Matthew 21; Matthew 22; Matthew 23; Matthew 24; Matthew 25; Matthew 26; Matthew 27

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Matthew 21

1 As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. There Jesus sent two of the disciples on ahead

2 with these instructions: "Go to the village there ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied up with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to me.

3 And if anyone says anything, tell him, "The Master needs them'; and then he will let them go at once."

4 This happened in order to make come true what the prophet had said:

5 "Tell the city of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you! He is humble and rides on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

6 So the disciples went and did what Jesus had told them to do:

7 they brought the donkey and the colt, threw their cloaks over them, and Jesus got on.

8 A large crowd of people spread their cloaks on the road while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9 The crowds walking in front of Jesus and those walking behind began to shout, "Praise to David's Son! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise be to God!"

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was thrown into an uproar. "Who is he?" the people asked.

11 "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee," the crowds answered.

12 Jesus went into the Temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the stools of those who sold pigeons,

13 and said to them, "It is written in the Scriptures that God said, "My Temple will be called a house of prayer.' But you are making it a hideout for thieves!"

14 The blind and the crippled came to him in the Temple, and he healed them.

15 The chief priests and the teachers of the Law became angry when they saw the wonderful things he was doing and the children shouting in the Temple, "Praise to David's Son!"

16 So they asked Jesus, "Do you hear what they are saying?" "Indeed I do," answered Jesus. "Haven't you ever read this scripture? "You have trained children and babies to offer perfect praise.' "

17 Jesus left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

18 On his way back to the city early next morning, Jesus was hungry.

19 He saw a fig tree by the side of the road and went to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. So he said to the tree, "You will never again bear fruit!" At once the fig tree dried up.

20 The disciples saw this and were astounded. "How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?" they asked.

21 Jesus answered, "I assure you that if you believe and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I have done to this fig tree. And not only this, but you will even be able to say to this hill, "Get up and throw yourself in the sea,' and it will.

22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

23 Jesus came back to the Temple; and as he taught, the chief priests and the elders came to him and asked, "What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you such right?"

24 Jesus answered them, "I will ask you just one question, and if you give me an answer, I will tell you what right I have to do these things.

25 Where did John's right to baptize come from: was it from God or from human beings?" They started to argue among themselves, "What shall we say? If we answer, "From God,' he will say to us, "Why, then, did you not believe John?'

26 But if we say, "From human beings,' we are afraid of what the people might do, because they are all convinced that John was a prophet."

27 So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.

28 "Now, what do you think? There was once a man who had two sons. He went to the older one and said, "Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'

29 "I don't want to,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30 Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. "Yes, sir,' he answered, but he did not go.

31 Which one of the two did what his father wanted?" "The older one," they answered. So Jesus said to them, "I tell you: the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you.

32 For John the Baptist came to you showing you the right path to take, and you would not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. Even when you saw this, you did not later change your minds and believe him.

33 "Listen to another parable," Jesus said. "There was once a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press, and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to tenants and left home on a trip.

34 When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent his slaves to the tenants to receive his share of the harvest.

35 The tenants grabbed his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

36 Again the man sent other slaves, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.

37 Last of all he sent his son to them. "Surely they will respect my son,' he said.

38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, "This is the owner's son. Come on, let's kill him, and we will get his property!'

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

40 "Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" Jesus asked.

41 "He will certainly kill those evil men," they answered, "and rent the vineyard out to other tenants, who will give him his share of the harvest at the right time."

42 Jesus said to them, "Haven't you ever read what the Scriptures say? "The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all. This was done by the Lord; what a wonderful sight it is!'

43 "And so I tell you," added Jesus, "the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce the proper fruits."

45 The chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables and knew that he was talking about them,

46 so they tried to arrest him. But they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.

Matthew 22

1 Jesus again used parables in talking to the people.

2 "The Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son.

3 He sent his servants to tell the invited guests to come to the feast, but they did not want to come.

4 So he sent other servants with this message for the guests: "My feast is ready now; my steers and prize calves have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!'

