Day 9 of 30

¹As he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings!"

²And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone on another, which will not be thrown down."

³As he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, Jacob, John, and Andrew asked him privately,

⁴"Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign that these things are all about to be fulfilled?"

⁵And Jesus began to say to them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray.

⁶Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and will lead many astray.

⁷"When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled. Such things must happen, but the end is not yet.

⁸For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. These things are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹But watch yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before rulers and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them.

¹⁰The Good News must first be preached to all the nations.

¹¹When they lead you away and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand, or premeditate what you will say, but say whatever will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

¹²"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.

¹³You will be hated by all men for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end, the same will be saved.

¹⁴But when you see the abomination of desolation, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains,

¹⁵and let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out of his house.

¹⁶Let him who is in the field not return back to take his cloak.

¹⁷But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babies in those days!

¹⁸And pray that it won't be in the winter.

¹⁹For in those days there will be oppression, such as there has not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be.

²⁰Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the chosen ones, whom he picked out, he shortened the days.

²¹Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'Look, there!' do not believe it.

²²For there will arise false messiahs and false prophets, and will show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, the chosen ones.

²³But you watch. "I have told you all things beforehand.

²⁴But in those days, after that oppression, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light,

²⁵the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

²⁶Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

²⁷Then he will send out his angels, and will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.

²⁸"Now from the fig tree, learn this parable. When the branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near;

²⁹even so you also, when you see these things coming to pass, know that it is near, at the doors.

³⁰Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen.

³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³²But of that day or the hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

³³Watch, keep alert; for you do not know when the time is.

³⁴"It is like a man, traveling to another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, and to each one his work, and also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch.

³⁵Watch therefore, for you do not know when the lord of the house is coming -- at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning;

³⁶lest coming suddenly he might find you sleeping.

³⁷What I tell you, I tell all: Watch."

¹It was now two days before the feast of the Passover and the unleavened bread, and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might seize him by deception, and kill him.

²For they said, "Not during the feast, because there might be a riot of the people."

³While he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard-very costly. She broke the jar, and poured it over his head.

⁴But there were some who were indignant among themselves, "Why has this ointment been wasted?

⁵For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor." They grumbled against her.

⁶But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for me.

⁷For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want to, you can do them good; but you will not always have me.

⁸She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying.

⁹Truly I tell you, wherever this Good News may be preached throughout the whole world, that which this woman has done will also be spoken of for a memorial of her."

¹⁰Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went away to the chief priests, that he might deliver him to them.

¹¹They, when they heard it, were glad, and promised to give him money. He sought how he might conveniently deliver him.

¹²On the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover, his disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make ready that you may eat the Passover?"

¹³He sent two of his disciples, and said to them, "Go into the city, and there you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him,

¹⁴and wherever he enters in, tell the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'

¹⁵He will himself show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make ready for us there."

¹⁶The disciples went out, and came into the city, and found things as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷When it was evening he came with the twelve.

¹⁸As they sat and were eating, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me-he who eats with me."

¹⁹They began to be sorrowful, and to ask him one by one, "Surely not I?"

²⁰He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, he who dips with me in the dish.

²¹For the Son of Man goes, even as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born."

²²As they were eating, he took bread, and when he had blessed, he broke it, and gave to them, and said, "Take; this is my body."

²³He took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave to them. They all drank of it.

²⁴He said to them, "This is my blood of the New Covenant, which is poured out for many.

²⁵Truly I tell you, I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it anew in the Kingdom of God."

²⁶When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

²⁷Jesus said to them, "All of you will fall away, for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'

²⁸However, after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee."

²⁹But Peter said to him, "Although all will be offended, yet I will not."

³⁰Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, that you today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times."

³¹But he insisted, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you." They all said the same thing.

³²They came to a place which was named Gethsemane. He said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I pray."

³³He took with him Peter, Jacob, and John, and began to be greatly troubled and distressed.

³⁴He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch."

³⁵He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him.

³⁶He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me. However, not what I desire, but what you desire."

³⁷He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could not you watch one hour?

³⁸Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

³⁹Again he went away, and prayed, saying the same words.

⁴⁰Again he came and found them sleeping again, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.

