Luke 21:37-24:53

New King James Version

^37 (A)And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but ^(B)at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet. ³⁸ Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.

The Plot to Kill Jesus^(C)

22 Now ^(D)the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. ² And ^(E)the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.

^3 (F)Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the ^(G)twelve. ⁴ So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. ⁵ And they were glad, and ^(H)agreed to give him money. ⁶ So he promised and sought opportunity to ^(I)betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.

Jesus and His Disciples Prepare the Passover

^7 (J)Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be ^[a]killed. ⁸ And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.”

⁹ So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?”

¹⁰ And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. ¹¹ Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’ ¹² Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.”

¹³ So they went and ^(K)found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper

^14 (L)When the hour had come, He sat down, and the ^[b]twelve apostles with Him. ¹⁵ Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶ for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it ^(M)until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

¹⁷ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; ¹⁸ for ^(N)I say to you, ^[c]I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

^19 (O)And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My ^(P)body which is given for you; ^(Q)do this in remembrance of Me.”

²⁰ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ^(R)“This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. ^21 (S)But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. ^22 (T)And truly the Son of Man goes ^(U)as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

^23 (V)Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.

The Disciples Argue About Greatness

^24 (W)Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. ^25 (X)And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ ^26 (Y)But not so among you; on the contrary, ^(Z)he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. ^27 (AA)For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet ^(AB)I am among you as the One who serves.

²⁸ “But you are those who have continued with Me in ^(AC)My trials. ²⁹ And ^(AD)I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, ³⁰ that ^(AE)you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, ^(AF)and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial^(AG)

^31 [d]And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, ^(AH)Satan has asked for you, that he may ^(AI)sift you as wheat. ³² But ^(AJ)I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, ^(AK)strengthen your brethren.”

³³ But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

^34 (AL)Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

Supplies for the Road

^35 (AM)And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?”

So they said, “Nothing.”

³⁶ Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. ³⁷ For I say to you that this which is written must still be ^[e]accomplished in Me: ^(AN)‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.”

³⁸ So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.”

And He said to them, “It is enough.”

The Prayer in the Garden^(AO)

^39 (AP)Coming out, ^(AQ)He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. ^40 (AR)When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

^41 (AS)And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, ⁴² saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless ^(AT)not My will, but Yours, be done.” ^43 [f]Then ^(AU)an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. ^44 (AV)And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

⁴⁵ When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. ⁴⁶ Then He said to them, “Why ^(AW)do you sleep? Rise and ^(AX)pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane^(AY)

⁴⁷ And while He was still speaking, ^(AZ)behold, a multitude; and he who was called ^(BA)Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. ⁴⁸ But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a ^(BB)kiss?”

⁴⁹ When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” ⁵⁰ And ^(BC)one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

⁵¹ But Jesus answered and said, “Permit even this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.

^52 (BD)Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, “Have you come out, as against a ^(BE)robber, with swords and clubs? ⁵³ When I was with you daily in the ^(BF)temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your ^(BG)hour, and the power of darkness.”

Peter Denies Jesus, and Weeps Bitterly^(BH)

^54 (BI)Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. ^(BJ)But Peter followed at a distance. ^55 (BK)Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. ⁵⁶ And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.”

⁵⁷ But he denied ^[g]Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”

^58 (BL)And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.”

But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”

^59 (BM)Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a ^(BN)Galilean.”

⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!”

Immediately, while he was still speaking, ^[h]the rooster crowed. ⁶¹ And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then ^(BO)Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, ^(BP)“Before the rooster ^[i]crows, you will deny Me three times.” ⁶² So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Mocked and Beaten^(BQ)

^63 (BR)Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and ^(BS)beat Him. ^64 [j]And having blindfolded Him, they ^(BT)struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?” ⁶⁵ And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin^(BU)

^66 (BV)As soon as it was day, ^(BW)the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, ^67 (BX)“If You are the Christ, tell us.”

But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will ^(BY)by no means believe. ⁶⁸ And if I ^[k]also ask you, you will by no means answer ^[l]Me or let Me go. ^69 (BZ)Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.”

⁷⁰ Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?”

So He said to them, ^(CA)“You rightly say that I am.”

^71 (CB)And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

Jesus Handed Over to Pontius Pilate^(CC)

23 Then ^(CD)the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to ^(CE)Pilate. ² And they began to ^(CF)accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow ^(CG)perverting ^[m]the nation, and ^(CH)forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying ^(CI)that He Himself is Christ, a King.”

^3 (CJ)Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

He answered him and said, “It is as you say.”

⁴ So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, ^(CK)“I find no fault in this Man.”

⁵ But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from ^(CL)Galilee to this place.”

Jesus Faces Herod

⁶ When Pilate heard ^[n]of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. ⁷ And as soon as he knew that He belonged to ^(CM)Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. ⁸ Now when Herod saw Jesus, ^(CN)he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because ^(CO)he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. ⁹ Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him ^(CP)nothing. ¹⁰ And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. ^11 (CQ)Then Herod, with his ^[o]men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² That very day ^(CR)Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.

