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THE NEW
COMMONLY CALLED
THE
NEW TESTAMENT
OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR
JESUS CHRIST
REVISED STANDARD VERSION
TRANSLATED FROM THE GREEK
BEING THE VERSION SET FORTH A. D. l6ll
REVISED A. D. l88l AND A. D. 190!
COMPARED WITH THE MOST ANCIENT AUTHORITIES AND REVISED
A. D. 1946
THOMAS NELSON & SONS
NEW YORK
COPYRIGHT, 1901, BY THOMAS NELSON & SONS
COPYRIGHT RENEWED, 1929, BY THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
COPYRIGHT, 1946, BY THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
TO INSURE PURITY OF TEXT
J. S. Gushing Co. — Berwick & Smith Co. Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.
PREFACE
fTlHE Revised Standard Version of the New Testament is -*- an authorized revision of the American Standard Version, published in 1901 , which was a revision of the King James Version, published in 161 1.
The King James Version was itself a revision rather than a new translation. The first English version of the New Testa- ment made by translation from the Greek was that of Wil- liam Tyndale, 1 525 ; and this became the foundation for suc- cessive versions, notably those of Coverdale, 1 535 ; the Great Bible, 1539; Geneva, 1560; and the Bishop's Bible, 1568. In 1582 a translation of the New Testament, made from the Latin Vulgate by Roman Catholic scholars, was published at Rheims. The translators of the King James Version took into account all of these preceding versions; and comparison shows that it owes something to each of them. It kept felicitous turns of phrase and apt expressions, from whatever source, which had stood the test of public usage.
As a result of the discovery of manuscripts of the New Testament more ancient than those used by the translators in 1611, together with a marked development in Biblical studies, a demand for revision of the King James Bible arose in the middle of the nineteenth century. In 1 870 the Convo- cation of Canterbury authorized a revision, and organized a
2-*° 1AY $3
committee oflBmtis&ifW^rs.to undertake it. With this com- mittee* *was "associalecl ' By "correspondence a committee of American schpfe^s organized a year later. In 1881 the English Revised Version of the New Testament was published, with an appendix containing recommendations of the American Committee which had not been approved by the British Com- mittee. In 1901, at the expiration of an agreed period, the American Standard Version was published, embodying these recommendations and printing in an appendix the British readings which they replaced.
The American Standard Version was copyrighted to pro- tect the text from unauthorized changes; and in 1 928 Thomas Nelson and Sons, its publishers, transferred the copyright to the International Council of Religious Education, in which the educational boards of forty of the major Protestant de- nominations of the United States and Canada are associated. This body appointed a committee of scholars to have charge of the text, and authorized it to undertake further revision if deemed necessary. The charter of the Committee contains the provision that "all changes in the text shall be agreed upon by a two-thirds vote of the total membership of the Committee'* — a more conservative rule than that which had governed revision hitherto, which required only a two- thirds vote of members present.
In 1 937 a comprehensive revision of the American Standard Version of the Bible was authorized by vote of the Council. Conversations with British scholars looked toward corre-
IV
PREFACE
spondence with a similar committee to be organized in Great Britain; but this proved to be impracticable during the years of war.
The Committee has worked in two Sections, one dealing with the Old Testament and one with the New Testament. As with former revisions, the work upon the New Testament has been completed first; and the revision of the Old Testa- ment will take about four years more. All changes in the translation of the New Testament have been submitted to the entire Committee, and in a few cases a majority vote in the Section has been reversed by failure to receive the support of two-thirds of the members of the Committee.
This preface does not undertake to set forth the lines along which the revision has proceeded. That is done in a small book entitled An Introduction to the Revised Standard Version of the New Testament, written by the members of the New Testa- ment Section, and designed to help the general public to understand the main principles which have guided this com- prehensive revision of the King James and American Stand- ard Versions.
Let it be said here simply that all of the reasons which led to the demand for revision of the King James Version one hundred years ago are still valid, and are even more cogent now than then. And we cannot be content with the Versions of 1881 and 1901 for two main reasons. One is that these are mechanically exact, literal, word-for-word translations, which follow the order of the Greek words, so far as this is possible,
PREFACE
rather than the order which is natural to English; they are more accurate than the King James Version, but have lost some of its beauty and power as English literature. The sec- ond reason is that the discovery of a few more ancient manu- scripts of the New Testament and of a great body of Greek papyri dealing with the everyday affairs of life in the early centuries of the Christian era, has furnished scholars with new resources, both for seeking to recover the original text of the Greek New Testament and for understanding its lan- guage.
In the Bible we have not merely an historical document and a classic of English literature, but the Word of God. The Bible carries its full message, not to those who regard it simply as a heritage of the past or praise its literary style, but to those who read it that they may discern and understand God's Word to men. And men need the Word of God in our time and hereafter as never before. That Word must not be dis- guised in phrases that are no longer clear, or hidden under words that have changed or lost their meaning. It must stand forth in language that is direct and plain and meaningful to people today. It is our hope and our earnest prayer that this Revised Standard Version of the New Testament may be used by God to speak to men in these momentous times, and to help them to understand and believe and obey His Word.
VI
THE NAMES AND ORDER
OF THE
BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
PAGE
MATTHEW 1
MARK 72
LUKE 117
JOHN 194
THE ACTS 250
ROMANS 322
1 CORINTHIANS . x . . . 353
2 CORINTHIANS .... 382
GALATIANS 401
EPHESIANS 410
PHILIPPIANS 420
COLOSSIANS 426
1 THESSALONIANS . . . 433
2 THESSALONIANS . . . 439
PAGE
1 TIMOTHY 443
2 TIMOTHY 450
TITUS 456
PHILEMON 459
HEBREWS 461
JAMES 484
1 PETER 491
2 PETER 499
1 JOHN 504
2 JOHN 512
3 JOHN 513
JUDE 514
REVELATION 517
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW
IThe book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Per'ez and Ze'rah by Ta'mar, and Per'ez the father of Hez'ron, and Hez'ron the father of Ram,a 4 and Rama the father of Am-min'a-dab, and Am- min'a-dab the father of Nah'shon, and Nah'shon the father of Sal'mon, 5 and Sal'mon the father of Bo'az by Ra'hab, and Bo'az the father of Q'bed by Ruth, and O'bed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of U-ri'ah, 7and Solomon the father of Re-ho~bo'am, and Re-ho-bo'am the father of A-bi'jah, and A-bi'jah the father of Asa,5 8 and Asab the father of Je~hosh'a~phat, and Je-hosh'a~phat the father of Jo'ram, and Jo'ram the father of Uz~zi'ah, 9 and Uz-zi'ah the father of Jo'tham, and. Jo'tham the father of A'haz, and A'haz the father of Hez- e-ki'ah, 10and Hez-e-ki'ah the father of Ma~nas'seh, and Ma-nas'seh the father of Amon,c and Amonc the father of Jo-si'ah, u and Jo-sfah the father of Jech-o-ni'ah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jech-o-ni'ak was the father of She-al'ti-el,d and She-aKti-eP* the father of Ze~rub'ba-bel, 13 and Ze-rub'ba-bel the father of A~bi'ud, and A~bi'ud the father of E-li'a-kim, and E-li'a-kim the father of A'zor, 14 and A'zor the father of Za'dok, and Za'dok the father of A'chim, and A'chim the father of
a Greek Aram. - & Greek AsapH. e Some authorities read Amos. d Greek SalathieL 1. 1-17: Lk. 3. 23-38. 1. 3-6: Ruth 4. 18-22; 1 Chr. 2. 1-15. 1. 11: 2 Kings 24. 14;, Jer. 27. 20.
1
MATTHEW 1 The Birth of Jesus
E-li'ud, 15 and EJi'ud the father of EJe-a'zar, and E4e- a'zar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ6 took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; 19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, Jo not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is con- ceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; 21 she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins/' 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and his name shall be called Em-man'u-el" (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.
2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 2 "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him/* 3 When Herod
'* Some ancient authorities read of the Christ.
1 18- Lk 1 26-38 1. 21: Lk. 2. 21; Jn. 1. 29; Acts 13. 23. 1. 23: Is. 7. 14.
•2. 1; "Lk. 2. 4-7J 1. & &• & Jer. 23. 5; Zech. 9. 9; Mk. 15. 2; Jn. 1. 49; Num. 24. 17.
2
The Visit of the Wise Men MATTHEW 2
the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet:
6 *And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
art by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from thee shall come a ruler
who will govern my people Israel.' "
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascer- tained from them what time the star appeared; 8 and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." 9 When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. lo When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; u and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. 13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." 14And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son."
2. 5: Jn. 7. 42. 2. 6: Mic. 5. 2; Jn. 21. 16. 2. 11: Mt. 1. 18; 12.46. 2. 12: Mt. 2.22; Acts 10. 22; Heb. 11. 7. 2. 15: Hos. 11. 1; Ex. 4. 22.
MATTHEW 2 Preaching of John the Baptist
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18 "A voice was heard in Ra'mah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more."
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph In Egypt, saying, 20 "Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead/' 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Ar-che-la'us reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."
3 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."
4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild
2. 18: Jer. 31. 15. 2. 19: Mt. 1. 20; 2. 13. 2. 23: Lk. 1. 26; Is. 11. 1; Mk. 1. 24.
3. 1-12: Mk. 1. 3-8; Lk. 3. 2-17; Jn. 1. 6-8, 19-28. 3. 2: Mt. 4. 17; Dan. 2. 44; 4. 17: Mt. 10. 7. 3. 3: Is. 40. 3. 3. 4: 2 Kings 1. 8; Zech. 13. 4; Lev. 11. 22.
The Baptism of Jesus MATTHEW 4
honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sad'du-cees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit that befits repentance, 9 and do not presume to say to your- selves, 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? " 15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness/' Then he con- sented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, he went up imme- diately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened^ and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him; 17 and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son/ with whom I am well pleased."
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And he fasted forty days
^ Some ancient authorities add to him. ° Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved.
3. 7: Mt. 12. 34; 23. 33; 1 Thess. 1. 10. 3. 9: Jn. 8. 33; Rom. 4. 16. 3. 10: Mt. 7. 19.
3. 12: Mt. 13. 30. 3. 13-17: Mk. 1. 9-11; Lk. 3. 21-22; Jn. 1. 31-34.
3. 17: Mt. 12. 18; 17. 5; Mk. 9. 7; Lk. 9. 35; Ps. 2. 7; Is. 42. 1.