⁴¹He came the third time, and said to them, "Sleep on now, and take your rest. It is enough. The hour has come. Behold, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

⁴²Arise, let us be going. Behold, he who betrays me is near."

⁴³Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came-and with him a multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.

⁴⁴Now he who betrayed him had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I will kiss, that is he. Seize him, and lead him away safely."

⁴⁵When he had come, immediately he came to him, and said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him.

⁴⁶They laid hands on him, and seized him.

⁴⁷But a certain one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

⁴⁸Jesus answered them, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to seize me?

⁴⁹I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this is so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled."

⁵⁰They all left him, and fled.

⁵¹And a certain young man followed him, having a linen cloth thrown around himself, over his naked body. And they grabbed him,

⁵²but he left the linen cloth, and fled naked.

⁵³They led Jesus away to the high priest. All the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes came together.

⁵⁴Peter had followed him from a distance, until he came into the court of the high priest. He was sitting with the officers, and warming himself in the light of the fire.

⁵⁵Now the chief priests and the whole council sought witnesses against Jesus to put him to death, and found none.

⁵⁶For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree with each other.

⁵⁷Some stood up, and gave false testimony against him, saying,

⁵⁸"We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'"

⁵⁹Even so, their testimony did not agree.

⁶⁰The high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer? What is it which these testify against you?"

⁶¹But he stayed quiet, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?"

⁶²Jesus said, "I am. You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of the sky."

⁶³The high priest tore his clothes, and said, "What further need have we of witnesses?

⁶⁴You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?" They all condemned him to be worthy of death.

⁶⁵Some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to beat him with fists, and to tell him, "Prophesy!" The officers struck him with the palms of their hands.

⁶⁶As Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the maids of the high priest came,

⁶⁷and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, "You were also with the Nazarene, Jesus!"

⁶⁸But he denied it, saying, "I neither know, nor understand what you are saying." He went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed.

⁶⁹The maid saw him, and began again to tell those who stood by, "This is one of them."

⁷⁰But he again denied it. After a little while again those who stood by said to Peter, "You truly are one of them, for you are a Galilean."

⁷¹But he began to curse, and to swear, "I do not know this man of whom you speak!"

⁷²And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Peter remembered the word, how that Jesus said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." When he thought about that, he wept.

¹Immediately in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him up to Pilate.

²Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" He answered, "So you say."

³The chief priests accused him of many things.

⁴Pilate again asked him, "Have you no answer? See how many things they testify against you!"

⁵But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate marveled.

⁶Now at the feast he used to release to them one prisoner, whom they requested.

⁷There was one called Barabbas, bound with those who had made insurrection, men who in the insurrection had committed murder.

⁸And the multitude went up and began to ask him to do as he always did for them.

⁹Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"

¹⁰For he perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up.

¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the multitude, that he should release Barabbas to them instead.

¹²Pilate again asked them, "What then should I do to him whom you call the King of the Jews?"

¹³They shouted again, "Crucify him!"

¹⁴Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

¹⁵Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over Jesus, when he had flogged him, to be crucified.

¹⁶The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort.

¹⁷They clothed him with purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on him.

¹⁸They began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

¹⁹They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him.

²⁰When they had mocked him, they took the purple off of him, and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him.

²¹They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross.

²²They brought him to the place called Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, "The place of a skull."

²³They offered him wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but he did not take it.

²⁴Crucifying him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots on them, what each should take.

²⁵It was the third hour, and they crucified him.

²⁶The superscription of his accusation was written over him, "THE KING OF THE JEWS."

²⁷With him they crucified two robbers; one on his right hand, and one on his left. [The Scripture was fulfilled, which says, "He was numbered with transgressors.]

²⁸No text for this verse number in this edition.

²⁹Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads, and saying, "Ha! You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days,

³⁰save yourself, and come down from the cross!"

³¹Likewise, also the chief priests mocking among themselves with the scribes said, "He saved others. He cannot save himself.

³²Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe him." Those who were crucified with him insulted him.

³³When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

³⁴At the ninth hour Jesus called out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is, being interpreted, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

³⁵Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, "Behold, he is calling Elijah."

³⁶One ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Let him be. Let us see whether Elijah comes to take him down."

³⁷Jesus gave a loud cry, and gave up the spirit.

³⁸The veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.