5 But the invited guests paid no attention and went about their business: one went to his farm, another to his store,

6 while others grabbed the servants, beat them, and killed them.

7 The king was very angry; so he sent his soldiers, who killed those murderers and burned down their city.

8 Then he called his servants and said to them, "My wedding feast is ready, but the people I invited did not deserve it.

9 Now go to the main streets and invite to the feast as many people as you find.'

10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, good and bad alike; and the wedding hall was filled with people.

11 "The king went in to look at the guests and saw a man who was not wearing wedding clothes.

12 "Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' the king asked him. But the man said nothing.

13 Then the king told the servants, "Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him outside in the dark. There he will cry and gnash his teeth.' "

14 And Jesus concluded, "Many are invited, but few are chosen."

15 The Pharisees went off and made a plan to trap Jesus with questions.

16 Then they sent to him some of their disciples and some members of Herod's party. "Teacher," they said, "we know that you tell the truth. You teach the truth about God's will for people, without worrying about what others think, because you pay no attention to anyone's status.

17 Tell us, then, what do you think? Is it against our Law to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, or not?"

18 Jesus, however, was aware of their evil plan, and so he said, "You hypocrites! Why are you trying to trap me?

19 Show me the coin for paying the tax!" They brought him the coin,

20 and he asked them, "Whose face and name are these?"

21 "The Emperor's," they answered. So Jesus said to them, "Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God."

22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

23 That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus and claimed that people will not rise from death.

24 "Teacher," they said, "Moses said that if a man who has no children dies, his brother must marry the widow so that they can have children who will be considered the dead man's children.

25 Now, there were seven brothers who used to live here. The oldest got married and died without having children, so he left his widow to his brother.

26 The same thing happened to the second brother, to the third, and finally to all seven.

27 Last of all, the woman died.

28 Now, on the day when the dead rise to life, whose wife will she be? All of them had married her."

29 Jesus answered them, "How wrong you are! It is because you don't know the Scriptures or God's power.

30 For when the dead rise to life, they will be like the angels in heaven and will not marry.

31 Now, as for the dead rising to life: haven't you ever read what God has told you? He said,

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

33 When the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching.

34 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together,

35 and one of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to trap him with a question.

36 "Teacher," he asked, "which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

37 Jesus answered, " "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

38 This is the greatest and the most important commandment.

39 The second most important commandment is like it: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'

40 The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments."

41 When some Pharisees gathered together, Jesus asked them,

42 "What do you think about the Messiah? Whose descendant is he?" "He is David's descendant," they answered.

43 "Why, then," Jesus asked, "did the Spirit inspire David to call him "Lord'? David said,

44 "The Lord said to my Lord: Sit here at my right side until I put your enemies under your feet.'

45 If, then, David called him "Lord,' how can the Messiah be David's descendant?"

46 No one was able to give Jesus any answer, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Matthew 23

1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples.

2 "The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses' Law.

3 So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don't practice what they preach.

4 They tie onto people's backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren't willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads

5 They do everything so that people will see them. Look at the straps with scripture verses on them which they wear on their foreheads and arms, and notice how large they are! Notice also how long are the tassels on their cloaks!

6 They love the best places at feasts and the reserved seats in the synagogues;

7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them "Teacher.'

8 You must not be called "Teacher,' because you are all equal and have only one Teacher.

9 And you must not call anyone here on earth "Father,' because you have only the one Father in heaven.

10 Nor should you be called "Leader,' because your one and only leader is the Messiah.

11 The greatest one among you must be your servant.

12 Whoever makes himself great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be made great.

13 "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock the door to the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces, but you yourselves don't go in, nor do you allow in those who are trying to enter!

15 "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You sail the seas and cross whole countries to win one convert; and when you succeed, you make him twice as deserving of going to hell as you yourselves are!

16 "How terrible for you, blind guides! You teach, "If someone swears by the Temple, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gold in the Temple, he is bound.'

