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 followers were coming closer to Jerusalem, they stopped at Bethphage at the hill called the Mount of Olives. From there Jesus sent two of his followers

2 and said to them, "Go to the town you can see there. When you enter it, you will quickly find a donkey tied there with its colt. Untie them and bring them to me.

3 If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, say that the Master needs them, and he will send them at once."

4 This was to bring about what the prophet had said:

5 "Tell the people of Jerusalem, 'Your king is coming to you. He is gentle and riding on a donkey, on the colt of a donkey.'"

6 The followers went and did what Jesus told them to do.

7 They brought the donkey and the colt to Jesus and laid their coats on them, and Jesus sat on them.

8 Many people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9 The people were walking ahead of Jesus and behind him, shouting, "Praisen to the Son of David! God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord!

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, all the city was filled with excitement. The people asked, "Who is this man?"

11 The crowd said, "This man is Jesus, the prophet from the town of Nazareth in Galilee."

12 Jesus went into the Temple and threw out all the people who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of those who were exchanging different kinds of money, and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves.

13 Jesus said to all the people there, "It is written in the Scriptures, 'My Temple will be called a house for prayer.' But you are changing it into a 'hideout for robbers.'"

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

15 The leading priests and the teachers of the law saw that Jesus was doing wonderful things and that the children were praising him in the Temple, saying, "Praisen to the Son of David." All these things made the priests and the teachers of the law very angry.

16 They asked Jesus, "Do you hear the things these children are saying?" Jesus answered, "Yes. Haven't you read in the Scriptures, 'You have taught children and babies to sing praises'?"

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

18 Early the next morning, as Jesus was going back to the city, he became hungry.

19 Seeing a fig tree beside the road, Jesus went to it, but there were no figs on the tree, only leaves. So Jesus said to the tree, "You will never again have fruit." The tree immediately dried up.

20 When his followers saw this, they were amazed. They asked, "How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?"

21 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to this tree and even more. You will be able to say to this mountain, 'Go, fall into the sea.' And if you have faith, it will happen.

22 If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer."

23 Jesus went to the Temple, and while he was teaching there, the leading priests and the older leaders of the people came to him. They said, "What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?"

24 Jesus answered, "I also will ask you a question. If you answer me, then I will tell you what authority I have to do these things.

25 Tell me: When John baptized people, did that come from God or just from other people?" They argued about Jesus' question, saying, "If we answer, 'John's baptism was from God,' Jesus will say, 'Then why didn't you believe him?'

26 But if we say, 'It was from people,' we are afraid of what the crowd will do because they all believe that John was a prophet."

27 So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus said to them, "Then I won't tell you what authority I have to do these things.

28 "Tell me what you think about this: A man had two sons. He went to the first son and said, 'Son, go and work today in my vineyard.'

29 The son answered, 'I will not go.' But later the son changed his mind and went.

30 Then the father went to the other son and said, 'Son, go and work today in my vineyard.' The son answered, 'Yes, sir, I will go and work,' but he did not go.

31 Which of the two sons obeyed his father?" The priests and leaders answered, "The first son." Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before you do.

32 John came to show you the right way to live. You did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. Even after seeing this, you still refused to change your ways and believe him.

33 "Listen to this story: There was a man who owned a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a hole for a winepress and built a tower. Then he leased the land to some farmers and left for a trip.

34 When it was time for the grapes to be picked, he sent his servants to the farmers to get his share of the grapes.

35 But the farmers grabbed the servants, beat one, killed another, and then killed a third servant with stones.

36 So the man sent some other servants to the farmers, even more than he sent the first time. But the farmers did the same thing to the servants that they had done before.

37 So the man decided to send his son to the farmers. He said, 'They will respect my son.'

38 But when the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, 'This son will inherit the vineyard. If we kill him, it will be ours!'

39 Then the farmers grabbed the son, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

40 So what will the owner of the vineyard do to these farmers when he comes?"

41 The priests and leaders said, "He will surely kill those evil men. Then he will lease the vineyard to some other farmers who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time."

42 Jesus said to them, "Surely you have read this in the Scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected became the cornerstone. The Lord did this, and it is wonderful to us.'

43 "So I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to people who do the things God wants in his kingdom.

