nkjv Matthew:19-11 SEEK
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Now it came to pass ,
when Jesus had finished these sayings ,
that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan .
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And great multitudes followed Him ,
and He healed them there .
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The Pharisees also came to Him ,
testing Him ,
and saying to Him , "
Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason ?"
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And He answered and said to them , "
Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning "
made them male and female ,'
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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 then ,
they are no longer two but one flesh .
Therefore what God has joined together ,
let not man separate ."
*
They said to Him , "
Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce ,
and to put her away ?"
*
He said to them , "
Moses ,
because of the hardness of your hearts ,
permitted you to divorce your wives ,
but from the beginning it was not so .
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And I say to you ,
whoever divorces his wife ,
except for sexual immorality ,
and marries another ,
commits adultery ;
and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery ."
*
His disciples said to Him , "
If such is the case of the man with his wife ,
it is better not to marry ."
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But He said to them , "
All cannot accept this saying ,
but only those to whom it has been given :
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For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother '
s womb ,
and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men ,
and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven '
s sake .
He who is able to accept it ,
let him accept it ."
*
Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray ,
but the disciples rebuked them .
*
But Jesus said , "
Let the little children come to Me ,
and do not forbid them ;
for of such is the kingdom of heaven ."
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And He laid His hands on them and departed from there .
*
Now behold ,
one came and said to Him , "
Good Teacher ,
what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life ?"
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So He said to him , "
Why do you call Me good ?
No one is good but One ,
that is ,
God .
But if you want to enter into life ,
keep the commandments ."
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He said to Him , "
Which ones ?"
Jesus said , ""
You shall not murder ,' "
You shall not commit adultery ,' "
You shall not steal ,' "
You shall not bear false witness ,'
* "
Honor your father and your mother ,'
and , "
You shall love your neighbor as yourself ."'
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The young man said to Him , "
All these things I have kept from my youth .
What do I still lack ?"
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Jesus said to him , "
If you want to be perfect ,
go ,
sell what you have and give to the poor ,
and you will have treasure in heaven ;
and come ,
follow Me ."
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But when the young man heard that saying ,
he went away sorrowful ,
for he had great possessions .
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Then Jesus said to His disciples , "
Assuredly ,
I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven .
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And again I say to 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 ."
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When His disciples heard it ,
they were greatly astonished ,
saying , "
Who then can be saved ?"
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But Jesus looked at them and said to them , "
With men this is impossible ,
but with God all things are possible ."
*
Then Peter answered and said to Him , "
See ,
we have left all and followed You .
Therefore what shall we have ?"
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So Jesus said to them , "
Assuredly I say to you ,
that in the regeneration ,
when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory ,
you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones ,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel .
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And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands ,
for My name '
s sake ,
shall receive a hundredfold ,
and inherit eternal life .
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But many who are first will be last ,
and the last first .
* "
For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard .
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Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day ,
he sent them into his vineyard .
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And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace ,
*
and said to them , "
You also go into the vineyard ,
and whatever is right I will give you .'
So they went .
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Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour ,
and did likewise .
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And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle ,
and said to them , "
Why have you been standing here idle all day ?'
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They said to him , "
Because no one hired us .'
He said to them , "
You also go into the vineyard ,
and whatever is right you will receive .'
* "
So when evening had come ,
the owner of the vineyard said to his steward , "
Call the laborers and give them their wages ,
beginning with the last to the first .'
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And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour ,
they each received a denarius .
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But when the first came ,
they supposed that they would receive more ;
and they likewise received each a denarius .
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And when they had received it ,
they complained against the landowner ,
*
saying , "
These last men have worked only one hour ,
and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day .'
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But he answered one of them and said , "
Friend ,
I am doing you no wrong .
Did you not agree with me for a denarius ?
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Take what is yours and go your way .
I wish to give to this last man the same as to you .
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Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things ?
Or is your eye evil because I am good ?'
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So the last will be first ,
and the first last .
For many are called ,
but few chosen ."
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Now Jesus ,
going up to Jerusalem ,
took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them ,
* "
Behold ,
we are going up to Jerusalem ,
and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes ;
and they will condemn Him to death ,
*
and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify .
And the third day He will rise again ."
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Then the mother of Zebedee '
s sons came to Him with her sons ,
kneeling down and asking something from Him .
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And He said to her , "
What do you wish ?"
She said to Him , "
Grant that these two sons of mine may sit ,
one on Your right hand and the other on the left ,
in Your kingdom ."
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But Jesus answered and said , "
You do not know what you ask .
Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink ,
and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with ?"
They said to Him , "
We are able ."
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So He said to them , "
You will indeed drink My cup ,
and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with ;
but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give ,
but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father ."