4. 1-11: Mk. 1. 12-13; Lk. 4. 1-13; Heb. 2. 18; 4. 15. 4. 2: Ex. 34. 28; 1 Kings 19. &
MATTHEW 4 The Temptation of Jesus
and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But he answered, "It is written,
'Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of
God/"
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,
'He will give his angels charge of you,' and
*0n their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone/" 7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God/" 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; 9 and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me/'
10 Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! for it is written,
'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve/"
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and min- istered to him.
12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Ca~per'na~um by the sea, in the territory of Zeb'u-lun and Naph'ta-li, 14 that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 "The land of Zeb'u-lun and the land of Naph'taJi, toward the sea, across the Jordan,
4. 4: Deut. 8. 3. 4. 5: Mt. 27. 53; Neh. 11. 1; Dan. 9. 24; Rev. 21. 10. 4. 6:
Ps. 91. 11-12. 4. 7: Deut. 6. 16. 4. 10: Deut. 6. 13; Mk. 8. 33. 4. 11: Mt. '26. 53; Lk. 22. 43. 4. 12: Mk. 1. 14; Lk. 4. 14; Mt,;14. 3; Jn. 1. 43. 4. 13: Jn. 2. 12
Mk. 1.21; Lk. 4.23. 4. 15: Is. 9. 1-2.
The Sermon on the Mount MATTHEW 5
Galilee of the Gentiles — 16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned."
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
18 As he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.,19 And he said to them, " Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb'e-dee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb'e-dee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
23 And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their syna- gogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the De-cap'o-lis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.
5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4. 17: Mk. 1. 15; Mt. 3. 2; 10. 7. 4. 18-22: Mk. 1. 16-20; Lk. 5. 1-11; Jn. 1. 35-42.
4, 23-26: Mk. 1. 39; Lk. 4. 15, 44: Mt. 9. 35; Mk. 3. 7-8; Lk. 6. 17.
5. 1-12: Lk. 6. 17, 20-23; Mk. 3. 13; Jn. 6. 3. 5. 3: Mk. 10. 14; Lk. 22. 29.
MATTHEW 5 The Beatitudes
4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be com- forted.
5 " Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteous- ness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteous- ness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
1 1 "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.
14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
17 "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets ; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is ac- complished. 19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in
5. 4: Is. 61. 2; Jn. 16. 20; Rev. 7. 17. 5. 5: Ps. 37. 11. 5. 6: Is. 55. 1-2: Jn. 4 14-
6. 48-51. 5. 8: Ps. 24. 4; Heb. 12. 14; 1 Jn. 3. 2; Rev. 22. 4. 5. 10: 1 Pet 3 14- 4. 14. 5. 12: 2 Chr. 36. 16; Mt. 23. 37; Acts 7. 52; 1 Thess. 2. 15; Jas. 5. 10. ' 6* 13: Mk. 9. 49-50; Lk. 14. 34-35. 5. 14: Eph. 5. 8; Phil. 2. 15; Jn. 8. 12. 5, 15-16: Lk. 11. 33; Mk. 4. 21; 1 Pet. 2. 12. 5. 18: Lk. 16. 17; Mk. 13. 31. 5. 19: Jas. 2. 10.
The Higher Righteousness MATTHEW 5
the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, * You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judg- raent.' 22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother71 shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults1 his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool! * shall be liable to the helF of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; 26 truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.
27 " You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not com- mit adultery/ 28 But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell/ 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell/
31 "It was also said, * Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce/ 32 But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of
^ Many ancient authorities insert without cause. l Greek says Raca to (an obscure term of abuse). * Greek Gehenna.
5. 21: Ex 20. 13; Deut. 5. 17; 16. 18, 5. 25-26: Lk. 12. 57-59. 5. 27: Ex. 20. 14; Deut. 5. 18. 5. 29-30: Mk. 9. 43-48; Mt. 18. 8-9. 5. 31-32: Lk. 16. 18;
Mk. 10. 11-12; Mt. 19. 9; 1 Cor. 7. 10-11; Deut. 24. 1-4.
9
MATTHEW 5 Love for Enemies
unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 "Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn/ 34But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil*
38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth/ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; 40 and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; 41 and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 43 Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and*hate your enemy/ 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your breth- ren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
k Or the evil one.
5. 33-37: Mt. 23. 16-22; Jas. 5. 12; Lev. 19. 12; Num. 30. 2; Deut. 23. 21. 5. 35: la. 66. 1; Acts 7. 49; Ps. 48. 2. 5. 38: Ex. 21. 24; Lev. 24. 20; Deut. 19. 21. 5. 39-42: Lk. 6. 29-30; 1 Cor. 6. 7; Rom. 12. 17; 1 Pet. 2. 19; 3. 9; Prov. 24. 29. 5. 43-48: Lk.
6. 27-28, 32-36; Lev. 19. 18; Prov. 25. 21-22. 6. 48: Lev. 19. 2.
10
The Lord's Prayer MATTIpW 6
6 "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypo- crites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread;*
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors;
* Or our "bread for the morrow,
6. 1: Mt. 23. 5. 6. 4: Col. 3. 23-24. 6. 5: Mk. 11. 25; Lk. 18. 10-14
6. 7: 1 Kings 18. 25-29. 6. 8: Mt. 6. 32; Lk. 12. 30. 6. 9-13: Lk. 11, 2-4,
11
MATTHEW 6 Treasures in Heaven
13 And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil/ m
14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 1S but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16 "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust71 consume and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust" consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal; 2l for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; 23but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and
m Or the evil one. Many authorities, some ancient, add, in some form, For thine is the king* dom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. n Or worm.
6. 13: 2 Thess. 3. 3; Jn. 17. 15; Jas. 1. 13. 6. 14-15: Mt. 18. 35; Mk. 11. 25; Eph.
4. 32; Col. 3. 13. 6. 16: Is. 58. 5. 6. 18: Mt. 6. 4, 6. 6. 19-21: Lk. 12. 33-34:
Mk. 10. 21; 1 Tim. 6. 17-19; Jas. 5. 1-3. 6. 22-23: Lk. 11. 34-36; Mt. 20. 15; Mk. 7. 22! 6. 24: Lk. 16. 13. 6. 25-33: Lk. 12. 22-31; 10. 41; 12. 11; Phil. 4. 6; 1 Pet. 5. 7.
12
Trust in God MATTHEW 7
the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?0 28 And why be anxious about cloth- ing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and to- morrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, 0 men of little faith? 3I Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
34 ''Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for to- morrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.
7 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
6 "Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
0 Or to his stature.
6. 26: Mt. 10. 29. 6. 27: Ps. 39. 5, 6. 29: 1 Kings 10. 4-7. 6. 30: Mt. 8. 26; 14. 31; 16. 8. 6. 33: Mt. 19. 28; Mk. 10. 29-30; Lk. 18. 29-30.
7. 1-2: Lk. 6. 37-38; Mk. 4. 24; Rom. 2. 1; 14. 10. 7. 3-5: Lk. 6. 41-42.
13
MATTHEW 8 Stilling the Tempest
have I found such faith. u I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; be it done for you as you have believed/' And the servant was healed at that very moment.
14 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever; 1S he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and served him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases/'
18 Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, "Master, I will follow you wherever you go." 20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." 2l Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25And they went and woke him, saying, "Save, Lord; we are perishing." 26 And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, 0 men of little faith? " Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 And
8. 11-12: Lk. 13. 28-29; Is. 49. 12; 59. 19; Mai. 1. 11; Ps. 107. 3. 8. 12: Mt. 13. 42, 50; 22. 13; 24. 51; 25. 30; Lk. 13. 28. 8. 14-16: Mk. 1. 29-34; Lk. 4. 38-41; Mt. 4.
23-24. 8. 17: Is. 53. 4. 8. 18-22: Lk. 9. 57-60; Mk. 4. 35; Lk. 8. 22. 8. 22: Mt. 9. 9; Jn. 1. 43; 21. 19. 8. 23-27: Mk. 4. 36-41; Lk. 8. 22-25. 8. 26: Mt. 6. 30:
14. 31; 16. 8.
16
The Forgiveness of Sins MATTHEW 9
the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"
28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gad-a~renes',s two demoniacs met him, corning out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 39 And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, 0 Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time? " 30 Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine." 32 And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters. 33 The swineherds fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.
9 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." 4 But Jesus, knowing' their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven/ or to say, 'Rise and walk'? 6 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" — he then said to the paralytic — "Rise, take up your bed and go "home." 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were
* Many ancient authorities read Gergesenes; some, Gerasenes.
* Many ancient authorities read seeing.
8. 28-34: Mk. 5. 1-17; Lk. 8. 26-37. 8. 29: Judg. 11. 12; 2 Sam. 16. 10; Mk. 1. 24;
9?l-8: *Mk. 2. 1-12; Lk. 5. 17-26. 9. 2: Mt. 9. 22; Mk. 6. 50; 10. 49; Jn. 16. 33;
Acts 23. 11; Lk. 7. 48.
17
MATTHEW 9 Eating with Sinners
afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.
10 And as he sat at table" in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. u And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 12 But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ' I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast," but your disciples do not fast? " 15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
18 While he was thus speaking to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."
19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.
20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe
u Greek reclined. v Many ancient authorities add much or often.
9. 9-13: Mk. 2. 13-17; Lk. 5. 27-32; 15. 1-2; 7. 34. 9. 13: Hos. 6. 6; Mt. 12. 7;
1 Tim. 1. 15. 9. 14^17: Mk. 2. 18-22; Lk. 5. 33-39; 18. 12. 9. 18-26: Mk. 5. 21-43 Lk. 8. 40-56. 9. 18: Mt. 8. 2; 15. 25; 18. 26; 20. 20; Jn, 9. 38. 9. 20: Num. 15. 38; Deut. 22. 12; Mt. 14. 36; Mk. 3. 10.
18
Raising the Dead MATTHEW 9
of his garment; 21 for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I shall be made well." 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, my daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd making a tumult, 24 he said, "Depart; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26And the report of this went through all that district.
27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men fol- lowed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David/' 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." 29Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, "See that no one knows it." 31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.
32 As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel." 34But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the prince of demons."
35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but
9. 22: Mk. 10. 52; Lk. 7. 50; 17. 19; Mt. 15. 28; 9. 29. 9. 27-31: Mt. 20. 29-34.
9. 32-34: Lk. 11. 14-15; Mt. 12. 22-24; Mk. 3. 22; Jn. 7. 20. 9. 35: Mt. 4. 23;
Mk. 6. 6. 9. 36: Mk. 6. 34; Mt. 14. 14; 15, 32; Num. 27. 17; Zech. 10. 2.
