Matthew 21
21
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
1As they all approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage. It was on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two disciples. 2He said to them, “Go to the village ahead of you. As soon as you get there, you will find a donkey tied up. Her colt will be with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them. The owner will send them right away.”
4This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet would come true. It says,
5“Say to the city of Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you.
He is gentle and riding on a donkey.
He is riding on a donkey’s colt.’ ” (Zechariah 9:9)
6The disciples went and did what Jesus told them to do. 7They brought the donkey and the colt. They placed their coats on them for Jesus to sit on. 8A very large crowd spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9Some of the people went ahead of him, and some followed. They all shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Psalm 118:26)
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up. The people asked, “Who is this?”
11The crowds answered, “This is Jesus. He is the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus Clears Out the Temple
12Jesus entered the temple courtyard. He began to drive out all those who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of the people who were exchanging money. He also turned over the benches of those who were selling doves. 13He said to them, “It is written that the Lord said, ‘My house will be called a house where people can pray.’ (Isaiah 56:7) But you are making it ‘a den for robbers.’ ” (Jeremiah 7:11)
14Blind people and those who were disabled came to Jesus at the temple. There he healed them. 15The chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did. They also saw the children in the temple courtyard shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” But when they saw all this, they became angry.
16“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus. “Haven’t you ever read about it in Scripture? It says,
“ ‘Lord, you have made sure that children and infants
praise you.’ ” (Psalm 8:2)
17Then Jesus left the people and went out of the city to Bethany. He spent the night there.
Jesus Makes a Fig Tree Dry Up
18Early in the morning, Jesus was on his way back to Jerusalem. He was hungry. 19He saw a fig tree by the road. He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Right away the tree dried up.
20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?” they asked.
21Jesus replied, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You must have faith and not doubt. Then you can do what was done to the fig tree. And you can say to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea.’ It will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive what you ask for when you pray.”
The Authority of Jesus Is Questioned
23Jesus entered the temple courtyard. While he was teaching there, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “Who gave you this authority?”
24Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25Where did John’s baptism come from? Was it from heaven? Or did it come from human authority?”
They talked to one another about it. They said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26But what if we say, ‘From human authority’? We are afraid of the people. Everyone believes that John was a prophet.”
27So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I am doing these things either.
The Story of the Two Sons
28“What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29“ ‘I will not,’ the son answered. But later he changed his mind and went.
30“Then the father went to the other son. He said the same thing. The son answered, ‘I will, sir.’ But he did not go.
31“Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32John came to show you the right way to live. And you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. You saw this. But even then you did not turn away from your sins and believe him.
The Story of the Renters
33“Listen to another story. A man who owned some land planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it. He dug a pit for a winepress in it. He also built a lookout tower. He rented the vineyard out to some farmers. Then he moved to another place. 34When harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the renters. He told the slaves to collect his share of the fruit.
35“But the renters grabbed his slaves. They beat one of them. They killed another. They threw stones at the third to kill him. 36Then the man sent other slaves to the renters. He sent more than he did the first time. The renters treated them the same way. 37Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38“But the renters saw the son coming. They said to one another, ‘This is the one who will receive all the owner’s property someday. Come, let’s kill him. Then everything will be ours.’ 39So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard. Then they killed him.
40“When the owner of the vineyard comes back, what will he do to those renters?”
41“He will destroy those evil people,” they replied. “Then he will rent the vineyard out to other renters. They will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read what the Scriptures say,
“ ‘The stone the builders didn’t accept
has become the most important stone of all.
The Lord has done it.
It is wonderful in our eyes’? (Psalm 118:22,23)
43“So here is what I tell you. The kingdom of God will be taken away from you. It will be given to people who will produce its fruit. 44Anyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. But the stone will crush anyone it falls on.”
45The chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ stories. They knew he was talking about them. 46So they looked for a way to arrest him. But they were afraid of the crowd. The people believed that Jesus was a prophet.
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Matthew 21: NIrV
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Mattithyahu (Matthew) 21
21
1And when they came near to Yerushalayim, and came to Bĕyth Phaḡi, at the Mount of Olives, then יהושע sent two taught ones,
2saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and straightaway you shall find a donkey tied, and a colt with her, loosen them, and bring them to Me.