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And when the ten heard it ,
they were greatly displeased with the two brothers .
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But Jesus called them to Himself and said , "
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them ,
and those who are great exercise authority over them .
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Yet it shall not be so among you ;
but whoever desires to become great among you ,
let him be your servant .
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And whoever desires to be first among you ,
let him be your slave --
*
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served ,
but to serve ,
and to give His life a ransom for many ."
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Now as they went out of Jericho ,
a great multitude followed Him .
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And behold ,
two blind men sitting by the road ,
when they heard that Jesus was passing by ,
cried out ,
saying , "
Have mercy on us ,
O Lord ,
Son of David !"
*
Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet ;
but they cried out all the more ,
saying , "
Have mercy on us ,
O Lord ,
Son of David !"
*
So Jesus stood still and called them ,
and said , "
What do you want Me to do for you ?"
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They said to Him , "
Lord ,
that our eyes may be opened ."
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So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes .
And immediately their eyes received sight ,
and they followed Him .
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Now when they drew near Jerusalem ,
and came to Bethphage ,
at the Mount of Olives ,
then Jesus sent two disciples ,
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saying to them , "
Go into the village opposite you ,
and immediately you will find a donkey tied ,
and a colt with her .
Loose them and bring them to Me .
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And if anyone says anything to you ,
you shall say , "
The Lord has need of them ,'
and immediately he will send them ."
*
All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet ,
saying :
* "
Tell the daughter of Zion , "
Behold ,
your King is coming to you ,
Lowly ,
and sitting on a donkey ,
A colt ,
the foal of a donkey ."'
*
So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them .
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They brought the donkey and the colt ,
laid their clothes on them ,
and set Him on them .
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And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road ;
others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road .
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Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out ,
saying : "
Hosanna to the Son of David ! "
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD !'
Hosanna in the highest !"
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And when He had come into Jerusalem ,
all the city was moved ,
saying , "
Who is this ?"
*
So the multitudes said , "
This is Jesus ,
the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee ."
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Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple ,
and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves .
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And He said to them , "
It is written , "
My house shall be called a house of prayer ,'
but you have made it a "
den of thieves ."'
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Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple ,
and He healed them .
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But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did ,
and the children crying out in the temple and saying , "
Hosanna to the Son of David !"
they were indignant
*
and 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 nursing infants You have perfected praise '?"
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Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany ,
and He lodged there .
*
Now in the morning ,
as He returned to the city ,
He was hungry .
*
And seeing a fig tree by the road ,
He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves ,
and said to it , "
Let no fruit grow on you ever again ."
Immediately the fig tree withered away .
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And when the disciples saw it ,
they marveled ,
saying , "
How did the fig tree wither away so soon ?"
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So Jesus answered and said to them , "
Assuredly ,
I say to you ,
if you have faith and do not doubt ,
you will not only do what was done to the fig tree ,
but also if you say to this mountain , "
Be removed and be cast into the sea ,'
it will be done .
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And whatever things you ask in prayer ,
believing ,
you will receive ."
*
Now when He came into the temple ,
the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching ,
and said , "
By what authority are You doing these things ?
And who gave You this authority ?"
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But Jesus answered and said to them , "
I also will ask you one thing ,
which if you tell Me ,
I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things :
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The baptism of John--where was it from ?
From heaven or from men ?"
And they reasoned among themselves ,
saying , "
If we say , "
From heaven ,'
He will say to us , "
Why then did you not believe him ?'
*
But if we say , "
From men ,'
we fear the multitude ,
for all count John as a prophet ."
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So they answered Jesus and said , "
We do not know ."
And He said to them , "
Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things .
* "
But what do you think ?
A man had two sons ,
and he came to the first and said , "
Son ,
go ,
work today in my vineyard .'
*
He answered and said , "
I will not ,'
but afterward he regretted it and went .
*
Then he came to the second and said likewise .
And he answered and said , "
I go ,
sir ,'
but he did not go .
*
Which of the two did the will of his father ?"
They said to Him , "
The first ."
Jesus said to them , "
Assuredly ,
I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you .
*
For John came to you in the way of righteousness ,
and you did not believe him ;
but tax collectors and harlots believed him ;
and when you saw it ,
you did not afterward relent and believe him .
* "
Hear another parable :
There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it ,
dug a winepress in it and built a tower .
And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country .
*
Now when vintage-time drew near ,
he sent his servants to the vinedressers ,
that they might receive its fruit .
*
And the vinedressers took his servants ,
beat one ,
killed one ,
and stoned another .
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Again he sent other servants ,
more than the first ,
and they did likewise to them .
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Then last of all he sent his son to them ,
saying , "
They will respect my son .'
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But when the vinedressers saw the son ,
they said among themselves , "
This is the heir .
