Matthew 21:2-26:24

English Standard Version

² saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” ⁴ This took place ^(A)to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. ⁸ Most of the crowd ^(D)spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ^(E)“Hosanna to ^(F)the Son of David! ^(G)Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna ^(H)in the highest!” ¹⁰ And ^(I)when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹ And the crowds said, “This is ^(J)the prophet Jesus, ^(K)from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

^12 (L)And Jesus entered the temple^[b] and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of ^(M)the money-changers and the seats of those who sold ^(N)pigeons. ¹³ He said to them, “It is written, ^(O)‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but ^(P)you make it a den of robbers.”

^14 (Q)And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. ^15 (R)But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, ^(S)“Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, ¹⁶ and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; ^(T)have you never read,

¹⁷ And ^(W)leaving them, he ^(X)went out of the city to ^(Y)Bethany and lodged there.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

^18 (Z)In the morning, as he was returning to the city, ^(AA)he became hungry. ^19 (AB)And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

²⁰ When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” ²¹ And Jesus answered them, ^(AC)“Truly, I say to you, ^(AD)if you have faith and ^(AE)do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ^(AF)‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. ²² And ^(AG)whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, ^(AH)if you have faith.”

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

^23 (AI)And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him ^(AJ)as he was teaching, and said, ^(AK)“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” ²⁴ Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ The baptism of John, ^(AL)from where did it come? ^(AM)From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ^(AN)‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From man,’ ^(AO)we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was ^(AP)a prophet.” ²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

^28 (AQ)“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in ^(AR)the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he ^(AS)changed his mind and went. ³⁰ And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, ^(AT)the tax collectors and ^(AU)the prostitutes go into ^(AV)the kingdom of God before you. ³² For John came to you ^(AW)in the way of righteousness, and ^(AX)you did not believe him, but ^(AY)the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward ^(AZ)change your minds and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

^33 (BA)“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted ^(BB)a vineyard ^(BC)and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and ^(BD)leased it to tenants, and ^(BE)went into another country. ³⁴ When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants^[c] to the tenants ^(BF)to get his fruit. ^35 (BG)And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and ^(BH)stoned another. ^36 (BI)Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. ³⁷ Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ^(BJ)‘This is the heir. Come, ^(BK)let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ ³⁹ And they took him and ^(BL)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ^40 (BM)When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” ⁴¹ They said to him, ^(BN)“He will put those wretches to a miserable death and ^(BO)let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, ^(BP)“Have you never read in the Scriptures:

⁴³ Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God ^(BR)will be taken away from you and given to a people ^(BS)producing its fruits. ⁴⁴ And ^(BT)the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and ^(BU)when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”^[e]

⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. ⁴⁶ And ^(BV)although they were seeking to arrest him, ^(BW)they feared the crowds, because they held him to be ^(BX)a prophet.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

22 And again Jesus ^(BY)spoke to them in parables, saying, ^2 (BZ)“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave ^(CA)a wedding feast for his son, ³ and ^(CB)sent his servants^[f] to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. ^4 (CC)Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my ^(CD)dinner, ^(CE)my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ ⁵ But ^(CF)they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ⁶ while the rest seized his servants, ^(CG)treated them shamefully, and ^(CH)killed them. ⁷ The king was angry, and he sent his troops and ^(CI)destroyed those murderers and burned their city. ⁸ Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not ^(CJ)worthy. ⁹ Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ ¹⁰ And those servants went out into the roads and ^(CK)gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there ^(CL)a man who had no wedding garment. ¹² And he said to him, ^(CM)‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. ¹³ Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and ^(CN)cast him into the outer darkness. In that place ^(CO)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴ For many are ^(CP)called, but few are ^(CQ)chosen.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

