rsv Matthew:11-28. SEEK
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And when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples ,
he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities .
*
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ ,
he sent word by his disciples
*
and said to him , "
Are you he who is to come ,
or shall we look for another ?"
*
And Jesus answered them , "
Go and tell John what you hear and see :
*
the blind receive their sight and the lame walk ,
lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear ,
and the dead are raised up ,
and the poor have good news preached to them .
*
And blessed is he who takes no offense at me ."
*
As they went away ,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John : "
What did you go out into the wilderness to behold ?
A reed shaken by the wind ?
*
Why then did you go out ?
To see a man clothed in soft raiment ?
Behold ,
those who wear soft raiment are in kings '
houses .
*
Why then did you go out ?
To see a prophet ?
Yes ,
I tell you ,
and more than a prophet .
*
This is he of whom it is written , `
Behold ,
I send my messenger before thy face ,
who shall prepare thy way before thee .'
*
Truly ,
I say to you ,
among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist ;
yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he .
*
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence ,
and men of violence take it by force .
*
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John ;
*
and if you are willing to accept it ,
he is Eli '
jah who is to come .
*
He who has ears to hear ,
let him hear .
* "
But to what shall I compare this generation ?
It is like children sitting in the market places and calling to their playmates ,
* `
We piped to you ,
and you did not dance ;
we wailed ,
and you did not mourn .'
*
For John came neither eating nor drinking ,
and they say , `
He has a demon ';
*
the Son of man came eating and drinking ,
and they say , `
Behold ,
a glutton and a drunkard ,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners !'
Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds ."
*
Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done ,
because they did not repent .
* "
Woe to you ,
Chora '
zin !
woe to you ,
Beth-sa '
ida !
for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon ,
they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes .
*
But I tell you ,
it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you .
*
And you ,
Caper '
na-um ,
will you be exalted to heaven ?
You shall be brought down to Hades .
For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom ,
it would have remained until this day .
*
But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you ."
*
At that time Jesus declared , "
I thank thee ,
Father ,
Lord of heaven and earth ,
that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes ;
*
yea ,
Father ,
for such was thy gracious will .
*
All things have been delivered to me by my Father ;
and no one knows the Son except the Father ,
and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him .
*
Come to me ,
all who labor and are heavy laden ,
and I will give you rest .
*
Take my yoke upon you ,
and learn from me ;
for I am gentle and lowly in heart ,
and you will find rest for your souls .
*
For my yoke is easy ,
and my burden is light ."
*
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath ;
his disciples were hungry ,
and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat .
*
But when the Pharisees saw it ,
they said to him , "
Look ,
your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath ."
*
He said to them , "
Have you not read what David did ,
when he was hungry ,
and those who were with him :
*
how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence ,
which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him ,
but only for the priests ?
*
Or have you not read in the law how on the sabbath the priests in the temple profane the sabbath ,
and are guiltless ?
*
I tell you ,
something greater than the temple is here .
*
And if you had known what this means , `
I desire mercy ,
and not sacrifice ,'
you would not have condemned the guiltless .
*
For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath ."
*
And he went on from there ,
and entered their synagogue .
*
And behold ,
there was a man with a withered hand .
And they asked him , "
Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath ?"
so that they might accuse him .
*
He said to them , "
What man of you ,
if he has one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath ,
will not lay hold of it and lift it out ?
*
Of how much more value is a man than a sheep !
So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath ."
*
Then he said to the man , "
Stretch out your hand ."
And the man stretched it out ,
and it was restored ,
whole like the other .
*
But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him ,
how to destroy him .
*
Jesus ,
aware of this ,
withdrew from there .
And many followed him ,
and he healed them all ,
*
and ordered them not to make him known .
*
This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah :
* "
Behold ,
my servant whom I have chosen ,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased .
I will put my Spirit upon him ,
and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles .
*
He will not wrangle or cry aloud ,
nor will any one hear his voice in the streets ;
*
he will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick ,
till he brings justice to victory ;
*
and in his name will the Gentiles hope ."
*
Then a blind and dumb demoniac was brought to him ,
and he healed him ,
so that the dumb man spoke and saw .
*
And all the people were amazed ,
and said , "
Can this be the Son of David ?"
*
But when the Pharisees heard it they said , "
It is only by Be-el '
zebul ,
the prince of demons ,
that this man casts out demons ."
*
Knowing their thoughts ,
he said to them , "
Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste ,
and no city or house divided against itself will stand ;
*
and if Satan casts out Satan ,
he is divided against himself ;
how then will his kingdom stand ?
*
And if I cast out demons by Be-el '
zebul ,
by whom do your sons cast them out ?
Therefore they shall be your judges .
*
But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons ,
then the kingdom of God has come upon you .
*
Or how can one enter a strong man '
s house and plunder his goods ,
unless he first binds the strong man ?
Then indeed he may plunder his house .
*
He who is not with me is against me ,
and he who does not gather with me scatters .
*
Therefore I tell you ,
every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men ,
but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven .
*
And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven ;
but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven ,
either in this age or in the age to come .
* "
Either make the tree good ,
and its fruit good ;
or make the tree bad ,
and its fruit bad ;
for the tree is known by its fruit .
*
You brood of vipers !
how can you speak good ,
when you are evil ?
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks .
*
The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good ,
and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil .
*
I tell you ,
on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter ;
*
for by your words you will be justified ,
and by your words you will be condemned ."
*
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him , "
Teacher ,
we wish to see a sign from you ."
*
But he answered them , "
An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign ;
but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah .
*
For 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 .
*
The men of Nin '
eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it ;
for they repented at the preaching of Jonah ,
and behold ,
something greater than Jonah is here .
*
The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it ;
for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ,
and behold ,
something greater than Solomon is here .
* "
When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man ,
he passes through waterless places seeking rest ,
but he finds none .
*
Then he says , `
I will return to my house from which I came .'
And when he comes he finds it empty ,
swept ,
and put in order .
*
Then he goes and brings with him seven other spirits more evil than himself ,
and they enter and dwell there ;
and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first .
So shall it be also with this evil generation ."
*
While he was still speaking to the people ,
behold ,
his mother and his brothers stood outside ,
asking to speak to him .
*
But he replied to the man who told him , "
Who is my mother ,
and who are my brothers ?"
*
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples ,
he said , "
Here are my mother and my brothers !
*
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother ,
and sister ,
and mother ."
*
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea .
*
And great crowds gathered about him ,
so that he got into a boat and sat there ;
and the whole crowd stood on the beach .
*
And he told them many things in parables ,
saying : "
A sower went out to sow .
*
And as he sowed ,
some seeds fell along the path ,
and the birds came and devoured them .
*
Other seeds fell on rocky ground ,
where they had not much soil ,
and immediately they sprang up ,
since they had no depth of soil ,
*
but when the sun rose they were scorched ;
and since they had no root they withered away .
*
Other seeds fell upon thorns ,
and the thorns grew up and choked them .
*
Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain ,
some a hundredfold ,
some sixty ,
some thirty .
*
He who has ears ,
let him hear ."
*
Then the disciples came and said to him , "
Why do you speak to them in parables ?"
*
And he answered them , "
To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven ,
but to them it has not been given .
*
For to him who has will more be given ,
and he will have abundance ;
but from him who has not ,
even what he has will be taken away .
*
This is why I speak to them in parables ,
because seeing they do not see ,
and hearing they do not hear ,
nor do they understand .
*
With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says : `
You shall indeed hear but never understand ,
and you shall indeed see but never perceive .
*
For this people '
s heart has grown dull ,
and their ears are heavy of hearing ,
and their eyes they have closed ,
lest they should perceive with their eyes ,
and hear with their ears ,
and understand with their heart ,
and turn for me to heal them .'