3And if anyone says whatever to you, you shall say, ‘The Master needs them,’ and immediately he shall send them.
4And all this took place that it might be filled what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5“Say to the daughter of Tsiyon, ‘See, your Sovereign is coming to you, meek, and sitting on a donkey, even a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”# Zech. 9:9
6And the taught ones went, and having done as יהושע ordered them,
7they brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their garments on them, and He sat on them.
8And most of the crowd spread their garments on the way, while others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the way.
9And the crowds who went before and those who followed cried out, saying, “Hoshia-na to the Son of Dawiḏ! Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of יהוה! Hoshia-na in the highest!”# Psa. 118:26
10And as He entered into Yerushalayim, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?”
11And the crowds said, “This is יהושע, the prophet from Natsareth of Galil.”
12And יהושע went into the Set-apart Place of Elohim and drove out all those buying and selling in the Set-apart Place, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold doves.
13And He said to them, “It has been written, ‘My House shall be called a house of prayer,’# Isa. 56:7 but you have made it a ‘den of robbers.’ ”# Jer. 7:11
14And blind and lame ones came to Him in the Set-apart Place, and He healed them.
15But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonders which He did, and the children crying out in the Set-apart Place and saying,“Hoshia-na# Psa. 118:26 to the Son of Dawiḏ!” they were greatly displeased,
16and said to Him, “Do You hear what these say?” And יהושע said to them, “Yes, have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nurslings You have perfected praise’?”# Psa. 8:2
17And having left them He went out of the city to Bĕyth Anyah, and spent the night there.
18And returning to the city early in the morning, He became hungry.
19And seeing a single fig tree by the way, He came to it and found naught on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” And immediately the fig tree withered.
20And the taught ones, seeing it, marvelled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither so soon?”
21And יהושע answering, said to them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have belief and do not doubt, you shall not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be thrown into the sea,’ it shall be done.
22And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.
23And when He had come into the Set-apart Place, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these? And who gave You this authority?”
24And יהושע answering, said to them, “I shall ask you one question too, which if you answer Me, I also shall say to you by what authority I do these:
25The immersion of Yoḥanan, where did it come from? From heaven or from men? So they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He shall say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
26But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the crowd, for all hold Yoḥanan as a prophet.
27And they answered יהושע and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither do I say to you by what authority I do these.
28“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.’
29“And he answering, said, ‘I do not wish to,’ but afterwards he repented and went.
30“And having come to the second, he said similarly. And he answering, said, ‘I go, master,’ but he did not go.
31“Which of the two did the desire of the father?” They said to Him, “The first.” יהושע said to them, “Truly, I say to you that tax collectors and whores are entering into the reign of Elohim before you,
32for Yoḥanan came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but tax collectors and whores believed him. And when you saw it, you did not repent afterwards, to believe him.
33“Hear another parable: There was a certain man, a householder who planted a vineyard and placed a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower.# Isa. 5:1, 2 And he leased it to farmers and went abroad.
34“And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive its fruit.
35“And the farmers took his servants and beat one, and they killed one, and they stoned another.
36“Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.
37“And at last he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They shall respect my son.’
38“But when the farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and let us possess his inheritance.’
39“And they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40“Therefore, when the master of the vineyard comes, what shall he do to those farmers?”
41They said to Him, “Evil ones! He shall bring them to evil destruction, and lease the vineyard to other farmers who shall give to him the fruits in their seasons.”
42יהושע said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejeted has become the chief corner-stone. This was from יהוה, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?# Psa. 118:22, 23
43“Because of this I say to you: the reign of Elohim shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it.
44“And he who falls on this stone shall be broken,#See Rom. 8:10; Rom. 8:13; Col. 3:5 but on whomever it falls, he shall be pulverised.”
45And the chief priests and Pharisees, having heard His parables, knew that He was speaking of them.
46And seeking to lay hands on Him, they feared the crowds, seeing they held Him to be a prophet.
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