17 Blind fools! Which is more important, the gold or the Temple which makes the gold holy?

18 You also teach, "If someone swears by the altar, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gift on the altar, he is bound.'

19 How blind you are! Which is the more important, the gift or the altar which makes the gift holy

20 So then, when a person swears by the altar, he is swearing by it and by all the gifts on it;

21 and when he swears by the Temple, he is swearing by it and by God, who lives there

22 and when someone swears by heaven, he is swearing by God's throne and by him who sits on it.

23 "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give to God one tenth even of the seasoning herbs, such as mint, dill, and cumin, but you neglect to obey the really important teachings of the Law, such as justice and mercy and honesty. These you should practice, without neglecting the others.

24 Blind guides! You strain a fly out of your drink, but swallow a camel!

25 "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of your cup and plate, while the inside is full of what you have gotten by violence and selfishness.

26 Blind Pharisee! Clean what is inside the cup first, and then the outside will be clean too!

27 "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside.

28 In the same way, on the outside you appear good to everybody, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and sins.

29 "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You make fine tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of those who lived good lives;

30 and you claim that if you had lived during the time of your ancestors, you would not have done what they did and killed the prophets.

31 So you actually admit that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets!

32 Go on, then, and finish up what your ancestors started!

33 You snakes and children of snakes! How do you expect to escape from being condemned to hell?

34 And so I tell you that I will send you prophets and wise men and teachers; you will kill some of them, crucify others, and whip others in the synagogues and chase them from town to town.

35 As a result, the punishment for the murder of all innocent people will fall on you, from the murder of innocent Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar.

36 I tell you indeed: the punishment for all these murders will fall on the people of this day

37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!

38 And so your Temple will be abandoned and empty.

39 From now on, I tell you, you will never see me again until you say, "God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord.' "

Matthew 24

1 Jesus left and was going away from the Temple when his disciples came to him to call his attention to its buildings.

2 "Yes," he said, "you may well look at all these. I tell you this: not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one of them will be thrown down."

3 As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him in private. "Tell us when all this will be," they asked, "and what will happen to show that it is the time for your coming and the end of the age."

4 Jesus answered, "Watch out, and do not let anyone fool you.

5 Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, "I am the Messiah!' and they will fool many people.

6 You are going to hear the noise of battles close by and the news of battles far away; but do not be troubled. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come.

7 Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be famines and earthquakes everywhere.

8 All these things are like the first pains of childbirth.

9 "Then you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and be put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me.

10 Many will give up their faith at that time; they will betray one another and hate one another.

11 Then many false prophets will appear and fool many people.

12 Such will be the spread of evil that many people's love will grow cold.

13 But whoever holds out to the end will be saved.

14 And this Good News about the Kingdom will be preached through all the world for a witness to all people; and then the end will come.

15 "You will see "The Awful Horror' of which the prophet Daniel spoke. It will be standing in the holy place." (Note to the reader: understand what this means!)

16 "Then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills.

17 Someone who is on the roof of a house must not take the time to go down and get any belongings from the house.

18 Someone who is in the field must not go back to get a cloak.

19 How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies!

20 Pray to God that you will not have to run away during the winter or on a Sabbath!

21 For the trouble at that time will be far more terrible than any there has ever been, from the beginning of the world to this very day. Nor will there ever be anything like it again.

22 But God has already reduced the number of days; had he not done so, nobody would survive. For the sake of his chosen people, however, God will reduce the days.

23 "Then, if anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Messiah!' or "There he is!' - do not believe it.

24 For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear; they will perform great miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God's chosen people, if possible.

25 Listen! I have told you this ahead of time.

26 "Or, if people should tell you, "Look, he is out in the desert!' - don't go there; or if they say, "Look, he is hiding here!' - don't believe it.

27 For the Son of Man will come like the lightning which flashes across the whole sky from the east to the west.

28 "Wherever there is a dead body, the vultures will gather.

29 "Soon after the trouble of those days, the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers in space will be driven from their courses.