*
But blessed are your eyes ,
for they see ,
and your ears ,
for they hear .
*
Truly ,
I say to you ,
many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see ,
and did not see it ,
and to hear what you hear ,
and did not hear it .
* "
Hear then the parable of the sower .
*
When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it ,
the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart ;
this is what was sown along the path .
*
As for what was sown on rocky ground ,
this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy ;
*
yet he has no root in himself ,
but endures for a while ,
and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word ,
immediately he falls away .
*
As for what was sown among thorns ,
this is he who hears the word ,
but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word ,
and it proves unfruitful .
*
As for what was sown on good soil ,
this is he who hears the word and understands it ;
he indeed bears fruit ,
and yields ,
in one case a hundredfold ,
in another sixty ,
and in another thirty ."
*
Another parable he put before them ,
saying , "
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field ;
*
but while men were sleeping ,
his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat ,
and went away .
*
So when the plants came up and bore grain ,
then the weeds appeared also .
*
And the servants of the householder came and said to him , `
Sir ,
did you not sow good seed in your field ?
How then has it weeds ?'
*
He said to them , `
An enemy has done this .'
The servants said to him , `
Then do you want us to go and gather them ?'
*
But he said , `
No ;
lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them .
*
Let both grow together until the harvest ;
and at harvest time I will tell the reapers ,
Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned ,
but gather the wheat into my barn .'"
*
Another parable he put before them ,
saying , "
The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field ;
*
it is the smallest of all seeds ,
but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree ,
so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches ."
*
He told them another parable . "
The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour ,
till it was all leavened ."
*
All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables ;
indeed he said nothing to them without a parable .
*
This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet : "
I will open my mouth in parables ,
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world ."
*
Then he left the crowds and went into the house .
And his disciples came to him ,
saying , "
Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field ."
*
He answered , "
He who sows the good seed is the Son of man ;
*
the field is the world ,
and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom ;
the weeds are the sons of the evil one ,
*
and the enemy who sowed them is the devil ;
the harvest is the close of the age ,
and the reapers are angels .
*
Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire ,
so will it be at the close of the age .
*
The Son of man will send his angels ,
and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers ,
*
and throw them into the furnace of fire ;
there men will weep and gnash their teeth .
*
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father .
He who has ears ,
let him hear .
* "
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field ,
which a man found and covered up ;
then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field .
* "
Again ,
the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls ,
*
who ,
on finding one pearl of great value ,
went and sold all that he had and bought it .
* "
Again ,
the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind ;
*
when it was full ,
men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad .
*
So it will be at the close of the age .
The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous ,
*
and throw them into the furnace of fire ;
there men will weep and gnash their teeth .
* "
Have you understood all this ?"
They said to him , "
Yes ."
*
And he said to them , "
Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old ."
*
And when Jesus had finished these parables ,
he went away from there ,
*
and coming to 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 ?
*
Is not this the carpenter '
s son ?
Is not his mother called Mary ?
And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas ?
*
And are not all his sisters with us ?
Where then did this man get all this ?"
*
And they took offense at him .
But Jesus said to them , "
A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house ."
*
And he did not do many mighty works there ,
because of their unbelief .
*
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus ;
*
and he said to his servants , "
This is John the Baptist ,
he has been raised from the dead ;
that is why these powers are at work in him ."
*
For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison ,
for the sake of Hero '
di-as ,
his brother Philip '
s wife ;
*
because John said to him , "
It is not lawful for you to have her ."
*
And though he wanted to put him to death ,
he feared the people ,
because they held him to be a prophet .
*
But when Herod '
s birthday came ,
the daughter of Hero '
di-as danced before the company ,
and pleased Herod ,
*
so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask .
*
Prompted by her mother ,
she said , "
Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter ."
*
And the king was sorry ;
but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given ;
*
he sent and had John beheaded in the prison ,
*
and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl ,
and she brought it to her mother .
*
And his disciples came and took the body and buried it ;
and they went and told Jesus .
*
Now when Jesus heard this ,
he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart .
But when the crowds heard it ,
they followed him on foot from the towns .
*
As he went ashore he saw a great throng ;
and he had compassion on them ,
and healed their sick .
*
When it was evening ,
the disciples came to him and said , "
This is a lonely place ,
and the day is now over ;
send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves ."
*
Jesus said , "
They need not go away ;
you give them something to eat ."
*
They said to him , "
We have only five loaves here and two fish ."
*
And he said , "
Bring them here to me ."
*
Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass ;
and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven ,
and blessed ,
and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples ,
and the disciples gave them to the crowds .
*
And they all ate and were satisfied .
And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over .
*
And those who ate were about five thousand men ,
besides women and children .
*
Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side ,
while he dismissed the crowds .
*
And after he had dismissed the crowds ,
he went up on the mountain by himself to pray .
When evening came ,
he was there alone ,
*
but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land ,
beaten by the waves ;
for the wind was against them .
*
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them ,
walking on the sea .
*
But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea ,
they were terrified ,
saying , "
It is a ghost !"
And they cried out for fear .
*
But immediately he spoke to them ,
saying , "
Take heart ,
it is I ;
have no fear ."
*
And Peter answered him , "
Lord ,
if it is you ,
bid me come to you on the water ."
*
He said , "
Come ."
So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus ;
*
but when he saw the wind ,
he was afraid ,
and beginning to sink he cried out , "
Lord ,
save me ."
*
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him ,
saying to him , "
O man of little faith ,
why did you doubt ?"
*
And when they got into the boat ,
the wind ceased .
*
And those in the boat worshiped him ,
saying , "
Truly you are the Son of God ."
*
And when they had crossed over ,
they came to land at Gennesaret .
*
And when the men of that place recognized him ,
they sent round to all that region and brought to him all that were sick ,
*
and besought him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment ;
and as many as touched it were made well .
*
Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said ,
* "
Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders ?
For they do not wash their hands when they eat ."
*
He answered them , "
And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition ?
*
For God commanded , `
Honor your father and your mother ,'
and , `
He who speaks evil of father or mother ,
let him surely die .'
*
But you say , `
If any one tells his father or his mother ,
What you would have gained from me is given to God ,
he need not honor his father .'
*
So ,
for the sake of your tradition ,
you have made void the word of God .
*
You hypocrites !
Well did Isaiah prophesy of you ,
when he said :
* `
This people honors me with their lips ,
but their heart is far from me ;
*
in vain do they worship me ,
teaching as doctrines the precepts of men .'"
*
And he called the people to him and said to them , "
Hear and understand :
*
not what goes into the mouth defiles a man ,
but what comes out of the mouth ,
this defiles a man ."
*
Then the disciples came and said to him , "
Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying ?"
*
He answered , "
Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up .
*
Let them alone ;
they are blind guides .
And if a blind man leads a blind man ,
both will fall into a pit ."
*
But Peter said to him , "
Explain the parable to us ."
*
And he said , "
Are you also still without understanding ?
*
Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach ,
and so passes on ?
*
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart ,
and this defiles a man .
*
For out of the heart come evil thoughts ,
murder ,
adultery ,
fornication ,
theft ,
false witness ,
slander .
*
These are what defile a man ;
but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man ."
*
And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon .
*
And behold ,
a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried , "
Have mercy on me ,
O Lord ,
Son of David ;
my daughter is severely possessed by a demon ."
*
But he did not answer her a word .
And his disciples came and begged him ,
saying , "
Send her away ,
for she is crying after us ."
*
He answered , "
I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel ."
*
But she came and knelt before him ,
saying , "
Lord ,
help me ."
*
And he answered , "
It is not fair to take the children '
s bread and throw it to the dogs ."
