The Seventy Sent Out

10 Now after this the Lord appointed ^[a]seventy others, and sent them out ahead of Him, two by two, into every city and place where He was about to go. ² He was saying to them, “The harvest is abundant [for there are many who need to hear the good news about salvation], but the workers [those available to proclaim the message of salvation] are few. Therefore, [prayerfully] ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest. ³ Go your way; listen carefully: I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not carry a money belt, a provision bag, or [extra] sandals; and do not ^[b]greet anyone along the way [who would delay you]. ⁵ Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘^[c]Peace [that is, a blessing of well-being and prosperity, the favor of God] to this house.’ ⁶ And if anyone of peace is there [someone who is sweet-spirited and hospitable], your [blessing of] peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not move from house to house.^{(A) 8} Whenever you go into a city and they welcome you, eat what is set before you; ⁹ and heal those in it who are sick [authenticating your message], and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But whatever city you enter and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you [breaking all ties]; yet understand this, that the kingdom of God has come near [and you rejected it].’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable in that day [of judgment] for Sodom than for that city.^(B)

¹³ “Woe (judgment is coming) to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented and changed their minds long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes [to show deep regret for sin]. ¹⁴ However, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. ¹⁵ And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades (the realm of the dead).

¹⁶ “The one who listens to you listens to Me; and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and the one who rejects Me rejects Him [My heavenly Father] who sent Me.”

The Joyous Results

¹⁷ The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” ¹⁸ He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like [a flash of] lightning. ¹⁹ Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on ^[d]serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you. ²⁰ Nevertheless do not rejoice at this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”^(C)

²¹ In that very hour He was overjoyed and rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and He said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things [relating to salvation] from the ^[e]wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants [the childlike and untaught]. Yes, Father, for this way was [Your gracious will and choice, and was] well-pleasing in Your sight. ²² All things have been transferred and turned over to Me by My Father and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him.”

²³ Then turning to His disciples, Jesus said privately, “Blessed [joyful, spiritually enlightened, and favored by God] are the eyes which see what you see,^{(D) 24} for I say to you that many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, and they did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

²⁵ And a certain lawyer [an expert in Mosaic Law] stood up to test Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”^{(E) 26} Jesus said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷ And he replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”^{(F) 28} Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this habitually and you will live.”^{(G) 29} But he, wishing to justify and vindicate himself, asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Parable of the Good Samaritan

³⁰ Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, who stripped him of his clothes [and belongings], beat him, and went their way [unconcerned], leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by coincidence a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³² Likewise a Levite also came down to the place and saw him, and passed by on the other side [of the road]. ³³ But a Samaritan (foreigner), who was traveling, came upon him; and when he saw him, he was deeply moved with compassion [for him], ³⁴ and went to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them [to sooth and disinfect the injuries]; and he put him on his own pack-animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ On the next day he took out two denarii (two days’ wages) and gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I return.’ ³⁶ Which of these three do you think proved himself a neighbor to the man who encountered the robbers?” ³⁷ He answered, “The one who showed compassion and mercy to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and constantly do the same.”

Martha and Mary

³⁸ Now while they were on their way, Jesus entered a village [called Bethany], and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.^{(H) 39} She had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was continually listening to His teaching. ⁴⁰ But Martha was very busy and distracted with all of her serving responsibilities; and she approached Him and said, “Lord, is it of no concern to You that my sister has left me to do the serving alone? Tell her to help me and do her part.” ⁴¹ But the Lord replied to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; ⁴² but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part [that which is to her advantage], which will not be taken away from her.”

Instruction about Prayer

11 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” ² He said to them,

Parable of Persistence

⁵ Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves [of bread]; ⁶ for a friend of mine who is on a journey has just come to visit me, and I have nothing to serve him’; ⁷ and from inside he answers, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything just because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence and boldness he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

⁹ “So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.^{(I) 10} For everyone who ^[m]keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened. ¹¹ What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you, then, being evil [that is, sinful by nature], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!”

