Day 68 of 90

¹And he called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.

²Now the names of the twelve apostles are these. The first, Simon, who is called Peter; and Andrew his brother; and Jacob the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; Jacob the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

⁴Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

⁵Jesus sent these twelve out, and commanded them, saying, "Do not go among the Gentiles, and do not enter into any city of the Samaritans.

⁶Rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

⁷And as you go, proclaim, saying, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is near!'

⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give.

⁹Do not take any gold, nor silver, nor brass in your money belts.

¹⁰Take no bag for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food.

¹¹And into whatever city or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy; and stay there until you go on.

¹²And as you enter into the household, greet it.

¹³And if the household is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

¹⁴And whoever does not receive you, nor hear your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust from your feet.

¹⁵Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

¹⁶"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

¹⁷But beware of people: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you.

¹⁸Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.

¹⁹But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious how or what you will say, for it will be given you in that hour what you will say.

²⁰For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

²¹"And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death.

²²And you will be hated by all men for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved.

²³But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man has come.

²⁴"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord.

²⁵It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!

²⁶Therefore do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known.

²⁷What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.

²⁸And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

²⁹"Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father's will,

³⁰but the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

³¹Therefore do not be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.

³²Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven.

³³But whoever denies me before people, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

³⁴"Do not think that I came to send peace on the earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword.

³⁵For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

³⁶And a man's foes will be those of his own household.

³⁷He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

³⁸And whoever does not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me.

³⁹He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

⁴⁰He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.

⁴¹He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. He who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.

⁴²And whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, truly I tell you he will in no way lose his reward."

¹And it happened that when Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and proclaim in their cities.

²Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Messiah, he sent his disciples

³and said to him, "Are you the One who is to come, or should we look for another?"

⁴And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:

⁵the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

⁶And blessed is he who is not offended by me."

⁷And as these went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

⁸But what did you go out to see? A man in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

⁹But why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet.

¹⁰This is the one of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'

¹¹Truly I tell you, among those who are born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.

¹²And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

¹³For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.

¹⁴And if you are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, who is to come.

¹⁵He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

¹⁶"But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call to their companions

¹⁷and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance. We sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.'

¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'

¹⁹The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her actions."

²⁰Then he began to denounce the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.

²¹"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

²²But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

²³And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you will go down to hell. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you, it would have remained until this day.

²⁴But I tell you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, on the day of judgment, than for you."

²⁵At that time, Jesus answered, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants.

²⁶Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.

²⁷All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows the Son, except the Father; neither does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and he to whom the Son desires to reveal him.

²⁸"Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.

²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.

³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

¹At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

²But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, "Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath."

³But he said to them, "Have not you read what David did, when he was hungry, he and his companions;

⁴how he entered into the house of God, and ate the show bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

⁵Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath day, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless?

⁶But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

⁷But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.

⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

⁹And he departed there, and went into their synagogue.

¹⁰And behold there was a man with a withered hand. They asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?" that they might accuse him.

¹¹And he said to them, "What man is there among you, who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won't he grab on to it, and lift it out?

¹²Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day."

¹³Then he told the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out; and it was restored whole, just like the other.

¹⁴But the Pharisees went out, and conspired against him, how they might destroy him.

¹⁵But Jesus, perceiving that, withdrew from there. Many followed him; and he healed them all,

¹⁶and commanded them that they should not make him known:

¹⁷that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁸"Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit on him. And he will proclaim justice to the nations.

¹⁹He will not strive, nor shout; neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

²⁰He won't break a bruised reed. And he won't quench a smoking flax, until he leads justice to victory.

²¹And in his name, the nations will hope."

²²Then one possessed by a demon, blind and mute, was brought to him and he healed him, so that the mute man both spoke and saw.

²³And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, "Can this be the son of David?"

²⁴But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons."

²⁵And knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

²⁶And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

²⁷If I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

²⁸But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

²⁹Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and carry off his possessions, unless he first bind the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

³⁰"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.

³¹Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

³²And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.

³³"Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.

³⁴You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

³⁵The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things.

³⁶But I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

³⁷For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

³⁸Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you."

³⁹But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.

⁴⁰For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

⁴¹The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the proclaiming of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

⁴²The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, someone greater than Solomon is here.

⁴³But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it.