*
She said , "
Yes ,
Lord ,
yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters '
table ."
*
Then Jesus answered her , "
O woman ,
great is your faith !
Be it done for you as you desire ."
And her daughter was healed instantly .
*
And Jesus went on from there and passed along the Sea of Galilee .
And he went up on the mountain ,
and sat down there .
*
And great crowds came to him ,
bringing with them the lame ,
the maimed ,
the blind ,
the dumb ,
and many others ,
and they put them at his feet ,
and he healed them ,
*
so that the throng wondered ,
when they saw the dumb speaking ,
the maimed whole ,
the lame walking ,
and the blind seeing ;
and they glorified the God of Israel .
*
Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said , "
I have compassion on the crowd ,
because they have been with me now three days ,
and have nothing to eat ;
and I am unwilling to send them away hungry ,
lest they faint on the way ."
*
And the disciples said to him , "
Where are we to get bread enough in the desert to feed so great a crowd ?"
*
And Jesus said to them , "
How many loaves have you ?"
They said , "
Seven ,
and a few small fish ."
*
And commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground ,
*
he took the seven loaves and the fish ,
and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples ,
and the disciples gave them to the crowds .
*
And they all ate and were satisfied ;
and they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over .
*
Those who ate were four thousand men ,
besides women and children .
*
And sending away the crowds ,
he got into the boat and went to the region of Mag '
adan .
*
And the Pharisees and Sad '
ducees came ,
and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven .
*
He answered them , "
When it is evening ,
you say , `
It will be fair weather ;
for the sky is red .'
*
And in the morning , `
It will be stormy today ,
for the sky is red and threatening .'
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky ,
but you cannot interpret the signs of the times .
*
An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign ,
but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah ."
So he left them and departed .
*
When the disciples reached the other side ,
they had forgotten to bring any bread .
*
Jesus said to them , "
Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sad '
ducees ."
*
And they discussed it among themselves ,
saying , "
We brought no bread ."
*
But Jesus ,
aware of this ,
said , "
O men of little faith ,
why do you discuss among yourselves the fact that you have no bread ?
*
Do you not yet perceive ?
Do you not remember the five loaves of the five thousand ,
and how many baskets you gathered ?
*
Or the seven loaves of the four thousand ,
and how many baskets you gathered ?
*
How is it that you fail to perceive that I did not speak about bread ?
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sad '
ducees ."
*
Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread ,
but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sad '
ducees .
*
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare '
a Philip '
pi ,
he asked his disciples , "
Who do men say that the Son of man is ?"
*
And they said , "
Some say John the Baptist ,
others say Eli '
jah ,
and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets ."
*
He said to them , "
But who do you say that I am ?"
*
Simon Peter replied , "
You are the Christ ,
the Son of the living God ."
*
And Jesus answered him , "
Blessed are you ,
Simon Bar-Jona !
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you ,
but my Father who is in heaven .
*
And I tell you ,
you are Peter ,
and on this rock I will build my church ,
and the powers of death shall not prevail against it .
*
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven ,
and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven ,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven ."
*
Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ .
*
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes ,
and be killed ,
and on the third day be raised .
*
And Peter took him and began to rebuke him ,
saying , "
God forbid ,
Lord !
This shall never happen to you ."
*
But he turned and said to Peter , "
Get behind me ,
Satan !
You are a hindrance to me ;
for you are not on the side of God ,
but of men ."
*
Then Jesus told his disciples , "
If any man would come after me ,
let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me .
*
For whoever would save his life will lose it ,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it .
*
For what will it profit a man ,
if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life ?
Or what shall a man give in return for his life ?
*
For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father ,
and then he will repay every man for what he has done .
*
Truly ,
I say to you ,
there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom ."
*
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother ,
and led them up a high mountain apart .
*
And he was transfigured before them ,
and his face shone like the sun ,
and his garments became white as light .
*
And behold ,
there appeared to them Moses and Eli '
jah ,
talking with him .
*
And Peter said to Jesus , "
Lord ,
it is well that we are here ;
if you wish ,
I will make three booths here ,
one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli '
jah ."
*
He was still speaking ,
when lo ,
a bright cloud overshadowed them ,
and a voice from the cloud said , "
This is my beloved Son ,
with whom I am well pleased ;
listen to him ."
*
When the disciples heard this ,
they fell on their faces ,
and were filled with awe .
*
But Jesus came and touched them ,
saying , "
Rise ,
and have no fear ."
*
And when they lifted up their eyes ,
they saw no one but Jesus only .
*
And as they were coming down the mountain ,
Jesus commanded them , "
Tell no one the vision ,
until the Son of man is raised from the dead ."
*
And the disciples asked him , "
Then why do the scribes say that first Eli '
jah must come ?"
*
He replied , "
Eli '
jah does come ,
and he is to restore all things ;
*
but I tell you that Eli '
jah has already come ,
and they did not know him ,
but did to him whatever they pleased .
So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands ."
*
Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist .
*
And when they came to the crowd ,
a man came up to him and kneeling before him said ,
* "
Lord ,
have mercy on my son ,
for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly ;
for often he falls into the fire ,
and often into the water .
*
And I brought him to your disciples ,
and they could not heal him ."
*
And Jesus answered , "
O faithless and perverse generation ,
how long am I to be with you ?
How long am I to bear with you ?
Bring him here to me ."
*
And Jesus rebuked him ,
and the demon came out of him ,
and the boy was cured instantly .
*
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said , "
Why could we not cast it out ?"
*
He said to them , "
Because of your little faith .
For truly ,
I say to you ,
if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed ,
you will say to this mountain , `
Move from here to there ,'
and it will move ;
and nothing will be impossible to you ."
*
As they were gathering in Galilee ,
Jesus said to them , "
The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men ,
*
and they will kill him ,
and he will be raised on the third day ."
And they were greatly distressed .
*
When they came to Caper '
na-um ,
the collectors of the half-shekel tax went up to Peter and said , "
Does not your teacher pay the tax ?"
*
He said , "
Yes ."
And when he came home ,
Jesus spoke to him first ,
saying , "
What do you think ,
Simon ?
From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute ?
From their sons or from others ?"
*
And when he said , "
From others ,"
Jesus said to him , "
Then the sons are free .
*
However ,
not to give offense to them ,
go to the sea and cast a hook ,
and take the first fish that comes up ,
and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel ;
take that and give it to them for me and for yourself ."
*
At that time the disciples came to Jesus ,
saying , "
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven ?"
*
And calling to him a child ,
he put him in the midst of them ,
*
and said , "
Truly ,
I say to you ,
unless you turn and become like children ,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven .
*
Whoever humbles himself like this child ,
he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven .
* "
Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me ;
*
but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin ,
it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea .
* "
Woe to the world for temptations to sin !
For it is necessary that temptations come ,
but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes !
*
And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin ,
cut it off and throw it away ;
it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire .
*
And if your eye causes you to sin ,
pluck it out and throw it away ;
it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire .
* "
See that you do not despise one of these little ones ;
for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven .
*
What do you think ?
If a man has a hundred sheep ,
and one of them has gone astray ,
does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray ?
*
And if he finds it ,
truly ,
I say to you ,
he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray .
*
So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish .
* "
If your brother sins against you ,
go and tell him his fault ,
between you and him alone .
If he listens to you ,
you have gained your brother .
*
But if he does not listen ,
take one or two others along with you ,
that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses .
*
If he refuses to listen to them ,
tell it to the church ;
and if he refuses to listen even to the church ,
let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector .
*
Truly ,
I say to you ,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven ,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven .
*
Again I say to you ,
if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask ,
it will be done for them by my Father in heaven .