9. 37-38: Lk. 10. 2; 'Jn. 4. 35.
19
MATTHEW 9 The Mission of the Twelve
the laborers are few; 38 pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." "| f\ And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave JL \J them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zeb'e-dee, and John his brother; z Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;1" 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, "Go no- where among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samari- tans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And preach as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand/ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay. 9 Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your purses/ *° no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food. u And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, salute it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Go-mor'rah than for that town.
16 "Lo, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so
w Some ancient authorities read Lebbaeus or Lebbaeus called Thaddaeus. x Greek girdles, 10. 1-4: Mk. 6. 7; 3. 16-19; Lk. 9. 1; 6. 14-16; Acts 1. 13. 10. 5: Lk. 9. 52; Jn. 4. 9; Acts 8. 5, 25. 10. 6: Mt. 15. 24; 10. 23. 10. 7-8: Lk. 9. 2; 10. 9-11; Mt. 4. 17.
10. 9-14: Mk. 6. 8-11; Lk. 9. 3-5, 10. 4-12; 22. 35-36. 10. 10: 1 Cor. 9. 14;
1 Tim. 5. 18. 10. 14: Acts 13. 51. 10. 15: Mt. 11. 24; Lk. 10. 12; Jude 7:
2 Pet. 2. 6. 10. 16: Lk. 10. 3; Gen. 3. 1; Rom. 16. 19.
20
The Coming Persecutions MATTHEW 10
be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes.
24 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant1' above his master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant^ like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-el'ze-bub,z how much more will they malign those of his household.
26 "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.* 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 3l Fear not, therefore;
» Or slave. z Greek Beelzebul. a Greek Gehenna.
10. 17-22: Mfc. 13. 9-13; Lk. 12. 11-12; 21. 12-19; Jn. 16. 2. 10. 18: Acts 25. 24r-26. 10. 20: Jn. 16. 7-11. 10. 21: Mt. 10. 35-36; Lk. 12. 52-53. 10. 22: Jn. 15, 18;
Mt. 24. 9. 10. 23: Mt. 16. 27; 1 Thess. 4. 17. 10. 24: Lk. 6. 40; Jn. 13. 16;
15. 20. 10. 25: Mt. 9. 34; 12. 24; Mk. 3. 22; Lk. 11. 15; 2 Kings 1. 2. 10. 26-33: Lk. 12. 2-9. 10. 26: Mk. 4. 22; Lk. 8. 17; Eph. 5. 13, 10. 28: Heb. 10. 31.
10. 31: Mt. 12. 12.
21
MATTHEW 10 Conditions of Discipleship
you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man's foes will be those of his own household. 37 He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.
40 "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. 41 He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water be- cause he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."
nAnd when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, " Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another? " 4 And
10. 32: Mk. 8. 38; Lk. 9. 26; Rev. 3. 5; 2 Tim. 2. 12. 10. 34-36: Lk. 12. 51-53;
Mt 10. 21; Mk. 13. 12; Mic. 7. 6. 10. 37-39: Lk. 14. 25-27; 17. 33, 9. 23-24;
Mt. 16. 24-25; Mk. 8. 34-35; Jn. 12. 25. 10. 40: Lk. 10. 16; Jn. 13. 20; Gal. 4. 14;
Mk. 9. 37- Mt. 18. 5; Lk. 9. 48. 10. 42: Mk. 9. 41; Mt. 25. 40. 11. 1: Mt. 7. 28; 13. 53; 19. 1; 26. 1. 11. 2-19: Lk. 7. 18-35. 11. 3: Mk. 1. 7-8; Hab. 2. 3; Jn. 11. 27.
22
Jesus and John the Baptist MATTHEW 11
Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6And blessed is he who takes no offense at me/'
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 Why then did you go out? To see a man5 clothed in soft raiment? Behold, those who wear soft raiment are in kings' houses. 9 Why then did you go out? To see a prophet?0 Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,
'Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.' 11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suf- fered violence,** and men of violence take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear/ let him hear.
16 "But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places and calling to their playmates,
17 *We piped to you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.*
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; 19 the Son of man came eating and drink-
& Or What then did you go out to see t A man. c Many ancient authorities read What
then did you go out to see f A prophet f d Or has been coming violently. e Some ancient authorities omit to hear.
11. 5: Is. 35. 5-6, 61. 1; Lk. 4. 18-19. 11. 9: Mt. 14. 5; 21. 26; Lk. 1. 76. 11. 10: Mai. 3. 1; Mk. 1. 2. 11. 12-13: Lk. 16. 16. 11. 14: Mai 4. 5; Mt. 17. 10-13;
Jn. 1. 21; Lk. 1. 17. 11. 15: Mt. 13. 9, 43; Mk. 4. 23; Rev. 13. 9; 2. 7. 11. 16-19: Lk. 7. 31-35.
23
MATTHEW 11 Thanksgiving to the Father
ing, and they say, 'Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.'J/
20 Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 "Woe to you, Cho-ra'zin! woe to you, Beth~sa'i~da! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Ca-per'na-um, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."
25 At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; 26 yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will/ 27 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28Come to me, all who labor and are heavy- laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light/'
~| fy At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on JL L«L the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they be- gan to pluck ears of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Phar-
^ Many ancient authorities read children (Luke 7,35). ° Or so it was well-pleasiny
before thee.
11. 20-24: Lk. 10. 13-15. 11. 24: Mt. 10. 15; Lk. 10. 12. 11. 25-27: Lk. 10. 21-22.
11. 25: 1 Cor. 1. 26-29. 11. 27: Jn. 3. 35; 5. 20; 13. 3; 7. 29; 10. 15; 17. 25; Mt. 28. 18.
11. 29: Jn. 13. 15; Phil. 2. 5; 1 Pet. 2. 21; Jer. 6. 16.
12. 1-8: Mk. 2. 23-28; Lk. 6. 1-5. 12. 1: Deut. 23. 25.
24
Lord of the Sabbath MATTHEW 12
isees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath." 3 He said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law how on the sabbath the priests in the temple profane the sabbath,, and are guiltless? 6 1 tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ' I desire mercy, and not sacrifice/ you would not have con- demned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath."
9 And he went on from there, and entered their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man with a withered hand. And they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?" so that they might accuse him. " He said to them, "What man of you, if he has one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sab- bath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath." u Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, whole like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him, how to destroy him.
15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all, 16 and ordered them not to make him known.17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18 "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
12. 3: 1 Sain. 21. 1-6: Lev. 24. 9. 12. 5: Num. 28. 9-10. 12. 6: Mt. 12. 41-42;
Lk. 11. 31-32. 12. 7: Hoa. 6. 6; Mt. 9. 13. 12. 8: Jn. 5. 1-18; 7. 19-24; 9- 1-41. 12. 9-14: Mk. 3. 1-6; Lk. 6. 6-11. 12. 11: Lk. 14. 5. 12. 12: Mt. 10. 31. 12. 14; Mk. 14. 1; Jn. 7. 30; 8. 59; 10. 39; 11. 53. 12. 15-16: Mk. 3. 7-12; Lk. 6. 17-19.
12. 18-21: Is. 42. 1-4.
25
MATTHEW 12 Power to Cast out Demons
I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not wrangle or cry aloud,
nor will any one hear his voice in the streets;
20 he will not break a bruised reed
or quench a smoldering wick,
till he brings justice to victory;
21 and in his name will the Gentiles hope." , 22 Then a blind and dumb demoniac was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?" 24 But when the Pharisees heard it they said, "It is only by Be-el'ze-bub,'1 the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons." 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand; 26 and if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Be-el'ze-bub,'1 by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 38 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 3l Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
h Greek BedzebuL
12. 22-23: Mk. 3. 22-27; Lk. 11. 14-22. 12. 22: Mt. 9. 32-33. 12. 24: Mt. 9. 34; 10. 25; Jn. 7. 20; 8. 52; 10. 20. 12. 30: Lk. 11. 23; Mk. 9. 40. 12. 31-32:
Mk. 3. 28-30; Lk. 12. 10.
26
The Sign of Jonah MATTHEW 12
33 "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! how can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 1 tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." 39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nin'e-veh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. ^ The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
43 "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest, but he finds none. ** Then he says, * I will return to my house from which
1 came.' And when he comes he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and brings with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there;
12. 33-35: Lk. 6. 43-45; Mt. 7. 16-20; Jas. 3. 11-12; Mt. 15. 18. 12. 3*-42: Lk, 11. 16, 29-32; Mk. 8. 11-12; Mt. 16. 1-4; Jn. 2. 18; 6. 30; 1 Cor. 1. 22. 12. 40: Jon. 1. 17. 12. 41: Jon. 3. 5. 12. 42: 1 Kings 10. 1; 2 Chr. 9. 1. 12. 43-45: Lk. 11. 24-26;
2 Pet. 2. 20.
27
MATTHEW 12 The Parable of the Sower
and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So shall it be also with this evil generation/'
46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.1 48 But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother." "1 O That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat JL O beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked .them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears/ let him hear."
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" " And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
* Some ancient authorities insert verse 47: Some one told him, "Your mother and your
brothers are standing outside, asking to speak to you."
3 Some ancient authorities add here and in verse 43 to hear.
12. 46-50: Mk. 3. 31-35; Lk. 8. 19-21. 12. 46: Jn. 2. l-12j 19. 25-27; 7. 1-10; Mk. 6. 3; 1 Cor. 9. 5. 12. 50: Jn. 15. 14.
13. 1-9: Mk. 4. 1-9; Lk. 8. 4-8; 5. 1-3. 13. 10-13: Mk. 4. 10-12; Lk. 8. 9-10.
13. 12: Mk. 4. 25; Lk. 8. 18; Mt. 25. 29; Lk. 19. 26.
28
The Purpose of the Parables MATTHEW 13
13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says:
'You shall indeed hear but never understand,
and you shall indeed see but never perceive. 15 For this people's heart has grown dull,
and their ears are heavy of hearing,
and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart,
and turn for me to heal them/
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immedi- ately receives it with joy; 2i yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and under- stands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty/*
* Or stumbles.
13. 14-15: Is. 6. 9-10; Mk. 8. 18; Jn. 12. 39-41; Acts -28. 26-27. 13. 16-17: Lk. 10.
23-24; Jn. 8. 56; Heb. 11. 13; 1 Pet. 1. 10-12. 13. 18-23: Mk. 4. 13-20; Lk. 8. 11-15, 13. 22: Mt. 19. 23; 1 Tim. 6. 9-10, 17.