⁴⁴Then he says, 'I will return into my house from which I came out,' and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

⁴⁵Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even so will it be also to this evil generation."

⁴⁶While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him.

⁴⁷Then one said to him, "Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you."

⁴⁸But he answered him who spoke to him, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?"

⁴⁹And he stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said, "Behold, my mother and my brothers!

⁵⁰For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother."

¹On that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside.

²And great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and sat, and all the multitude stood on the beach.

³And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying, "Behold, a farmer went out to sow.

⁴And as he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them.

⁵And others fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth.

⁶But when the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away.

⁷Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them.

⁸Still others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.

⁹He who has ears, let him hear."

¹⁰Then the disciples came, and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

¹¹And he answered them, "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.

¹²For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever does not have, from him will be taken away even that which he has.

¹³Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing, they do not hear, neither do they understand.

¹⁴And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, 'By hearing you will hear, and will in no way understand; Seeing you will see, and will in no way perceive:

¹⁵for this people's heart has grown callous, and their ears are dull of hearing, and they have closed their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and should turn again; and I would heal them.'

¹⁶"But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

¹⁷For truly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and did not see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.

¹⁸"Hear, then, the parable of the farmer.

¹⁹When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside.

²⁰And what was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it;

²¹yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

²²And what was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

²³And what was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who truly bears fruit, and brings forth, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty."

²⁴He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,

²⁵but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away.

²⁶But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then the tares appeared also.

²⁷So the servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where did these tares come from?'

²⁸"And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and gather them up?'

²⁹"But he said, 'No, lest perhaps while you gather up the tares, you root up the wheat with them.

³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, "First, gather up the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

³¹He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field;

³²which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches."

³³He spoke another parable to them. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened."

³⁴Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he did not speak to them,

³⁵that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the beginning of the world. "

³⁶Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field."

³⁷And he answered them, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,

³⁸and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the Kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one,

³⁹and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

⁴⁰As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of the age.

⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity,

⁴²and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

⁴³Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

⁴⁴"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

⁴⁵"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls,

⁴⁶and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

⁴⁷"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind,

⁴⁸which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away.

⁴⁹So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come forth, and separate the wicked from among the righteous,

⁵⁰and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth."

⁵¹"Have you understood all these things?" They answered him, "Yes, Lord."

⁵²And he said to them, "Therefore, every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things."

⁵³And it happened that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there.

⁵⁴And coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom, and these mighty works?

⁵⁵Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers, Jacob and Joses and Simon and Judas?

⁵⁶And are not all of his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all of these things?"

⁵⁷And they were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house."

⁵⁸And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

¹At that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus,

²and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist. He is risen from the dead. That is why these powers work in him."

³For Herod had arrested John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.

⁴For John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."

⁵And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

⁶But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced among them and pleased Herod.

⁷Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask.

⁸And she, being prompted by her mother, said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

⁹And the king was grieved, but for the sake of his oaths, and of those who sat at the table with him, he commanded it to be given,

¹⁰and he sent and beheaded John in the prison.

¹¹And his head was brought on a platter, and given to the young lady: and she brought it to her mother.

¹²Then his disciples came, and took the body, and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.

¹³Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat, to a secluded place to be alone. When the multitudes heard it, they followed him on foot from the cities.

¹⁴And he went out, and he saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick.

¹⁵Now when evening had come, the disciples came to him, saying, "This place is desolate, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves food."

¹⁶But he said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

¹⁷And they told him, "We only have here five loaves and two fish."

¹⁸So he said, "Bring them here to me."

¹⁹Then he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitudes.

²⁰And they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of that which remained left over from the broken pieces.

²¹Now those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

²²And immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and to go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

²³And after he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain by himself to pray. When evening had come, he was there alone.

²⁴But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, distressed by the waves, for the wind was against it.

²⁵And in the fourth watch of the night, he came to them, walking on the sea.

²⁶And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It's a ghost!" and they screamed with fear.

²⁷But immediately he spoke to them, saying "Cheer up! It is I! Do not be afraid."

²⁸Peter answered him and said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters."

²⁹He said, "Come!" Peter stepped down from the boat, and walked on the waters to come to Jesus.

³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he yelled, saying, "Lord, save me!"