*
For where two or three are gathered in my name ,
there am I in the midst of them ."
*
Then Peter came up and said to him , "
Lord ,
how often shall my brother sin against me ,
and I forgive him ?
As many as seven times ?"
*
Jesus said to him , "
I do not say to you seven times ,
but seventy times seven .
* "
Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants .
*
When he began the reckoning ,
one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents ;
*
and as he could not pay ,
his lord ordered him to be sold ,
with his wife and children and all that he had ,
and payment to be made .
*
So the servant fell on his knees ,
imploring him , `
Lord ,
have patience with me ,
and I will pay you everything .'
*
And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt .
*
But that same servant ,
as he went out ,
came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii ;
and seizing him by the throat he said , `
Pay what you owe .'
*
So his fellow servant fell down and besought him , `
Have patience with me ,
and I will pay you .'
*
He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt .
*
When his fellow servants saw what had taken place ,
they were greatly distressed ,
and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place .
*
Then his lord summoned him and said to him , `
You wicked servant !
I forgave you all that debt because you besought me ;
*
and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant ,
as I had mercy on you ?'
*
And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers ,
till he should pay all his debt .
*
So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you ,
if you do not forgive your brother from your heart ."
*
Now when Jesus had finished these sayings ,
he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan ;
*
and large crowds followed him ,
and he healed them there .
*
And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking , "
Is it lawful to divorce one '
s wife for any cause ?"
*
He answered , "
Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female ,
*
and said , `
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife ,
and the two shall become one flesh '?
*
So they are no longer two but one flesh .
What therefore God has joined together ,
let not man put asunder ."
*
They said to him , "
Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce ,
and to put her away ?"
*
He said to them , "
For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives ,
but from the beginning it was not so .
*
And I say to you :
whoever divorces his wife ,
except for unchastity ,
and marries another ,
commits adultery ."
*
The disciples said to him , "
If such is the case of a man with his wife ,
it is not expedient to marry ."
*
But he said to them , "
Not all men can receive this saying ,
but only those to whom it is given .
*
For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth ,
and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men ,
and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven .
He who is able to receive this ,
let him receive it ."
*
Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray .
The disciples rebuked the people ;
*
but Jesus said , "
Let the children come to me ,
and do not hinder them ;
for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven ."
*
And he laid his hands on them and went away .
*
And behold ,
one came up to him ,
saying , "
Teacher ,
what good deed must I do ,
to have eternal life ?"
*
And he said to him , "
Why do you ask me about what is good ?
One there is who is good .
If you would enter life ,
keep the commandments ."
*
He said to him , "
Which ?"
And Jesus said , "
You shall not kill ,
You shall not commit adultery ,
You shall not steal ,
You shall not bear false witness ,
*
Honor your father and mother ,
and ,
You shall love your neighbor as yourself ."
*
The young man said to him , "
All these I have observed ;
what do I still lack ?"
*
Jesus said to him , "
If you would be perfect ,
go ,
sell what you possess and give to the poor ,
and you will have treasure in heaven ;
and come ,
follow me ."
*
When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful ;
for he had great possessions .
*
And Jesus said to his disciples , "
Truly ,
I say to you ,
it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven .
*
Again I tell you ,
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 ."
*
When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished ,
saying , "
Who then can be saved ?"
*
But Jesus looked at them and said to them , "
With men this is impossible ,
but with God all things are possible ."
*
Then Peter said in reply , "
Lo ,
we have left everything and followed you .
What then shall we have ?"
*
Jesus said to them , "
Truly ,
I say to you ,
in the new world ,
when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne ,
you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones ,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel .
*
And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands ,
for my name '
s sake ,
will receive a hundredfold ,
and inherit eternal life .
*
But many that are first will be last ,
and the last first .
* "
For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard .
*
After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day ,
he sent them into his vineyard .
*
And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place ;
*
and to them he said , `
You go into the vineyard too ,
and whatever is right I will give you .'
So they went .
*
Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour ,
he did the same .
*
And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing ;
and he said to them , `
Why do you stand here idle all day ?'
*
They said to him , `
Because no one has hired us .'
He said to them , `
You go into the vineyard too .'
*
And when evening came ,
the owner of the vineyard said to his steward , `
Call the laborers and pay them their wages ,
beginning with the last ,
up to the first .'
*
And when those hired about the eleventh hour came ,
each of them received a denarius .
*
Now when the first came ,
they thought they would receive more ;
but each of them also received a denarius .
*
And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder ,
*
saying , `
These last worked only one hour ,
and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat .'
*
But he replied to one of them , `
Friend ,
I am doing you no wrong ;
did you not agree with me for a denarius ?
*
Take what belongs to you ,
and go ;
I choose to give to this last as I give to you .
*
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me ?
Or do you begrudge my generosity ?'
*
So the last will be first ,
and the first last ."
*
And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem ,
he took the twelve disciples aside ,
and on the way he said to them ,
* "
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 ,
*
and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified ,
and he will be raised on the third day ."
*
Then the mother of the sons of Zeb '
edee came up to him ,
with her sons ,
and kneeling before him she asked him for something .
*
And he said to her , "
What do you want ?"
She said to him , "
Command that these two sons of mine may sit ,
one at your right hand and one at your left ,
in your kingdom ."
*
But Jesus answered , "
You do not know what you are asking .
Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink ?"
They said to him , "
We are able ."
*
He said to them , "
You will drink my cup ,
but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant ,
but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father ."
*
And when the ten heard it ,
they were indignant at the two brothers .
*
But Jesus called them to him and said , "
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them ,
and their great men exercise authority over them .
*
It shall not be so among you ;
but whoever would be great among you must be your servant ,
*
and whoever would be first among you must be your slave ;
*
even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve ,
and to give his life as a ransom for many ."
*
And as they went out of Jericho ,
a great crowd followed him .
*
And behold ,
two blind men sitting by the roadside ,
when they heard that Jesus was passing by ,
cried out , "
Have mercy on us ,
Son of David !"
*
The crowd rebuked them ,
telling them to be silent ;
but they cried out the more , "
Lord ,
have mercy on us ,
Son of David !"
*
And Jesus stopped and called them ,
saying , "
What do you want me to do for you ?"
*
They said to him , "
Lord ,
let our eyes be opened ."
*
And Jesus in pity touched their eyes ,
and immediately they received their sight and followed him .
*
And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Beth '
phage ,
to the Mount of Olives ,
then Jesus sent two disciples ,
*
saying to them , "
Go into the village opposite you ,
and immediately you will find an ass tied ,
and a colt with her ;
untie them and bring them to me .
*
If any one says anything to you ,
you shall say , `
The Lord has need of them ,'
and he will send them immediately ."
*
This took place to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet ,
saying ,
* "
Tell the daughter of Zion ,
Behold ,
your king is coming to you ,
humble ,
and mounted on an ass ,
and on a colt ,
the foal of an ass ."
*
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them ;
*
they brought the ass and the colt ,
and put their garments on them ,
and he sat thereon .
*
Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ,
and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road .
*
And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted , "
Hosanna to the Son of David !
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord !
Hosanna in the highest !"
*
And when he entered Jerusalem ,
all the city was stirred ,
saying , "
Who is this ?"
*
And the crowds said , "
This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee ."
*
And Jesus entered the temple of God and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple ,
and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons .
*
He said to them , "
It is written , `
My house shall be called a house of prayer ';
but you make it a den of robbers ."
*
And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple ,
and he healed them .
*
But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did ,
and the children crying out in the temple , "
Hosanna to the Son of David !"
they were indignant ;
*
and they said to him , "
Do you hear what these are saying ?"
And Jesus said to them , "
Yes ;
have you never read , `
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise '?"