Come ,
let us kill him and seize his inheritance .'
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So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him .
* "
Therefore ,
when the owner of the vineyard comes ,
what will he do to those vinedressers ?"
*
They said to Him , "
He will destroy those wicked men miserably ,
and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons ."
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Jesus said to them , "
Have you never read in the Scriptures : "
The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone .
This was the LORD '
s doing ,
And it is marvelous in our eyes '?
* "
Therefore I say to you ,
the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it .
*
And whoever falls on this stone will be broken ;
but on whomever it falls ,
it will grind him to powder ."
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Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables ,
they perceived that He was speaking of them .
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But when they sought to lay hands on Him ,
they feared the multitudes ,
because they took Him for a prophet .
*
And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said :
* "
The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son ,
*
and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding ;
and they were not willing to come .
*
Again ,
he sent out other servants ,
saying , "
Tell those who are invited , "
See ,
I have prepared my dinner ;
my oxen and fatted cattle are killed ,
and all things are ready .
Come to the wedding ."'
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But they made light of it and went their ways ,
one to his own farm ,
another to his business .
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And the rest seized his servants ,
treated them spitefully ,
and killed them .
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But when the king heard about it ,
he was furious .
And he sent out his armies ,
destroyed those murderers ,
and burned up their city .
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Then he said to his servants , "
The wedding is ready ,
but those who were invited were not worthy .
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Therefore go into the highways ,
and as many as you find ,
invite to the wedding .'
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So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found ,
both bad and good .
And the wedding hall was filled with guests .
* "
But when the king came in to see the guests ,
he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment .
*
So he said to him , "
Friend ,
how did you come in here without a wedding garment ?'
And he was speechless .
*
Then the king said to the servants , "
Bind him hand and foot ,
take him away ,
and cast him into outer darkness ;
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth .'
* "
For many are called ,
but few are chosen ."
*
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk .
*
And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians ,
saying , "
Teacher ,
we know that You are true ,
and teach the way of God in truth ;
nor do You care about anyone ,
for You do not regard the person of men .
*
Tell us ,
therefore ,
what do You think ?
Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar ,
or not ?"
*
But Jesus perceived their wickedness ,
and said , "
Why do you test Me ,
you hypocrites ?
*
Show Me the tax money ."
So they brought Him a denarius .
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And He said to them , "
Whose image and inscription is this ?"
*
They said to Him , "
Caesar '
s ."
And He said to them , "
Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar '
s ,
and to God the things that are God '
s ."
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When they had heard these words ,
they marveled ,
and left Him and went their way .
*
The same day the Sadducees ,
who say there is no resurrection ,
came to Him and asked Him ,
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saying : "
Teacher ,
Moses said that if a man dies ,
having no children ,
his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother .
*
Now there were with us seven brothers .
The first died after he had married ,
and having no offspring ,
left his wife to his brother .
*
Likewise the second also ,
and the third ,
even to the seventh .
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Last of all the woman died also .
*
Therefore ,
in the resurrection ,
whose wife of the seven will she be ?
For they all had her ."
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Jesus answered and said to them , "
You are mistaken ,
not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God .
*
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage ,
but are like angels of God in heaven .
*
But concerning the resurrection of the dead ,
have you not read what was spoken to you by God ,
saying ,
* "
I am the God of Abraham ,
the God of Isaac ,
and the God of Jacob '?
God is not the God of the dead ,
but of the living ."
*
And when the multitudes heard this ,
they were astonished at His teaching .
*
But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees ,
they gathered together .
*
Then one of them ,
a lawyer ,
asked Him a question ,
testing Him ,
and saying ,
* "
Teacher ,
which is the great commandment in the law ?"
*
Jesus said to him , ""
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart ,
with all your soul ,
and with all your mind .'
*
This is the first and great commandment .
*
And the second is like it : "
You shall love your neighbor as yourself .'
*
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets ."
*
While the Pharisees were gathered together ,
Jesus asked them ,
*
saying , "
What do you think about the Christ ?
Whose Son is He ?"
They said to Him , "
The Son of David ."
*
He said to them , "
How then does David in the Spirit call Him "
Lord ,'
saying :
* "
The LORD said to my Lord , "
Sit at My right hand ,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool "'?
*
If David then calls Him "
Lord ,'
how is He his Son ?"
*
And no one was able to answer Him a word ,
nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore .
*
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples ,
*
saying : "
The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses '
seat .
*
Therefore whatever they tell you to observe ,
that observe and do ,
but do not do according to their works ;
for they say ,
and do not do .
*
For they bind heavy burdens ,
hard to bear ,
and lay them on men '
s shoulders ;
but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers .
*
But all their works they do to be seen by men .