29
MATTHEW 13 Mustard Seed and Leaven
24 Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants' of the house- holder came and said to him, *Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds? ' 28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this/ The servants7 said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29But he said, 'No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
31 Another parable he put before them, saying, "The king- dom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
33 He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened."
34 All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:771
"I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the
foundation of the world." 36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And
* Or slaves. m Some ancient authorities read the prophet Isaiah.
13. 24-30: Mk. 4. 26-29. 13. 31-32: Mk. 4. 30-32; Lk. 13. 18-19; Mt. 17. 20.
13. 33: Lk. 13. 20-21; Gal. 5. 9; Gen. 18. 6. 13. 34: Mk. 4. 33-34; Jn. 10. 6; 16. 2£ 13. 35: Ps. 78. 2,
30
Parables of the Kingdom MATTHEW 13
his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. 41 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evil-doers, 42 and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, ^who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, 50and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
51 "Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes." 52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a house- holder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
13. 38: Jn. 8. 44; 1 Jn. 3. 10. 13. 41: Mt. 24. 31. 13. 42: Mt. 13. 50; 8. 12;
22. 13; 24. 51; 25. 30; Lk. 13. 28. 13. 47-50: Mt. 13. 40-42.
31
MATTHEW 13 John the Baptist Beheaded
53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?" 57And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house/' 58And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
MAt that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus; 2 and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist, he has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him." 3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison, for the sake of He-ro'di-as, his brother Philip's wife;71 because John said to him, 4 " It is not lawful for you to have her/' 5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of He-ro'di-as danced before the company, and pleased Herod, 7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter/' 9 And the king was sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given; 10 he sent and had John beheaded in the prison, u and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.
71 A few ancient authorities read his brother's wife.
13. 53: Mt. 7. 28; 11. 1; 19. 1; 26. 1. 13. 54^58: Mk. 6. 1-6; Lk. 4/16-30.
14. 1-2: Mk. 6. 14-16; Lk. 9. 7-9; Mk. 8. 28. 14. 3-4: Mk. 6. 17-18; Lk. 3. 19-20;
Lev. 18. 16; 20. 21. 14. 5-12: Mk. 6. 19-29.
32
Feeding the Five Thousand MATTHEW 14
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick, 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 Jesus said, "They need not go* away; you give them something to eat/' 17 They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish/' 18 And he said, "Bring them here to me/' 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
22 Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go be- fore him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was out on the sea,0 beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately he spoke to them, saying,, "Take heart, it is I: have no fear/'
28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So Peter
0 Some ancient authorities read was many furlongs distant from the" land* 14. 13-21: Mk. 6. 32-44; Lk. 9. 10-17; Jn. 6. 1-13; Mt. 15. 32-38, 14. 19: Mk. 14. 22; Lk. 24. 30. 14. 22-23: Mk. 6. 45-46; Jn. 6. 15-17. 14. 24-33: Mk. 6. 47-52;
Jn. 6. 16-21. 14. 26: Lk. 24. 37. 14. 29: Jn. 21. 7.
33
MATTHEW 14 The Tradition of the Elders
got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; 30 but when he saw the wind/ he was afraid, and be- ginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." 3I Jesus imme- diately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "0 man of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." 34 And when they had crossed over, they landed at Gen-nes'a-ret. 3S And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent round to all that region and brought to him all that were sick, 36 and besought him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.
"1 flT Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from JL O Jerusalem and said, 2 "Why do your disciples trans- gress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." 3 He answered them, "And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God commanded, * Honor your father and your mother/ and, *He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die/ 5 But you say, * If any one tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God,9 he need not honor his father/ 6 So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the lawr of God. 7You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 *This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the precepts of men/"
p Many ancient authorities read strong wind.
2 Or an offering, r Many ancient authorities read word.
14. 31: Mt. 6. 30; 8. 26; 16. 8. 14. 33: Mt. 28. 9, 17. 14. 34-36: .Mk. 6. 53-56; Jn. 6. 22-26. 14. 36: Mk. 3. 10; Num. 15. 38; Mt. 9. 20. 15. 1-20: Mk. 7. 1-23.
15. 4: Ex. 20. 12; Deut. 5. 16; Ex. 21. 17; Lev. 20. 9. 15. 8-9: Is. 29. 13.
34
Real Defilement MATTHEW 15
10 And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand: unot what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this say- ing?" 13He answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father has not .planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." 1S But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us." 16 And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? 17Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and so passes on?s 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a ,man. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."
21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, 0 Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." 26And he an- swered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28Then Jesus answered her, "0 woman, great is your faith! Be it
* Or is evacuated.
15. 11: Acts 10. 14-15; 1 Tim. 4. 3. 15. 13: Is. 60. 21; Jn. 15. 2. 15. 14: Lk. 6. 39; Mt. 23. 16, 24; Rom. 2. 19. 15. 19: Gal. 5. 19-21; 1 Cor. 6. 9-10; Rom. 14. 14.
15. 21-28: Mk. 7. 24-30. 15. 24: Mt. 10. 6, 23. 15. 25: Mt. 8. 2; 18. 26; 20. 20; Jn. 9. 38. 15. 28: Mt. 9. 22, 28; Mk. 10. 52; Lk. 7. 50; 17. 19.
35
MATTHEW 15 Healing the People
done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.
29 And Jesus went on from there and passed along the sea of Galilee. And he went up into the hills, and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the dumb, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed -them, 31 so that the throng wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, " I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days, and have nothing to eat; and I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." 33 And the disciples said to him, " Where are we to get bread enough in the desert to feed so great a crowd? " 34 And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves have you?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish." 35 And commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took tKe seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37And they all ate and were satisfied; and they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Mag'a~dan. "| £* And the Pharisees and Sad'du-cees came, and to test JL \J him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them/ "When it is evening, you say, *It will be fair weather; for the sky is red.' 3 And in the morning, * It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.'
* Many ancient authorities omit the following words to the end of verse 3.
15. 29-31: Mk. 7. 31-37. 15. 32-39: Mk. 8. 1-10; Mt. 14. 13-21. 15. 32: Mt. 9. 36.
16. 1-4: Mk. 8. 11-12; Lk. 11. 16, 29; 12. 54-56; Mt. 12. 38-39; Jn. 2. 18; 6. 30.
36
Peter's Confession MATTHEW 16
You know how to interpret the face of the heaven, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah/' So he left them and departed.
5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had for-* gotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sad'du-cees." 7 And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread/' 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, "0 men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 10 Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to perceive that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sad'du-cees." 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sad'du-cees.
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caes-a-re'a Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Bap- tist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets/' 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter," and on this rocku I will build my church,
u Greek Petros. v Greek petra,
16. 4: Jon. 3. 4-5. 16. 5-12: Mk. 8. 13-21. 16. 6: Lk. 12. 1. 16. 8: Mt. 6. 30; 8. 26; 14 31 16. 9: Mt. 14. 17-21. 16. 10: Mt. 15. 34-38. 16. 13-16: Mk. 8. 27-30; Lk. 9 18-21. 16. 14: Mt. 14. 2; Mk. 6. 15; Lk. 9. 7-8; Jn. 1. 21. 16. 16: Mt. 1. 16; Jn 11 27- 1. 49. 16. 17: 1 Cor. 15. 50; Gal. 1. 16; Eph. 6. 12; Heb. 2. 14. 16. 18: Jn. 1. 40-42; 21. 15-17; 1 Cor. 15. 5.
37
MATTHEW 16 The Way of the Cross
and the powers of death"7 shall not prevail against it. 19 1 will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven/' 20Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you." 23But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance* to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men."
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? 27 For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man com- ing in his kingdom."
"1 rj And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and JL I James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white
w Greek the gates of Hades. x Greek stumbling-Uock.
16. 19: Is. 22. 22; Rev. 1. 18; Mt. 18. 18; Jn. 20. 23. 16. 20: Mt. 8. 4; Mk. 3. 12; 5. 43; 7. 36; 9. 9. 16. 21-28: Mk. 8. 31-9. 1; Lk. 9. 22-27. 16. 21: Mt. 17. 22-23; 20. 17-19; Lk. 17. 25; Mt. 17. 12; 26. 2. 16. 23: Mt. 4. 10. 16. 24-26: Mt. 10. 38-39; Lk. 14. 27; 17. 33; Jn. 12. 25. 16. 27: Mt. 10. 33; Lk. 12. 9; 1 Jn. 2. 28; Rom. 2. 6; Rev. 22. 12. 16. 28: Mt. 10. 23; 1 Cor. 16. 22; 1 Thess. 4. 15-18; Rev. 1. 7; Jas. 5. 7.
17. 1-9; Mk. 9. 2-10; Lk. 9. 28-36; 2 Pet. 1. 17-18. 17. 1: Mt. 26. 37; Mk. 5. 37; 13. 3.
38
The Transfiguration MATTHEW 17
as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli- jah/' 5 He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud over- shadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son/ with whom I am well pleased; listen to him/' 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear/' 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus com- manded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead." 1C And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come? " 11 He replied, "Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things; 12but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands/' 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and kneeling before him said, 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him." 17 And Jesus answered, "0 faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly.
v Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved.
17. 5: Mt. 3, 17; Is. 42. 1; Ps. 2. 7; Jn. 12. 28. 17. 9: Mt. 8. 4; 16. 20; Mk. 3. 12;
5. 43; 7. 36. 17. 10-13: Mk. 9. 11-13; Mt. 11. 14; MaL 4. 5. 17. 12: Mt. 16. 21; 17. 22; 20. 17; 26, 2; Lk. 17. 25. 17. 14-18: Mk. 9. 14-27; Lk. 9. 37-43.
39
MATTHEW 17 The Power of Faith
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" 20 He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move hence to yonder place/ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you."2
22 As they were gathering0 in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were greatly distressed.
24 When they came to Ca-per'na-um, the collectors of the half-shekel tax went up to Peter and said, "Does not your teacher pay the tax? " 25 He said, "Yes." And when he came home, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from others?" 26And when he said, "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel; take that and give it to them for me and for yourself."
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, 3 and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives
s Some ancient authorities insert verse 21, "But this kind never comes out except "by prayer and fasting." a Some ancient authorities read abode.
17. 19, 21: Mk. 9. 28-29. 17. 20: Lk. 17. 6; Mt. 21. 21; Mk. 11. 22-23; 1 Cor. 13. 2: Mk. 9. 23. 17. 22-23: Mk. 9. 30-32; Lk. 9. 43-45; Mt. 16. 21; 20. 17-19; 26. 2.