*
And leaving them ,
he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there .
*
In the morning ,
as he was returning to the city ,
he was hungry .
*
And seeing a fig tree by the wayside he went to it ,
and found nothing on it but leaves only .
And he said to it , "
May no fruit ever come from you again !"
And the fig tree withered at once .
*
When the disciples saw it they marveled ,
saying , "
How did the fig tree wither at once ?"
*
And Jesus answered them , "
Truly ,
I say to you ,
if you have faith and never doubt ,
you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree ,
but even if you say to this mountain , `
Be taken up and cast into the sea ,'
it will be done .
*
And whatever you ask in prayer ,
you will receive ,
if you have faith ."
*
And when he entered the temple ,
the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching ,
and said , "
By what authority are you doing these things ,
and who gave you this authority ?"
*
Jesus answered them , "
I also will ask you a question ;
and if you tell me the answer ,
then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things .
*
The baptism of John ,
whence was it ?
From heaven or from men ?"
And they argued with one another , "
If we say , `
From heaven ,'
he will say to us , `
Why then did you not believe him ?'
*
But if we say , `
From men ,'
we are afraid of the multitude ;
for all hold that John was a prophet ."
*
So they answered Jesus , "
We do not know ."
And he said to them , "
Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things .
* "
What do you think ?
A man had two sons ;
and he went to the first and said , `
Son ,
go and work in the vineyard today .'
*
And he answered , `
I will not ';
but afterward he repented and went .
*
And he went to the second and said the same ;
and he answered , `
I go ,
sir ,'
but did not go .
*
Which of the two did the will of his father ?"
They said , "
The first ."
Jesus said to them , "
Truly ,
I say to you ,
the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you .
*
For John came to you in the way of righteousness ,
and you did not believe him ,
but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him ;
and even when you saw it ,
you did not afterward repent and believe him .
* "
Hear another parable .
There was a householder who planted a vineyard ,
and set a hedge around it ,
and dug a wine press in it ,
and built a tower ,
and let it out to tenants ,
and went into another country .
*
When the season of fruit drew near ,
he sent his servants to the tenants ,
to get his fruit ;
*
and the tenants took his servants and beat one ,
killed another ,
and stoned another .
*
Again he sent other servants ,
more than the first ;
and they did the same to them .
*
Afterward he sent his son to them ,
saying , `
They will respect my son .'
*
But when the tenants saw the son ,
they said to themselves , `
This is the heir ;
come ,
let us kill him and have his inheritance .'
*
And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard ,
and killed him .
*
When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes ,
what will he do to those tenants ?"
*
They said to him , "
He will put those wretches to a miserable death ,
and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons ."
*
Jesus said to them , "
Have you never read in the scriptures : `
The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner ;
this was the Lord '
s doing ,
and it is marvelous in our eyes '?
*
Therefore I tell you ,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it ."
*
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables ,
they perceived that he was speaking about them .
*
But when they tried to arrest him ,
they feared the multitudes ,
because they held him to be a prophet .
*
And again Jesus spoke to them in parables ,
saying ,
* "
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son ,
*
and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast ;
but they would not come .
*
Again he sent other servants ,
saying , `
Tell those who are invited ,
Behold ,
I have made ready my dinner ,
my oxen and my fat calves are killed ,
and everything is ready ;
come to the marriage feast .'
*
But they made light of it and went off ,
one to his farm ,
another to his business ,
*
while the rest seized his servants ,
treated them shamefully ,
and killed them .
*
The king was angry ,
and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city .
*
Then he said to his servants , `
The wedding is ready ,
but those invited were not worthy .
*
Go therefore to the thoroughfares ,
and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find .'
*
And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found ,
both bad and good ;
so the wedding hall was filled with guests .
* "
But when the king came in to look at the guests ,
he saw there a man who had no wedding garment ;
*
and he said to him , `
Friend ,
how did you get in here without a wedding garment ?'
And he was speechless .
*
Then the king said to the attendants , `
Bind him hand and foot ,
and cast him into the outer darkness ;
there men will weep and gnash their teeth .'
*
For many are called ,
but few are chosen ."
*
Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him in his talk .
*
And they sent their disciples to him ,
along with the Hero '
di-ans ,
saying , "
Teacher ,
we know that you are true ,
and teach the way of God truthfully ,
and care for no man ;
for you do not regard the position of men .
*
Tell us ,
then ,
what you think .
Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar ,
or not ?"
*
But Jesus ,
aware of their malice ,
said , "
Why put me to the test ,
you hypocrites ?
*
Show me the money for the tax ."
And they brought him a coin .
*
And Jesus said to them , "
Whose likeness and inscription is this ?"
*
They said , "
Caesar '
s ."
Then he said to them , "
Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar '
s ,
and to God the things that are God '
s ."
*
When they heard it ,
they marveled ;
and they left him and went away .
*
The same day Sad '
ducees came to him ,
who say that there is no resurrection ;
and they asked him a question ,
*
saying , "
Teacher ,
Moses said , `
If a man dies ,
having no children ,
his brother must marry the widow ,
and raise up children for his brother .'
*
Now there were seven brothers among us ;
the first married ,
and died ,
and having no children left his wife to his brother .
*
So too the second and third ,
down to the seventh .
*
After them all ,
the woman died .
*
In the resurrection ,
therefore ,
to which of the seven will she be wife ?
For they all had her ."
*
But Jesus answered them , "
You are wrong ,
because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God .
*
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage ,
but are like angels in heaven .
*
And as for the resurrection of the dead ,
have you not read what was said to you by God ,
* `
I am the God of Abraham ,
and the God of Isaac ,
and the God of Jacob '?
He is not God of the dead ,
but of the living ."
*
And when the crowd heard it ,
they were astonished at his teaching .
*
But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sad '
ducees ,
they came together .
*
And one of them ,
a lawyer ,
asked him a question ,
to test him .
* "
Teacher ,
which is the great commandment in the law ?"
*
And he said to him , "
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart ,
and with all your soul ,
and with all your mind .
*
This is the great and first commandment .
*
And a second is like it ,
You shall love your neighbor as yourself .
*
On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets ."
*
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together ,
Jesus asked them a question ,
*
saying , "
What do you think of the Christ ?
Whose son is he ?"
They said to him , "
The son of David ."
*
He said to them , "
How is it then that David ,
inspired by the Spirit ,
calls him Lord ,
saying ,
* `
The Lord said to my Lord ,
Sit at my right hand ,
till I put thy enemies under thy feet '?
*
If David thus calls him Lord ,
how is he his son ?"
*
And no one was able to answer him a word ,
nor from that day did any one dare to ask him any more questions .
*
Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples ,
* "
The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses '
seat ;
*
so practice and observe whatever they tell you ,
but not what they do ;
for they preach ,
but do not practice .
*
They bind heavy burdens ,
hard to bear ,
and lay them on men '
s shoulders ;
but they themselves will not move them with their finger .
*
They do all their deeds to be seen by men ;
for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long ,
*
and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues ,
*
and salutations in the market places ,
and being called rabbi by men .
*
But you are not to be called rabbi ,
for you have one teacher ,
and you are all brethren .
*
And call no man your father on earth ,
for you have one Father ,
who is in heaven .
*
Neither be called masters ,
for you have one master ,
the Christ .
*
He who is greatest among you shall be your servant ;
*
whoever exalts himself will be humbled ,
and whoever humbles himself will be exalted .
* "
But woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men ;
for you neither enter yourselves ,
nor allow those who would enter to go in .
*
Woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte ,
and when he becomes a proselyte ,
you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves .
* "
Woe to you ,
blind guides ,
who say , `
If any one swears by the temple ,
it is nothing ;
but if any one swears by the gold of the temple ,
he is bound by his oath .'