44 The person who falls on this stone will be broken, and on whomever that stone falls, that person will be crushed."

45 When the leading priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew Jesus was talking about them.

46 They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the people, because the people believed that Jesus was a prophet.

Matthew 22

1 Jesus again used stories to teach the people. He said,

2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son.

3 The king invited some people to the feast. When the feast was ready, the king sent his servants to tell the people, but they refused to come.

4 "Then the king sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited that my feast is ready. I have killed my best bulls and calves for the dinner, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.'

5 "But the people refused to listen to the servants and left to do other things. One went to work in his field, and another went to his business.

6 Some of the other people grabbed the servants, beat them, and killed them.

7 The king was furious and sent his army to kill the murderers and burn their city.

8 "After that, the king said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready. I invited those people, but they were not worthy to come.

9 So go to the street corners and invite everyone you find to come to my feast.'

10 So the servants went into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 "When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man who was not dressed for a wedding.

12 The king said, 'Friend, how were you allowed to come in here? You are not dressed for a wedding.' But the man said nothing.

13 So the king told some servants, 'Tie this man's hands and feet. Throw him out into the darkness, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.'

14 "Yes, many people are invited, but only a few are chosen."

15 Then the Pharisees left that place and made plans to trap Jesus in saying something wrong.

16 They sent some of their own followers and some people from the group called Herodians. They said, "Teacher, we know that you are an honest man and that you teach the truth about God's way. You are not afraid of what other people think about you, because you pay no attention to who they are.

17 So tell us what you think. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

18 But knowing that these leaders were trying to trick him, Jesus said, "You hypocrites! Why are you trying to trap me?

19 Show me a coin used for paying the tax." So the men showed him a coin.

20 Then Jesus asked, "Whose image and name are on the coin?"

21 The men answered, "Caesar's." Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and give to God the things that are God's."

22 When the men heard what Jesus said, they were amazed and left him and went away.

23 That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.)

24 They said, "Teacher, Moses said if a married man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him.

25 Once there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died. Since he had no children, his brother married the widow.

26 Then the second brother also died. The same thing happened to the third brother and all the other brothers.

27 Finally, the woman died.

28 Since all seven men had married her, when people rise from the dead, whose wife will she be?"

29 Jesus answered, "You don't understand, because you don't know what the Scriptures say, and you don't know about the power of God.

30 When people rise from the dead, they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven.

31 Surely you have read what God said to you about rising from the dead.

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

33 When the people heard this, they were amazed at Jesus' teaching.

34 When the Pharisees learned that the Sadducees could not argue with Jesus' answers to them, the Pharisees met together.

35 One Pharisee, who was an expert on the law of Moses, asked Jesus this question to test him:

36 "Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?"

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

38 This is the first and most important command.

39 And the second command is like the first: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'

40 All the law and the writings of the prophets depend on these two commands."

41 While the Pharisees were together, Jesus asked them,

42 "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They answered, "The Christ is the Son of David."

43 Then Jesus said to them, "Then why did David call him 'Lord'? David, speaking by the power of the Holy Spirit, said,

44 'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit by me at my right side, until I put your enemies under your control.'

45 David calls the Christ 'Lord,' so how can the Christ be his son?"

46 None of the Pharisees could answer Jesus' question, and after that day no one was brave enough to ask him any more questions.

Matthew 23

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his followers,

2 "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have the authority to tell you what the law of Moses says.

3 So you should obey and follow whatever they tell you, but their lives are not good examples for you to follow. They tell you to do things, but they themselves don't do them.

4 They make strict rules and try to force people to obey them, but they are unwilling to help those who struggle under the weight of their rules

5 "They do good things so that other people will see them. They make the boxesn of Scriptures that they wear bigger, and they make their special prayer clothes very long.

6 Those Pharisees and teachers of the law love to have the most important seats at feasts and in the synagogues.

7 They love people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces, and they love to have people call them 'Teacher.'

8 "But you must not be called 'Teacher,' because you have only one Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters together.

9 And don't call any person on earth 'Father,' because you have one Father, who is in heaven.

10 And you should not be called 'Master,' because you have only one Master, the Christ.

11 Whoever is your servant is the greatest among you.

12 Whoever makes himself great will be made humble. Whoever makes himself humble will be made great.

13 "How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You close the door for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don't enter, and you stop others who are trying to enter.

