Bible in 90 Days
All Things Possible
14 (A)When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15 Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were (B)amazed and began running up to greet Him. 16 And He asked them, “What are you discussing with them?” 17 And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; 18 and [a]whenever it seizes him, it [b]slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and [c]stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” 19 And He *answered them and *said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” 20 They brought [d]the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. 21 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ (C)All things are possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” 25 When Jesus saw that (D)a crowd was [e]rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I [f]command you, come out of him and do not enter him [g]again.” 26 After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. 28 When He came (E)into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?” 29 And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”
Death and Resurrection Foretold
30 (F)From there they went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it. 31 For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “(G)The Son of Man is to be [h]delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” 32 But (H)they [i]did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.
33 (I)They came to Capernaum; and when He [j]was in (J)the house, He began to question them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way (K)they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and *said to them, “(L)If anyone wants to be first, [k]he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Taking a child, He set him [l]before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “(M)Whoever receives [m]one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”
Dire Warnings
38 (N)John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and (O)we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. 40 (P)For he who is not against us is [n]for us. 41 For (Q)whoever gives you a cup of water to drink [o]because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.
42 “(R)Whoever causes one of these [p]little ones who believe to stumble, it [q]would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he [r]had been cast into the sea. 43 (S)If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into [s](T)hell, into the (U)unquenchable fire, 44 [[t]where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 45 If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into [u](V)hell, 46 [[v]where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 47 (W)If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into [w](X)hell, 48 (Y)where their worm does not die, and (Z)the fire is not quenched.
49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but (AA)if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you [x]make it salty again? (AB)Have salt in yourselves, and (AC)be at peace with one another.”
Jesus’ Teaching about Divorce
10 (AD)Getting up, He *went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds *gathered around Him again, and, (AE)according to His custom, He once more began to teach them.
2 Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to [y]divorce a wife. 3 And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “(AF)Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and [z]send her away.” 5 But Jesus said to them, “[aa](AG)Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But (AH)from the beginning of creation, God (AI)made them male and female. 7 (AJ)For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother[ab], 8 (AK)and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”
10 In the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. 11 And He *said to them, “(AL)Whoever [ac]divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12 and (AM)if she herself [ad]divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”
Jesus Blesses Little Children
13 (AN)And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; (AO)for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I say to you, (AP)whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He (AQ)took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.
The Rich Young Ruler
17 (AR)As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and (AS)knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to (AT)inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments, ‘(AU)Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept (AV)all these things from my youth up.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have (AW)treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words [ae]he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “(AX)How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples (AY)were amazed at His words. But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 (AZ)It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “[af]Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus *said, “(BA)With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
28 (BB)Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, (BC)there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 [ag]but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in [ah]the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in (BD)the age to come, eternal life. 31 But (BE)many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”
Jesus’ Sufferings Foretold
32 (BF)They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they (BG)were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, 33 saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and (BH)the Son of Man will be [ai]delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will [aj]hand Him over to the Gentiles. 34 They will mock Him and (BI)spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”
35 [ak](BJ)James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “[al]Grant that we (BK)may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able (BL)to drink the cup that I drink, or (BM)to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink (BN)you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; (BO)but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
41 (BP)Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with [am]James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you, (BQ)but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man (BR)did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His [an]life a ransom for many.”
Bartimaeus Receives His Sight
46 (BS)Then they *came to Jericho. And (BT)as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus the (BU)Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, (BV)Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “(BW)Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they *called the blind man, saying to him, “(BX)Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” 50 Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. 51 And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “[ao](BY)Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go; (BZ)your faith has [ap]made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.
The Triumphal Entry
11 (CA)As they *approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and (CB)Bethany, near (CC)the Mount of Olives, He *sent two of His disciples, 2 and *said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he [aq]will send it back here.” 4 They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they *untied it. 5 Some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission. 7 (CD)They *brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it; and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. 9 Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting:
“Hosanna!
(CE)Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;
Hosanna (CF)in the highest!”
