woman also died. °28 Now, in the
resurrection of the dead, to which of the seven will she be wife, for all had
her as wife?” °29 Jesus answered,
“You are totally wrong because you understand neither the Scriptures nor the
power of God. °30 First of all,
in the resurrection of the dead, neither men nor women will marry, but they
will be like the angels in heaven. °31 As for the resurrection of the dead, have you
never reflected on what God said to you: °32I am the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?He is God, not of the dead
but of the living.” °33 The people who
heard him were astonished at his teaching. °34 When the
Pharisees heard how Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. °35 One of them, a teacher of
the Law, tried to test him with this question, °36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment
in the Law?” °37 Jesus answered,“You shall love the Lord, your God, with
all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.°38 This is the first and the
most important of the commandments. °39 But after this there is another one very similar
to it:You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.°40 The whole Law
and the Prophets are founded on these two commandments.” § The Messiah, Son of God°41 As the
Pharisees were gathered there, Jesus asked them, °42 “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he
to be?” They answered, “David’s.” °43 Jesus then
asked, “Why did David, inspired by God, call the Messiah Lord? For he says in
a psalm: °44The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right until I
put your enemies under your feet.°45 If David calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” °46 No one could
answer him, not even a word. From that day on, no one dared question him
anymore. § Do not
imitate the teachers of the Law
¤23 °1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his
disciples: °2 “The teachers
of the Law and the Pharisees sat on the seat of Moses. °3 So you shall do and
observe all they say, but do not do as they do, °4 for they do not do what they say. They tie up
heavy burdens and load them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not
even raise a finger to move them. °5
They do everything in order to be seen by people; so they wear very
wide bands of the Law around their foreheads, and robes with large tassels. °6 They enjoy the first place
at feasts and reserved seats in the synagogues, °7 and being greeted in the marketplace and being
called ‘Master’ by the people. °8 But you, do not
let yourselves be calledMasterbecause
you have only one Master, and all of you are brothers and sisters. °9 Neither should you call
anyone on earthFather,because you
have only one Father, he who is in heaven. °10 Nor should you be calledleader,because Christ is the only leader for you. °11 Let the greatest among you
be the servant of all. °12 For whoever
makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be
made great.” § Seven woes for the Pharisees°13 Therefore, woe
to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door
to the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor
do you allow others to do so. °14 Woe to you,
teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! °15 You travel by sea and land to win a single
convert, yet once he is converted, you turn him twice as fit for hell as
yourselves. °16 Woe to you,
blind guides! You say: To swear by the Temple is not binding, but to swear by
the treasure of the Temple is. °17
Blind fools! Which is of more worth? The gold in the Temple or the
Temple which makes the gold a sacred treasure? You say: °18 To swear by the altar is
not binding, but to swear by the offering on the altar is. °19 How blind you are! Which
is of more value: the offering on the altar or the altar which makes the
offering sacred? °20 Whoever swears
by the altar is swearing by the altar and by everything on it. °21 Whoever swears by the
Temple is swearing by it and by God who dwells in the Temple. °22 Whoever swears by heaven
is swearing by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it. °23 Woe to you,
teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You do not forget the
mint, anise and cumin seeds when you pay the tenth of everything, but then
you forget what is most fundamental in the Law: justice, mercy and faith.