15 "How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You travel across land and sea to find one person who will change to your ways. When you find that person, you make him more fit for hell than you are.

16 "How terrible for you! You guide the people, but you are blind. You say, 'If people swear by the Temple when they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they swear by the gold that is in the Temple, they must keep that promise.'

17 You are blind fools! Which is greater: the gold or the Temple that makes that gold holy?

18 And you say, 'If people swear by the altar when they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they swear by the gift on the altar, they must keep that promise.'

19 You are blind! Which is greater: the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy

20 The person who swears by the altar is really using the altar and also everything on the altar.

21 And the person who swears by the Temple is really using the Temple and also everything in the Temple

22 The person who swears by heaven is also using God's throne and the One who sits on that throne.

23 "How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You give to God one-tenth of everything you earn -- even your mint, dill, and cumin. But you don't obey the really important teachings of the law -- justice, mercy, and being loyal. These are the things you should do, as well as those other things.

24 You guide the people, but you are blind! You are like a person who picks a fly out of a drink and then swallows a camel!

25 "How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, but inside they are full of things you got by cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves.

26 Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup clean, and then the outside of the cup can be truly clean.

27 "How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like tombs that are painted white. Outside, those tombs look fine, but inside, they are full of the bones of dead people and all kinds of unclean things.

28 It is the same with you. People look at you and think you are good, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and evil.

29 "How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets, and you show honor to the graves of those who lived good lives.

30 You say, 'If we had lived during the time of our ancestors, we would not have helped them kill the prophets.'

31 But you give proof that you are children of those who murdered the prophets.

32 And you will complete the sin that your ancestors started.

33 "You are snakes! A family of poisonous snakes! How are you going to escape God's judgment?

34 So I tell you this: I am sending to you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify. Some of them you will beat in your synagogues and chase from town to town.

35 So you will be guilty for the death of all the good people who have been killed on earth -- from the murder of that good man Abel to the murder of Zechariahn son of Berakiah, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar.

36 I tell you the truth, all of these things will happen to you people who are living now

37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you. Many times I wanted to gather your people as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you did not let me.

38 Now your house will be left completely empty

39 I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, 'God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Matthew 24

1 As Jesus left the Temple and was walking away, his followers came up to show him the Temple's buildings.

2 Jesus asked, "Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground."

3 Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his followers came to be alone with him. They said, "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that it is time for you to come again and for this age to end?"

4 Jesus answered, "Be careful that no one fools you.

5 Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will fool many people.

6 You will hear about wars and stories of wars that are coming, but don't be afraid. These things must happen before the end comes.

7 Nations will fight against other nations; kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will be times when there is no food for people to eat, and there will be earthquakes in different places.

8 These things are like the first pains when something new is about to be born.

9 "Then people will arrest you, hand you over to be hurt, and kill you. They will hate you because you believe in me.

10 At that time, many will lose their faith, and they will turn against each other and hate each other.

11 Many false prophets will come and cause many people to believe lies.

12 There will be more and more evil in the world, so most people will stop showing their love for each other.

13 But those people who keep their faith until the end will be saved.

14 The Good News about God's kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come.

15 "Daniel the prophet spoke about 'the destroying terror.' You will see this standing in the holy place." (You who read this should understand what it means.)

16 "At that time, the people in Judea should run away to the mountains.

17 If people are on the roofsn of their houses, they must not go down to get anything out of their houses.

18 If people are in the fields, they must not go back to get their coats.

19 At that time, how terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or have nursing babies!

20 Pray that it will not be winter or a Sabbath day when these things happen and you have to run away,

21 because at that time there will be much trouble. There will be more trouble than there has ever been since the beginning of the world until now, and nothing as bad will ever happen again.

22 God has decided to make that terrible time short. Otherwise, no one would go on living. But God will make that time short to help the people he has chosen.

23 At that time, someone might say to you, 'Look, there is the Christ!' Or another person might say, 'There he is!' But don't believe them.

24 False Christs and false prophets will come and perform great wonders and miracles. They will try to fool even the people God has chosen, if that is possible.