³¹Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

³²When they got up into the boat, the wind ceased.

³³Those who were in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, "You are truly the Son of God!"

³⁴When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.

³⁵When the people of that place recognized him, they sent into all that surrounding region, and brought to him all who were sick,

³⁶and they begged him that they might just touch the fringe of his garment. As many as touched it were made whole.

¹Then the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,

²"Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."

³And he answered them, "Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?

⁴For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.'

⁵But you say, 'Whoever may tell his father or his mother, "Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,"

⁶he shall not honor his father or mother.' You have made the word of God void because of your tradition.

⁷You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,

⁸'These people honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

⁹And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.'"

¹⁰He summoned the multitude, and said to them, "Hear, and understand.

¹¹That which enters into the mouth does not defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."

¹²Then the disciples came, and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying?"

¹³But he answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted.

¹⁴Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit."

¹⁵Peter answered him, "Explain the parable to us."

¹⁶So he said, "Do you also still not understand?

¹⁷Do you not understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body?

¹⁸But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man.

¹⁹For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies.

²⁰These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

²¹Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon.

²²Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and started shouting, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely demonized!"

²³But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away; for she cries after us."

²⁴But he answered, "I was not sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

²⁵But she came and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, help me."

²⁶But he answered, "It is not appropriate to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

²⁷But she said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."

²⁸Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that hour.

²⁹Jesus departed there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there.

³⁰Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, crippled, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them,

³¹so that the crowd wondered when they saw the mute speaking, injured whole, lame walking, and blind seeing-and they glorified the God of Israel.

³²Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting, or they might faint on the way."

³³Then the disciples said to him, "Where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?"

³⁴Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish."

³⁵He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;

³⁶and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes.

³⁷They all ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over.

³⁸Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

³⁹Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came into the borders of Magadan.

¹The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

²But he answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.'

³In the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times!

⁴An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of Jonah." He left them, and departed.

⁵The disciples came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread.

⁶Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

⁷They reasoned among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread."

⁸Jesus, perceiving it, said, "Why do you reason among yourselves, you of little faith, because you have no bread?

⁹Do you not yet perceive, neither remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up?

¹⁰Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?

¹¹How is it that you do not perceive that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

¹²Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

¹³Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Who do men say that the Son of Man is?"

¹⁴They said, "Some say John the Baptist, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."

¹⁵He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

¹⁶Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

¹⁷Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

¹⁸I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

¹⁹I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven."

²⁰Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he is the Messiah.

²¹From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.

²²Peter took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you."

²³But he turned, and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men."

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

²⁵For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.

²⁶For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?

²⁷For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds.

²⁸Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom."

¹After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, Jacob, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves.

²He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light.

³Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.

⁴Peter answered, and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let us make three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

⁵While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him."

⁶When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid.

⁷Jesus came and touched them and said, "Get up, and do not be afraid."

⁸Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus alone.

⁹As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Do not tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."

¹⁰The disciples asked him, saying, "Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

¹¹He answered them, "Elijah indeed comes first, and will restore all things,

¹²but I tell you that Elijah has come already, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so the Son of Man will also suffer by them."

¹³Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptist.

¹⁴When they came to the multitude, a man came to him, kneeling down to him, saying,

¹⁵"Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic, and suffers grievously; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water.

¹⁶So I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him."

¹⁷Jesus answered, "Faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him here to me."

¹⁸Jesus rebuked him, the demon went out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour.

¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, "Why weren't we able to cast it out?"

²⁰So he said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." [

²¹But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.]

²²While they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men,

²³and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up." They were exceedingly sorry.

²⁴When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the didrachma coins came to Peter, and said, "Does not your teacher pay the didrachma?"

²⁵He said, "Yes." When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive toll or tribute? From their children, or from strangers?"

²⁶He said to him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Therefore the children are exempt.

²⁷But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater coin. Take that, and give it to them for me and you."

¹In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"

²He called a little child to himself, and set him in the midst of them,

³and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

⁴Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

⁵Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,

⁶but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.

⁷"Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks. For there will always be something to cause people to stumble, but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes!

⁸If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life crippled or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.

⁹If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the fire of hell.

¹⁰See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. [

¹¹For the Son of Man came to save what was lost.]

¹²"What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does not he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray?

¹³If he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.