17. 24: Ex. 30. 13; 38. 26. 17. 25: Rom. 13. 7; Mt. 22. 17-21. 17. 27: Mt. 5. 29;
18. 6-9; Jn. 6. 61; 1 Cor. 8. 13. 18. 1-5: Mk. 9. 33-37; Lk. 9. 46-48. 18. 3: Mk. 10. 15; Lk. 18. 17; 1 Pet. 2. 2. 18. 5: Mt. 10. 40; Lk. 10. 16; Jn, 13. 20.
40
The Lost Sheep MATTHEW 18
me; 6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,b it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 "Woe to the world for temptations to sin!c For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the helld of fire.
10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven/ 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of myf Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
IS "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he re- fuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a
6 Greek causes . . . to stumble. c Greek stumbling-blocks* d Greek Gehenna. e Some
ancient authorities add verse 11, For the Son of man came to save that which was lost.
f Some ancient authorities read your,
18. 6-9: Mk. 9. 42-48; Lk. 17. 1-2. 18. 8-9: Mt. 5. 29-30; 17. 27. 18. 10: Acts
12. 11. 18. 11: Lk. 19. 10. 18. 12-14: Lk. 15. 3-7. 18. 15-17: Lk. 17. 3;
1 Cor. 6. 1-6; Gal. 6. 1; Jas. 5. 19-20; Lev. 19. 17; Deut. 19. 15.
41
MATTHEW 18 The Unforgiving Servant
Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 30 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven/
23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents ;ft 25 and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything/ 27 And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii;1 and seizing him by the throat he said, 'Pay what you owe/ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you/ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. 3l When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and re- ported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I for-
a. Or seventy-seven times. ^ This talent was probably worth about a thousand dollars.
\The denarius was worth about twenty cents.
18. 18: Mt. 16. 19; Jn. 20. 23. 18. 1&-20: Mt. 7. 7; 21. 22; Jas. 1. 5-7; l*Jn. 5. 14;
Jn. 14. 13. 18. 21-22: Lk. 17. 4; Gen. 4. 24, 18. 23: Mt. 25. 19. 18. 25: Lk. 7. 42. 18. 26: Mt. 8. 2.
42
Teaching about Divorce MATTHEW 19
gave you all that debt because you besought me; 33and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you? ' 34 And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers/ till he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." 1 O Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went .1. tJ away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; 2 and large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause? " 4He answered, "Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one'?fe 6 So they are no longer two but one.* What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder." 7They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away? " 8 He said to them, "For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity,z and marries another, commits adultery/'771
10 The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry/' " But he said to them, "Not all men can receive this precept, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been
J" Greek torturers. * Greek one flesh.
L Some ancient authorities, after unchastity, read makes her commit adultery.
m Some ancient authorities insert and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery,
18. 35: Mt. 6. 14. 19. 1: Mt. 7. 28; 11. 1; 13. 53; 26. 1. 19- 1-9: Mk. 10. 1-12.
19. 5: Gen. 1. 27; 2. 24; Eph. 5. 31; 1 Cor. 6. 16. 19. 7: Deut. 24. 1-4. 19. 9: Mt. 5. 32; Lk. 16. 18; 1 Cor. 7. 10-13. 19. 11: 1 Cor. 7. 7-9.
43
MATTHEW 19 The Danger of Wealth
made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it."
13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people; u but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.
16 And behold, one came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" 17 And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the com- mandments." 18 He said to him, "Which?" And Jesus said, "You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and your mother, and, You shall love your neigh- bor as yourself." 30 The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I still lack?" 21 Jesus said to him, ** If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impos- sible, but with God all things are possible." 27 Then Peter
19. 13-15: Mk. 10. 13-16; Lk. 18. 15-17; Mt. 18. 2-3; 1 Cor. 14. 20. 19. 16-22: Mk. 10. 17-22; Lk. 18. 18-23. 19. 16: Lk. 10. 25; Lev. 18. 5. 19. 18: Ex. 20. 12-16; Deut. 5. 16-20; Rom. 13. 9; Jas. 2. 11. 19. 19: Lev. 19. 18; Mt. 22. 39. 19. 21: Lk. 12. 33; Acts 2. 45; 4. 34; Mt. 6. 20. 19. 23-26: Mk. 10. 23-27; Lk. 18. 24-27.
19. 26: Gen. 18. 14; Job 42. 2. 19. 27-30: Mk. 10. 28-31; Lk. 18. 28-30; Mt. 4. 18-22.
44
Laborers in the Vineyard MATTHEW 20
said in reply, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?" 28 Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold,71 and inherit eternal life. 30 But many that are first will be last, and the last first. O f\ "For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder LU \J who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius0 a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to them he said, * You go into the vine- yard too, and whatever is right I will give you/ So they went. 5 Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' 7They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first/ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. u And on receiving it they grumbled at the house- holder, 12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of
n Some ancient authorities read manifold. ° See note on 18. 28.
19. 28: Lk. 22. 30; Mt. 20. 21; Rev. 3. 21. 19. 30: Mt. 20. 16; Lk. 13. 30.
20. 1: Mt. 21. 28, 33. 20. 8: Lev. 19. 13; Deut. 24. 15. 20. 13: Mt. 22. 12; 26. 50.
45
MATTHEW 20 Greatness and Service
them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. 15 Am I not al- lowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity^ ? ' 16 So the last will be first, and the first last/*
17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, 19 and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day/'
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zeb'e-dee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom/' 22 But Jesus answered, " You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink? " They said to him, "We are able/' 23 He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father/' 24And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 Not so shall it be among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be
v Or is your eye evil because I am good ?
20. 15: Mt. 6. 23; Mk. 7. 22; Deut. 15. 9. 20. 16: Lk. 13. 30; Mt. 19. 30;
Mk. 10. 31. 20. 17-19: Mk. 10. 32-34; Lk. 18. 31-34; Mt. 16. 21; 17. 12, 22-23; 26. 2. 20. 20-24: Mk. 10. 35-41. 20. 20: Mt. 8. 2; 9. 18; 15. 25; 18. 26; Jn. 9. 38. 20. 21: Mt. 19. 28. 20. 22: Mt. 26. 39; Jn. 18. 11. 20. 23: Acts 12. 2; Rev. 1. 9; Mt. 13. 11. 20. 25-28: Mk. 10. 42-45; Lk. 22. 25-27. 20. 26: Mt. 23. 11; Mk. 9. 35; Lk. 9. 48.
46
Entry into Jerusalem MATTHEW 21
your slave; 28 even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the roadside, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out,g "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" 31The crowd rebuked them, telling them to hold their peace; but they cried out the more, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! " 32 And Jesus stopped and called them, saying, "What do you want me to do for you?" 33 They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened." 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and imme- diately they received their sight and followed him. O "1 And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came ^J JL to Bed/pha-ge, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If any one says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and he will send them immediately." 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 "Tell the daughter of Zion,
Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on an ass,
and on a colt, the foal of an ass."
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the ass and the colt, and put their clothes on them, and he sat thereon. 8 Most of the crowd spread their clothes on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, "Hosanna to the
5 Many ancient authorities insert Lord.
20. 28: Mt. 26. 28; 1 Tim. 2. 5-6; Jn. 13. 15-16; Tit. 2. 14; 1 Pet. 1. 18. 20. 29-34: Mk. 10. 46-52; Lk. 18. 35-43; Mt. 9. 27-31.
21. 1-9: Mk. 11. 1-10; Lk. 19. 29-38; Jn. 12. 12-18. 21. 5: Is. 62. 11; Zech. 9. 9. 21. 8: 2 Kings 9. 13. 21. 9: Pa. 118. 26; Lk. 2. 14; Mt. 21. 15; 23. 39.
47
MATTHEW 21 The Cleansing of the Temple
Son of David! Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest !" 10And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?" 11 And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee."
12 And Jesus entered the temple of Godr 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. 13 He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer*; but you make it a den of robbers."
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But 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; 16 and 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 babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise'?"
17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside he went to it, and found on it nothing but leaves. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again! " And the fig tree withered at once. 20 When the disciples saw it they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once? " 21 And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree,
r Some ancient authorities omit of God.
21. 11: Jn. 6. 14; 7. 40; Acts 3. 22; Mk. 6. 15; Lk. 13. 33. 21. 12-13: Mk. 11. 15-17; Lk. 19. 45-46; Jn. 2. 13-17; Ex. 30. 13; Lev. 1. 14. 21. 13: Is. 56. 7; Jer. 7. 11.
21. 15: Lk. 19. 39; Mt. 21. 9. 21. 16: Ps. 8. 2. 21. 17-19: Mk. 11. 11-14;
Lk. 13. 6-9. 21. 20-22: Mk. 11. 20-24. 21. 21: Mt, 17. 20; Lk. 17. 6; 1 Cor. 13. 2; Jas. 1. 6.
48
The Question about Authority MATTHEW 21
but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,* it will be done. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."
23 And 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 Jesus answered them, " I also will ask you a question; and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,* he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 26 But if we say, 'From men/ we are afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John was a prophet." 27 So 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 "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 And he answered, *I will not'; but afterward he repented and went. 30 And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, * I go, sir/ but did not go. 31 Which 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 harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.
33 "Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a
21. 22: Jn. 14. 13-14, 16. 23. 21. 23-27: Mk. 11. 27-33; Lk. 20. 1-8; Jn. 2. 18-22.
21. 26: Mt. 11. 9; 14. 5; Lk. 1. 76. 21. 28: Mt. 20. 1; 21. 33. 21. 32: Lk. 7. 29-30. 21. 33-46: Mk. 12. 1-12; Lk. 20. 9-19; Is. 5. 1-7,
49
<• -
MATTHEW 21 Parable of the Vineyard
wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. M When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; 35 and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. 37 After- ward he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son/ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.* 39 And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" 41 They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miser- able death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."
42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures:
' The very stone which the builders rejected
has become the head of the corner;
this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes '?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it."s 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multi- tudes, because they held him to be a prophet.
And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,
2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, 3 and sent his
* Some ancient authorities add verse 44, " And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but when it falls on anyone, it will critsh him."
21. 34: Mt. 22. 3. 21. 41: Mt. 8. 11; Acts 13. 46; 18. 6; 28. 28. 21. 42: Ps. 118. 22-23; Acts 4. 11; 1 Pet. 2. 7. 22. 1-10: Lk. 14. 16-24. 22. 3: Mt. 21. 34.