25 Now I have warned you about this before it happens.

26 "If people tell you, 'The Christ is in the desert,' don't go there. If they say, 'The Christ is in the inner room,' don't believe it.

27 When the Son of Man comes, he will be seen by everyone, like lightning flashing from the east to the west.

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

29 "Soon after the trouble of those days, 'the sun will grow dark, and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from the sky. And the powers of the heavens will be shaken.'

30 "At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the peoples of the world will cry. They will see the Son of Man coming on clouds in the sky with great power and glory.

31 He will use a loud trumpet to send his angels all around the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from every part of the world.

32 "Learn a lesson from the fig tree: When its branches become green and soft and new leaves appear, you know summer is near.

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

34 I tell you the truth, all these things will happen while the people of this time are still living.

35 Earth and sky will be destroyed, but the words I have said will never be destroyed.

36 "No one knows when that day or time will be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.

37 When the Son of Man comes, it will be like what happened during Noah's time.

38 In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to be married, until the day Noah entered the boat.

39 They knew nothing about what was happening until the flood came and destroyed them. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes.

40 Two men will be in the field. One will be taken, and the other will be left.

41 Two women will be grinding grain with a mill. One will be taken, and the other will be left.

42 "So always be ready, because you don't know the day your Lord will come.

43 Remember this: If the owner of the house knew what time of night a thief was coming, the owner would watch and not let the thief break in.

44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at a time you don't expect him.

45 "Who is the wise and loyal servant that the master trusts to give the other servants their food at the right time?

46 When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed.

47 I tell you the truth, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns.

48 But suppose that evil servant thinks to himself, 'My master will not come back soon,'

49 and he begins to beat the other servants and eat and get drunk with others like him?

50 The master will come when that servant is not ready and is not expecting him.

51 Then the master will cut him in pieces and send him away to be with the hypocrites, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.

Matthew 25

1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to wait for the bridegroom.

2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

3 The five foolish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they did not take more oil for the lamps to burn.

4 The wise bridesmaids took their lamps and more oil in jars.

5 Because the bridegroom was late, they became sleepy and went to sleep.

6 "At midnight someone cried out, 'The bridegroom is coming! Come and meet him!'

7 Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready.

8 But the foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.'

9 The wise bridesmaids answered, 'No, the oil we have might not be enough for all of us. Go to the people who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

10 "So while the five foolish bridesmaids went to buy oil, the bridegroom came. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with the bridegroom to the wedding feast. Then the door was closed and locked.

11 "Later the others came back and said, 'Sir, sir, open the door to let us in.'

12 But the bridegroom answered, 'I tell you the truth, I don't want to know you.'

13 "So always be ready, because you don't know the day or the hour the Son of Man will come.

14 "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was going to another place for a visit. Before he left, he called for his servants and told them to take care of his things while he was gone.

15 He gave one servant five bags of gold, another servant two bags of gold, and a third servant one bag of gold, to each one as much as he could handle. Then he left.

16 The servant who got five bags went quickly to invest the money and earned five more bags.

17 In the same way, the servant who had two bags invested them and earned two more.

18 But the servant who got one bag went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid the master's money.

19 "After a long time the master came home and asked the servants what they did with his money.

20 The servant who was given five bags of gold brought five more bags to the master and said, 'Master, you trusted me to care for five bags of gold, so I used your five bags to earn five more.'

21 The master answered, 'You did well. You are a good and loyal servant. Because you were loyal with small things, I will let you care for much greater things. Come and share my joy with me.'

22 "Then the servant who had been given two bags of gold came to the master and said, 'Master, you gave me two bags of gold to care for, so I used your two bags to earn two more.'

23 The master answered, 'You did well. You are a good and loyal servant. Because you were loyal with small things, I will let you care for much greater things. Come and share my joy with me.'

24 "Then the servant who had been given one bag of gold came to the master and said, 'Master, I knew that you were a hard man. You harvest things you did not plant. You gather crops where you did not sow any seed.

25 So I was afraid and went and hid your money in the ground. Here is your bag of gold.'

26 The master answered, 'You are a wicked and lazy servant! You say you knew that I harvest things I did not plant and that I gather crops where I did not sow any seed.