¹⁴Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

¹⁵"If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother.

¹⁶But if he does not listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to hear the church also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector.

¹⁸Truly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.

¹⁹Again, truly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.

²⁰For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them."

²¹Then Peter came to him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?"

²²Jesus said to him, "I do not tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.

²³Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants.

²⁴When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

²⁵But because he could not pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

²⁶The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you all!'

²⁷The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

²⁸"But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'

²⁹"So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you all!'

³⁰He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due.

³¹So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done.

³²Then his lord called him in, and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.

³³Should not you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?'

³⁴His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due.

³⁵So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you do not each forgive your brother from your heart."

¹It happened when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan.

²Great multitudes followed him, and he healed them there.

³The Pharisees came, testing him, and saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?"

⁴He answered, and said, "Have not you read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,

⁵and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall join to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?'

⁶So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, do not let man tear apart."

⁷They asked him, "Why then did Moses command us to give her a certificate of divorce, and divorce her?"

⁸He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so.

⁹I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery."

¹⁰The disciples said to him, "If this is the case of the man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry."

¹¹But he said to them, "Not all men can receive this saying, but those to whom it is given.

¹²For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven's sake. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it."

¹³Then little children were brought to him, that he should lay his hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.

¹⁴But Jesus said, "Allow the little children, and do not forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these."

¹⁵He placed his hands on them, and departed from there.

¹⁶Behold, one came to him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"

¹⁷He said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? No one is good but one. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

¹⁸He said to him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "'You shall not murder.' 'You shall not commit adultery.' 'You shall not steal.' 'You shall not offer false testimony.'

¹⁹'Honor your father and mother.' And, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

²⁰The young man said to him, "All these things I have observed. What do I still lack?"

²¹Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

²²But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions.

²³Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty.

²⁴Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God."

²⁵When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"

²⁶Looking at them, Jesus said, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

²⁷Then Peter answered, "Behold, we have left everything, and followed you. What then will we have?"

²⁸Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

²⁹Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life.

³⁰But many will be last who are first; and first who are last.

¹"For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

²When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

³He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace.

⁴To them he said, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went their way.

⁵Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.

⁶About the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing. He said to them, 'Why do you stand here all day idle?'

⁷"They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' "He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.'

⁸When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.'

⁹"When those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius.

¹⁰When the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise each received a denarius.

¹¹When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household,

¹²saying, 'These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat!'

¹³"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

¹⁴Take that which is yours, and go your way. It is my desire to give to this last just as much as to you.

¹⁵Is not it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?'

¹⁶So the last will be first, and the first last."

¹⁷As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve aside, and on the way he said to them,

¹⁸"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death,

¹⁹and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock, to scourge, and to crucify; and the third day he will be raised up."

²⁰Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling and asking a certain thing of him.

²¹He said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Command that these, my two sons, may sit, one on your right hand, and one on your left hand, in your Kingdom."

²²But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able."

²³He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it is for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

²⁴When the ten heard it, they were indignant with the two brothers.

²⁵But Jesus summoned them, and said, "You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

²⁶It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you must be your servant.

²⁷Whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant,

²⁸even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

²⁹As they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.

³⁰Behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, shouted, "Lord, have mercy on us, you son of David!"

³¹The multitude rebuked them, telling them that they should be quiet, but they shouted even more, "Lord, have mercy on us, you son of David!"

³²Jesus stood still, and called them, and asked, "What do you want me to do for you?"

³³They told him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."

³⁴Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received their sight, and they followed him.

¹When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

²saying to them, "Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to me.

³If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and immediately he will send them."

⁴This took place that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,

⁵"Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

⁶The disciples went, and did just as Jesus directed them,

⁷and brought the donkey and the colt, and placed their clothes on them; and he sat on them.

⁸A very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees, and spread them on the road.

⁹The multitudes who went before him, and who followed kept shouting, "Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"

¹⁰When he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?"

¹¹The multitudes said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."

¹²Jesus entered into the temple, and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers' tables and the seats of those who sold the doves.

¹³He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers!"

¹⁴The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

¹⁵But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the son of David!" they were indignant,

¹⁶and said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" Jesus said to them, "Yes. Did you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing babies you have perfected praise?'"

¹⁷He left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there.