50
The Marriage Feast MATTHEW 22
servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast/ 5 But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.' 10 And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; 12 and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? ' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth/ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen."
15 Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the He-ro'di-ans, saying, "Master, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the money for the tax/' And they brought him a coin/ 20 And
* Greek a denarius.
22. 10: Mt. 13. 47. 22. 12: Mt. 20. 13; 26. 50. 22. 13: Mt. 8. 12; 13. 42, 50; 24. 51;
25. 30; Lk. 13. 28. 22. 15-22: Mk. 12. 13-17; Lk. 20. 20-26. 22. IS: Mk. 3. 6; 8. 15.
51
MATTHEW 22 The Resurrection of the Dead
Jesus said to them, " Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 2iThey said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." 22 When they heard it, they marveled ; and they left him and went away.
23 The same day Sad'du-cees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, 24 saying, "Teacher, Moses said, *If a man dies, having no children, his brother must marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.' 25 Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, to which of the seven will she be wife? For they all had her."
29 But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels" in heaven.31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 32 * I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob '? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were aston- ished at his teaching.
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sad'du-cees, they came together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is
" Many ancient authorities add of God."]
22. 21: Rom. 13. 7. 22. 23-33: Mk. 12. 18-27; Lk. 20. 27-38. 22. 23: Acts 4. 1-2;
23. 6-10. 22. 24: Deut. 25. 5. 22. 32: Ex. 3. 6. 22. 33: Mt. 7. 28. 22. 34-40: Mk. 12. 28-34; Lk. 20. 39-40; 10. 25-28. 22. 35: Lk. 7. 30; 11. 45; 14. 3. 22. 37: Deut. 6. 5.
52
The Great Commandment MATTHEW 23
the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."
41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ^ saying, "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." 43 He said to them, "How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit," calls him Lord, saying, 44 'The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
till I put thy enemies under thy feet'? 45 If David thus calls him Lord, how is he his son? " 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did any one dare to ask him any more questions.
Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; 3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. 4 They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear,"7 and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. " He who is greatest
v Or in the Spirit. w Some ancient authorities omit hard to bear.
22. 39: Lev. 19. 18; Mt. 19. 19; Gal. 5. 14; Rom. 13. 9; Jas. 2. 8. 22. 41-46: Mk. 12. 35-37; Lk. 20. 41-44. 22. 44: Ps. 110. 1; Acts 2. 34-35; Heb. 1. 13; 10. 13.
22. 46: Mk. 12. 34; Lk. 20. 40. 23. 4: Lk. 11. 46; Acts 15. 10. 23. 5: Mt. 6. 1; 5, 16; Ex. 13. 9; Deut. 6. 8: Mt. 9. 20. 23. 6-7: Mk. 12. 38-39; Lk. 20. 46; 14. 7-11; 11. 43.
23. 8: Jas. 3. 1. 23. 11: Mt. 20. 26; Mk. 9. 35; 10. 43; Lk. 9. 48; 22. 26.
S3
MATTHEW 23 Woe to Scribes and Pharisees
among you shall be your servant; n whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in.* 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo- crites! for you traverse sea and land to make a single prose- lyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of helly as yourselves.
16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ' If any one swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath/ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, *If any one swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath/ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 30 So he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by every- thing on it; 21 and he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it; 22 and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for
x Some authorities add here (or after verse 12) verse 14, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows1 houses, and for a pretence you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation. y Greek Gehenna.
23. 12: Lk. 14. 11; 18. 14; Mt. 18. 4; 1 Pet. 5. 6. 23. 13: Lk. 11. 52. 23. 15: Acts 2. 10; 6. 5; 13. 43. 23. 16-22: Mt. 5. 33-37; 15. 14. 23. 17: Ex. 30. 29.
23. 21: 1 Kings 8. 13; Ps. 26. 8. 23. 23-24: Lk. 11. 42; Lev. 27. 30; Mic. 6. 8.
23. 26-26: Lk. 11. 39-41; Mk. 7. 4.
54
Murderers of the Prophets MATTHEW 23
you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. 26 You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
27 " Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, * If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets/ 31 Thus you witness against your- selves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?5' 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zech-a-ri'ah the son of Bar~a-chi'ah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation.
37 "0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 38 Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate/ 39 For I tell you, you will not see me
v Greek Gehenna. z Some ancient authorities omit and desolate.
23. 27-28: Lk. 11. 44; Acts 23. 3; Ps. 5. 9. 23. 29-32: Lk. 11. 47-48; Acts 7. 51-53. 23. 33: Mt. 3. 7; Lk. 3. 7. 23. 34-36: Lk. 11. 49-51; 2 Chr. 36. 15-16. 23. 34:
Mt. 10. 17, 23. 23. 36: Gen. 4. 8; Heb. 11. 4; Zech. 1. 1; 2 Chr. 24. 21. 23. 36:
Mt. 10. 23; 16. 28; 24. 34. 23. 37-39: Lk. 13. 34-35. 23. 38: 1 Kings 9. 7; Jer. 22. 5. 23. 39: Mt. 21. 9; Ps. 118. 26.
55
MATTHEW 24 Sufferings before the End
again, until you say, 'Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
O A Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his ^J JL disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, " You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down."
3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age? " 4 And Jesus answered them, "Take heed that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, * I am the Christ/ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: 8 all this is but the beginning of the sufferings.
9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away,a and betray one another, and hate one another. " And many false prophets will arise, and lead many astray. 12 And because wickedness is multiplied, most men's love will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.
IS "So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader
a Or stumble.
24. 1-35: Mk. 13. 1-31; Lk. 21. 1-33. 24. 2: Mt. 26. 61; 27. 39-40; Lk. 19. 44;
Jn. 2. 19. 24. 3: Lk. 17. 20; Mt. 13. 39, 40, 49; 28. 20; 16. 27. 24. 5: Mt. 24. 11, 23-24; 1 Jn. 2. 18. 24. 6-7: Rev. 6. 3-8, 12-17; Is. 19. 2. 24. 9: Mt. 10. 17-18, 22; Jn. 15. 18; 16. 2. 24. 13: Mt. 10. 22; Rev. 2. 7. 24. 14: Mt. 28. 19; Rom. 10. 18. 24. 15: Dan. 9. 27; 11. 31; 12. 11.
56
Signs of the End MATTHEW 24
understand), u then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; 17 let him who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house; 1S and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle. 19 And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! 2a Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 Then if any one says to you, *Lo, here is the Christ!' or * There he is!' do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Lo, I have told you beforehand. 2* So, if they say to you, *Lo, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out; if they say, 'Lo, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 28 Where- ever the body is, there the eagles6 will be gathered together. 29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; 30 then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; 31 and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
6 Or vultures.
24. 17-18: Lk. 17. 31. . 24. 19: Lk. 23. 29. 24.r21: Dan. 12. 1; Joel 2. 2.
24. 26-27: Lk. 17. 22-24; Rev. 1. 7. 24. 28: Lk. 17. 37; Job 39. 30. 24. 29: Rev. 8. 12; Is. 13. 10; Ezek. 32. 7; Joel 2. 10-11; Zeph. 1. 15. 24. 30: Mt. 16. 27; Dan. 7. 13. 24. 81: 1 Cor. 15. 52; 1 Thess. 4. 16; Is. 27. 13; Zech. 9. 14.
57
MATTHEW 24 Readiness for the Son of Man
32 "From the fig tree leam its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things- you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and une is left. 41Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. M Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his mas- ter when he comes will find so doing, 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed/ 49 and be- gins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with the drunken, 50 the master of that servant will come on a
24. 34: Mt. 16. 28. 24. 35: Mt. 5. 18; Lk. 16. 17. 24. 36: Acts 1. ^-7.
24. 37-39: Lk. 17. 26-27; Gen. 6. 5-8; 7. 6-24. 24. 40-41: Lk. 17. 34-35. 24. 42: Mk. 13. 35; Lk. 12. 40; Mt. 25. 13. 24. 43-61: Lk. 12. 39-46. 24. 43: 1 Thess. 5. 2; Rev, 3. 3; 16. 15; 2 Pet. 3. 10. 24. 46: Mt. 25. 21, 23. 24. 49: Lk. 21. 34.
58
Wise and Foolish Maidens MATTHEW 25
day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, 51 and will punish0 him and put him with the hypo- crites; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom/ 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him/ 7 Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise replied, 'Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for your- selves.' 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. " Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us/ 12 But he replied, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you/ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
14 "For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; 15 to one he gave five talents/ to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. 17 So too, he who had the two talents made two talents more. 1S But he who had received the one talent, went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master
c Or cut him in pieces, * Some ancient authorities add and the bride. 6 See note on 18. 24.
24. 51: Mt. 8. 12; 13. 42, 50; 22. 13; 25. 30; Lk. 13. 28.
25. 1: Lk. 12. 35-38; Mk. 13. 34. 25. 2: Mt. 7. 24-27. 25. 10: Rev. 19. 9. 25. 11-12: Lk. 13. 25; Mt, 7. 21-23. 25. 13: Mt. 24. 42; Mk. 13. 35; Lk. 12. 40. 25. 14-30: Lk. 19. 12-28. 25. 19: Mt. 18. 23.
59
MATTHEW 25 Parable of the Talents
of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more/ 21 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more/ 23His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, J will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master/ 24 He also who had re- ceived the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours/ 26 But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth/
31 "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Be- fore him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep
25. 21: Lk. 16. 10: Mt. 24, 45. 25. 29: Mt. 13. 12; Mk. 4, 25; Lk. 8. 18.
25.30: Mt. 8. 12; 13.42,50; 22.13; Lk. 13. 28. 25.31: Mt. 16, 27; 19.28.
25. 32: Ezek. 34. 17.
60
The Last Judgment MATTHEW 26
from the goats,33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, 0 blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 1 was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me/ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee? * 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me/ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 1 was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me/ M Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' 45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me/ 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life/'
O C^. When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said LJ\J to his disciples, 2 "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of man will be delivered up to be crucified/'
25. 34: Lk. 12. 32; Mt. 5. 3; Rev. 13. 8; 17. 8. 25. 35-36: Is. 58. 7; Jas. 1. 27; 2.
15-16: Heb. 13. 2; 2^Tim. 1. 16. 25. 40: Mt. 10. 42; Mk. 9. 41; Heb. 6. 10; Prov.
19. 17. 25. 41: Mk. 9. 48; Lk. 16. 23; Rev. 20. 10. 25. 46: Dan. 12. 2; Jn. 5. 29. 26. 1: Mt. 7. 28; 11. 1; 13. 53; 19. 1. 26. 2-5: Mk. 14. 1-2; Lk. 22. 1-2; Jn. 11. 47-53.