They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments .
*
They love the best places at feasts ,
the best seats in the synagogues ,
*
greetings in the marketplaces ,
and to be called by men , "
Rabbi ,
Rabbi .'
*
But you ,
do not be called "
Rabbi ';
for One is your Teacher ,
the Christ ,
and you are all brethren .
*
Do not call anyone on earth your father ;
for One is your Father ,
He who is in heaven .
*
And do not be called teachers ;
for One is your Teacher ,
the Christ .
*
But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant .
*
And whoever exalts himself will be humbled ,
and he who humbles himself will be exalted .
* "
But woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men ;
for you neither go in yourselves ,
nor do you allow those who are entering to go in .
*
Woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
For you devour widows '
houses ,
and for a pretense make long prayers .
Therefore you will receive greater condemnation .
* "
Woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte ,
and when he is won ,
you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves .
* "
Woe to you ,
blind guides ,
who say , "
Whoever swears by the temple ,
it is nothing ;
but whoever swears by the gold of the temple ,
he is obliged to perform it .'
*
Fools and blind !
For which is greater ,
the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold ?
*
And , "
Whoever swears by the altar ,
it is nothing ;
but whoever swears by the gift that is on it ,
he is obliged to perform it .'
*
Fools and blind !
For which is greater ,
the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift ?
*
Therefore he who swears by the altar ,
swears by it and by all things on it .
*
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 on it .
* "
Woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin ,
and have neglected the weightier matters of the law :
justice and mercy and faith .
These you ought to have done ,
without leaving the others undone .
*
Blind guides ,
who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel !
* "
Woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish ,
but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence .
*
Blind Pharisee ,
first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish ,
that the outside of them may be clean also .
* "
Woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly ,
but inside are full of dead men '
s bones and all uncleanness .
*
Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men ,
but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness .
* "
Woe to you ,
scribes and Pharisees ,
hypocrites !
Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous ,
*
and say , "
If we had lived in the days of our fathers ,
we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets .'
* "
Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets .
*
Fill up ,
then ,
the measure of your fathers '
guilt .
*
Serpents ,
brood of vipers !
How can you escape the condemnation of hell ?
*
Therefore ,
indeed ,
I send you prophets ,
wise men ,
and scribes :
some of them you will kill and crucify ,
and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city ,
*
that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth ,
from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah ,
son of Berechiah ,
whom you murdered between the temple and the altar .
*
Assuredly ,
I say to you ,
all these things will come upon this generation .
* "
O Jerusalem ,
Jerusalem ,
the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her !
How often I wanted to gather your children together ,
as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings ,
but you were not willing !
*
See !
Your house is left to you desolate ;
*
for I say to you ,
you shall see Me no more till you say , "
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD !"'
*
Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple ,
and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple .
*
And Jesus said to them , "
Do you not see all these things ?
Assuredly ,
I say to you ,
not one stone shall be left here upon another ,
that shall not be thrown down ."
*
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives ,
the disciples came to Him privately ,
saying , "
Tell us ,
when will these things be ?
And what will be the sign of Your coming ,
and of the end of the age ?"
*
And Jesus answered and said to them : "
Take heed that no one deceives you .
*
For many will come in My name ,
saying , "
I am the Christ ,'
and will deceive many .
*
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars .
See that you are not troubled ;
for all these things must come to pass ,
but the end is not yet .
*
For nation will rise against nation ,
and kingdom against kingdom .
And there will be famines ,
pestilences ,
and earthquakes in various places .
*
All these are the beginning of sorrows .
* "
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you ,
and you will be hated by all nations for My name '
s sake .
*
And then many will be offended ,
will betray one another ,
and will hate one another .
*
Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many .
*
And because lawlessness will abound ,
the love of many will grow cold .
*
But he who endures to the end shall be saved .
*
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations ,
and then the end will come .
* "
Therefore when you see the "
abomination of desolation ,'
spoken of by Daniel the prophet ,
standing in the holy place " (
whoever reads ,
let him understand ),
* "
then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains .
*
Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house .
*
And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes .
*
But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days !
*
And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath .
*
For then there will be great tribulation ,
such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time ,
no ,
nor ever shall be .
*
And unless those days were shortened ,
no flesh would be saved ;
but for the elect '
s sake those days will be shortened .
* "
Then if anyone says to you , "
Look ,
here is the Christ !'
or "
There !'
do not believe it .
*
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive ,
if possible ,
even the elect .
*
See ,
I have told you beforehand .
* "
Therefore if they say to you , "
Look ,
He is in the desert !'
do not go out ;
or "
Look ,
He is in the inner rooms !'
do not believe it .
*
For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west ,
so also will the coming of the Son of Man be .