27 So you should have put my gold in the bank. Then, when I came home, I would have received my gold back with interest.'

28 "So the master told his other servants, 'Take the bag of gold from that servant and give it to the servant who has ten bags of gold.

29 Those who have much will get more, and they will have much more than they need. But those who do not have much will have everything taken away from them.'

30 Then the master said, 'Throw that useless servant outside, into the darkness where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.'

31 "The Son of Man will come again in his great glory, with all his angels. He will be King and sit on his great throne.

32 All the nations of the world will be gathered before him, and he will separate them into two groups as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

33 The Son of Man will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 "Then the King will say to the people on his right, 'Come, my Father has given you his blessing. Receive the kingdom God has prepared for you since the world was made.

35 I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house.

36 I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'

37 "Then the good people will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

38 When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our house? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear?

39 When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?'

40 "Then the King will answer, 'I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.'

41 "Then the King will say to those on his left, 'Go away from me. You will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever that was prepared for the devil and his angels.

42 I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink.

43 I was alone and away from home, and you did not invite me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me nothing to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you did not care for me.'

44 "Then those people will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or alone and away from home or without clothes or sick or in prison? When did we see these things and not help you?'

45 "Then the King will answer, 'I tell you the truth, anything you refused to do for even the least of my people here, you refused to do for me.'

46 "These people will go off to be punished forever, but the good people will go to live forever."

Matthew 26

1 After Jesus finished saying all these things, he told his followers,

2 "You know that the day after tomorrow is the day of the Passover Feast. On that day the Son of Man will be given to his enemies to be crucified."

3 Then the leading priests and the older Jewish leaders had a meeting at the palace of the high priest, named Caiaphas.

4 At the meeting, they planned to set a trap to arrest Jesus and kill him.

5 But they said, "We must not do it during the feast, because the people might cause a riot."

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

7 While Jesus was there, a woman approached him with an alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. She poured this perfume on Jesus' head while he was eating.

8 His followers were upset when they saw the woman do this. They asked, "Why waste that perfume?

9 It could have been sold for a great deal of money and the money given to the poor."

10 Knowing what had happened, Jesus said, "Why are you troubling this woman? She did an excellent thing for me.

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

12 This woman poured perfume on my body to prepare me for burial.

13 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached in all the world, what this woman has done will be told, and people will remember her."

14 Then one of the twelve apostles, Judas Iscariot, went to talk to the leading priests.

15 He said, "What will you pay me for giving Jesus to you?" And they gave him thirty silver coins.

16 After that, Judas watched for the best time to turn Jesus in.

17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the followers came to Jesus. They said, "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover meal?"

18 Jesus answered, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: The chosen time is near. I will have the Passover with my followers at your house.'"

19 The followers did what Jesus told them to do, and they prepared the Passover meal.

20 In the evening Jesus was sitting at the table with his twelve followers.

21 As they were eating, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will turn against me."

22 This made the followers very sad. Each one began to say to Jesus, "Surely, Lord, I am not the one who will turn against you, am I?"

23 Jesus answered, "The man who has dipped his hand with me into the bowl is the one who will turn against me.

24 The Son of Man will die, just as the Scriptures say. But how terrible it will be for the person who hands the Son of Man over to be killed. It would be better for him if he had never been born."

25 Then Judas, who would give Jesus to his enemies, said to Jesus, "Teacher, surely I am not the one, am I?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."

26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread and thanked God for it and broke it. Then he gave it to his followers and said, "Take this bread and eat it; this is my body."

27 Then Jesus took a cup and thanked God for it and gave it to the followers. He said, "Every one of you drink this.

28 This is my blood which is the new agreement that God makes with his people. This blood is poured out for many to forgive their sins.

29 I tell you this: I will not drink of this fruit of the vinen again until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

30 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

31 Jesus told his followers, "Tonight you will all stumble in your faith on account of me, because it is written in the Scriptures: 'I will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter.'

32 But after I rise from the dead, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."

33 Peter said, "Everyone else may stumble in their faith because of you, but I will not."

34 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, tonight before the rooster crows you will say three times that you don't know me."