61
MATTHEW 26 The Anointing at Bethany
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gath- ered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Ca'ia- phas, * and took counsel together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be a tumult among the people."
6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head, as he sat at table. 8 But when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? 9For this ointment might have been sold for a large sum, and given to the poor." 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. " For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be told in memory of her."
14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. u And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.
17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the passover?" 18He said, "Go into the city to such a one, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at your house with my disciples.'" 19And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the passover.
36. 6-13: Mk. 14. 3-9; Jn. 12. 1-8; Lk. 7. 36-38. 26. 11: Deut. 15. 11. 26. 12:
Jn. 19. 40. 26. 14-16: Mk. 14. 10-11; Lk. 22. 3-6. 26. 15: Ex. 21. 32; Zech. 11. 12. 26. 17-19: Mk. 14. 12-16; Lk. 22. 7-13. 26. 18: Mt. 26. 45; Jn. 7. 6; 12. 23; 13. 1; 17. 1. 26. 19: Mt. 21. 6; Deut. 16. 5-8.
62
The Last Supper MATTHEW 26
20 When it was evening, he sat at table with the twelve disciples/ 21 and as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." M And they were very sorrowful, and began to say to him one after another, " Is it I, Lord?" 23 He answered, "He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me, will betray me. 24 The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." 25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Is it I, Master? >v He said to him, "You have said so/'
26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you; 28for this is my blood of the* covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 1 tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."
30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night; for it is written, *I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scat- tered/ 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." 3S Peter declared to him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." M Jesus said to him, "Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." ^ Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you." And so said all the disciples.
f Many authorities omit disciples. g Or Rabbi. * Many ancient authorities insert new. 26. 20-24: Mk. 14. 17-21; Lk. 22. 14, 21-23; Jn. 13. 21-30. 26. 24: Ps. 41. 9; Lk.
24. 25; 1 Cor. 15. 3; Acts 17. 2-3; Mt. 18. 7. 26. 26-29: Mk. 14. 22-25; Lk. 22.
17-19: 1 Cor. 10. 16; 11. 23-26; Mt. 14. 19; 15. 36. 26. 28: Heb. 9. 20; Mt. 20. 28; Mk. 1. 4; Ex. 24. 6-8. 26. 30-35: Mk. 14. 26-31; Lk. 22. 33-34, 39; Jn. 14. 31; 18. 1; 13. 36-38. 26. 31: Zech. 13, 7; Jn. 16. 32. 26. 32: Mt. 28. 7, 10, 16.
63
MATTHEW 26 Jesus in Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Geth- sem'a-ne, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go yonder and pray." 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zeb'e-dee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch1 with me." 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch1 with me one hour? 4l Watch1 and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." tt Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, thy will be done." 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ** So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."
47 While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sigh, saying, "The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him." 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Hail, Master!"-7 And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, "Friend, why are you here?"* Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one
* Or keep awake. * Or Rabbi. * Or do that for which you have come,
26. 36-46: Mk. 14. 32-42; Lk. 22. 40-46. 26. 38: Jn. 12. 27; Heb. 5. 7-8. 26. 39: Jn. 18. 11; Mt. 20. 22. 26. 41: Mt. 6. 13; Lk. 11. 4. 26. 42: Jn. 4. 34; 5. 30;
6. 38. 26. 45: Mt. 26. 18; Jn. 12. 23; 13. 1; 17. 1. 26. 47-56: Mk. 14. 43-50;
Lk. 22. 47-53; Jn. 18. 2-11. 26, 50: Mt. 20. 13; 22. 12.
64
Jesus Led before Caiaphas MATTHEW 26
of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 5S Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so? " 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. ^ But all this has taken place, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook him and fled.
57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Ca'ia-phas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 But Peter followed him at a distance, as far as the court- yard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many wit- nesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days/ " 62 And the high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?" 63 But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, " I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God? " 64 Jesus said t® him, "You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you wil see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." tf Then the high priest tore his robes, and said, "He has uttered blasphemy. Why do we
26. 52: Gen. 9. 6; Rev. 13. 10. 26. 55: Lk. 19. 47; Jn. 18. 19-21. 26. 57-75:
Mk. 14. 53-72; Lk. 22. 54-71; Jn. 18. 12-27. 26. 61: Mt. 24. 2; 27. 40; Acts 6. tW-;
Jn. 2. 19. 26. 63: Mt. 27. 11; Jn. 18. 33. 26. 64: Mt. 16. 28; Dan. 7. 13; Pa. TIO. O. 26. 65: Num. 14. 6; Acts 14. 14; Lev, .24. 16.
65
MATTHEW 26 Peter's Denial
still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?" They answered, "He deserves death." 67Then they spat in his face, and struck him; and some slapped him, 68 saying, " Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who was it that struck you?"
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a maid came up to him, and said, " You also were with Jesus the Galilean." 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean." 71 And when he went out to the porch, another maid saw him, and she said to the by- standers, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 And again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man." 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you." 74 Then he "began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately the cock crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.
When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death; 2 and they bound him and led him away and delivered him to Pilate the governor.
3 When Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, "I have sinned in betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, " It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are
2$. 75: Mt. 26. 34. 27. 1-2: Mk. 15. 1; Lk. 23. 1; Jn. 18. 28. 27. 3-10: Acts 1. 16-20. 27. 3: Mt. 26. 15; Ex. 21. 32. 27. 6: Deut. 23. 18.
66
Jesus or Sarabbas MATTHEW 27
blood money." 7 So they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "You have said so." 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?" 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge; so that the governor wondered greatly.
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.
16 And they had then a notorious prisoner, called Bar-ab'bas/
17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Bar~ab'bas? or Jesus who is called Christ? " 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much over him today in a dream." 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the people to ask for Bar-ab'bas and destroy Jesus. 21The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Bar-ab'bas." 22 Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" 23 They all said, "Let him be crucified." And he said, "Why, what evil
1 Some ancient authorities read Jesus Barabbas.
27. 9: Zech. 11. 12-13; Jer. 32. 6-15; 18. 2-3. 27. 11-26: Mk. 15. 2-15; Lk. 23. 3,
18-25; Jn. 18. 29-19. 16. 27. 14: Lk, 23. 9; Mt. 26. 62; Mk. 14. 60; 1 Tim. 6. 13.
27. 19: Lk. 23. 4. 27. 21: Acts 3. 13-14.
67
MATTHEW 27 The Crucifixion
has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified."
24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, " I am innocent of this man's blood ;m see to it yourselves." 25And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" 26 Then he released for them Bar~ab'bas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, 29 and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30 And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him "on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.
32 As they were marching out, they came upon a man of Cy~re'ne, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Gol'go-tha, which means the place of a skull, 34 they offered him wine to drink, mingled with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots; 36 then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus the King of the Jews." 38Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.
** Some authorities read this righteous blood or this righteous man's Uood.
27. 24: Deut. 21. 6-9; Ps. 26. 6. 27. 25: Acts 5. 28; Josh. 2. 19. 27. 27-31:
Mk. 15. 16-20; Lk. 23. 11; Jn. 19. 2-3. 27. 32: Mk, 15, 21; Lk. 23. 26; Jn. 19. 17;
Heb. 13. 12. 27. 33-44: Mk. 15. 22-32; Lk. 23. 33-39; Jn. 19. 17-24. 27. 35: Ps. 22, 18.
68
The Death of Jesus MATTHEW 27
39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him; for he said, * I am the Son of God.' " 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land" until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, la'ma sa-bach- tha'ni? " that is, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 47 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, "This man is calling Elijah." 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him."0 50 And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split; 52 the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earth- quake and what took place, they were filled with awe, and said, "Truly this was a son of God!"
n Or earth.
0 Many ancient authorities insert And another took a spear and pierced his side, and OM£
came water and blood,
27. 39: Ps. 22. 7-8; 109. 25. 27. 40: Mt. 26. 61; Acts 6. 14; Jn. 2. 19. 27. 45-56:
Mk. 15. 33-41; Lk. 23. 44-54; Jn. 19. 28-30. 27. 46: Ps. 22. 1. 27. 48: Ps. 69. 2L
27. 51: Heb. 9. 8; L10. 19; Ex. 26. 31-35; Mt. 28. 2. 27. 54: Mt. 3. 17; 17. 5.
69
MATTHEW 27 The Burial of Jesus
55 There were also many women there, looking on from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him; 66 among whom were Mary Mag'da-lene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zet/e-dee.
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Ar~i-ma~the'a, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 5a He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb, and departed. 6l And Mary Mag'da-lene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
62 Next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again/ ^There- fore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead/ and the last fraud will be worse than the first/' 6S Pilate said to them, "You have a guard^ of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can/'* 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
OO Now after the sabbath, toward the dawn of the ZjO first day of the week, Mary Mag'da-lene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
p Or Take a guard. q Greek know.
27. 58: Lk. 24. 10. 27. 57-61: Mk. 15. 42-47; Lk. 23. 50-56; Jn. 19. 38-42; Acts 13. 29.
27. 63: Mt. 16. 21; 17. 23; 20. 19. 27. 66: Mt. 27. 60; 28. 11-15.
28. 1-8: Mk. 16. 1-8; Lk. 24. 1~£; Jn. 20. l-r2. 28. 1: Lk. 8. 2; Mt. 27. 56. 28. 2: Mt. 27. 51, 60.
70
Jesus Appears to His Disciples MATTHEW 28
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where her lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead,, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Lo, I have told you." 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Hail!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me/'
11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, "Tell people, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep/ 14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." 1S So they took the money and did as they were directed; and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the moun- tain to which Jesus had directed them, 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and oh earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make dis- ciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
r Some ancient authorities read the Lord.
28. 4: Mt. 27. 62-66. 28. 7: Mt. 26. 32; 28. 16; Jn. 21. 1-23. 28. 9: Jn. 20.
14-18. 28. 11: Mt. 27. 62-66. 28. 16-1T: 1 Cor. 15, 5; Jn. 21. 1-23. 28. 18: Mt. 11. 27; Lk. 10. 22; Phil. 2. 9; Eph. 1. 20-22. 28. 19: Lk. 24. 47; Acts 1. 8.
71
MARK 1 Preaching of John the Baptist
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
MARK
IThe beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God/ 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,6
"Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,
who shall prepare thy way; 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight — "
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camePs hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 Arid he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 1 have baptized you with water; buf he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened
a Some ancient authorities omit the Son of God. & Some^ancient authorities read in the
prophets.
