Matthew 21
1599 Geneva Bible
21 1 Christ rideth on an ass unto Jerusalem. 12 He casteth out the sellers. 13 The house of prayer. 19 The withered fig tree. 25 John’s baptism. 28 Who do the will of God. 30 Publicans, Harlots. 33 God’s vineyard. The Jews. 38 The son killed of the husbandmen. 42 The cornerstone.
1 And (A)[a]when they drew near to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of the Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
2 Saying to them, Go into the town that is over against you, and anon ye shall find an ass bound, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
3 And if any man say ought unto you, say ye, that the Lord hath need of them, and straightway [b]he will let them go.
4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Prophet, saying,
5 ¶ (B)Tell ye the [c]daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass used to the yoke.
6 So the disciples went, and did as Jesus had commanded them,
7 And brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their [d]clothes, and set him [e]thereon.
8 And a great multitude spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9 Moreover, the people that went before, and they also that followed, cried, saying, [f]Hosanna to the Son of David, [g]Blessed be he that cometh in the Name of the Lord, Hosanna thou which art in the highest heavens.
10 (C)And when he was come into Jerusalem, [h]all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
11 And the people said, This is Jesus that Prophet of Nazareth in Galilee.
12 ¶ And Jesus went into the Temple of God, and cast out all them (D)that sold and bought in the Temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 And said to them, It is written, (E)My house shall be called the house of prayer: but (F)ye have made it a den of thieves.
14 Then the blind, and the halt came to him, in the Temple, and he healed them.
15 [i]But when the chief Priests and Scribes saw the marvels that he did, and the children crying in the Temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, they disdained,
16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus said unto them, Yea: read ye never, (G)By the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast [j]made perfect the praise?
17 ¶ [k]So he left them, and went out of the city unto Bethany, and lodged there.
18 [l]And (H)in the morning, as he returned into the city, he was hungry.
19 And seeing a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said to it, Never fruit grow on thee henceforward. And anon the fig tree withered.
20 And when his disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered!
21 [m]And Jesus answered and said unto them, (I)Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith, and [n]doubt not, ye shall not only do that, which I have done to the fig tree, but also if ye say unto this mountain, Take thyself away, and cast thyself into the sea, it shall be done.
22 (J)And whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, if ye believe, ye shall receive it.
23 ¶ (K)[o]And when he was come into the Temple, the chief Priests, and the Elders of the people came unto him, as he was teaching, and said, By what [p]authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
24 Then Jesus answered, and said unto them, I also will ask of you [q]a certain thing, which if ye tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
25 The [r]baptism of John, whence was it? from [s]heaven, or of men? Then they [t]reasoned among themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven, he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
26 And if we say, Of men, we fear the multitude, (L)for all hold John as a Prophet.
27 Then they answered Jesus, and said, We can not tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
28 ¶ [u]But what think ye? A certain man had two sons, and came to the elder, and said, Son, go and work today in my vineyard.
29 But he answered, and said, I will not: yet afterward he repented himself, and went.
30 Then came he to the second, and said likewise. And he answered, and said, I will, Sir: yet he went not.
31 Whether of them twain did the will of the father? They said unto him, The first. Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that the Publicans and the harlots [v]go before you into the kingdom of God.
32 For John came unto you in the [w]way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the Publicans and the harlots believed him, and ye though ye saw it, were not moved with repentance afterward, that ye might believe him.
33 ¶ [x]Hear another parable, There was a certain householder, (M)which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and made a winepress therein, and [y]built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a strange country.
34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen to receive the fruits thereof.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first: and they did the like unto them.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his own son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, (N)This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and let us [z]take his inheritance.
39 So they took him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When therefore the Lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those husbandmen?
41 They said unto him, He will [aa]cruelly destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall deliver him the fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus said unto them, Read ye never in the Scriptures, (O)The stone which the [ab]builders refused, the same is [ac]made the [ad]head of the corner? [ae]This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation, which shall bring forth the [af]fruits thereof.
44 (P)And whosoever shall fall on this stone, he shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will [ag]dash him in pieces.