35 But Peter said, "I will never say that I don't know you! I will even die with you!" And all the other followers said the same thing.

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

37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, and he began to be very sad and troubled.

38 He said to them, "My heart is full of sorrow, to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me."

39 After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, do not give me this cupn of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want."

40 Then Jesus went back to his followers and found them asleep. He said to Peter, "You men could not stay awake with me for one hour?

41 Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. The spirit wants to do what is right, but the body is weak."

42 Then Jesus went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this painful thing to be taken from me, and if I must do it, I pray that what you want will be done."

43 Then he went back to his followers, and again he found them asleep, because their eyes were heavy.

44 So Jesus left them and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing.

45 Then Jesus went back to his followers and said, "Are you still sleeping and resting? The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinful people.

46 Get up, we must go. Look, here comes the man who has turned against me."

47 While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve apostles, came up. With him were many people carrying swords and clubs who had been sent from the leading priests and the older Jewish leaders of the people.

48 Judas had planned to give them a signal, saying, "The man I kiss is Jesus. Arrest him."

49 At once Judas went to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Teacher!" and kissed him.

50 Jesus answered, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then the people came and grabbed Jesus and arrested him.

51 When that happened, one of Jesus' followers reached for his sword and pulled it out. He struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.

52 Jesus said to the man, "Put your sword back in its place. All who use swords will be killed with swords.

53 Surely you know I could ask my Father, and he would give me more than twelve armies of angels.

54 But it must happen this way to bring about what the Scriptures say."

55 Then Jesus said to the crowd, "You came to get me with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal. Every day I sat in the Temple teaching, and you did not arrest me there.

56 But all these things have happened so that it will come about as the prophets wrote." Then all of Jesus' followers left him and ran away.

57 Those people who arrested Jesus led him to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the older Jewish leaders were gathered.

58 Peter followed far behind to the courtyard of the high priest's house, and he sat down with the guards to see what would happen to Jesus.

59 The leading priests and the whole Jewish council tried to find something false against Jesus so they could kill him.

60 Many people came and told lies about him, but the council could find no real reason to kill him. Then two people came and said,

61 "This man said, 'I can destroy the Temple of God and build it again in three days.'"

62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Aren't you going to answer? Don't you have something to say about their charges against you?"

63 But Jesus said nothing. Again the high priest said to Jesus, "I command you by the power of the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."

64 Jesus answered, "Those are your words. But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the Powerful One, and coming on clouds in the sky."

65 When the high priest heard this, he tore his clothes and said, "This man has said things that are against God! We don't need any more witnesses; you all heard him say these things against God.

66 What do you think?" The people answered, "He should die."

67 Then the people there spat in Jesus' face and beat him with their fists. Others slapped him.

68 They said, "Prove to us that you are a prophet, you Christ! Tell us who hit you!"

69 At that time, as Peter was sitting in the courtyard, a servant girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."

70 But Peter said to all the people there that he was never with Jesus. He said, "I don't know what you are talking about."

71 When he left the courtyard and was at the gate, another girl saw him. She said to the people there, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth."

72 Again, Peter said he was never with him, saying, "I swear I don't know this man Jesus!"

73 A short time later, some people standing there went to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of those who followed Jesus. The way you talk shows it."

74 Then Peter began to place a curse on himself and swear, "I don't know the man." At once, a rooster crowed.

75 And Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: "Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you don't know me." Then Peter went outside and cried painfully.

Matthew 27

1 Early the next morning, all the leading priests and older leaders of the people decided that Jesus should die.

2 They tied him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.

3 Judas, the one who had given Jesus to his enemies, saw that they had decided to kill Jesus. Then he was very sorry for what he had done. So he took the thirty silver coins back to the priests and the leaders,

4 saying, "I sinned; I handed over to you an innocent man." The leaders answered, "What is that to us? That's your problem, not ours."

5 So Judas threw the money into the Temple. Then he went off and hanged himself.

6 The leading priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple and said, "Our law does not allow us to keep this money with the Temple money, because it has paid for a man's death."

7 So they decided to use the coins to buy Potter's Field as a place to bury strangers who died in Jerusalem.

8 That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood.

9 So what Jeremiah the prophet had said came true: "They took thirty silver coins. That is how little the Israelites thought he was worth.