Pharisees’ Blasphemy

¹⁴ And [at another time] Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was [controlling a man so as to make him] mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds were awed.^{(J) 15} But some of them said, “He drives out demons by [the power of] ^[n]Beelzebul (Satan), the ruler of the demons.” ¹⁶ Others, trying to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. ¹⁷ But He, well aware of their thoughts and purpose, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is doomed to destruction; and a house divided against itself falls. ¹⁸ If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand and continue to survive? For you are saying that I drive out demons by [the power of] Beelzebul. ¹⁹ Now if I drive out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons [the Jewish exorcists] drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then ^[o]the kingdom of God has already come upon you. ²¹ When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his belongings are undisturbed and secure. ²² But when someone stronger than he attacks and overpowers him, he robs him of all his armor on which he had relied and divides his [goods as] spoil. ²³ He who is not with Me [believing in Me as Lord and Savior] is against Me [there is no impartial position]; and he who does not gather with Me [assisting in My ministry], scatters.

²⁴ “When the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places in search [of a place] of rest; and not finding any, it says, ‘I will go back to my house (person) from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when it comes, it finds the place swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in [the person] and live there; and the last state of that person becomes worse than the first.”

²⁷ Now while Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed (happy, favored by God) is the womb that gave birth to You and the breasts at which You nursed!” ²⁸ But He said, “On the contrary, blessed (happy, favored by God) are those who hear the word of God and continually observe it.”

The Sign of Jonah

²⁹ Now as the crowds were increasing [in number], He began to say, “This [present] generation is a wicked generation; it seeks a sign (attesting miracle), but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah [the prophet].^{(K) 30} For just as ^[p]Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man also be [a sign] to this generation.^{(L) 31} The Queen of the South (the kingdom of Sheba) will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and look, something greater than Solomon is here.^{(M) 32} The men of Nineveh will stand up [as witnesses] at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and look, something greater than Jonah is here.^(N)

³³ “No one lights a lamp and then puts it in a cellar nor under a basket [hiding the light], but [instead it is put] on the lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.^{(O) 34} The eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive, focused on God], your whole body also is full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts]. But when it is bad [spiritually blind], your body also is full of darkness [devoid of God’s word]. ³⁵ Be careful, therefore, that the light that is in you is not darkness. ³⁶ So if your whole body is illuminated, with no dark part, it will be entirely bright [with light], as when the lamp gives you light with its bright rays.”

Woes upon the Pharisees

³⁷ Now after Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him. He went in [the Pharisee’s home] and reclined at the table [without ceremonially washing His hands]. ³⁸ The Pharisee noticed this and was surprised that Jesus did not first ceremonially wash before the meal. ³⁹ But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and plate [as required by tradition]; but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ You foolish ones [acting without reflection or intelligence]! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But give that which is within as charity [that is, acts of mercy and compassion, not as a public display, but as an expression of your faithfulness to God], and then indeed all things are clean for you.

⁴² “But woe (judgment is coming) to you Pharisees, because you [self-righteously] ^[q]tithe mint and ^[r]rue and every [little] garden herb [tending to all the minutiae], and yet disregard and neglect justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done, without neglecting the others.^{(P) 43} Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the ^[s]best seats in the synagogues and to be respectfully greeted in the market places. ⁴⁴ Woe to you! For you are like graves which are unmarked, and people walk over them without being aware of it [and are ceremonially unclean].”

⁴⁵ One of the lawyers [an expert in the Mosaic Law] answered Him, “Teacher, by saying this, You insult us too!” ⁴⁶ But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well, because you weigh men down with burdens [man-made rules, unreasonable requirements] which are hard to bear, and you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers [to lighten the load]. ⁴⁷ Woe to you! For you repair or build ^[t]tombs for the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. ⁴⁸ So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers, because they [actually] killed them, and you repair or build their tombs. ⁴⁹ For this reason also the wisdom of God said [in the Scriptures], ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will put to death and some they will persecute, ⁵⁰ so that charges may be brought against this generation [holding them responsible] for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah [the priest], who was murdered between the altar and the house of God. Yes, I tell you, charges will be brought against this generation.’^{(Q) 52} Woe to you lawyers, because you have taken away the key to knowledge (scriptural truth). You yourselves did not enter, and you held back those who were entering [by your flawed interpretation of God’s word and your man-made tradition].”^(R)

⁵³ When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile [toward Him] and to interrogate Him on many subjects, ⁵⁴ plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.