These you must practice, without neglecting the others. °24 Blind guides! You strain
out a mosquito, but swallow a camel. °25 Woe to you,
teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You fill the plate and the
cup with theft and violence, and then pronounce a blessing over them. °26 Blind Pharisee! Purify the
inside first, then the outside too will be purified. °27 Woe to you,
teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed
tombs beautiful in appearance, but inside there are only dead bones and
uncleanness. °28 In the same way
you appear as religious to others, but you are full of hypocrisy and
wickedness within. °29 Woe to you,
teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the
prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. °30 You say: Had we lived in
the time of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in the blood of
prophets. °31 So, you
yourselves confess to be kins of those who murdered the prophets. °32 And now, finish off what
your ancestors began! °33 Serpents, race
of vipers! How can you escape condemnation to hell? °34 And so I am sending you
prophets, sages and teachers, but you will murder and crucify them, and flog
others in the synagogues or drive them from one city to another. °35 Because of this
you will be accountable for all the innocent blood that has been shed on the earth,
from the blood of upright Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachiah,
whom you murdered between the altar and the Sanctuary. °36 Truly, I say to you: the
present generation will pay for all this. °37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You
murder the prophets and stone those sent to you by God. How often would I
have gathered your children together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under
her wings, but you refused! °38 Now you will be
left with an empty Temple. °39 I tell you that
you will no longer see me until you say:“Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” § The ruin of
Jerusalem and the end of the world
¤24 °1 Jesus left the Temple and as he was walking away,
his disciples came to him and boasted about the imposing Temple buildings. °2 But he said, “You see all
this? Truly I say to you: not one stone will be left upon another here. All
will be thrown down.” °3 Later when
Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him
privately and asked, “Tell us when this will take place. What sign will be
given us before your coming and the end of history?” °4 Jesus answered,
“Be on your guard and let no one mislead you. °5 Many will come, claiming my title and saying: ‘I
am the Messiah,’ and they will mislead many people. °6 You will hear about war
and threats of war, but do not be troubled, for these things must happen, but
it is not yet the end. °7 Nations will
fight one another, and kingdom oppose kingdom. There will be famines and
earthquakes in several places, °8 but all these
are only the beginning: the first pains of childbirth. °9 Then they will
arrest you, and they will torture and kill you. All nations will hate you for
you bear my name. °10 In those days,
many will stumble and fall; they will betray one another and become enemies. °11 False prophets will appear
and mislead many people, °12 and because of
such great wickedness, love will grow cold in many people. °13 But the one who holds out
to the end will be saved. °14 The Good News
of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world for all the nations to
know; then the end will come. °15 When you see
what the prophet Daniel foretold:the
idol of the invader set up in the Temple(may the reader understand!), °16 then let those in Judea
flee to the mountains. °17 If you are on
the housetop, do not come down to take anything with you. °18 If you are in the field,
do not turn back to fetch your cloak. °19 How hard it will be for pregnant women and mothers
with babies at the breast! °20 Pray that it
may not be in winter or on a sabbath that you flee. °21 For there will
be great tribulation such as was never known from the beginning of the world
until now, and is never to be known again. °22 And if that time were not to be shortened, no one
would survive. But God will shorten it for the sake of his chosen ones. °23 Then, if anyone says to
you: ‘Look! The Messiah is here! He is there!’, do not believe it. °24 For false Messiahs and
false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders so great that they
would deceive even God’s chosen people, if that were possible. °25 See, I have told you
everything ahead of time. °26 So, if anyone
tells you: ‘He is in the desert,’ do not go. If they say: ‘He is in such a
secluded place,’ do not believe it. °27 For the coming of the Son of Man will instead be
like lightning which flashes from the east even to the west. °28 ‘Wherever the body is, the
vultures will gather.’ § The coming of the Son of Man°29 For later,
after that distress,the sun will grow
dark, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fallfrom the
skies, and the whole universe will be shaken. °30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in
heaven: as all the nations of the earth beat their breasts, they will see the Son of Man coming in