30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky; and all the peoples of earth will weep as they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 The great trumpet will sound, and he will send out his angels to the four corners of the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from one end of the world to the other.

32 "Let the fig tree teach you a lesson. When its branches become green and tender and it starts putting out leaves, you know that summer is near.

33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you will know that the time is near, ready to begin.

34 Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died.

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

36 "No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come - neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows.

37 The coming of the Son of Man will be like what happened in the time of Noah.

38 In the days before the flood people ate and drank, men and women married, up to the very day Noah went into the boat;

39 yet they did not realize what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes.

40 At that time two men will be working in a field: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind.

41 Two women will be at a mill grinding meal: one will be taken away, the other will be left behind.

42 Watch out, then, because you do not know what day your Lord will come.

43 If the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, you can be sure that he would stay awake and not let the thief break into his house.

44 So then, you also must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him.

45 "Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant? It is the one that his master has placed in charge of the other servants to give them their food at the proper time.

46 How happy that servant is if his master finds him doing this when he comes home!

47 Indeed, I tell you, the master will put that servant in charge of all his property.

48 But if he is a bad servant, he will tell himself that his master will not come back for a long time,

49 and he will begin to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.

50 Then that servant's master will come back one day when the servant does not expect him and at a time he does not know.

51 The master will cut him in pieces and make him share the fate of the hypocrites. There he will cry and gnash his teeth.

Matthew 25

1 "At that time the Kingdom of heaven will be like this. Once there were ten young women who took their oil lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

2 Five of them were foolish, and the other five were wise.

3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any extra oil with them,

4 while the wise ones took containers full of oil for their lamps.

5 The bridegroom was late in coming, so they began to nod and fall asleep.

6 "It was already midnight when the cry rang out, "Here is the bridegroom! Come and meet him!'

7 The ten young women woke up and trimmed their lamps.

8 Then the foolish ones said to the wise ones, "Let us have some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.'

9 "No, indeed,' the wise ones answered, "there is not enough for you and for us. Go to the store and buy some for yourselves.'

10 So the foolish ones went off to buy some oil; and while they were gone, the bridegroom arrived. The five who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was closed.

11 "Later the others arrived. "Sir, sir! Let us in!' they cried out.

12 "Certainly not! I don't know you,' the bridegroom answered."

13 And Jesus concluded, "Watch out, then, because you do not know the day or the hour.

14 "At that time the Kingdom of heaven will be like this. Once there was a man who was about to leave home on a trip; he called his servants and put them in charge of his property.

15 He gave to each one according to his ability: to one he gave five thousand gold coins, to another he gave two thousand, and to another he gave one thousand. Then he left on his trip.

16 The servant who had received five thousand coins went at once and invested his money and earned another five thousand.

17 In the same way the servant who had received two thousand coins earned another two thousand.

18 But the servant who had received one thousand coins went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money.

19 "After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.

20 The servant who had received five thousand coins came in and handed over the other five thousand. "You gave me five thousand coins, sir,' he said. "Look! Here are another five thousand that I have earned.'

21 "Well done, you good and faithful servant!' said his master. "You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!'

22 Then the servant who had been given two thousand coins came in and said, "You gave me two thousand coins, sir. Look! Here are another two thousand that I have earned.'

23 "Well done, you good and faithful servant!' said his master. "You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!'

24 Then the servant who had received one thousand coins came in and said, "Sir, I know you are a hard man; you reap harvests where you did not plant, and you gather crops where you did not scatter seed.

25 I was afraid, so I went off and hid your money in the ground. Look! Here is what belongs to you.'

26 "You bad and lazy servant!' his master said. "You knew, did you, that I reap harvests where I did not plant, and gather crops where I did not scatter seed?

27 Well, then, you should have deposited my money in the bank, and I would have received it all back with interest when I returned.

28 Now, take the money away from him and give it to the one who has ten thousand coins.

29 For to every person who has something, even more will be given, and he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing, even the little that he has will be taken away from him.