God Knows and Cares

12 In the meantime, after so many thousands of the people had gathered that they were stepping on one another, Jesus began speaking first of all to His disciples, “Be continually on your guard against the ^[u]leaven of the Pharisees [that is, their pervasive, corrupting influence and teaching], which is hypocrisy [producing self-righteousness]. ² But there is nothing [so carefully] concealed that it will not be revealed, nor so hidden that it will not be made known.^{(S) 3} For that reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.

⁴ “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have nothing more that they can do. ⁵ But I will point out to you whom you should fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority and power to hurl [you] into ^[v]hell; yes, I say to you, [stand in great awe of God and] fear Him! ⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two ^[w]copper coins? Yet not one of them has [ever] been forgotten in the presence of God. ⁷ Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are far more valuable than many sparrows.

⁸ “I say to you, whoever declares openly and confesses Me before men [speaking freely of Me as his Lord], the Son of Man also will declare openly and confess him [as one of His own] before the angels of God. ⁹ But he who denies Me before men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God. ¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who ^[x]blasphemes against the Holy Spirit [that is, whoever intentionally discredits the Holy Spirit by attributing the authenticating miracles done by Me to Satan], it will not be forgiven him [for him there is no forgiveness].^{(T) 11} When they bring you before the synagogues and the magistrates and the authorities, do not be worried about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; ¹² for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Covetousness Denounced

¹³ Someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or an arbitrator over [the two of] you?” ¹⁵ Then He said to them, “Watch out and guard yourselves against every form of greed; for not even when one has an overflowing abundance does his life consist of nor is it derived from his possessions.”

Parable of the Wealthy Fool

¹⁶ Then He told them a parable, saying, “There was a rich man whose land was very fertile and productive. ¹⁷ And he began thinking to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place [large enough in which] to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my storehouses and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many good things stored up, [enough] for many years; rest and relax, eat, drink and be merry (celebrate continually).”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own all the things you have prepared?’^{(U) 21} So it is for the one who continues to store up and hoard possessions for himself, and is not rich [in his relationship] toward God.”

²² Jesus said to His disciples, “For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; or about your body, as to what you will wear.^{(V) 23} For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider the ravens, for they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the crop]; they have no storehouse or barn, and yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by worrying can add one hour to his life’s span? ²⁶ So if you are not even able to do a very little thing [such as that], why are you worried about the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies and wildflowers, how they grow [in the open field]. They neither labor nor spin [wool to make clothing]; yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory and splendor dressed himself like one of these.^{(W) 28} But if this is how God clothes the grass which is in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith! ²⁹ So as for you, do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink; nor have an anxious and unsettled mind. ³⁰ For all the [pagan] nations of the world greedily seek these things; and your [heavenly] Father [already] knows that you need them. ³¹ But [strive for and actively] seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. ³² Do not be afraid and anxious, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

³³ “Sell your possessions (show compassion) and give [donations] to the poor. Provide money belts for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing and inexhaustible treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Be in Readiness

³⁵ “Be dressed and ready for active service, and keep your lamps continuously burning. ³⁶ Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that when he comes and knocks they may immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) are those servants whom the master finds awake and watching when he arrives. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he will prepare himself to serve, and will have them recline at the table, and will come and wait on them. ³⁸ Whether he comes in the second watch (before midnight), or even in the third (after midnight), and finds them so [prepared and ready], blessed are those servants.

³⁹ “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time the thief was coming, he [would have been awake and alert, and] would not have allowed his house to be broken into.^{(X) 40} You too, be continually ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

⁴¹ Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us [disciples], or to everyone else as well?”