*
You blind fools !
For which is greater ,
the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred ?
*
And you say , `
If any one swears by the altar ,
it is nothing ;
but if any one swears by the gift that is on the altar ,
he is bound by his oath .'
*
You blind men !
For which is greater ,
the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred ?
*
So he who swears by the altar ,
swears by it and by everything on it ;
*
and he who swears by the temple ,
swears by it and by him who dwells in it ;
*
and he who swears by heaven ,
swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it .
* "
Woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
for you tithe mint and dill and cummin ,
and have neglected the weightier matters of the law ,
justice and mercy and faith ;
these you ought to have done ,
without neglecting the others .
*
You blind guides ,
straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel !
* "
Woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate ,
but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity .
*
You blind Pharisee !
first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate ,
that the outside also may be clean .
* "
Woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
for you are like whitewashed tombs ,
which outwardly appear beautiful ,
but within they are full of dead men '
s bones and all uncleanness .
*
So you also outwardly appear righteous to men ,
but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity .
* "
Woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous ,
*
saying , `
If we had lived in the days of our fathers ,
we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets .'
*
Thus you witness against yourselves ,
that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets .
*
Fill up ,
then ,
the measure of your fathers .
*
You serpents ,
you brood of vipers ,
how are you to escape being sentenced to hell ?
*
Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes ,
some of whom you will kill and crucify ,
and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town ,
*
that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth ,
from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechari '
ah the son of Barachi '
ah ,
whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar .
*
Truly ,
I say to you ,
all this will come upon this generation .
* "
O Jerusalem ,
Jerusalem ,
killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you !
How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings ,
and you would not !
*
Behold ,
your house is forsaken and desolate .
*
For I tell you ,
you will not see me again ,
until you say , `
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord .'"
*
Jesus left the temple and was going away ,
when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple .
*
But he answered them , "
You see all these ,
do you not ?
Truly ,
I say to you ,
there will not be left here one stone upon another ,
that will not be thrown down ."
*
As he sat on the Mount of Olives ,
the disciples came to him privately ,
saying , "
Tell us ,
when will this be ,
and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age ?"
*
And Jesus answered them , "
Take heed that no one leads you astray .
*
For many will come in my name ,
saying , `
I am the Christ ,'
and they will lead many astray .
*
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars ;
see that you are not alarmed ;
for this must take place ,
but the end is not yet .
*
For nation will rise against nation ,
and kingdom against kingdom ,
and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places :
*
all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs .
* "
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation ,
and put you to death ;
and you will be hated by all nations for my name '
s sake .
*
And then many will fall away ,
and betray one another ,
and hate one another .
*
And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray .
*
And because wickedness is multiplied ,
most men '
s love will grow cold .
*
But he who endures to the end will be saved .
*
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world ,
as a testimony to all nations ;
and then the end will come .
* "
So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel ,
standing in the holy place (
let the reader understand ),
*
then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains ;
*
let him who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house ;
*
and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle .
*
And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days !
*
Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath .
*
For then there will be great tribulation ,
such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now ,
no ,
and never will be .
*
And if those days had not been shortened ,
no human being would be saved ;
but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened .
*
Then if any one says to you , `
Lo ,
here is the Christ !'
or `
There he is !'
do not believe it .
*
For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders ,
so as to lead astray ,
if possible ,
even the elect .
*
Lo ,
I have told you beforehand .
*
So ,
if they say to you , `
Lo ,
he is in the wilderness ,'
do not go out ;
if they say , `
Lo ,
he is in the inner rooms ,'
do not believe it .
*
For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west ,
so will be the coming of the Son of man .
*
Wherever the body is ,
there the eagles will be gathered together .
* "
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened ,
and the moon will not give its light ,
and the stars will fall from heaven ,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken ;
*
then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven ,
and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn ,
and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory ;
*
and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call ,
and they will gather his elect from the four winds ,
from one end of heaven to the other .
* "
From the fig tree learn its lesson :
as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves ,
you know that summer is near .
*
So also ,
when you see all these things ,
you know that he is near ,
at the very gates .
*
Truly ,
I say to you ,
this generation will not pass away till all these things take place .
*
Heaven and earth will pass away ,
but my words will not pass away .
* "
But of that day and hour no one knows ,
not even the angels of heaven ,
nor the Son ,
but the Father only .
*
As were the days of Noah ,
so will be the coming of the Son of man .
*
For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking ,
marrying and giving in marriage ,
until the day when Noah entered the ark ,
*
and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away ,
so will be the coming of the Son of man .
*
Then two men will be in the field ;
one is taken and one is left .
*
Two women will be grinding at the mill ;
one is taken and one is left .
*
Watch therefore ,
for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming .
*
But know this ,
that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming ,
he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into .
*
Therefore you also must be ready ;
for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect .
* "
Who then is the faithful and wise servant ,
whom his master has set over his household ,
to give them their food at the proper time ?
*
Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing .
*
Truly ,
I say to you ,
he will set him over all his possessions .
*
But if that wicked servant says to himself , `
My master is delayed ,'
*
and begins to beat his fellow servants ,
and eats and drinks with the drunken ,
*
the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know ,
*
and will punish him ,
and put him with the hypocrites ;
there men will weep and gnash their teeth .
* "
Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom .
*
Five of them were foolish ,
and five were wise .
*
For when the foolish took their lamps ,
they took no oil with them ;
*
but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps .
*
As the bridegroom was delayed ,
they all slumbered and slept .
*
But at midnight there was a cry , `
Behold ,
the bridegroom !
Come out to meet him .'
*
Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps .
*
And the foolish said to the wise , `
Give us some of your oil ,
for our lamps are going out .'
*
But the wise replied , `
Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you ;
go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves .'
*
And while they went to buy ,
the bridegroom came ,
and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast ;
and the door was shut .
*
Afterward the other maidens came also ,
saying , `
Lord ,
lord ,
open to us .'
*
But he replied , `
Truly ,
I say to you ,
I do not know you .'
*
Watch therefore ,
for you know neither the day nor the hour .
* "
For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property ;
*
to one he gave five talents ,
to another two ,
to another one ,
to each according to his ability .
Then he went away .
*
He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them ;
and he made five talents more .
*
So also ,
he who had the two talents made two talents more .
*
But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master '
s money .
*
Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them .
*
And he who had received the five talents came forward ,
bringing five talents more ,
saying , `
Master ,
you delivered to me five talents ;
here I have made five talents more .'
*
His master said to him , `
Well done ,
good and faithful servant ;
you have been faithful over a little ,
I will set you over much ;
enter into the joy of your master .'
*
And he also who had the two talents came forward ,
saying , `
Master ,
you delivered to me two talents ;
here I have made two talents more .'
*
His master said to him , `
Well done ,
good and faithful servant ;
you have been faithful over a little ,
I will set you over much ;
enter into the joy of your master .'
*
He also who had received the one talent came forward ,
saying , `
Master ,
I knew you to be a hard man ,
reaping where you did not sow ,
and gathering where you did not winnow ;
*
so I was afraid ,
and I went and hid your talent in the ground .
Here you have what is yours .'
*
But his master answered him , `
You wicked and slothful servant !
You knew that I reap where I have not sowed ,
and gather where I have not winnowed ?
*
Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers ,
and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest .
*
So take the talent from him ,
and give it to him who has the ten talents .
*
For to every one who has will more be given ,
and he will have abundance ;
but from him who has not ,
even what he has will be taken away .
*
And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness ;
there men will weep and gnash their teeth .'
* "
When the Son of man comes in his glory ,
and all the angels with him ,
then he will sit on his glorious throne .