11 (CG)Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, (CH)He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.
12 (CI)On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.
Jesus Drives Money Changers from the Temple
15 (CJ)Then they *came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling [ar]doves; 16 and He would not permit anyone to carry [as]merchandise through the temple. 17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘(CK)My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? (CL)But you have made it a robbers’ [at]den.” 18 The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and (CM)began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for (CN)the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.
19 (CO)When evening came, [au]they would go out of the city.
20 (CP)As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Being reminded, Peter *said to Him, “(CQ)Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus *answered saying to them, “(CR)Have faith in God. 23 (CS)Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 Therefore I say to you, (CT)all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 25 Whenever you (CU)stand praying, (CV)forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 [[av](CW)But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]
Jesus’ Authority Questioned
27 They *came again to Jerusalem. (CX)And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders *came to Him, 28 and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?” 29 And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.” 31 They began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 32 But [aw]shall we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the people, for everyone considered John to have been a real prophet. 33 Answering Jesus, they *said, “We do not know.” And Jesus *said to them, “Nor [ax]will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Parable of the Vine-growers
12 (CY)And He began to speak to them in parables: “(CZ)A man (DA)planted a vineyard and put a [ay]wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and rented it out to [az]vine-growers and went on a journey. 2 At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers. 3 They took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others. 6 He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the [ba]owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not even read this Scripture:
‘(DB)The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the chief corner stone;
11 (DC)This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 (DD)And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the [bb]people, for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so (DE)they left Him and went away.
Jesus Answers the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes
13 (DF)Then they *sent some of the Pharisees and (DG)Herodians to Him in order to (DH)trap Him in a statement. 14 They *came and *said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and [bc]defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it [bd]lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we pay or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a [be]denarius to look at.” 16 They brought one. And He *said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus said to them, “(DI)Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they [bf]were amazed at Him.
18 (DJ)Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) *came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that (DK)if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and leaves no child, his brother should [bg]marry the wife and raise up children to his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children. 21 The second one [bh]married her, and died leaving behind no children; and the third likewise; 22 and so [bi]all seven left no children. Last of all the woman died also. 23 In the resurrection, [bj]when they rise again, which one’s wife will she be? For [bk]all seven had married her.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not [bl]understand the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 But [bm]regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, (DL)in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘(DM)I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 (DN)He is not the God [bn]of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”
28 (DO)One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and (DP)recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the [bo]foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘(DQ)Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; 30 (DR)and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘(DS)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that (DT)He is One, and there is no one else besides Him; 33 (DU)and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, (DV)is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (DW)After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.
35 (DX)And Jesus began to say, as He (DY)taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that [bp]the Christ is the (DZ)son of David? 36 David himself said [bq]in the Holy Spirit,
‘(EA)The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet.”’
37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And (EB)the large crowd [br]enjoyed listening to Him.
38 (EC)In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like (ED)respectful greetings in the market places, 39 and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 40 (EE)who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”
The Widow’s Mite
41 (EF)And He sat down opposite (EG)the treasury, and began observing how the people were (EH)putting [bs]money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two [bt]small copper coins, which amount to a [bu]cent. 43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all [bv]the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their [bw]surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, [bx]all she had (EI)to live on.”
Things to Come
13 (EJ)As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples *said to Him, “Teacher, behold [by]what wonderful stones and [bz]what wonderful buildings!” 2 And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? (EK)Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”
3 As He was sitting on (EL)the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, (EM)Peter and [ca]James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the [cb]sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 6 Many will come in My name, saying, ‘(EN)I am He!’ and will mislead many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
9 “But [cc]be on your guard; for they will (EO)deliver you to the [cd]courts, and you will be flogged (EP)in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. 10 (EQ)The gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 (ER)When they [ce]arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. 12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and [cf]have them put to death. 13 (ES)You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
14 “But (ET)when you see the (EU)abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 (EV)The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; 16 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. 17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 But pray that it may not happen in the winter. 19 For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred (EW)since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. 20 Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no [cg]life would have been saved; but for the sake of the [ch]elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is [ci]the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; 22 for false Christs and (EX)false prophets will arise, and will show [cj](EY)signs and (EZ)wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.