*
For wherever the carcass 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 ;
the stars will fall from heaven ,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken .
*
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear 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 His angels with a great sound of a trumpet ,
and they will gather together His elect from the four winds ,
from one end of heaven to the other .
* "
Now learn this parable from the fig tree :
When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves ,
you know that summer is near .
*
So you also ,
when you see all these things ,
know that it is near--at the doors !
*
Assuredly ,
I say to you ,
this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place .
*
Heaven and earth will pass away ,
but My words will by no means pass away .
* "
But of that day and hour no one knows ,
not even the angels of heaven ,
but My Father only .
*
But as the days of Noah were ,
so also will the coming of the Son of Man be .
*
For as in the days before the flood ,
they were eating and drinking ,
marrying and giving in marriage ,
until the day that Noah entered the ark ,
*
and did not know until the flood came and took them all away ,
so also will the coming of the Son of Man be .
*
Then two men will be in the field :
one will be taken and the other left .
*
Two women will be grinding at the mill :
one will be taken and the other left .
*
Watch therefore ,
for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming .
*
But know this ,
that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come ,
he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into .
*
Therefore you also be ready ,
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect .
* "
Who then is a faithful and wise servant ,
whom his master made ruler over his household ,
to give them food in due season ?
*
Blessed is that servant whom his master ,
when he comes ,
will find so doing .
*
Assuredly ,
I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods .
*
But if that evil servant says in his heart , "
My master is delaying his coming ,'
*
and begins to beat his fellow servants ,
and to eat and drink with the drunkards ,
*
the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of ,
*
and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites .
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth .
* "
Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom .
*
Now five of them were wise ,
and five were foolish .
*
Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them ,
*
but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps .
*
But while the bridegroom was delayed ,
they all slumbered and slept .
* "
And at midnight a cry was heard : "
Behold ,
the bridegroom is coming ;
go out to meet him !'
*
Then all those virgins arose 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 answered ,
saying , "
No ,
lest there should not be enough for us and you ;
but go rather to those who sell ,
and buy for yourselves .'
*
And while they went to buy ,
the bridegroom came ,
and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding ;
and the door was shut .
* "
Afterward the other virgins came also ,
saying , "
Lord ,
Lord ,
open to us !'
*
But he answered and said , "
Assuredly ,
I say to you ,
I do not know you .'
* "
Watch therefore ,
for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming .
* "
For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country ,
who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them .
*
And to one he gave five talents ,
to another two ,
and to another one ,
to each according to his own ability ;
and immediately he went on a journey .
*
Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them ,
and made another five talents .
*
And likewise he who had received two gained two more also .
*
But he who had received one went and dug in the ground ,
and hid his lord '
s money .
*
After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them .
* "
So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents ,
saying , "
Lord ,
you delivered to me five talents ;
look ,
I have gained five more talents besides them .'
*
His lord said to him , "
Well done ,
good and faithful servant ;
you were faithful over a few things ,
I will make you ruler over many things .
Enter into the joy of your lord .'
*
He also who had received two talents came and said , "
Lord ,
you delivered to me two talents ;
look ,
I have gained two more talents besides them .'
*
His lord said to him , "
Well done ,
good and faithful servant ;
you have been faithful over a few things ,
I will make you ruler over many things .
Enter into the joy of your lord .'
* "
Then he who had received the one talent came and said , "
Lord ,
I knew you to be a hard man ,
reaping where you have not sown ,
and gathering where you have not scattered seed .
*
And I was afraid ,
and went and hid your talent in the ground .
Look ,
there you have what is yours .'
* "
But his lord answered and said to him , "
You wicked and lazy servant ,
you knew that I reap where I have not sown ,
and gather where I have not scattered seed .
*
So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers ,
and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest .
*
So take the talent from him ,
and give it to him who has ten talents .
* "
For to everyone who has ,
more will be given ,
and he will have abundance ;
but from him who does not have ,
even what he has will be taken away .
*
And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness .
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth .'
* "
When the Son of Man comes in His glory ,
and all the holy angels with Him ,
then He will sit on the throne of His glory .
*
All the nations will be gathered before Him ,
and He will separate them one from another ,
as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats .
*
And He will set the sheep on His right hand ,
but the goats on the left .
*
Then the King will say to those on His right hand , "
Come ,
you 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 took Me in ;
*
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 ,
saying , "
Lord ,
when did we see You hungry and feed You ,
or thirsty and give You drink ?
*
When did we see You a stranger and take You in ,
or naked and clothe You ?
*
Or when did we see You sick ,
or in prison ,
and come to You ?'
*
And the King will answer and say to them , "
Assuredly ,
I say to you ,
inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren ,
you did it to Me .'