the clouds of heavenwith divine power and the fullness of Glory. °31 He will send his angels to
sound the trumpet and gather the chosen ones from the four winds, from one
end of the earth to the other. °32 Learn a lesson
from the fig tree. When its branches grow tender and its leaves begin to
sprout, you know that summer is near. °33 In the same way, when you see all that I have told
you, know that the time is near, even at the door. °34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass
away until all these things have happened. °35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will
not pass away. °36 But as for that
Day and that Hour, no one knows when it will come, not even the angels of God
nor the Son, but only the Father. °37 At the coming of
the Son of Man it will be just as it was in the time of Noah. °38 In those days before the
Flood, people were eating and drinking, and marrying, until the day when Noah
went into the ark. °39 Yet they did
not know what would happen until the flood came and swept them away. So will
it be at the coming of the Son of Man. °40 Of two men in the field, one will be taken and the
other left. °41 Of two women
grinding wheat together at the mill, one will be taken and the other left. § Be on the alert°42 Stay awake,
then, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come. °43 Just think about this: if
the owner of the house knew that the thief would come by night around a
certain hour, he would stay awake to prevent his house to be broken into. °44 So be alert, for the Son
of Man will come at the hour you least expect. °45 Imagine a
capable servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give
them food at the proper time. °46 Fortunate
indeed is that servant whom his master will find at work when he comes. °47 Truly, I say to you, his
lord will entrust that one with everything he has. °48 Not so with the
bad servant who thinks: My master is delayed. °49 And he begins ill-treating his fellow servants
while eating and drinking with drunkards. °50 But his master will come on the day he does not
know and at the hour he least expects. °51 He will dismiss that servant and deal with him as
with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. § The ten bridesmaids¤25 °1 This story throws light on what will happen in the
kingdom of heaven. Ten bridesmaids went out with their lamps to meet the
bridegroom. °2 Five of them
were careless while the others were sensible. °3 The careless
bridesmaids took their lamps as they were and did not bring extra oil. °4 But those who were
sensible, brought with their lamps flasks of oil. °5 As the bridegroom delayed, they all grew drowsy
and fell asleep. °6 But at
midnight, a cry rang out: ‘The bridegroom is here, come out and meet him!’ °7 All the maidens woke up at
once and trimmed their lamps. °8 Then the
careless ones said to the sensible ones: ‘Give us some oil, for our lamps are
going out.’ °9 The sensible
ones answered: ‘There may not be enough for both you and us. You had better
go to those who sell and buy for yourselves.’ °10 They were out
buying oil when the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him
to the wedding feast, and the doors were shut. °11 Later the rest
of the bridesmaids arrived and called out: ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ °12 But he answered: ‘Truly, I
do not know you.’ °13 So, stay awake,
for you do not know the day nor the hour. § The parable of the talents°14 Imagine someone
who, before going abroad, summoned his servants to entrust his property to
them. °15 He gave five talents
of silver to one, then two to another, and one to a third, each one according
to his ability; and he went away. °16 He who received
five talents went at once to do business with the money and gained another
five. °17 The one who
received two did the same and gained another two.°18 But the one with one talent dug a hole and hid his
master’s money. °19 After a long
time, the master of those servants returned and asked for a reckoning. °20 The one who received five
talents came with another five talents, saying: ‘Lord, you entrusted me with
five talents, but see I have gained five more with them.’ °21 The master answered: ‘Very
well, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in a few
things, I will entrust you with much more. Come and share the joy of your
master.’ °22 Then the one
who had two talents came and said: ‘Lord, you entrusted me with two talents;
I have two more which I gained with them.’ °23 The master said: ‘Well, good
and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in little things, I will
entrust you with much more. Come and share the joy of your master.’ °24 Finally, the
one who had received one talent came and said: ‘Master, I know that you are
an exacting man. You reap what you have not sown and gather what you have not
invested. °25 I was afraid,
so I hid your money in the ground. Here, take what is yours.’ °26 But his master replied:
‘Wicked and worthless servant, you know that I reap where I have not sown and
gather where I have not invested. °27
Then you should have deposited my money in the bank, and you would