The Return of Christ
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, (FA)the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, 25 (FB)and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in [ck]the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see (FC)the Son of Man (FD)coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send forth the angels, and (FE)will gather together His [cl]elect from the four winds, (FF)from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.
28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, [cm]recognize that [cn]He is near, right at the [co]door. 30 Truly I say to you, this [cp]generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32 (FG)But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
33 “Take heed, (FH)keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time [cq]will come. 34 (FI)It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and [cr]putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. 35 Therefore, (FJ)be on the alert—for you do not know when the [cs]master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or (FK)when the rooster crows, or (FL)in the morning— 36 in case he should come suddenly and find you (FM)asleep. 37 What I say to you I say to all, ‘(FN)Be on the alert!’”
Death Plot and Anointing
14 (FO)Now (FP)the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes (FQ)were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him; 2 for they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people.”
3 (FR)While He was in (FS)Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very (FT)costly perfume of pure [ct]nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. 4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5 For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred [cu]denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. 6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. 7 For you always have (FU)the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. 8 She has done what she could; (FV)she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9 Truly I say to you, (FW)wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
10 (FX)Then Judas Iscariot, (FY)who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to [cv]betray Him to them. 11 They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.
The Last Passover
12 (FZ)On the first day of (GA)Unleavened Bread, when [cw]the Passover lamb was being (GB)sacrificed, His disciples *said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” 13 And He *sent two of His disciples and *said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; 14 and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My (GC)guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15 And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.” 16 The disciples went out and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.
17 (GD)When it was evening He *came with the twelve. 18 As they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will [cx]betray Me—[cy]one who is eating with Me.” 19 They began to be grieved and to say to Him one by one, “Surely not I?” 20 And He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, [cz]one who dips with Me in the bowl. 21 For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man [da]by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good [db]for that man if he had not been born.”
The Lord’s Supper
22 (GE)While they were eating, He took some bread, and [dc]after a (GF)blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” 23 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My (GG)blood of the (GH)covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 (GI)After singing a hymn, they went out to (GJ)the Mount of Olives.
27 (GK)And Jesus *said to them, “You will all [dd]fall away, because it is written, ‘(GL)I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’ 28 But after I have been raised, (GM)I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 29 But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may [de]fall away, yet I will not.” 30 And Jesus *said to him, “Truly I say to you, that [df](GN)this very night, before (GO)a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” 31 But Peter kept saying insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also.
Jesus in Gethsemane
32 (GP)They *came to a place named Gethsemane; and He *said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” 33 And He *took with Him Peter and [dg]James and John, and began to be very (GQ)distressed and troubled. 34 And He *said to them, “(GR)My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” 35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, (GS)the hour might [dh]pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, “(GT)Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; (GU)yet not what I will, but what You will.” 37 And He *came and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 (GV)Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Again He went away and prayed, saying the same [di]words. 40 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 And He *came the third time, and *said to them, “[dj]Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough; (GW)the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being [dk]betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”
Betrayal and Arrest
43 (GX)Immediately while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, *came up [dl]accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who were from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away [dm]under guard.” 45 After coming, Judas immediately went to Him, saying, “(GY)Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46 They laid hands on Him and seized Him. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and [dn]cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber? 49 Every day I was with you (GZ)in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.” 50 And they all left Him and fled.
51 A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they *seized him. 52 But he [do]pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.