* "
Then He will also say to those on the left hand , "
Depart from Me ,
you cursed ,
into the everlasting 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 take Me in ,
naked and you did not clothe Me ,
sick and in prison and you did not visit Me .'
* "
Then they also will answer Him ,
saying , "
Lord ,
when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison ,
and did not minister to You ?'
*
Then He will answer them ,
saying , "
Assuredly ,
I say to you ,
inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these ,
you did not do it to Me .'
*
And these will go away into everlasting punishment ,
but the righteous into eternal life ."
*
Now it came to pass ,
when Jesus had finished all these sayings ,
that He said to His disciples ,
* "
You know that after two days is the Passover ,
and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified ."
*
Then the chief priests ,
the scribes ,
and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest ,
who was called Caiaphas ,
*
and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him .
*
But they said , "
Not during the feast ,
lest there be an uproar among the people ."
*
And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper ,
*
a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil ,
and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table .
*
But when His disciples saw it ,
they were indignant ,
saying , "
Why this waste ?
*
For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor ."
*
But when Jesus was aware of it ,
He said to them , "
Why do you trouble the woman ?
For she has done a good work for Me .
*
For you have the poor with you always ,
but Me you do not have always .
*
For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body ,
she did it for My burial .
*
Assuredly ,
I say to you ,
wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world ,
what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her ."
*
Then one of the twelve ,
called Judas Iscariot ,
went to the chief priests
*
and said , "
What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you ?"
And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver .
*
So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him .
*
Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus ,
saying to Him , "
Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover ?"
*
And He said , "
Go into the city to a certain man ,
and say to him , "
The Teacher says , "
My time is at hand ;
I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples .""'
*
So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them ;
and they prepared the Passover .
*
When evening had come ,
He sat down with the twelve .
*
Now as they were eating ,
He said , "
Assuredly ,
I say to you ,
one of you will betray Me ."
*
And they were exceedingly sorrowful ,
and each of them began to say to Him , "
Lord ,
is it I ?"
*
He answered and said , "
He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me .
*
The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him ,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed !
It would have been good for that man if he had not been born ."
*
Then Judas ,
who was betraying Him ,
answered and said , "
Rabbi ,
is it I ?"
He said to him , "
You have said it ."
*
And as they were eating ,
Jesus took bread ,
blessed and broke it ,
and gave it to the disciples and said , "
Take ,
eat ;
this is My body ."
*
Then He took the cup ,
and gave thanks ,
and gave it to them ,
saying , "
Drink from it ,
all of you .
*
For this is My blood of the new covenant ,
which is shed for many for the remission of sins .
*
But I say to you ,
I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on 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 , "
All of you will be made to stumble 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 have been raised ,
I will go before you to Galilee ."
*
Peter answered and said to Him , "
Even if all are made to stumble because of You ,
I will never be made to stumble ."
*
Jesus said to him , "
Assuredly ,
I say to you that this night ,
before the rooster crows ,
you will deny Me three times ."
*
Peter said to Him , "
Even if I have to die with You ,
I will not deny You !"
And so said all the disciples .
*
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane ,
and said to the disciples , "
Sit here while I go and pray over there ."
*
And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee ,
and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed .
*
Then He said to them , "
My soul is exceedingly sorrowful ,
even to death .
Stay here and watch with Me ."
*
He went a little farther and fell on His face ,
and prayed ,
saying , "
O My Father ,
if it is possible ,
let this cup pass from Me ;
nevertheless ,
not as I will ,
but as You will ."
*
Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping ,
and said to Peter , "
What !
Could you not watch with Me one hour ?
*
Watch and pray ,
lest you enter into temptation .
The spirit indeed is willing ,
but the flesh is weak ."
*
Again ,
a second time ,
He went away and prayed ,
saying , "
O My Father ,
if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it ,
Your will be done ."
*
And He came and found them asleep again ,
for their eyes were heavy .
*
So He left them ,
went away again ,
and prayed the third time ,
saying the same words .
*
Then He came to His disciples and said to them , "
Are you still sleeping and resting ?
Behold ,
the hour is at hand ,
and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners .
*
Rise ,
let us be going .
See ,
My betrayer is at hand ."
*
And while He was still speaking ,
behold ,
Judas ,
one of the twelve ,
with a great multitude with swords and clubs ,
came from the chief priests and elders of the people .
*
Now His betrayer had given them a sign ,
saying , "
Whomever I kiss ,
He is the One ;
seize Him ."
*
Immediately he went up to Jesus and said , "
Greetings ,
Rabbi !"
and kissed Him .
*
But Jesus said to him , "
Friend ,
why have you come ?"
Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him .
*
And suddenly ,
one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword ,
struck the servant of the high priest ,
and cut off his ear .