30 As for this useless servant - throw him outside in the darkness; there he will cry and gnash his teeth.'

31 "When the Son of Man comes as King and all the angels with him, he will sit on his royal throne,

32 and the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

33 He will put the righteous people at his right and the others at his left.

34 Then the King will say to the people on his right, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world.

35 I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes,

36 naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.'

37 The righteous will then answer him, "When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink?

38 When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you?

39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?'

40 The King will reply, "I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!'

41 "Then he will say to those on his left, "Away from me, you that are under God's curse! Away to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels!

42 I was hungry but you would not feed me, thirsty but you would not give me a drink;

43 I was a stranger but you would not welcome me in your homes, naked but you would not clothe me; I was sick and in prison but you would not take care of me.'

44 Then they will answer him, "When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and we would not help you?'

45 The King will reply, "I tell you, whenever you refused to help one of these least important ones, you refused to help me.'

46 These, then, will be sent off to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life."

Matthew 26

1 When Jesus had finished teaching all these things, he said to his disciples,

2 "In two days, as you know, it will be the Passover Festival, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

3 Then the chief priests and the elders met together in the palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest,

4 and made plans to arrest Jesus secretly and put him to death.

5 "We must not do it during the festival," they said, "or the people will riot."

6 Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, a man who had suffered from a dreaded skin disease.

7 While Jesus was eating, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar filled with an expensive perfume, which she poured on his head.

8 The disciples saw this and became angry. "Why all this waste?" they asked.

9 "This perfume could have been sold for a large amount and the money given to the poor!"

10 Jesus knew what they were saying, and so he said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? It is a fine and beautiful thing that she has done for me.

11 You will always have poor people with you, but you will not always have me.

12 What she did was to pour this perfume on my body to get me ready for burial.

13 Now, I assure you that wherever this gospel is preached all over the world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."

14 Then one of the twelve disciples - the one named Judas Iscariot - went to the chief priests

15 and asked, "What will you give me if I betray Jesus to you?" They counted out thirty silver coins and gave them to him.

16 From then on Judas was looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them.

17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, "Where do you want us to get the Passover meal ready for you?"

18 "Go to a certain man in the city," he said to them, "and tell him: "The Teacher says, My hour has come; my disciples and I will celebrate the Passover at your house.' "

19 The disciples did as Jesus had told them and prepared the Passover meal.

20 When it was evening, Jesus and the twelve disciples sat down to eat.

21 During the meal Jesus said, "I tell you, one of you will betray me."

22 The disciples were very upset and began to ask him, one after the other, "Surely, Lord, you don't mean me?"

23 Jesus answered, "One who dips his bread in the dish with me will betray me.

24 The Son of Man will die as the Scriptures say he will, but how terrible for that man who will betray the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born!"

25 Judas, the traitor, spoke up. "Surely, Teacher, you don't mean me?" he asked. Jesus answered, "So you say."

26 While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. "Take and eat it," he said; "this is my body."

27 Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and gave it to them. "Drink it, all of you," he said;

28 "this is my blood, which seals God's covenant, my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

29 I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in my Father's Kingdom."

30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

31 Then Jesus said to them, "This very night all of you will run away and leave me, for the scripture says, "God will kill the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

32 But after I am raised to life, I will go to Galilee ahead of you."

33 Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, "I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!"

34 Jesus said to Peter, "I tell you that before the rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me."

35 Peter answered, "I will never say that, even if I have to die with you!" And all the other disciples said the same thing.

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."

37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. Grief and anguish came over him,

38 and he said to them, "The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch with me."

39 He went a little farther on, threw himself face downward on the ground, and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering from me! Yet not what I want, but what you want."

40 Then he returned to the three disciples and found them asleep; and he said to Peter, "How is it that you three were not able to keep watch with me for even one hour?

41 Keep watch and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

42 Once more Jesus went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cup of suffering cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done."

43 He returned once more and found the disciples asleep; they could not keep their eyes open.

44 Again Jesus left them, went away, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

45 Then he returned to the disciples and said, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look! The hour has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to the power of sinners.