*
Before him will be gathered all the nations ,
and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats ,
*
and he will place the sheep at his right hand ,
but the goats at the left .
*
Then the King will say to those at his right hand , `
Come ,
O blessed of my Father ,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world ;
*
for I was hungry and you gave me food ,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink ,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me ,
*
I was naked and you clothed me ,
I was sick and you visited me ,
I was in prison and you came to me .'
*
Then the righteous will answer him , `
Lord ,
when did we see thee hungry and feed thee ,
or thirsty and give thee drink ?
*
And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee ,
or naked and clothe thee ?
*
And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee ?'
*
And the King will answer them , `
Truly ,
I say to you ,
as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren ,
you did it to me .'
*
Then he will say to those at his left hand , `
Depart from me ,
you cursed ,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels ;
*
for I was hungry and you gave me no food ,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink ,
*
I was a stranger and you did not welcome me ,
naked and you did not clothe me ,
sick and in prison and you did not visit me .'
*
Then they also will answer , `
Lord ,
when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison ,
and did not minister to thee ?'
*
Then he will answer them , `
Truly ,
I say to you ,
as you did it not to one of the least of these ,
you did it not to me .'
*
And they will go away into eternal punishment ,
but the righteous into eternal life ."
*
When Jesus had finished all these sayings ,
he said to his disciples ,
* "
You know that after two days the Passover is coming ,
and the Son of man will be delivered up to be crucified ."
*
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest ,
who was called Ca '
iaphas ,
*
and took counsel together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him .
*
But they said , "
Not during the feast ,
lest there be a tumult among the people ."
*
Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper ,
*
a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment ,
and she poured it on his head ,
as he sat at table .
*
But when the disciples saw it ,
they were indignant ,
saying , "
Why this waste ?
*
For this ointment might have been sold for a large sum ,
and given to the poor ."
*
But Jesus ,
aware of this ,
said to them , "
Why do you trouble the woman ?
For she has done a beautiful thing to me .
*
For you always have the poor with you ,
but you will not always have me .
*
In pouring this ointment on my body she has done it to prepare me for burial .
*
Truly ,
I say to you ,
wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world ,
what she has done will be told in memory of her ."
*
Then one of the twelve ,
who was called Judas Iscariot ,
went to the chief priests
*
and said , "
What will you give me if I deliver him to you ?"
And they paid him thirty pieces of silver .
*
And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him .
*
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus ,
saying , "
Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the passover ?"
*
He said , "
Go into the city to a certain one ,
and say to him , `
The Teacher says ,
My time is at hand ;
I will keep the passover at your house with my disciples .'"
*
And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them ,
and they prepared the passover .
*
When it was evening ,
he sat at table with the twelve disciples ;
*
and as they were eating ,
he said , "
Truly ,
I say to you ,
one of you will betray me ."
*
And they were very sorrowful ,
and began to say to him one after another , "
Is it I ,
Lord ?"
*
He answered , "
He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me ,
will betray me .
*
The Son of man goes as it is written of him ,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed !
It would have been better for that man if he had not been born ."
*
Judas ,
who betrayed him ,
said , "
Is it I ,
Master ?"
He said to him , "
You have said so ."
*
Now as they were eating ,
Jesus took bread ,
and blessed ,
and broke it ,
and gave it to the disciples and said , "
Take ,
eat ;
this is my body ."
*
And he took a cup ,
and when he had given thanks he gave it to them ,
saying , "
Drink of it ,
all of you ;
*
for this is my blood of the covenant ,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins .
*
I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father '
s kingdom ."
*
And when they had sung a hymn ,
they went out to the Mount of Olives .
*
Then Jesus said to them , "
You will all fall away because of me this night ;
for it is written , `
I will strike the shepherd ,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered .'
*
But after I am raised up ,
I will go before you to Galilee ."
*
Peter declared to him , "
Though they all fall away because of you ,
I will never fall away ."
*
Jesus said to him , "
Truly ,
I say to you ,
this very night ,
before the cock crows ,
you will deny me three times ."
*
Peter said to him , "
Even if I must die with you ,
I will not deny you ."
And so said all the disciples .
*
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsem '
ane ,
and he said to his disciples , "
Sit here ,
while I go yonder and pray ."
*
And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zeb '
edee ,
he began to be sorrowful and troubled .
*
Then he said to them , "
My soul is very sorrowful ,
even to death ;
remain here ,
and watch with me ."
*
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed , "
My Father ,
if it be possible ,
let this cup pass from me ;
nevertheless ,
not as I will ,
but as thou wilt ."
*
And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping ;
and he said to Peter , "
So ,
could you not watch with me one hour ?
*
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation ;
the spirit indeed is willing ,
but the flesh is weak ."
*
Again ,
for the second time ,
he went away and prayed , "
My Father ,
if this cannot pass unless I drink it ,
thy will be done ."
*
And again he came and found them sleeping ,
for their eyes were heavy .
*
So ,
leaving them again ,
he went away and prayed for the third time ,
saying the same words .
*
Then he came to the disciples and said to them , "
Are you still sleeping and taking your rest ?
Behold ,
the hour is at hand ,
and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners .
*
Rise ,
let us be going ;
see ,
my betrayer is at hand ."
*
While he was still speaking ,
Judas came ,
one of the twelve ,
and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs ,
from the chief priests and the elders of the people .
*
Now the betrayer had given them a sign ,
saying , "
The one I shall kiss is the man ;
seize him ."
*
And he came up to Jesus at once and said , "
Hail ,
Master !"
And he kissed him .
*
Jesus said to him , "
Friend ,
why are you here ?"
Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him .
*
And behold ,
one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword ,
and struck the slave of the high priest ,
and cut off his ear .
*
Then Jesus said to him , "
Put your sword back into its place ;
for all who take the sword will perish by the sword .
*
Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father ,
and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels ?
*
But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled ,
that it must be so ?"
*
At that hour Jesus said to the crowds , "
Have you come out as against a robber ,
with swords and clubs to capture me ?
Day after day I sat in the temple teaching ,
and you did not seize me .
*
But all this has taken place ,
that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled ."
Then all the disciples forsook him and fled .
*
Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Ca '
iaphas the high priest ,
where the scribes and the elders had gathered .
*
But Peter followed him at a distance ,
as far as the courtyard of the high priest ,
and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end .
*
Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death ,
*
but they found none ,
though many false witnesses came forward .
At last two came forward
*
and said , "
This fellow said , `
I am able to destroy the temple of God ,
and to build it in three days .'"
*
And the high priest stood up and said , "
Have you no answer to make ?
What is it that these men testify against you ?"
*
But Jesus was silent .
And the high priest said to him , "
I adjure you by the living God ,
tell us if you are the Christ ,
the Son of God ."
*
Jesus said to him , "
You have said so .
But I tell you ,
hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power ,
and coming on the clouds of heaven ."
*
Then the high priest tore his robes ,
and said , "
He has uttered blasphemy .
Why do we still need witnesses ?
You have now heard his blasphemy .
*
What is your judgment ?"
They answered , "
He deserves death ."
*
Then they spat in his face ,
and struck him ;
and some slapped him ,
*
saying , "
Prophesy to us ,
you Christ !
Who is it that struck you ?"
*
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard .
And a maid came up to him ,
and said , "
You also were with Jesus the Galilean ."
*
But he denied it before them all ,
saying , "
I do not know what you mean ."
*
And when he went out to the porch ,
another maid saw him ,
and she said to the bystanders , "
This man was with Jesus of Nazareth ."
*
And again he denied it with an oath , "
I do not know the man ."
*
After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter , "
Certainly you are also one of them ,
for your accent betrays you ."