^15 (CR)Then the Pharisees went and plotted how ^(CS)to entangle him in his words. ¹⁶ And they sent ^(CT)their disciples to him, along with ^(CU)the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, ^(CV)we know that you are true and teach ^(CW)the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for ^(CX)you are not swayed by appearances.^{[g] 17} Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay ^(CY)taxes to ^(CZ)Caesar, or not?” ¹⁸ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why ^(DA)put me to the test, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.^{[h] 20} And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” ²¹ They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, ^(DB)“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” ²² When they heard it, they marveled. And they ^(DC)left him and went away.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

²³ The same day ^(DD)Sadducees came to him, ^(DE)who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, ²⁴ saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ^(DF)‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ ²⁵ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ So too the second and third, down to the seventh. ²⁷ After them all, the woman died. ²⁸ In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

²⁹ But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, ^(DG)because you know neither the Scriptures nor ^(DH)the power of God. ³⁰ For in the resurrection they neither ^(DI)marry nor ^(DJ)are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ³¹ And as for the resurrection of the dead, ^(DK)have you not read what was said to you by God: ^32 (DL)‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” ³³ And when the crowd heard it, ^(DM)they were astonished at his teaching.

The Great Commandment

^34 (DN)But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced ^(DO)the Sadducees, they gathered together. ^35 (DP)And one of them, ^(DQ)a lawyer, asked him a question ^(DR)to test him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And he said to him, ^(DS)“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And ^(DT)a second is like it: ^(DU)You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ^40 (DV)On these two commandments depend ^(DW)all the Law and the Prophets.”

Whose Son Is the Christ?

^41 (DX)Now while the Pharisees ^(DY)were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ⁴² saying, “What do you think about ^(DZ)the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, ^(EA)“The son of David.” ⁴³ He said to them, “How is it then that David, ^(EB)in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

⁴⁵ If then David calls him Lord, ^(ED)how is he his son?” ^46 (EE)And no one was able to answer him a word, ^(EF)nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

23 Then Jesus ^(EG)said to the crowds and to his disciples, ^2 (EH)“The scribes and the Pharisees ^(EI)sit on Moses' seat, ³ so do and observe whatever they tell you, ^(EJ)but not the works they do. ^(EK)For they preach, but do not practice. ^4 (EL)They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,^[i] and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. ^5 (EM)They do all their deeds ^(EN)to be seen by others. For they make ^(EO)their phylacteries broad and ^(EP)their fringes long, ⁶ and they ^(EQ)love the place of honor at feasts and ^(ER)the best seats in the synagogues ⁷ and ^(ES)greetings in ^(ET)the marketplaces and being called ^(EU)rabbi^[j] by others. ^8 (EV)But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are ^(EW)all brothers.^{[k] 9 (EX)}And call no man your father on earth, for ^(EY)you have one Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰ Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, ^(EZ)the Christ. ^11 (FA)The greatest among you shall be your servant. ^12 (FB)Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

¹³ “But woe ^(FC)to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^(FD)shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you ^(FE)neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.^{[l] 15} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single ^(FF)proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a ^(FG)child of ^(FH)hell^[m] as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to ^(FI)you, ^(FJ)blind guides, who say, ^(FK)‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or ^(FL)the temple that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by ^(FM)the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ^(FN)the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^(FO)him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by ^(FP)heaven swears by ^(FQ)the throne of God and by ^(FR)him who sits upon it.

^23 (FS)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(FT)you tithe mint and dill and ^(FU)cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ^(FV)justice and mercy and faithfulness. ^(FW)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing ^(FX)a camel!

^25 (FY)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(FZ)you clean the outside of ^(GA)the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^(GB)greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of ^(GC)the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

^27 (GD)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^(GE)whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and ^(GF)all uncleanness. ²⁸ So you also ^(GG)outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of ^(GH)hypocrisy and lawlessness.