*
But Jesus said to him , "
Put your sword in its place ,
for all who take the sword will perish by the sword .
*
Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father ,
and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels ?
*
How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled ,
that it must happen thus ?"
*
In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes , "
Have you come out ,
as against a robber ,
with swords and clubs to take Me ?
I sat daily with you ,
teaching in the temple ,
and you did not seize Me .
*
But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled ."
Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled .
*
And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest ,
where the scribes and the elders were assembled .
*
But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest '
s courtyard .
And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end .
*
Now the chief priests ,
the elders ,
and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death ,
*
but found none .
Even though many false witnesses came forward ,
they found none .
But at last two false witnesses 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 arose and said to Him , "
Do You answer nothing ?
What is it these men testify against You ?"
*
But Jesus kept silent .
And the high priest answered and said to Him , "
I put You under oath by the living God :
Tell us if You are the Christ ,
the Son of God !"
*
Jesus said to him , "
It is as you said .
Nevertheless ,
I say to you ,
hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power ,
and coming on the clouds of heaven ."
*
Then the high priest tore his clothes ,
saying , "
He has spoken blasphemy !
What further need do we have of witnesses ?
Look ,
now you have heard His blasphemy !
*
What do you think ?"
They answered and said , "
He is deserving of death ."
*
Then they spat in His face and beat Him ;
and others struck Him with the palms of their hands ,
*
saying , "
Prophesy to us ,
Christ !
Who is the one who struck You ?"
*
Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard .
And a servant girl came to him ,
saying , "
You also were with Jesus of Galilee ."
*
But he denied it before them all ,
saying , "
I do not know what you are saying ."
*
And when he had gone out to the gateway ,
another girl saw him and said to those who were there , "
This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth ."
*
But again he denied with an oath , "
I do not know the Man !"
*
And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter , "
Surely you also are one of them ,
for your speech betrays you ."
*
Then he began to curse and swear ,
saying , "
I do not know the Man !"
Immediately a rooster crowed .
*
And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him , "
Before the rooster crows ,
you will deny Me three times ."
So he went out and wept bitterly .
*
When morning came ,
all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death .
*
And when they had bound Him ,
they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor .
*
Then Judas ,
His betrayer ,
seeing that He had been condemned ,
was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders ,
*
saying , "
I have sinned by betraying innocent blood ."
And they said , "
What is that to us ?
You see to it !"
*
Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed ,
and went and hanged himself .
*
But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said , "
It is not lawful to put them into the treasury ,
because they are the price of blood ."
*
And they consulted together 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 was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet ,
saying , "
And they took the thirty pieces of silver ,
the value of Him who was priced ,
whom they of the children of Israel priced ,
*
and gave them for the potter '
s field ,
as the LORD directed me ."
*
Now Jesus stood before the governor .
And the governor asked Him ,
saying , "
Are You the King of the Jews ?"
Jesus said to him , "
It is as you say ."
*
And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders ,
He answered nothing .
*
Then Pilate said to Him , "
Do You not hear how many things they testify against You ?"
*
But He answered him not one word ,
so that the governor marveled greatly .
*
Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished .
*
And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas .
*
Therefore ,
when they had gathered together ,
Pilate said to them , "
Whom do you want me to release to you ?
Barabbas ,
or Jesus who is called Christ ?"
*
For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy .
*
While he was sitting on the judgment seat ,
his wife sent to him ,
saying , "
Have nothing to do with that just Man ,
for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him ."
*
But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus .
*
The governor answered and said to them , "
Which of the two do you want me to release to you ?"
They said , "
Barabbas !"
*
Pilate said to them , "
What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ ?"
They all said to him , "
Let Him be crucified !"
*
Then the governor said , "
Why ,
what evil has He done ?"
But they cried out all the more ,
saying , "
Let Him be crucified !"
*
When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all ,
but rather that a tumult was rising ,
he took water and washed his hands before the multitude ,
saying , "
I am innocent of the blood of this just Person .
You see to it ."
*
And all the people answered and said , "
His blood be on us and on our children ."
*
Then he released Barabbas to them ;
and when he had scourged Jesus ,
he delivered Him to be crucified .
*
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him .
*
And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him .
*
When they had twisted a crown of thorns ,
they put it on His head ,
and a reed in His right hand .
And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him ,
saying , "
Hail ,
King of the Jews !"
*
Then they spat on Him ,
and took the reed and struck Him on the head .
*
And when they had mocked Him ,
they took the robe off Him ,
put His own clothes on Him ,
and led Him away to be crucified .
*
Now as they came out ,
they found a man of Cyrene ,
Simon by name .
Him they compelled to bear His cross .