Jesus before His Accusers
53 (HA)They led Jesus away to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes *gathered together. 54 Peter had followed Him at a distance, (HB)right into (HC)the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the [dp]officers and (HD)warming himself at the [dq]fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole [dr](HE)Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56 For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. 57 Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, 58 “We heard Him say, ‘(HF)I will destroy this [ds]temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’” 59 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent. 60 The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer? [dt]What is it that these men are testifying against You?” 61 (HG)But He kept silent and did not answer. (HH)Again the high priest was questioning Him, and [du]saying to Him, “Are You [dv]the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see (HI)the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and (HJ)coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 (HK)Tearing his clothes, the high priest *said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? 64 You have heard the (HL)blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. 65 Some began to (HM)spit at Him, and [dw](HN)to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “(HO)Prophesy!” And the officers [dx]received Him with [dy]slaps in the face.
Peter’s Denials
66 (HP)As Peter was below in (HQ)the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest *came, 67 and seeing Peter (HR)warming himself, she looked at him and *said, “You also were with Jesus the (HS)Nazarene.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” And he (HT)went out onto the [dz]porch.[ea] 69 The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, “This is one of them!” 70 But again (HU)he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, (HV)for you are a Galilean too.” 71 But he began to [eb]curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!” 72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before (HW)a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” [ec]And he began to weep.
Jesus before Pilate
15 (HX)Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole [ed](HY)Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate. 2 (HZ)Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He *answered him, “It is as you say.” 3 The chief priests began to accuse Him [ee]harshly. 4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” 5 But Jesus (IA)made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.
6 (IB)Now at the feast he used to release for them any one prisoner whom they requested. 7 The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. 8 The crowd went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them. 9 Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10 For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd (IC)to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. 12 Answering again, Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13 They shouted [ef]back, “Crucify Him!” 14 But Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” 15 Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus (ID)scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
16 (IE)The soldiers took Him away into (IF)the [eg]palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they *called together the whole Roman [eh](IG)cohort. 17 They *dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began to acclaim Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They kept beating His head with a [ei]reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. 20 After they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they *led Him out to crucify Him.
21 (IH)They *pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and (II)Rufus), to bear His cross.
The Crucifixion
22 (IJ)Then they *brought Him to the place (IK)Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 They tried to give Him (IL)wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. 24 And they *crucified Him, and *(IM)divided up His garments among themselves, casting [ej]lots for them to decide [ek]what each man should take. 25 It was the [el](IN)third hour [em]when they crucified Him. 26 The inscription of the charge against Him [en]read, “(IO)THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
27 They *crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28 [[eo]And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”] 29 Those passing by were [ep]hurling abuse at Him, (IP)wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to (IQ)destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “(IR)He saved others; [eq]He cannot save Himself. 32 Let this Christ, (IS)the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” (IT)Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.
33 (IU)When the [er](IV)sixth hour came, darkness [es]fell over the whole land until the [et](IW)ninth hour. 34 At the (IX)ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “(IY)Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35 When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” 36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “[eu]Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” 37 (IZ)And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. 38 (JA)And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 (JB)When the centurion, who was standing [ev]right in front of Him, saw [ew]the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was [ex]the Son of God!”
40 (JC)There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of [ey]James (JD)the [ez]Less and Joses, and (JE)Salome. 41 When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and [fa](JF)minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.
Jesus Is Buried
42 (JG)When evening had already come, because it was (JH)the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a (JI)prominent member of the Council, who himself was (JJ)waiting for the kingdom of God; and he (JK)gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45 And ascertaining this from (JL)the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 (JM)Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.
The Resurrection
16 (JN)When the Sabbath was over, (JO)Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of [fb]James, and Salome, (JP)bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, they *came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away (JQ)the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 Looking up, they *saw that the stone had been rolled away, [fc]although it was extremely large. 5 (JR)Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they (JS)were amazed. 6 And he *said to them, “(JT)Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the (JU)Nazarene, who has been crucified. (JV)He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘(JW)He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” 8 They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
9 [[fd]Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to (JX)Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 10 (JY)She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, (JZ)they refused to believe it.
12 After that, (KA)He appeared in a different form (KB)to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. 13 They went away and reported it to the others, but they (KC)did not believe them either.
