New Living Translation

English Standard Version

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

1Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

2 “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me.

2saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.

3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”

3If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”

4This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,

4This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5“Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.’”

5“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

6The two disciples did as Jesus commanded.

6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.

7They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.

7They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.

8Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

8Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in highest heaven!”

9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

10The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.

10And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”

11And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Jesus Clears the Temple

11And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

12Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.

12And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.

13He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”

13He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

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

14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

15The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant.

15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant,

16They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’ ”

16and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”

17Then he returned to Bethany, where he stayed overnight. Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

17And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

18In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry,

18In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry.

19and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.

19And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

20The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

20When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?”

21Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.

21And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” The Authority of Jesus Challenged

22And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

23When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

23And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

24 “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied.

24Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.

25 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?” They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn’t believe John.

25The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

26But if we say it was merely human, we’ll be mobbed because the people believe John was a prophet.”

26But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

27So they finally replied, “We don’t know.” And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things. Parable of the Two Sons

27So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

28 “But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’

28“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’

29 The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway.

29And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went.

30 Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go.

30And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go.

31 “Which of the two obeyed his father?” They replied, “The first.” Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do.

31Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.

32 For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins. Parable of the Evil Farmers

32For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

33 “Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country.

33“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country.

34 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop.

34When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit.

35 But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.

35And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

36 So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.

36Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.

37 “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’

37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

38 “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’

38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’

39 So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.

39And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40 “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?”

40When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

41The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.”

41They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

42Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the LORD ’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’

42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit.

43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.

44 Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on. ”

44And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

45When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers.

45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.

46They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.

46And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.