have given it back to me with interest on my return. °28 Therefore, take
the talent from him, and give it to the one who has ten. °29 For to all those who have,
more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who are
unproductive, even what they have will be taken from them. °30 As for that useless
servant, throw him out into the dark where there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth.’ § The last judgment°31 “When the Son
of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on the throne of
his Glory. °32 All the nations
will be brought before him, and as a shepherd separates the sheep from the
goats, °33 so will he do
with them, placing the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. °34 The King will
say to those on his right: ‘Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of
the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. °35 For I was hungry and you
fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. °36 I was a stranger and you welcomed me into your
house. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was
in prison and you came to see me.’ °37 Then the good
people will ask him: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food;
thirsty and give you drink, °38 or a stranger
and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? °39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to
see you?’ °40 The King will
answer, ‘Truly, I say to you: whenever you did this to these little ones who
are my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.’ °41 Then he will
say to those on his left: ‘Go, cursed people, out of my sight into the
eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels! °42 For I was hungry and you did
not give me anything to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; °43 I was a stranger and you
did not welcome me into your house; I was naked and you did not clothe me; I
was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ °44 They, too, will
ask: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked or a stranger, sick or
in prison, and did not help you?’ °45
The King will answer them: ‘Truly, I say to you: whatever you did not
do for one of these little ones, you did not do for me.’ °46 And these will
go into eternal punishment, but the just to eternal life.” ¤26 °1 When Jesus had finished all he wanted to say, he
told his disciples, °2 “You know that
in two days’ time it will be the Passover and the Son of Man will be handed
over to be crucified.” °3 Then the chief
priests and the Jewish authorities gathered together at the palace of the
High Priest whose name was Caiaphas, °4 and they agreed to trap Jesus and kill him. °5 But they said among
themselves, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uprising among the
people.” § The anointing at Bethany°6 While Jesus was
in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, °7 a woman came up to him carrying a precious jar of
expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus’ head as he was at table. °8 Seeing this the disciples
became indignant, protesting, “What a useless waste! °9 The perfume could have
been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” °10 But Jesus was
aware of this, so he said to them, “Why are you troubling this woman? What
she has just done for me is indeed a good work. °11 You always have the poor with you but you will not
have me forever. °12 She was
preparing for my funeral when she anointed my body with this perfume. °13 Truly, I say to you:
wherever the Gospel is proclaimed, all over the world, what she has done will
be told in praise of her.” °14 Then one of the
Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went off to the chief priests and
said, °15 “How much will
you give me if I hand him over to you?” They promised to give him thirty
pieces of silver, °16 and from then
on he kept looking for the best way to hand him over to them. § The last
supper
°17 On the first
day of the Festival of the Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said
to him, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?” °18 Jesus answered, “Go into
the city, to the house of a certain man, and tell him: ‘The Master says: My
hour is near, and I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples in your house.” °19 The disciples
did as Jesus had ordered and prepared the Passover meal. °20 When it was
evening, Jesus sat at table with the Twelve. °21 While they were eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say
to you: one of you will betray me.” °22 They were deeply distressed and asked him in turn,
“You do not mean me, do you, Lord?” °23 He answered,
“He who will betray me is one of those who dips his bread in the dish with
me. °24 The Son of Man
is going as the Scriptures say he will. But alas for that one who betrays the
Son of Man; better for him not to have been born.” °25 Judas, who was betraying him, also asked, “You do
not mean me, Master, do you?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.” °26 While they were
eating, Jesus took bread, said a blessing and broke it, and gave it to his