^29 (GI)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are ^(GJ)sons of those who murdered the prophets. ^32 (GK)Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, ^(GL)you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to ^(GM)hell? ^34 (GN)Therefore ^(GO)I send you ^(GP)prophets and wise men and ^(GQ)scribes, ^(GR)some of whom you will kill and crucify, and ^(GS)some you will ^(GT)flog in your synagogues and ^(GU)persecute from town to town, ³⁵ so that on you may come all ^(GV)the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^(GW)Abel to the blood of ^(GX)Zechariah the son of Barachiah,^[n] whom you murdered between ^(GY)the sanctuary and ^(GZ)the altar. ³⁶ Truly, I say to you, ^(HA)all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

^37 (HB)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^(HC)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have ^(HD)gathered ^(HE)your children together ^(HF)as a hen gathers her brood ^(HG)under her wings, and ^(HH)you were not willing! ³⁸ See, ^(HI)your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ^(HJ)‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

24 ^(HK)Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. ² But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, ^(HL)there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

³ As he sat on ^(HM)the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him ^(HN)privately, saying, “Tell us, ^(HO)when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your ^(HP)coming and of ^(HQ)the end of the age?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, ^(HR)“See that no one leads you astray. ⁵ For ^(HS)many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am ^(HT)the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you ^(HU)are not alarmed, for this ^(HV)must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For ^(HW)nation will rise against nation, and ^(HX)kingdom against kingdom, and there will be ^(HY)famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are but the beginning of ^(HZ)the birth pains.

⁹ “Then ^(IA)they will deliver you up ^(IB)to tribulation and ^(IC)put you to death, and ^(ID)you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. ¹⁰ And then many will fall away^[o] and ^(IE)betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many ^(IF)false prophets will arise ^(IG)and lead many astray. ¹² And because lawlessness will be increased, ^(IH)the love of many will grow cold. ^13 (II)But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom ^(IJ)will be proclaimed throughout the whole world ^(IK)as a testimony ^(IL)to all nations, and ^(IM)then the end will come.

The Abomination of Desolation

¹⁵ “So when you see the abomination of desolation ^(IN)spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in ^(IO)the holy place (^(IP)let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ^17 (IQ)Let the one who is on ^(IR)the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁹ And ^(IS)alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be ^(IT)great tribulation, ^(IU)such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ²² And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for ^(IV)the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ^23 (IW)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For ^(IX)false christs and ^(IY)false prophets will arise and ^(IZ)perform great signs and wonders, ^(JA)so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, ^(JB)I have told you beforehand. ²⁶ So, if they say to you, ‘Look, ^(JC)he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ^27 (JD)For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be ^(JE)the coming of the Son of Man. ^28 (JF)Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁹ “Immediately after ^(JG)the tribulation of those days ^(JH)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and ^(JI)the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then ^(JJ)will appear in heaven ^(JK)the sign of the Son of Man, and then ^(JL)all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and ^(JM)they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven ^(JN)with power and great glory. ³¹ And ^(JO)he will send out his angels with a loud ^(JP)trumpet call, and they will ^(JQ)gather ^(JR)his elect from ^(JS)the four winds, ^(JT)from one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

³² “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, ^(JU)at the very gates. ^34 (JV)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ^35 (JW)Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^(JX)my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

³⁶ “But concerning that day and hour ^(JY)no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, ^(JZ)nor the Son,^{[p] (KA)}but the Father only. ^37 (KB)For as were the days of Noah, ^(KC)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^38 (KD)For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, ^(KE)marrying and giving in marriage, until ^(KF)the day when Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, ^(KG)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ^41 (KH)Two women will be grinding ^(KI)at the mill; one will be taken and one left. ⁴² Therefore, ^(KJ)stay awake, for you do not know on what day ^(KK)your Lord is coming. ^43 (KL)But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night ^(KM)the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also must be ^(KN)ready, for ^(KO)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

⁴⁵ “Who then is ^(KP)the faithful and ^(KQ)wise servant,^[q] whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? ^46 (KR)Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly, I say to you, ^(KS)he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master ^(KT)is delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants^[r] and eats and drinks with ^(KU)drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will come ^(KV)on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know ⁵¹ and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place ^(KW)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ^(KX)ten virgins who took their lamps^[s] and went to meet ^(KY)the bridegroom.^{[t] 2} Five of them were foolish, and five were ^(KZ)wise. ³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵ As the bridegroom ^(LA)was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. ⁶ But ^(LB)at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷ Then all those virgins rose and ^(LC)trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and ^(LD)those who were ready went in with him to ^(LE)the marriage feast, and ^(LF)the door was shut. ¹¹ Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ^(LG)‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ^12 (LH)But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, ^(LI)I do not know you.’ ^13 (LJ)Watch therefore, for you ^(LK)know neither the day nor the hour.