Parable of the Faithful Steward

⁴² The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward [of the estate], whom his master will put in charge over his household, to give his servants their portion of food at the proper time?^{(Y) 43} Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is that servant whom his master finds so doing when he arrives. ⁴⁴ I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is taking his time in coming,’ and begins to beat the servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will ^[y]cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ And that servant who knew his master’s will, and yet did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will be beaten with many lashes [of the whip], ⁴⁸ but the one who did not know it and did things worthy of a beating, will receive only a few [lashes]. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.^(Z)

Christ Divides Men

⁴⁹ “I have come to cast fire (judgment) on the earth; and how I wish that it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ I have a baptism [of great suffering] with which to be baptized, and how [greatly] I am distressed until it is accomplished! ⁵¹ Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division [between believers and unbelievers];^{(AA) 52} for from now on five in one household will be divided [over Me], three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”^(AB)

⁵⁴ He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain,’ and that is how it turns out. ⁵⁵ And when [you see that] a south wind is blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶ You hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders)! You know how to analyze and intelligently interpret the appearance of the earth and sky [to forecast the weather], but why do you not intelligently interpret this present time?

⁵⁷ “And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? ⁵⁸ For while you are going with your opponent [at law] to appear before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle, so that he does not drag you before the judge, and the judge does not [rule against you and] turn you over to the officer, and the officer does not throw you into prison.^{(AC) 59} I say to you, you [absolutely] will not get out of there until you have paid the very last ^[z]cent.”

Call to Repent

13 Just at that time some people came who told Jesus about the ^[aa]Galileans whose blood Pilate [the governor] had mixed with their sacrifices. ² Jesus replied to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they have suffered in this way? ³ I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or do you assume that ^[ab]those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed were worse sinners than all the others who live in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.”

Parable of the Fig Tree

⁶ Then He began telling them this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree that had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, but did not find any; ⁷ so he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and have found none. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground [depleting the soil and blocking the sunlight]?’ ⁸ But he replied to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, [just] one more year until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; ⁹ and if it bears fruit after this, fine; but if not, cut it down.’”

Healing on the Sabbath

¹⁰ Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had an illness caused by a spirit (demon). She was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. ¹² When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are released from your illness.” ¹³ Then He laid His hands on her; and immediately she stood erect again and she began glorifying and praising God. ¹⁴ But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work ought to be done; so come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”^{(AD) 15} But the Lord replied to him, “You hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders)! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it? ¹⁶ And this woman, a daughter (descendant) of Abraham whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” ¹⁷ As He was saying this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things that were being done by Him.

Parables of Mustard Seed and Leaven

¹⁸ So this led Him to say, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?^{(AE) 19} It is like a ^[ac]mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky found shelter and nested in its branches.”^(AF)

²⁰ And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three peck measures of flour until it was all leavened.”^(AG)

Teaching in the Villages

²² Jesus journeyed on through cities and villages, teaching and making His way toward Jerusalem. ²³ And someone asked Him, “Lord, will only a few be saved [from the penalties of the last judgment]?” And He said to them, ²⁴ “Strive to enter through the narrow door [force aside unbelief and the attractions of sin]; for many, I tell you, will try to enter [by their own works] and will not be able. ²⁵ Once the head of the house gets up and closes the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door [again and again], saying, ‘Lord, open to us!’ then He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you are from [for you are not of My household].’ ²⁶ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; ²⁷ but He will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers!’^{(AH) 28} In that place there will be weeping [in sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [in distress and anger] when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out and driven away. ²⁹ And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and they will sit down [and feast at the table] in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

³¹ At that very hour some Pharisees came up and said to Him, “Leave and go away from here, because Herod [Antipas] wants to kill You.” ³² And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox [that sly, cowardly man], ‘Listen carefully: I cast out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I reach My goal.’ ³³ Nevertheless I must travel on today and tomorrow and the day after that—for it cannot be that a prophet would die outside of Jerusalem. ^34 [ad]O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones [to death] those [messengers] who are sent to her [by God]! How often I have wanted to gather your children together [around Me], just as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were not willing!^{(AI) 35} Listen carefully: your house is left to you desolate [abandoned by God and destitute of His protection]; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed [to be celebrated with praise] is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”^(AJ)