¹⁸Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry.

¹⁹Seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves. He said to it, "Let there be no fruit from you forever!" Immediately the fig tree withered away.

²⁰When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree immediately wither away?"

²¹Jesus answered them, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith, and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you told this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it would be done.

²²All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

²³When he had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority do you do these things? Who gave you this authority?"

²⁴Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things.

²⁵The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from man?" They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

²⁶But if we say, 'From man,' we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a prophet."

²⁷They answered Jesus, and said, "We do not know." He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

²⁸But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, 'Son, go work today in the vineyard.'

²⁹He answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind, and went.

³⁰He came to the second, and said the same thing. He answered, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.

³¹Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering into the Kingdom of God before you.

³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. When you saw it, you did not even repent afterward, that you might believe him.

³³"Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household, who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went on a journey.

³⁴When the season for the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive his fruit.

³⁵The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

³⁶Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they treated them the same way.

³⁷But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

³⁸But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and seize his inheritance.'

³⁹So they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

⁴⁰When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?"

⁴¹They told him, "He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in its season."

⁴²Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes?'

⁴³"Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation bringing forth its fruit.

⁴⁴He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust."

⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke about them.

⁴⁶When they sought to seize him, they feared the multitudes, because they considered him to be a prophet.

¹Jesus answered and spoke again in parables to them, saying,

²"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son,

³and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come.

⁴Again he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "Behold, I have made ready my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast!"'

⁵But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise,

⁶and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them.

⁷The king was enraged, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

⁸"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren't worthy.

⁹Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.'

¹⁰Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests.

¹¹But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who did not have on wedding clothing,

¹²and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?' He was speechless.

¹³Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.'

¹⁴For many are called, but few chosen."

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his talk.

¹⁶They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach the way of God in truth, no matter whom you teach, for you are not partial to anyone.

¹⁷Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

¹⁸But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test me, you hypocrites?

¹⁹Show me the tax money." They brought to him a denarius.

²⁰He asked them, "Whose is this image and inscription?"

²¹They said to him, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

²²When they heard it, they marveled, and left him, and went away.

²³On that day Sadducees (those who say that there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him,

²⁴saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed for his brother.'

²⁵Now there were with us seven brothers. The first married and died, and having no seed left his wife to his brother.

²⁶In like manner the second also, and the third, to the seventh.

²⁷After them all, the woman died.

²⁸In the resurrection therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had her."

²⁹But Jesus answered them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.

³⁰For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven.

³¹But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have not you read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,

³²'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

³³When the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

³⁴But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together.

³⁵One of them, a Law scholar, asked him a question, testing him.

³⁶"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"

³⁷He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

³⁸This is the great and first commandment.

³⁹A second likewise is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

⁴⁰The whole Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."

⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,

⁴²saying, "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "Of David."

⁴³He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,

⁴⁴'The Lord said to my Lord, sit on my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet'?

⁴⁵"If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?"

⁴⁶No one was able to answer him a word, neither did any man dare ask him any more questions from that day forth.

¹Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples,

²saying, "Upon the seat of Moses the Pharisees and scribes sit.

³All which they will say unto you, observe and do; but their works do not do, because they say, and do not do.

⁴For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.

⁵But all their works they do to be seen by others. They make their tefillin broad and enlarge the fringe of their garments,

⁶and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,

⁷the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi' by men.

⁸But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for one is your Teacher, and all of you are brothers.

⁹Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven.

¹⁰Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Messiah.

¹¹But he who is greatest among you will be your servant.

¹²Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

¹³"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you do not enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter." [

¹⁴Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]

¹⁵Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much of a son of hell as yourselves.

¹⁶"Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.'

¹⁷You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

¹⁸'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated?'

¹⁹You blind men! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

²⁰He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it.

²¹He who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who was living in it.

²²He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.

²³"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the Law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.

²⁴You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!

²⁵"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.

²⁶You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also.

²⁷"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

²⁸Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

²⁹"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous,

³⁰and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'

³¹Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets.

³²Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.

³³You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of hell?

³⁴Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city;

³⁵that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar.

³⁶Truly I tell you, that all these things will come upon this generation.

³⁷"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!

³⁸Behold, your house is left to you desolate.

³⁹For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'"