*
And when they had come to a place called Golgotha ,
that is to say ,
Place of a Skull ,
*
they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink .
But when He had tasted it ,
He would not drink .
*
Then they crucified Him ,
and divided His garments ,
casting lots ,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet : "
They divided My garments among them ,
And for My clothing they cast lots ."
*
Sitting down ,
they kept watch over Him there .
*
And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him :
THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS .
*
Then two robbers were crucified with Him ,
one on the right and another on the left .
*
And those who passed by blasphemed Him ,
wagging their heads
*
and saying , "
You who destroy the temple and build it in three days ,
save Yourself !
If You are the Son of God ,
come down from the cross ."
*
Likewise the chief priests also ,
mocking with the scribes and elders ,
said ,
* "
He saved others ;
Himself He cannot save .
If He is the King of Israel ,
let Him now come down from the cross ,
and we will believe Him .
*
He trusted in God ;
let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him ;
for He said , "
I am the Son of God ."'
*
Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing .
*
Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land .
*
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice ,
saying , "
Eli ,
Eli ,
lama sabachthani ?"
that is , "
My God ,
My God ,
why have You forsaken Me ?"
*
Some of those who stood there ,
when they heard that ,
said , "
This Man is calling for Elijah !"
*
Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge ,
filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed ,
and offered it to Him to drink .
*
The rest said , "
Let Him alone ;
let us see if Elijah will come to save Him ."
*
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice ,
and yielded up His spirit .
*
Then ,
behold ,
the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom ;
and the earth quaked ,
and the rocks were split ,
*
and the graves were opened ;
and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised ;
*
and coming out of the graves after His resurrection ,
they went into the holy city and appeared to many .
*
So when the centurion and those with him ,
who were guarding Jesus ,
saw the earthquake and the things that had happened ,
they feared greatly ,
saying , "
Truly this was the Son of God !"
*
And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee ,
ministering to Him ,
were there looking on from afar ,
*
among whom were Mary Magdalene ,
Mary the mother of James and Joses ,
and the mother of Zebedee '
s sons .
*
Now when evening had come ,
there came a rich man from Arimathea ,
named Joseph ,
who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus .
*
This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus .
Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him .
*
When Joseph had taken the body ,
he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth ,
*
and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock ;
and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb ,
and departed .
*
And Mary Magdalene was there ,
and the other Mary ,
sitting opposite the tomb .
*
On the next day ,
which followed the Day of Preparation ,
the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate ,
*
saying , "
Sir ,
we remember ,
while He was still alive ,
how that deceiver said , "
After three days I will rise .'
*
Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day ,
lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away ,
and say to the people , "
He has risen from the dead .'
So the last deception will be worse than the first ."
*
Pilate said to them , "
You have a guard ;
go your way ,
make it as secure as you know how ."
*
So they went and made the tomb secure ,
sealing the stone and setting the guard .
*
Now after the Sabbath ,
as the first day of the week began to dawn ,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb .
*
And behold ,
there was a great earthquake ;
for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven ,
and came and rolled back the stone from the door ,
and sat on it .
*
His countenance was like lightning ,
and his clothing as white as snow .
*
And the guards shook for fear of him ,
and became like dead men .
*
But the angel answered and said to the women , "
Do not be afraid ,
for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified .
*
He is not here ;
for He is risen ,
as He said .
Come ,
see the place where the Lord lay .
*
And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead ,
and indeed He is going before you into Galilee ;
there you will see Him .
Behold ,
I have told you ."
*
So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy ,
and ran to bring His disciples word .
*
And as they went to tell His disciples ,
behold ,
Jesus met them ,
saying , "
Rejoice !"
So they came and held Him by the 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 ."
*
Now while they were going ,
behold ,
some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened .
*
When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together ,
they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers ,
*
saying , "
Tell them , "
His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept .'
*
And if this comes to the governor '
s ears ,
we will appease him and make you secure ."
*
So they took the money and did as they were instructed ;
and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day .
*
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee ,
to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them .
*
When they saw Him ,
they worshiped Him ;
but some doubted .
*
And Jesus came and spoke to them ,
saying , "
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth .
*
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations ,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ,
*
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you ;
and lo ,
I am with you always ,
even to the end of the age ."
Amen .
*
Andrew ,
Philip ,
Bartholomew ,
Matthew ,
Thomas ,
James the son of Alphaeus ,
Thaddaeus ,
Simon the Cananite ;
*
Matthew and Thomas ;
James the son of Alphaeus ,
and Simon called the Zealot ;
*
And when they had entered ,
they went up into the upper room where they were staying :
Peter ,
James ,
John ,
and Andrew ;
Philip and Thomas ;
Bartholomew and Matthew ;
James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot ;
and Judas the son of James .