disciples saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” °27 Then he took a cup and
gave thanks, and passed it to them saying, “Drink this, all of you, °28 for this is my blood, the
blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of
sins. °29 Yes, I say to
you: I will not taste the fruit of the vine from now until the day I drink
new wine with you in my Father’s kingdom.” °30 After singing
psalms of praise, they went out to the Mount of Olives. °31 Then Jesus said to them,
“You will falter tonight because of me, and all will fall. For the Scripture
says:I will strike the shepherd and the
sheep will be scattered.°32 But after my
resurrection I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” °33 Peter
responded, “Even though all doubt you and fall, I will never fall.” °34 Jesus replied, “Truly, I
say to you: this very night before the cock crows, you will deny me three
times.” °35 Peter said,
“Though I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And all the disciples
said the same. § Gethsemane°36 Jesus came with
them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here
while I go over to pray.” °37 He took Peter
and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be filled with
anguish and distress. °38 And he said to
them, “My soul is filled with sorrow even to death. Remain here and stay
awake with me.” °39 He went a
little farther and fell to the ground, with his face touching the earth, and
prayed, “Father, if it is possible, take this cup away from me. Yet not what
I want, but what you want.” °40 He went back to
his disciples and found them asleep, and he said to Peter, “Could you not
stay awake with me for even an hour? °41 Stay awake and pray, so that you may not slip into
temptation. The spirit indeed is eager, but human nature is weak.” °42 He again went
away and prayed, “Father, if this cup cannot be taken away from me without my
drinking it, let your will be done.” °43 When he came back to his disciples, he again found
them asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open. °44 He left them and again
went to pray the third time, saying the same words. °45 Then he came
back to his disciples and said to them, “You can sleep on now and take your
rest! The hour has come and the Son of Man is now given over into the power
of sinners. °46 Get up, let us
go. Look: the betrayer is here.” § Jesus
arrested
°47 Jesus was still
speaking when Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a crowd armed with
swords and clubs, who had been sent by the chief priests and the Jewish
authorities. °48 The traitor had
arranged a signal for them: “The one I kiss, he is the man; arrest him.” °49 And he went directly to
Jesus and said, “Good evening, Master” and he gave him a kiss. °50 But Jesus said to him,
“Friend, do what you came for.” Then they laid hold of Jesus and arrested
him. °51 One of those
who were with Jesus drew his sword and struck at the servant of the High
Priest, cutting off his ear. °52 So Jesus said
to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for he who uses the sword will
perish by the sword. °53 Do you not know
that I could call on my Father, and he would at once send me more than twelve
legions of angels. °54 If Scripture
says that this has to be, should it not be fulfilled?” °55 At that moment,
Jesus said to the crowd, “Why do you come to arrest me with swords and clubs,
as if I were a robber? Day after day I was seated among you teaching in the
Temple, yet you did not arrest me. °56 But all this has come about in fulfillment of what
the Prophets said.” Then all his disciples deserted him and fled. § Jesus before the Sanhedrin°57 Those who had
arrested Jesus brought him to the house of the High Priest Caiaphas, where
the teachers of the Law and the Jewish authorities were assembled. °58 Peter followed
him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the High Priest; he entered and
sat with the guards, waiting to see the end. °59 The chief
priests and the whole Supreme Council needed some false evidence against
Jesus, so that they might put him to death. °60 But they were unable to find any, even though
false witnesses came forward. °61 At last, two
men came up and declared, “This man said: I am able to destroy the temple of
God and rebuild it in three days.” °62 The High Priest
then stood up and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer at all? What is this
evidence against you?” °63 But Jesus kept
silent. So the High Priest
said to him, “In the name of the living God, I command you to tell us: Are you
the Messiah, the Son of God?” °64 Jesus answered,
“It is just as you say. I tell you more: from now on, you will seethe Son of Man seated at the right hand of
the Most Powerful God and coming on the clouds of heaven.” °65 Then the High
Priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has blasphemed. What more evidence do we
need? You have just heard these blasphemous words. °66 What is your decision?” They answered, “He must
die!” °67 Then they began
to spit on Jesus and slap him while others hit him with their fists, °68 saying, “Messiah,
prophesy! Who hit you?” § Peter disowns Jesus°69 Meanwhile, as