46 Get up, let us go. Look, here is the man who is betraying me!"

47 Jesus was still speaking when Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs and sent by the chief priests and the elders.

48 The traitor had given the crowd a signal: "The man I kiss is the one you want. Arrest him!"

49 Judas went straight to Jesus and said, "Peace be with you, Teacher," and kissed him.

50 Jesus answered, "Be quick about it, friend!" Then they came up, arrested Jesus, and held him tight.

51 One of those who were with Jesus drew his sword and struck at the High Priest's slave, cutting off his ear.

52 "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him. "All who take the sword will die by the sword.

53 Don't you know that I could call on my Father for help, and at once he would send me more than twelve armies of angels?

54 But in that case, how could the Scriptures come true which say that this is what must happen?"

55 Then Jesus spoke to the crowd, "Did you have to come with swords and clubs to capture me, as though I were an outlaw? Every day I sat down and taught in the Temple, and you did not arrest me.

56 But all this has happened in order to make come true what the prophets wrote in the Scriptures." Then all the disciples left him and ran away.

57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest, where the teachers of the Law and the elders had gathered together.

58 Peter followed from a distance, as far as the courtyard of the High Priest's house. He went into the courtyard and sat down with the guards to see how it would all come out.

59 The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some false evidence against Jesus to put him to death;

60 but they could not find any, even though many people came forward and told lies about him. Finally two men stepped up

61 and said, "This man said, "I am able to tear down God's Temple and three days later build it back up.' "

62 The High Priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Have you no answer to give to this accusation against you?"

63 But Jesus kept quiet. Again the High Priest spoke to him, "In the name of the living God I now put you under oath: tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God."

64 Jesus answered him, "So you say. But I tell all of you: from this time on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right side of the Almighty and coming on the clouds of heaven!"

65 At this the High Priest tore his clothes and said, "Blasphemy! We don't need any more witnesses! You have just heard his blasphemy!

66 What do you think?" They answered, "He is guilty and must die."

67 Then they spat in his face and beat him; and those who slapped him

68 said, "Prophesy for us, Messiah! Guess who hit you!"

69 Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard when one of the High Priest's servant women came to him and said, "You, too, were with Jesus of Galilee."

70 But he denied it in front of them all. "I don't know what you are talking about," he answered,

71 and went on out to the entrance of the courtyard. Another servant woman saw him and said to the men there, "He was with Jesus of Nazareth."

72 Again Peter denied it and answered, "I swear that I don't know that man!"

73 After a little while the men standing there came to Peter. "Of course you are one of them," they said. "After all, the way you speak gives you away!"

74 Then Peter said, "I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know that man!" Just then a rooster crowed,

75 and Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: "Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you do not know me." He went out and wept bitterly.

Matthew 27

1 Early in the morning all the chief priests and the elders made their plans against Jesus to put him to death.

2 They put him in chains, led him off, and handed him over to Pilate, the Roman governor.

3 When Judas, the traitor, learned that Jesus had been condemned, he repented and took back the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders.

4 "I have sinned by betraying an innocent man to death!" he said. "What do we care about that?" they answered. "That is your business!"

5 Judas threw the coins down in the Temple and left; then he went off and hanged himself.

6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "This is blood money, and it is against our Law to put it in the Temple treasury."

7 After reaching an agreement about it, they used the money to buy Potter's Field, as a cemetery for foreigners.

8 That is why that field is called "Field of Blood" to this very day.

9 Then what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true: "They took the thirty silver coins, the amount the people of Israel had agreed to pay for him,

10 and used the money to buy the potter's field, as the Lord had commanded me."

11 Jesus stood before the Roman governor, who questioned him. "Are you the king of the Jews?" he asked. "So you say," answered Jesus.