The Disciples Commissioned
14 Afterward (KD)He appeared (KE)to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their (KF)unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “(KG)Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 (KH)He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 17 These [fe]signs will accompany those who have believed: (KI)in My name they will cast out demons, they will (KJ)speak with new tongues; 18 they will (KK)pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will (KL)lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
19 So then, when the Lord Jesus had (KM)spoken to them, He (KN)was received up into heaven and (KO)sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the [ff]signs that followed.]
[[fg]And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.]
Introduction
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things [fh](KP)accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who (KQ)from the beginning [fi]were (KR)eyewitnesses and [fj](KS)servants of (KT)the [fk]word, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, (KU)having [fl]investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you (KV)in consecutive order, (KW)most excellent (KX)Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been [fm](KY)taught.
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 (KZ)In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named [fn]Zacharias, of the (LA)division of [fo]Abijah; and he had a wife [fp]from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both (LB)righteous in the sight of God, walking (LC)blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in [fq]years.
8 Now it happened that while (LD)he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot (LE)to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer (LF)outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And (LG)an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and (LH)fear [fr]gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “(LI)Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and (LJ)you will [fs]give him the name John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will (LK)drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [ft]while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will (LL)turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 It is he who will (LM)go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of (LN)Elijah, (LO)to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to (LP)make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For (LQ)I am an old man and my wife is advanced in [fu]years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am (LR)Gabriel, who [fv](LS)stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he (LT)kept [fw]making signs to them, and remained mute. 23 When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.
24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she [fx]kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to (LU)take away my disgrace among men.”
Jesus’ Birth Foretold
26 Now in the sixth month the angel (LV)Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called (LW)Nazareth, 27 to (LX)a virgin [fy]engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, (LY)of the [fz]descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was [ga]Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, [gb]favored one! The Lord [gc]is with you.” 29 But she (LZ)was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “(MA)Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you (MB)shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of (MC)the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him (MD)the throne of His father David; 33 (ME)and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, (MF)and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How [gd]can this be, since I [ge]am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “(MG)The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of (MH)the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason (MI)the [gf]holy Child shall be called (MJ)the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and [gg]she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For [gh](MK)nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the [gi]bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 Now [gj]at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to (ML)the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was (MM)filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And [gk]how has it happened to me, that the mother of (MN)my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And (MO)blessed is she who [gl]believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her [gm]by the Lord.”
The Magnificat
46 And Mary said:
“(MP)My soul [gn](MQ)exalts the Lord,
47 And (MR)my spirit has rejoiced in (MS)God my Savior.
48 “For (MT)He has had regard for the humble state of His [go]bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me (MU)blessed.
49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
50 “(MV)And His mercy is [gp]upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
51 “(MW)He has done [gq]mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who were proud in the [gr]thoughts of their heart.
52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has (MX)exalted those who were humble.
53 “(MY)He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,
[gs]In remembrance of His mercy,
55 (MZ)As He spoke to our fathers,
(NA)To Abraham and his [gt]descendants forever.”
56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.
John Is Born
57 Now the time [gu]had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had [gv](NB)displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.
59 And it happened that on (NC)the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, [gw]after his father. 60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but (ND)he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 62 And they (NE)made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “(NF)His name is John.” And they were all astonished. 64 (NG)And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. 65 Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all (NH)the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For (NI)the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.
Zacharias’s Prophecy
67 And his father Zacharias (NJ)was filled with the Holy Spirit, and (NK)prophesied, saying:
68 “(NL)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished (NM)redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a (NN)horn of salvation for us
In the house of David (NO)His servant—
70 (NP)As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets (NQ)from of old—
71 [gx](NR)Salvation (NS)from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (NT)To show mercy toward our fathers,
(NU)And to remember His holy covenant,
73 (NV)The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 (NW)In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 “And you, child, will be called the (NX)prophet of (NY)the Most High;
For you will go on (NZ)before the Lord to (OA)prepare His ways;
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
[gy]By (OB)the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which (OC)the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 (OD)To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the (OE)way of peace.”
80 (OF)And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.