Peter sat outside in the courtyard, a young servant-girl of the house said to
him, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” °70 But he denied it before everyone, saying, “I do
not know what you are talking about.” °71 And as Peter
was going out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and told the
bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” °72 Peter denied it
again with an oath, swearing, “I do not know that man.” °73 After a little
while, those who were standing there approached Peter and said to him, “Of
course you are one of the Galileans; your accent gives you away.” °74 Peter began justifying
himself with curses and oaths protesting that he did not know the man. Just
then a cock crowed. °75 And Peter
remembered the words of Jesus, “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three
times.” And he went away weeping bitterly. ¤27 °1 Early in the morning all the chief priests and the
Jewish authorities met to look for ways of putting Jesus to death. °2 They had him bound and led
him away to be handed over to Pilate, the governor. § The death of Judas°3 When Judas, the
traitor, realized that Jesus had been condemned, he was filled with remorse
and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,
°4 saying, “I have sinned by
betraying an innocent man to death.” They answered, “What does it matter to
us? That is your concern.” °5 So, throwing
the money into the Temple, he went away and hanged himself. °6 The priests
picked up the money, and said, “This money cannot be put into the Temple
treasury, for this is the price of blood.” °7 So they met together and decided to buy the
Potter’s Field with the money and make it a cemetery for foreigners. °8 This is why that place has
been calledField of Bloodto this
day. °9 So what the
prophet Jeremiah said was fulfilled:They
took the thirty pieces of silver, the price the sons of Israel set on him.°10 Andthey gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord commanded me. § Jesus before Pilate°11 Jesus stood
before the governor who questioned him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus
answered, “You say so.” °12 The chief
priests and the Elders accused him, but he made no answer. °13 Pilate said to him, “Do you
hear all the charges they bring against you?” °14 But he did not answer even a single question, so
that the governor wondered. °15 It was customary for the
governor to release any prisoner the people asked for on the occasion of the
Passover. °16 Now there was a well-known
prisoner called Barabbas. °17 As the people
had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas,
or Jesus called the Messiah?” °18 For he realized
that Jesus had been handed over to him out of envy. °19 As Pilate was
sitting in court, his wife sent him this message, “Have nothing to do with
that holy man. Because of him I had a dream last night that disturbed me
greatly.” °20 But the chief priests and
the Elders stirred the crowds to ask for the release of Barabbas and the
death of Jesus. °21 When the governor asked
them again, “Which of the two do you want me to set free?” they answered,
“Barabbas.” °22 Pilate said to
them, “And what shall I do with Jesus called the Messiah?” All answered,
“Crucify him!” °23 Pilate
insisted, “What evil has he done?” But they shouted louder, “Crucify him!” °24 Pilate realized that he
was getting nowhere and that instead there could be a riot. He then asked for
water and washed his hands before the people, saying, “I am not responsible
for his blood. It is your doing.” °25
And all the people answered, “Let his blood be upon us and upon our
children.” °26 Then Pilate set
Barabbas free, but had Jesus scourged, and handed him over to be crucified. § The way of the cross°27 The Roman
soldiers took Jesus into the palace of the governor and the whole troop
gathered around him. °28 They stripped him and
dressed him in a purple military cloak. °29 Then, twisting a crown of thorns, they forced it
onto his head, and placed a reed in his right hand. They knelt before Jesus
and mocked him, saying, “Long life to the King of the Jews!” °30 They spat on him, took the
reed from his hand and struck him on the head with it. °31 When they had finished
mocking him, they pulled off the purple cloak and dressed him in his own
clothes again, and led him out to be crucified. °32 On the way they met a man
from Cyrene called Simon, and forced him to carry the cross of Jesus. °33 When they reached the place called Golgotha (or
Calvary) which meansthe Skull,°34 they offered him wine mixed with gall. Jesus
tasted it but would not take it. °35 There they
crucified him and divided his clothes among themselves, casting lots to
decide what each should take. °36 Then they sat down to
guard him. °37 The statement of
his offense was displayed above his head and it read, “This is Jesus, the
King of the Jews.” °38 They also
crucified two bandits with him, one on his right and one on his left. °39 People passing by shook
their heads and insulted him, °40 saying, “Aha! So you will
destroy the Temple and build it up again in three days. Now save yourself and
come down from the cross, if you are Son of God.” °41 In the same way