45 And when the chief Priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
46 [ah]And they seeking to lay hands on him, feared the people, because they took him as a Prophet.
Footnotes
- Matthew 21:1 Christ by his humility triumphing over the pride of this world, ascendeth to true glory by ignomy of the cross.
- Matthew 21:3 He that shall say anything to you, shall let them go, to wit, the ass and the colt.
- Matthew 21:5 The city of Zion. An Hebrew kind of speech, common in the lamentations of Jeremiah.
- Matthew 21:7 Their uppermost garments.
- Matthew 21:7 Upon their garments, not upon the ass and the colt.
- Matthew 21:9 This was an ancient kind of crying which they used in the feast of Tabernacles, when they carried boughs according as God commanded, Lev. 23:40. And the word is corruptly made of two, for we should say, Hoshiangna, which is as much to say, as Save I pray thee.
- Matthew 21:9 Well be it to him that cometh in the name of the Lord, that is to say, whom the Lord hath given us for our king.
- Matthew 21:10 That is, all the men of Jerusalem were moved.
- Matthew 21:15 Such as should be masters of godliness, are they that do most envy the glory of Christ: but in vain.
- Matthew 21:16 Thou hast made most perfect. We read in David, Thou hast established or grounded, and if the matter be considered well, it is all one that the Evangelist saith, for that is stable and sure, which is most perfect.
- Matthew 21:17 Christ doth so forsake the wicked, that yet he hath a consideration and regard of his Church.
- Matthew 21:18 Hypocrites shall at length have their masks discovered, and their vizards plucked from their faces.
- Matthew 21:21 How great the force of faith is.
- Matthew 21:21 The Greek word signifieth a sticking or wavering of mind, so that we cannot tell which way to take.
- Matthew 21:23 Against them which overstepping the doctrine, blind the calling and vocation to an ordinary succession going about by that false pretext, to stop Christ’s mouth.
- Matthew 21:23 Or, by what power.
- Matthew 21:24 One word, that is to say, I will ask you in one word.
- Matthew 21:25 John his preaching is called by a figure, Baptism, because he preached the baptism of repentance, etc., Mark 1:4; Acts 19:3.
- Matthew 21:25 From God, and so it is plainly seen how these are set one against another.
- Matthew 21:25 Beat their heads about it and mused, or laid their heads together.
- Matthew 21:28 It is no new thing to see them to be the worst of all men, which ought to show the way of godliness to others.
- Matthew 21:31 They make haste to the kingdom of God, and you slack so that at least wise you should have followed their example. Mark then that this word (go before) is improperly taken in this place, whereas no man followeth.
- Matthew 21:32 Living uprightly, being of a good and honest conversation: For the Hebrews use this word, Way, for life and manners.
- Matthew 21:33 Those men oftentimes are the cruelest enemies of the Church, to whose fidelity it is committed: But the vocation of God, is neither tied to time, place, nor person.
- Matthew 21:33 Made the place strong: For a tower is the strongest place of a wall.
- Matthew 21:38 Word for word, let us hold it fast.
- Matthew 21:41 A kind of proverb, showing what end the wicked are worthy of.
- Matthew 21:42 Master builders, which are chief builders of the house, that is, of the Church.
- Matthew 21:42 Began to be.
- Matthew 21:42 The chiefest stone in the corner is called the head of the corner, which beareth up the couplings or joints of the whole building.
- Matthew 21:42 That matter (in that the stone which was cast away, is made the head) is the Lord’s doing, which we behold and greatly marvel at.
- Matthew 21:43 They bring forth the fruits of the kingdom of God, which bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, and not of the flesh, Gal. 5.
- Matthew 21:44 As chaff used to be scattered with the wind, for he useth a word which signifieth properly, to separate the chaff from the corn with winnowing, to scatter it abroad.
- Matthew 21:46 The wicked can do nothing, but what God will.
Matthew 21
New King James Version
The Triumphal Entry(A)
21 Now (B)when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to [a]Bethphage, at (C)the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
4 [b]All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
5 “Tell(D) the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
6 (E)So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, (F)laid their clothes on them, [c]and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; (G)others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
(H)‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Hosanna in the highest!”