Taking the Place of Barabbas^(CS)

^13 (CT)Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, ¹⁴ said to them, ^(CU)“You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, ^(CV)having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; ¹⁵ no, neither did Herod, for ^[p]I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. ^16 (CW)I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” ^17 (CX)(for^[q] it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).

¹⁸ And ^(CY)they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”— ¹⁹ who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.

²⁰ Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. ²¹ But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

²² Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.”

²³ But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men ^[r]and of the chief priests prevailed. ²⁴ So ^(CZ)Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. ^25 (DA)And he released ^[s]to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

The King on a Cross^(DB)

^26 (DC)Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

²⁷ And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. ²⁸ But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ^29 (DD)For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ ³⁰ Then they will begin ^(DE)‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’ ^31 (DF)For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

^32 (DG)There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. ³³ And ^(DH)when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. ^34 [t]Then Jesus said, “Father, ^(DI)forgive them, for ^(DJ)they do not know what they do.”

And ^(DK)they divided His garments and cast lots. ³⁵ And ^(DL)the people stood looking on. But even the ^(DM)rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”

³⁶ The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him ^(DN)sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

^38 (DO)And an inscription also was ^[u]written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

^39 (DP)Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ^[v]“If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

⁴⁰ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done ^(DQ)nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said ^[w]to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

⁴³ And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in ^(DR)Paradise.”

Jesus Dies on the Cross^(DS)

^44 (DT)Now it ^[x]was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. ⁴⁵ Then the sun was ^[y]darkened, and ^(DU)the veil of the temple was torn in ^[z]two. ⁴⁶ And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ^(DV)‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” ^(DW)Having said this, He breathed His last.

^47 (DX)So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”

⁴⁸ And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned. ^49 (DY)But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb^(DZ)

^50 (EA)Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. ⁵¹ He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, ^(EB)who^[aa] himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. ⁵² This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ^53 (EC)Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. ⁵⁴ That day was ^(ED)the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.

⁵⁵ And the women ^(EE)who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and ^(EF)they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. ⁵⁶ Then they returned and ^(EG)prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath ^(EH)according to the commandment.

He Is Risen^(EI)

24 Now ^(EJ)on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, ^[ab]and certain other women with them, came to the tomb ^(EK)bringing the spices which they had prepared. ^2 (EL)But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. ^3 (EM)Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ And it happened, as they were ^[ac]greatly perplexed about this, that ^(EN)behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. ⁵ Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but is risen! ^(EO)Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, ⁷ saying, ‘The Son of Man must be ^(EP)delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”

⁸ And ^(EQ)they remembered His words. ^9 (ER)Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, ^(ES)Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. ^11 (ET)And their words seemed to them like ^[ad]idle tales, and they did not believe them. ^12 (EU)But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths ^[ae]lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

The Road to Emmaus^(EV)

^13 (EW)Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was ^[af]seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And they talked together of all these things which had happened. ¹⁵ So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that ^(EX)Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But ^(EY)their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

¹⁷ And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you ^[ag]walk and are sad?”

¹⁸ Then the one ^(EZ)whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”

¹⁹ And He said to them, “What things?”

So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, ^(FA)who was a Prophet ^(FB)mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ^20 (FC)and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. ²¹ But we were hoping ^(FD)that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. ²² Yes, and ^(FE)certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. ²³ When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. ²⁴ And ^(FF)certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”

²⁵ Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! ^26 (FG)Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His ^(FH)glory?” ²⁷ And beginning at ^(FI)Moses and ^(FJ)all the Prophets, He ^[ah]expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

The Disciples’ Eyes Opened

²⁸ Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and ^(FK)He ^[ai]indicated that He would have gone farther. ²⁹ But ^(FL)they constrained Him, saying, ^(FM)“Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.

³⁰ Now it came to pass, as ^(FN)He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

³² And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” ³³ So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and ^(FO)has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was ^[aj]known to them in the breaking of bread.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples^(FP)

^36 (FQ)Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” ³⁷ But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen ^(FR)a spirit. ³⁸ And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. ^(FS)Handle Me and see, for a ^(FT)spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

^40 [ak]When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. ⁴¹ But while they still did not believe ^(FU)for joy, and marveled, He said to them, ^(FV)“Have you any food here?” ⁴² So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish ^[al]and some honeycomb. ^43 (FW)And He took it and ate in their presence.

The Scriptures Opened

⁴⁴ Then He said to them, ^(FX)“These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” ⁴⁵ And ^(FY)He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

⁴⁶ Then He said to them, ^(FZ)“Thus it is written, ^[am]and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and ^(GA)remission of sins should be preached in His name ^(GB)to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ And ^(GC)you are witnesses of these things. ^49 (GD)Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city ^[an]of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

The Ascension^(GE)

⁵⁰ And He led them out ^(GF)as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. ^51 (GG)Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. ^52 (GH)And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually ^(GI)in the temple ^[ao]praising and blessing God. ^[ap]Amen.