³⁹When the centurion, who stood by opposite him, saw that he died like this and breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

⁴⁰There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jacob the younger and of Joses, and Salome;

⁴¹who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and served him; and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

⁴²When evening had now come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

⁴³Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent council member who also himself was looking for the Kingdom of God, came. He boldly went in to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.

⁴⁴Pilate marveled if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long.

⁴⁵When he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.

⁴⁶He bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and placed him in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock. He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.

⁴⁷Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where he was placed.

¹When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jacob, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him.

²Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

³They were saying among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"

⁴for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back.

⁵Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were amazed.

⁶He said to them, "Do not be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they put him!

⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you.'"

⁸They went out, and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid.

⁹Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

¹⁰She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

¹¹When they heard that he was alive, and had been seen by her, they disbelieved.

¹²After these things he was revealed in another form to two of them, as they walked, on their way into the country.

¹³They went away and told it to the rest. They did not believe them, either.

¹⁴Afterward he was revealed to the Eleven themselves as they sat at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

¹⁵He said to them, "Go into all the world, and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation.

¹⁶He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.

¹⁷These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages;

¹⁸they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

¹⁹So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

²⁰They went out, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed.

¹Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us,

²even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us,

³it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;

⁴that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.

⁵There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

⁶They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

⁷But they had no child, because Elisabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.

⁸Now it happened, while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his division,

⁹according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

¹⁰The whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

¹¹An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

¹²Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

¹³But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your request has been heard, and your wife, Elisabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

¹⁴You will have joy and gladness; and many will rejoice at his birth.

¹⁵For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

¹⁶He will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord, their God.

¹⁷He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

¹⁸Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."

¹⁹The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.

²⁰Behold, you will be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things will happen, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time."

²¹The people were waiting for Zechariah, and they marveled that he delayed in the temple.

²²When he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to them, and remained mute.

²³It happened, when the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house.

²⁴After these days Elisabeth, his wife, conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying,

²⁵"Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among people."

²⁶Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

²⁸Having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you!"

²⁹But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be.

³⁰The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

³¹Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and will call his name 'Jesus.'

³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David,

³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom."

³⁴Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?"

³⁵The angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born will be called the Son of God.

³⁶Behold, Elisabeth, your relative, also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

³⁷For everything spoken by God is possible."

³⁸Mary said, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word." The angel departed from her.

³⁹Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah,

⁴⁰and entered into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elisabeth.

⁴¹It happened, when Elisabeth heard Mary's greeting, that the baby leaped in her womb, and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

⁴²She called out with a loud voice, and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

⁴³Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

⁴⁴For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy!

⁴⁵Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!"

⁴⁶Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord.

⁴⁷My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,

⁴⁸for he has looked at the humble state of his handmaid. For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.

⁴⁹For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name.

⁵⁰His mercy is for generations of generations on those who fear him.

⁵¹He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

⁵²He has put down princes from their thrones. And has exalted the lowly.

⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty.

⁵⁴He has given help to Israel, his servant, that he might remember mercy,

⁵⁵As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever."

⁵⁶Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her house.

⁵⁷Now the time that Elisabeth should give birth was fulfilled, and she brought forth a son.

⁵⁸Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her, and they rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹It happened on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zechariah, after the name of the father.

⁶⁰His mother answered, "Not so; but he will be called John."

⁶¹They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name."

⁶²They made signs to his father, what he would have him called.

⁶³He asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." They all marveled.

⁶⁴His mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue freed, and he spoke, blessing God.

⁶⁵Fear came on all who lived around them, and all these sayings were talked about throughout all the hill country of Judea.

⁶⁶All who heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, "What then will this child be?" The hand of the Lord was with him.

⁶⁷His father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,

⁶⁸"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and worked redemption for his people;

⁶⁹and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

⁷⁰(as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),

⁷¹salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;

⁷²to show mercy towards our fathers, to remember his holy covenant,

⁷³the oath which he spoke to Abraham, our father,

⁷⁴to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, should serve him without fear,

⁷⁵In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

⁷⁶And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to make ready his ways,

⁷⁷to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins,

⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dawn from on high will visit us,

⁷⁹to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; to guide our feet into the way of peace."

⁸⁰The child was growing, and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.