10 (I)And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”
11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, (J)the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Jesus Cleanses the Temple(K)
12 (L)Then Jesus went into the temple [d]of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the (M)money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, (N)‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a (O)‘den of thieves.’ ”
14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the (P)Son of David!” they were [e]indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
(Q)‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
17 Then He left them and (R)went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.
The Fig Tree Withered(S)
18 (T)Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 (U)And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.
The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree(V)
20 (W)And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”
21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, (X)if you have faith and (Y)do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, (Z)but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And (AA)whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Jesus’ Authority Questioned(AB)
23 (AC)Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and (AD)said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”
24 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: 25 The (AE)baptism of (AF)John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?”
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we (AG)fear the multitude, (AH)for all count John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus and said, “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 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my (AI)vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to Him, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, (AJ)“Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For (AK)John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; (AL)but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward [f]relent and believe him.
The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers(AM)
33 “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner (AN)who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and (AO)went into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 (AP)And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. 37 Then last of all he sent his (AQ)son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, (AR)‘This is the heir. (AS)Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 (AT)So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”
41 (AU)They said to Him, (AV)“He will destroy those wicked men miserably, (AW)and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will [g]render to him the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
(AX)‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I say to you, (AY)the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And (AZ)whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, (BA)it will grind him to powder.”
45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they [h]perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they (BB)feared the multitudes, because (BC)they took Him for a prophet.
Footnotes
- Matthew 21:1 M Bethsphage
- Matthew 21:4 NU omits All
- Matthew 21:7 NU and He sat
- Matthew 21:12 NU omits of God
- Matthew 21:15 angry
- Matthew 21:32 regret it
- Matthew 21:41 give
- Matthew 21:45 knew
Matthew 21
English Standard Version
The Triumphal Entry
21 (A)Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to (B)the Mount of Olives, then Jesus (C)sent two disciples, 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 (D)to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 (E)“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
(F)humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt,[a] the foal of a beast of burden.’”
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 (G)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, (H)“Hosanna to (I)the Son of David! (J)Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna (K)in the highest!” 10 And (L)when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is (M)the prophet Jesus, (N)from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
12 (O)And Jesus entered the temple[b] and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of (P)the money-changers and the seats of those who sold (Q)pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, (R)‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but (S)you make it a den of robbers.”
14 (T)And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 (U)But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, (V)“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; (W)have you never read,
17 And (Z)leaving them, he (AA)went out of the city to (AB)Bethany and lodged there.
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
18 (AC)In the morning, as he was returning to the city, (AD)he became hungry. 19 (AE)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, (AF)“Truly, I say to you, (AG)if you have faith and (AH)do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, (AI)‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And (AJ)whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, (AK)if you have faith.”
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
23 (AL)And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him (AM)as he was teaching, and said, (AN)“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, (AO)from where did it come? (AP)From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, (AQ)‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ (AR)we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was (AS)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 (AT)“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in (AU)the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he (AV)changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I will, 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, (AW)the tax collectors and (AX)the prostitutes go into (AY)the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you (AZ)in the way of righteousness, and (BA)you did not believe him, but (BB)the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward (BC)change your minds and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants
33 (BD)“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted (BE)a vineyard (BF)and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and (BG)leased it to tenants, and (BH)went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants[c] to the tenants (BI)to get his fruit. 35 (BJ)And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and (BK)stoned another. 36 (BL)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, (BM)‘This is the heir. Come, (BN)let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and (BO)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 (BP)When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, (BQ)“He will put those wretches to a miserable death and (BR)let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus said to them, (BS)“Have you never read in the Scriptures:
(BT)“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;[d]
this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God (BU)will be taken away from you and given to a people (BV)producing its fruits. 44 And (BW)the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and (BX)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 (BY)although they were seeking to arrest him, (BZ)they feared the crowds, because they held him to be (CA)a prophet.
Footnotes
- Matthew 21:5 Or donkey, and on a colt
- Matthew 21:12 Some manuscripts add of God
- Matthew 21:34 Or bondservants; also verses 35, 36
- Matthew 21:42 Greek the head of the corner
- Matthew 21:44 Some manuscripts omit verse 44
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