12 But he said nothing in response to the accusations of the chief priests and elders.

13 So Pilate said to him, "Don't you hear all these things they accuse you of?"

14 But Jesus refused to answer a single word, with the result that the Governor was greatly surprised.

15 At every Passover Festival the Roman governor was in the habit of setting free any one prisoner the crowd asked for.

16 At that time there was a well-known prisoner named Jesus Barabbas.

17 So when the crowd gathered, Pilate asked them, "Which one do you want me to set free for you? Jesus Barabbas or Jesus called the Messiah?"

18 He knew very well that the Jewish authorities had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous.

19 While Pilate was sitting in the judgment hall, his wife sent him a message: "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, because in a dream last night I suffered much on account of him."

20 The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask Pilate to set Barabbas free and have Jesus put to death.

21 But Pilate asked the crowd, "Which one of these two do you want me to set free for you?" "Barabbas!" they answered.

22 "What, then, shall I do with Jesus called the Messiah?" Pilate asked them. "Crucify him!" they all answered.

23 But Pilate asked, "What crime has he committed?" Then they started shouting at the top of their voices: "Crucify him!"

24 When Pilate saw that it was no use to go on, but that a riot might break out, he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, "I am not responsible for the death of this man! This is your doing!"

25 The whole crowd answered, "Let the responsibility for his death fall on us and on our children!"

26 Then Pilate set Barabbas free for them; and after he had Jesus whipped, he handed him over to be crucified.

27 Then Pilate's soldiers took Jesus into the governor's palace, and the whole company gathered around him.

28 They stripped off his clothes and put a scarlet robe on him.

29 Then they made a crown out of thorny branches and placed it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand; then they knelt before him and made fun of him. "Long live the King of the Jews!" they said.

30 They spat on him, and took the stick and hit him over the head.

31 When they had finished making fun of him, they took the robe off and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross.

33 They came to a place called Golgotha, which means, "The Place of the Skull."

34 There they offered Jesus wine mixed with a bitter substance; but after tasting it, he would not drink it.

35 They crucified him and then divided his clothes among them by throwing dice.

36 After that they sat there and watched him.

37 Above his head they put the written notice of the accusation against him: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

38 Then they crucified two bandits with Jesus, one on his right and the other on his left.

39 People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus:

40 "You were going to tear down the Temple and build it back up in three days! Save yourself if you are God's Son! Come on down from the cross!"

41 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and the elders made fun of him:

42 "He saved others, but he cannot save himself! Isn't he the king of Israel? If he will come down off the cross now, we will believe in him!

43 He trusts in God and claims to be God's Son. Well, then, let us see if God wants to save him now!"

44 Even the bandits who had been crucified with him insulted him in the same way.

45 At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours.

46 At about three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout, ["Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"] which means, "My God, my God, why did you abandon me?"

47 Some of the people standing there heard him and said, "He is calling for Elijah!"

48 One of them ran up at once, took a sponge, soaked it in cheap wine, put it on the end of a stick, and tried to make him drink it.

49 But the others said, "Wait, let us see if Elijah is coming to save him!"

50 Jesus again gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

51 Then the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split apart,

52 the graves broke open, and many of God's people who had died were raised to life.

53 They left the graves, and after Jesus rose from death, they went into the Holy City, where many people saw them.

54 When the army officer and the soldiers with him who were watching Jesus saw the earthquake and everything else that happened, they were terrified and said, "He really was the Son of God!"

55 There were many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee and helped him.

56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the wife of Zebedee.

57 When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea arrived; his name was Joseph, and he also was a disciple of Jesus.

58 He went into the presence of Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate gave orders for the body to be given to Joseph.

59 So Joseph took it, wrapped it in a new linen sheet,

60 and placed it in his own tomb, which he had just recently dug out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.

61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, facing the tomb.

62 The next day, which was a Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees met with Pilate

63 and said, "Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, "I will be raised to life three days later.'

64 Give orders, then, for his tomb to be carefully guarded until the third day, so that his disciples will not be able to go and steal the body, and then tell the people that he was raised from death. This last lie would be even worse than the first one."

65 "Take a guard," Pilate told them; "go and make the tomb as secure as you can."

66 So they left and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and leaving the guard on watch.