the chief priests, the Elders and the teachers of the Law mocked him. °42 They said, “The man who
saved others cannot save himself. Let the King of Israel now come down from
his cross and we will believe in him. °43 He trusted in God; let God rescue him if God wants
to, since he himself said: I am the Son of God.” °44 Even the
robbers who were crucified with him insulted him. °45 From midday
darkness fell over the whole land until mid-afternoon. °46 At about three o’clock,
Jesus cried out in a loud voice,“Eloi,
Eloi, lamma Sabbacthani?”which means: My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me? °47 As soon as they
heard this, some of the bystanders said, “He is calling for Elijah.” °48 And one of them went
quickly, took a sponge and soaked it in vinegar and, putting it on a reed,
gave him to drink. °49 Others said,
“Leave him alone, let us see whether Elijah comes to his rescue.” °50 Then Jesus
cried out again in a loud voice and gave up his spirit. § After the death of Jesus°51 Just then the
curtain of the Temple sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth
quaked, rocks were split, °52 tombs were
opened, and several holy people who had died were raised to life. °53 They came out of the tombs
after the resurrection of Jesus, entered the Holy City and appeared to many. °54 The captain and
the soldiers who guarded Jesus were greatly terrified when they saw the
earthquake and all that had happened, and said, “Truly, this man was a Son of
God.” °55 There were also
some women there who watched from a distance; they had followed Jesus from
Galilee and saw to his needs. °56 Among them were
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of
Zebedee’s sons. § The burial°57 It was now
evening and there arrived a wealthy man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was
also a disciple of Jesus. °58 He went to Pilate and
asked for the body of Jesus, and the governor ordered that the body be given
him. °59 So Joseph took the body of
Jesus, wrapped it in a clean linen sheet °60 and laid it in his own new tomb which had been cut
out of the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance of the tomb
and left. °61 Mary Magdalene
and the other Mary remained sitting there in front of the tomb. § The guards
at the tomb
°62 On the following day (the
day after the Preparation for the Passover), the chief priests and the
Pharisees went to Pilate °63 and said to him, “Sir, we
remember that when that impostor was still alive, he said: I will rise after
three days. °64 Therefore, have
his tomb secured until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal the
body and say to the people: He was raised from the dead. This would be a
worse lie than the first.” °65 Pilate answered them, “You
have soldiers, go and take all the necessary precautions”. °66 So they went to the tomb and secured it, sealing
the stone and placing it under guard. § Jesus
appears to the women
¤28 °1 After the sabbath, at the
dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to
visit the tomb. °2 Suddenly there was a
violent earthquake: an angel of the Lord descending from heaven, came to the
stone, rolled it from the entrance of the tomb, and sat on it. °3 His appearance was like
lightning and his garment white as snow. °4 The guards trembled in fear and became like dead
men when they saw the angel. °5 The angel said
to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus
who was crucified. °6 He is not here,
for he is risen as he said. Come, see the place where they laid him; °7 then go at once and tell
his disciples that he is risen from the dead and is going ahead of you to
Galilee. You will see him there. This is my message for you.” °8 They left the
tomb at once in holy fear, yet with great joy, and they ran to tell the news
to the disciples. °9 Suddenly, Jesus
met them on the way and said, “Peace.” The women approached him, embraced his
feet and worshiped him. °10 But Jesus said
to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to set out for Galilee;
there they will see me.” °11 While the women
were on their way, the guards returned to the city and some of them reported
to the chief priests all that had happened. °12 The chief priests met with the Jewish authorities
and decided to give the soldiers a good sum of money, °13 with this instruction,
“Say that his disciples came by night while you were asleep, and stole the
body of Jesus. °14 If Pilate comes
to know of this, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” °15 The soldiers accepted the
money and did as they were told. This story has circulated among the Jews
until this day. § Jesus sends
the apostles
°16 As for the
Eleven disciples, they went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told
them to go. °17 When they saw
Jesus, they bowed before him, although some doubted. °18 Then Jesus
approached them and said, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on
earth. °19 Go, therefore,
and make disciples from all nations. Baptize them in the Name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, °20 and teach them to fulfill all that I have
commanded you. I am with you always until the end of this world.” The End. |