10 They used those thirty silver coins to buy the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."

11 Jesus stood before Pilate the governor, and Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Those are your words."

12 When the leading priests and the older leaders accused Jesus, he said nothing.

13 So Pilate said to Jesus, "Don't you hear them accusing you of all these things?"

14 But Jesus said nothing in answer to Pilate, and Pilate was very surprised at this.

15 Every year at the time of Passover the governor would free one prisoner whom the people chose.

16 At that time there was a man in prison, named Barabbas, who was known to be very bad.

17 When the people gathered at Pilate's house, Pilate said, "Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ?"

18 Pilate knew that the people turned Jesus in to him because they were jealous.

19 While Pilate was sitting there on the judge's seat, his wife sent this message to him: "Don't do anything to that man, because he is innocent. Today I had a dream about him, and it troubled me very much."

20 But the leading priests and older leaders convinced the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be killed.

21 Pilate said, "I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which do you want me to set free for you?" The people answered, "Barabbas."

22 Pilate asked, "So what should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?" They all answered, "Crucify him!"

23 Pilate asked, "Why? What wrong has he done?" But they shouted louder, "Crucify him!"

24 When Pilate saw that he could do nothing about this and that a riot was starting, he took some water and washed his handsn in front of the crowd. Then he said, "I am not guilty of this man's death. You are the ones who are causing it!"

25 All the people answered, "We and our children will be responsible for his death."

26 Then he set Barabbas free. But Jesus was beaten with whips and handed over to the soldiers to be crucified.

27 The governor's soldiers took Jesus into the governor's palace, and they all gathered around him.

28 They took off his clothes and put a red robe on him.

29 Using thorny branches, they made a crown, put it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and made fun of him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

30 They spat on Jesus. Then they took his stick and began to beat him on the head.

31 After they finished, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

32 As the soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus, they forced a man from Cyrene, named Simon, to carry the cross for Jesus.

33 They all came to the place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull.

34 The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with galln to drink. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it.

35 When the soldiers had crucified him, they threw lots to decide who would get his clothes.

36 The soldiers sat there and continued watching him.

37 They put a sign above Jesus' head with a charge against him. It said: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38 Two robbers were crucified beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left.

39 People walked by and insulted Jesus and shook their heads,

40 saying, "You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you are really the Son of God!"

41 The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders were also making fun of Jesus.

42 They said, "He saved others, but he can't save himself! He says he is the king of Israel! If he is the king, let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him.

43 He trusts in God, so let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

44 And in the same way, the robbers who were being crucified beside Jesus also insulted him.

45 At noon the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted for three hours.

46 About three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" This means, "My God, my God, why have you rejected me?"

47 Some of the people standing there who heard this said, "He is calling Elijah."

48 Quickly one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with vinegar and tied it to a stick and gave it to Jesus to drink.

49 But the others said, "Don't bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him."

50 But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and died.

51 Then the curtain in the Templen was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart.

52 The graves opened, and many of God's people who had died were raised from the dead.

53 They came out of the graves after Jesus was raised from the dead and went into the holy city, where they appeared to many people.

54 When the army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything else that happened, they were very frightened and said, "He really was the Son of God!"

55 Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to help him were standing at a distance from the cross, watching.

56 Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were there.

57 That evening a rich man named Joseph, a follower of Jesus from the town of Arimathea, came to Jerusalem.

58 Joseph went to Pilate and asked to have Jesus' body. So Pilate gave orders for the soldiers to give it to Joseph.

59 Then Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth.

60 He put Jesus' body in a new tomb that he had cut out of a wall of rock, and he rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb. Then Joseph went away.

61 Mary Magdalene and the other woman named Mary were sitting near the tomb.

62 The next day, the day after Preparation Day, the leading priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.

63 They said, "Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, 'After three days I will rise from the dead.'

64 So give the order for the tomb to be guarded closely till the third day. Otherwise, his followers might come and steal the body and tell people that he has risen from the dead. That lie would be even worse than the first one."

65 Pilate said, "Take some soldiers and go guard the tomb the best way you know."

66 So they all went to the tomb and made it safe from thieves by sealing the stone in the entrance and putting soldiers there to guard it.