*
Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear , "
I do not know the man ."
And immediately the cock crowed .
*
And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus , "
Before the cock crows ,
you will deny me three times ."
And he went out and wept bitterly .
*
When morning came ,
all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death ;
*
and they bound him and led him away and delivered him to Pilate the governor .
*
When Judas ,
his betrayer ,
saw that he was condemned ,
he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders ,
*
saying , "
I have sinned in betraying innocent blood ."
They said , "
What is that to us ?
See to it yourself ."
*
And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple ,
he departed ;
and he went and hanged himself .
*
But the chief priests ,
taking the pieces of silver ,
said , "
It is not lawful to put them into the treasury ,
since they are blood money ."
*
So they took counsel ,
and bought with them the potter '
s field ,
to bury strangers in .
*
Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day .
*
Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah ,
saying , "
And they took the thirty pieces of silver ,
the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel ,
*
and they gave them for the potter '
s field ,
as the Lord directed me ."
*
Now Jesus stood before the governor ;
and the governor asked him , "
Are you the King of the Jews ?"
Jesus said , "
You have said so ."
*
But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders ,
he made no answer .
*
Then Pilate said to him , "
Do you not hear how many things they testify against you ?"
*
But he gave him no answer ,
not even to a single charge ;
so that the governor wondered greatly .
*
Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted .
*
And they had then a notorious prisoner ,
called Barab '
bas .
*
So when they had gathered ,
Pilate said to them , "
Whom do you want me to release for you ,
Barab '
bas or Jesus who is called Christ ?"
*
For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up .
*
Besides ,
while he was sitting on the judgment seat ,
his wife sent word to him , "
Have nothing to do with that righteous man ,
for I have suffered much over him today in a dream ."
*
Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the people to ask for Barab '
bas and destroy Jesus .
*
The governor again said to them , "
Which of the two do you want me to release for you ?"
And they said , "
Barab '
bas ."
*
Pilate said to them , "
Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ ?"
They all said , "
Let him be crucified ."
*
And he said , "
Why ,
what evil has he done ?"
But they shouted all the more , "
Let him be crucified ."
*
So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing ,
but rather that a riot was beginning ,
he took water and washed his hands before the crowd ,
saying , "
I am innocent of this man '
s blood ;
see to it yourselves ."
*
And all the people answered , "
His blood be on us and on our children !"
*
Then he released for them Barab '
bas ,
and having scourged Jesus ,
delivered him to be crucified .
*
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium ,
and they gathered the whole battalion before him .
*
And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him ,
*
and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head ,
and put a reed in his right hand .
And kneeling before him they mocked him ,
saying , "
Hail ,
King of the Jews !"
*
And they spat upon him ,
and took the reed and struck him on the head .
*
And when they had mocked him ,
they stripped him of the robe ,
and put his own clothes on him ,
and led him away to crucify him .
*
As they went out ,
they came upon a man of Cyre '
ne ,
Simon by name ;
this man they compelled to carry his cross .
*
And when they came to a place called Gol '
gotha (
which means the place of a skull ),
*
they offered him wine to drink ,
mingled with gall ;
but when he tasted it ,
he would not drink it .
*
And when they had crucified him ,
they divided his garments among them by casting lots ;
*
then they sat down and kept watch over him there .
*
And over his head they put the charge against him ,
which read , "
This is Jesus the King of the Jews ."
*
Then two robbers were crucified with him ,
one on the right and one on the left .
*
And those who passed by derided him ,
wagging their heads
*
and saying , "
You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days ,
save yourself !
If you are the Son of God ,
come down from the cross ."
*
So also the chief priests ,
with the scribes and elders ,
mocked him ,
saying ,
* "
He saved others ;
he cannot save himself .
He is the King of Israel ;
let him come down now from the cross ,
and we will believe in him .
*
He trusts in God ;
let God deliver him now ,
if he desires him ;
for he said , `
I am the Son of God .'"
*
And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way .
*
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour .
*
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice , "
Eli ,
Eli ,
la '
ma sabach-tha '
ni ?"
that is , "
My God ,
my God ,
why hast thou forsaken me ?"
*
And some of the bystanders hearing it said , "
This man is calling Eli '
jah ."
*
And one of them at once ran and took a sponge ,
filled it with vinegar ,
and put it on a reed ,
and gave it to him to drink .
*
But the others said , "
Wait ,
let us see whether Eli '
jah will come to save him ."
*
And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit .
*
And behold ,
the curtain of the temple was torn in two ,
from top to bottom ;
and the earth shook ,
and the rocks were split ;
*
the tombs also were opened ,
and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised ,
*
and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many .
*
When the centurion and those who were with him ,
keeping watch over Jesus ,
saw the earthquake and what took place ,
they were filled with awe ,
and said , "
Truly this was the Son of God !"
*
There were also many women there ,
looking on from afar ,
who had followed Jesus from Galilee ,
ministering to him ;
*
among whom were Mary Mag '
dalene ,
and Mary the mother of James and Joseph ,
and the mother of the sons of Zeb '
edee .
*
When it was evening ,
there came a rich man from Arimathe '
a ,
named Joseph ,
who also was a disciple of Jesus .
*
He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus .
Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him .
*
And Joseph took the body ,
and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud ,
*
and laid it in his own new tomb ,
which he had hewn in the rock ;
and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb ,
and departed .
*
Mary Mag '
dalene and the other Mary were there ,
sitting opposite the sepulchre .
*
Next day ,
that is ,
after the day of Preparation ,
the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
*
and said , "
Sir ,
we remember how that impostor said ,
while he was still alive , `
After three days I will rise again .'
*
Therefore order the sepulchre to be made secure until the third day ,
lest his disciples go and steal him away ,
and tell the people , `
He has risen from the dead ,'
and the last fraud will be worse than the first ."
*
Pilate said to them , "
You have a guard of soldiers ;
go ,
make it as secure as you can ."
*
So they went and made the sepulchre secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard .
*
Now after the sabbath ,
toward the dawn of the first day of the week ,
Mary Mag '
dalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulchre .
*
And behold ,
there was a great earthquake ;
for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone ,
and sat upon it .
*
His appearance was like lightning ,
and his raiment white as snow .
*
And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men .
*
But the angel said to the women , "
Do not be afraid ;
for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified .
*
He is not here ;
for he has risen ,
as he said .
Come ,
see the place where he lay .
*
Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead ,
and behold ,
he is going before you to Galilee ;
there you will see him .
Lo ,
I have told you ."
*
So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy ,
and ran to tell his disciples .
*
And behold ,
Jesus met them and said , "
Hail !"
And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him .
*
Then Jesus said to them , "
Do not be afraid ;
go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee ,
and there they will see me ."
*
While they were going ,
behold ,
some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place .
*
And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel ,
they gave a sum of money to the soldiers
*
and said , "
Tell people , `
His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep .'
*
And if this comes to the governor '
s ears ,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble ."
*
So they took the money and did as they were directed ;
and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day .
*
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee ,
to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them .
*
And when they saw him they worshiped him ;
but some doubted .
*
And Jesus came and said to them , "
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me .
*
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations ,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ,
*
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you ;
and lo ,
I am with you always ,
to the close of the age ."
*
Andrew ,
and Philip ,
and Bartholomew ,
and Matthew ,
and Thomas ,
and James the son of Alphaeus ,
and Thaddaeus ,
and Simon the Cananaean ,
*
and Matthew ,
and Thomas ,
and James the son of Alphaeus ,
and Simon who was called the Zealot ,
*
and when they had entered ,
they went up to the upper room ,
where they were staying ,
Peter and John and James and Andrew ,
Philip and Thomas ,
Bartholomew and Matthew ,
James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James .