The Parable of the Talents

^14 (LL)“For ^(LM)it will be like a man ^(LN)going on a journey, who called his servants^[u] and entrusted to them his property. ¹⁵ To one he gave five ^(LO)talents,^[v] to another two, to another one, ^(LP)to each according to his ability. Then he ^(LQ)went away. ¹⁶ He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. ¹⁷ So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. ¹⁸ But he who had received the one talent went and ^(LR)dug in the ground and hid his master's money. ¹⁹ Now ^(LS)after a long time the master of those servants came and ^(LT)settled accounts with them. ²⁰ And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and ^(LU)faithful servant.^{[w] (LV)}You have been faithful over a little; ^(LW)I will set you over much. Enter into ^(LX)the joy of your master.’ ²² And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be ^(LY)a hard man, reaping ^(LZ)where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, ²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, ^(MA)you have what is yours.’ ²⁶ But his master answered him, ‘You ^(MB)wicked and ^(MC)slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? ²⁷ Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. ^29 (MD)For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And ^(ME)cast ^(MF)the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place ^(MG)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Final Judgment

^31 (MH)“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, ^(MI)then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² Before him ^(MJ)will be gathered ^(MK)all the nations, and ^(ML)he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates ^(MM)the sheep from the goats. ³³ And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then ^(MN)the King will say to ^(MO)those on his right, ‘Come, you ^(MP)who are blessed by my Father, ^(MQ)inherit ^(MR)the kingdom ^(MS)prepared for you ^(MT)from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For ^(MU)I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you ^(MV)gave me drink, ^(MW)I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ^36 (MX)I was naked and you clothed me, ^(MY)I was sick and you ^(MZ)visited me, ^(NA)I was in prison and you came to me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰ And ^(NB)the King will answer them, ^(NC)‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these ^(ND)my brothers,^[x] you did it to me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ^(NE)‘Depart from me, you ^(NF)cursed, into ^(NG)the eternal fire prepared for ^(NH)the devil and his angels. ⁴² For ^(NI)I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, ^(NJ)you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away ^(NK)into eternal punishment, but the righteous ^(NL)into ^(NM)eternal life.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, ^2 (NN)“You know that after two days ^(NO)the Passover is coming, and ^(NP)the Son of Man ^(NQ)will be delivered up to be crucified.”

^3 (NR)Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in ^(NS)the palace of the high priest, whose name was ^(NT)Caiaphas, ^4 (NU)and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. ⁵ But they said, “Not during the feast, ^(NV)lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

^6 (NW)Now when Jesus was at ^(NX)Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,^{[y] 7} a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. ⁸ And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this could have been sold for a large sum and ^(NY)given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But ^(NZ)Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ For ^(OA)you always have the poor with you, but ^(OB)you will not always have me. ¹² In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it ^(OC)to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Truly, I say to you, wherever ^(OD)this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told ^(OE)in memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

^14 (OF)Then one of the twelve, whose name was ^(OG)Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they ^(OH)paid him ^(OI)thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ And from that moment he sought an opportunity ^(OJ)to betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

^17 (OK)Now on ^(OL)the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ^(OM)‘The Teacher says, ^(ON)My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” ¹⁹ And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

^20 (OO)When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.^{[z] 21} And as they were eating, ^(OP)he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” ²² And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” ²³ He answered, ^(OQ)“He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. ²⁴ The Son of Man goes ^(OR)as it is written of him, but ^(OS)woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(OT)It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”