28. 20: Mt. 13. 39, 49; 24. 3; 18. 20; Acts 18. 10.
1. 2-8: Mt. 3. 1-12; Lk. 3. 2-16; Jn. 1. 6, 15, 19-28. 1. 2: Mai. 3. 1; Mt. 11. 10;
Lk. 7. 27. 1. 3: Is. 40. 3. 1. 4; Acts 13. 24. 1. £-11: Mt. 3. 13-17; Lk. 3. 21-22;
Jn. 1. 29-34.
72
The Kingdom of God at Hand MARK 1
and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; u and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son;c with thee I am well pleased/5
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilder- ness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel."
16 And passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men." 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zeb'e-dee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them; and they left their father Zeb'e-dee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him.
21 And they went into Ca-per'na~um; and immediately on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; 24and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with
c Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved.
1. 11: Ps. 2. 7; Is. 42. 1. 1. 12-13: Mt. 4. 1-11; Lk. 4. 1-13. 1. 14-15: Mt. 4.
12-17; Lk. 4. 14-15. 1. 16-20: Mt. 4. 18-22; Lk. 5. 1-11; Jn. 1. 40-42. 1. 21-22: Mt, 7. 28-29; Lk. 4. 31-32. 1. 23-28: Lk. 4. 33-37. 1. 24: Jn. 6. 69.
73
MARK 1 The Sick Healed at Evening
a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying4, "What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him." 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
29 And immediately hed left the synagogue, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him of her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her; and she served them.
32 That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. M And the whole city was gathered together about the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
35 And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him followed him, 37 and they found him and said to him, "Every one is searching for you/' 38 And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out/' 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
40 And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean/' 41 And being moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I will; be clean."
^ Many ancient authorities read they.
It. 4
74
1. 29-31: Mt. 8. 14-15; Lk, 4. 38-39. 1. 32-34: Mt. 8. 16-17; Lk. 4. 40-41.
1. 35-38: Lk. 4. 42-43. 1. 39: Mt. 4. 23-25; Lk. 4. 44. 1. 40-45: Mt. 8. 2-4;
Lk. 5. 12-16.
The Forgiveness of Sins MARK 2
immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.
43 And he sternly charged him, and sent him away at once,
44 and said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to the people/'6 45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus7 could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.
2 And when he returned to Ca-per'na-um after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the" door; and he was preaching the word to them, 3And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. 5And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 "Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 8And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned' within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are for- given'; or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk'?
10 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" — he said to the paralytic — n "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." 12 And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out
e Greek to them, f Greek he.
1. 44: Lev. 13. 49; 14. 2-32.
2. 3-12: Mt. 9. 2-8; Lk. 5. 18-26. 2. 12: Mt. 9. 33.
75
MARK 2 The Question about Fasting
before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
13 He went out again beside the sea; and all the crowd gathered about him, and he taught them. 14And as he passed on, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, "Follow me/' And he rose and followed him.
15 And as he sat at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. 16And the scribes oF the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat and drink71 with tax collectors and sinners?" 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners/5
18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" 19 And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; if he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins/'2
23 One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and
* Some ancient authorities read and. h Some ancient authorities omit and drink.
% Some ancient authorities add but new wine is for fresh skins.
2. 14-17: Mt. 9. 9-13; Lk. 5. 27-32. 2. 16: Acts 23. 9. 2. 18-22: Mt. 9. 14-17;
Lk. 5. 33-38. 2. 20: Lk. 17. 22. 2. 23-28: Mt. 12. 1-8; Lk. 6. 1-5. 2. 23:
Deut. 23. 25.
76
Lord of the Sabbath MARK 3
as they made their way his disciples began to pluck ears of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?" 25 And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, when A-bi'- a-thar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?" 27And he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; 28 so the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath."
3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 And they watched him, to see whether he would heal him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come here." 4And he said to them, "Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out, and immediately held counsel with the He-ro'- di-ans against him, how to destroy him.
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed; also from Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Id-u-me'a and from beyond the Jordan and from about Tyre and Sidon a great multitude, hearing all that he did, came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they should crush him; 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. " And
2\ 26: 1 Sam. 21. 1-6; 2 Sam. 8. 17. 2. 27: Ex. 23. 12; Deut. 5. 14.
3. 1-6: Mt. 12. 9-14; Lk. 6. 6-11. 3. 2: Lk. 11. 54. 3. 6: Mk. 12. 13. 3. 7-12:
Mt. 4. 24-25; 12. 15-16; Lk. 6. 17-19. 3. 8: Mt. 11. 21. 3. 10: Mk. 5. 29, 34; 6. 56.
77
MARK 3 The Call of the Twelve
whenever the unclean spirits beheld him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." u And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
13 And he went up into the hills, and called to him those whom he desired; and they came to him. 14And he ap- pointed twelve/ to be with him, and to be sent out to preach15 and have authority to cast out demons: 16 Simon whom he surnamed Peter; 17 James the son of ZebVdee and John the brother of James, whom he surnamed Bo-a- ner'ges, that is, sons of thunder; 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Then he went home; 20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his friends heard it, they went out to seize him, for they said, "He is beside himself/' 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Be-el'ze-bub,* and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons/* 23 And he called them to him, and said to them in para- bles, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may plunder his house.
28 "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but who-
' Some ancient authorities add whom also he named apostles. k Greek Bedzelnd, 3. 12: Mk. 1. 45. 3. 13: Mt. 5. 1; Lk. 6. 12. 3. 14-15: Mt. 10. 1. 3. 16-19:
Mt. 10. 2-4; Lk. 6. 14-16; Acts 1. 13. 3. 19: Mk. 2. 1; 7. 17. 3. 20: Mk. 6. 31.
3. 21: Mk. 3. 31-35; Jn. 10. 20. 3. 22-27: Mt. 12. 24-29; Lk. 11. 15-22. 3. 22:
Mt. 9. 34; 10. 25. 3. 27: Is. 49. 24-25. 3. 28-30: Mt. 12. 31-32; Lk. 12. 10.
78
The Parable of the Sower MARK 4
ever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgive- ness, but is guilty of an eternal sin'* — 30 for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
31 And his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, " Your mother and your brothers' are outside, asking for you." 33And he an- swered, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother."
4 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; 6 and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty- fold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." 9 And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
10 And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables. " And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the
1 Some early authorities add and your sisters.
i. 4.
79
3. 31-35: Mt. 12. 46-50; Lk. 8. 19-21.
4. 1-9: Mt. 13. 1-9; Lk. 8. 4-8. 4. 10-12: Mt. 13. 10-15; Lk. 8. 9-10. 4. 11: 1 Cor. 5. 12-13; Col. 4. 5; 1 Thess. 4. 12; 1 Tim. 3. 7.
MARK 4 The Purpose of Parables
kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; 12 so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven/' 13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you under- stand all the parables? M The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. 16 And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.m 18And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word,. 19 but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches,, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."
21 And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. 23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear." 24 And he said to them, "Take heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the meas- ure you get, and still more will be given you. 25 For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not,, even what he has will be taken away."
m Or stumble.
4. 12: Is. 6. 9-10. 4. 13-20: Mt. 13. 18-23; Lk. 8. 11-15. 4. 21: Mt. 5. 15f~
Lfc. 8. 1-6; 11. 33. 4, 22: Mt. 10. 26; Lk. 8. 17; 12. 2. 4. 23: Mt. 11. 15; Mk. 4. 9.. 4. 24: Mt. 7. 2; Lk. 6. 38. . 4..25: Mt. 13. 12; 25. 29; Lk. 8. 18; 19. 26.
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Parables of the Kingdom MARK 4
26 And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, 27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how. 28The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
30 And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 3*he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them, just as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was al- ready filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, "Master, do you not care if we perish?" 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" 41And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him? "
4. 26-29: Mt. 13. 24-30. " 4. 30-32: Mt. 13. 31-32; Lk. 13. 18-19. 4. 34: Mt. 13. 34; Jn. 16. 25. 4. 35-41: Mt. 8. 18, 23-27; Lk. 8. 22-25.
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MARK 5 The Gerasene Demoniac
5 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Ger'a-senes." 2And when he had come out of the boat, there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain; 4 for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones. 6And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped him; 7 and cry- ing out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." 8 For he had said to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" 9 And Jesus0 asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many." 10 And he begged him eagerly not to send them out of the country. " Now a great herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; 12 and they begged him, "Send us to the swine, let us enter into them." 13 So he gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered into the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.
14 The swineherds fled, and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. 16 And those who saw it told what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine. 17And they began to beg Jesus^ to deoart from
n Some ancient authorities read Gergesenes, some Gadarenes. 0 Greek he. * Greek Urn.
0. 1-20: Mt. 8. 28-34; Lk. 8. 26-39. 5. 7: Acts 16. 17; Heb. 7. 1; Mk. 1, 24.
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The Woman with a Flow of Blood MAEK 5
their neighborhood. 18 And as he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. I9 But he refused, and said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." 20And he went away and began to proclaim in the De-cap'o~lis how much Jesus had done for him; and all men marveled.
21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him; and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the syna- gogue, Ja'i-rus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, 23 and besought him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." 24 And he went with him.
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well." 29 And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched my garments?" 31 And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'" 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and
5. 20: Mk. 7. 31. 5. 21-43: Mt. 9. 18-26; Lk. 8. 40-56. 5. 22: Lk. 13. 14;
Acts 13. 15; 18. 8, 17. 5. 23: Mk. 6. 5; 7. 32; 8. 23; Acts 9. 17; 28. 8. 5. 30:
Lk. 5. 17.
83
MARK 5 Raising the Daughter of Jairus
trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.''
35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" 36 But ignoring9 what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." 37And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly.
39 And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a tumult and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping."
40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Tal'i-tha cu'mi"; which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." 42 And immediately the girl got up and walked; for she was twelve years old. And im- mediately they were overcome with amazement. 43And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
6 He went away from there and came to his own coun- try; and his disciples followed him. 2And on the sab- bath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas
ff Or overhearing. Many ancient authorities read hearing.
5. 34: Lk. 7. 50; Mk. 10. 52. 5. 37: Mk. 9. 2; 13. 3. 5. 41: Lk. 7. 14; Acts 9. 40.
5. 43: Mk. 1. 43-44; 7. 36.
6. 1-6: Mt. 13. 53-58; Lk. 4. 16-30. 6. 2: Mk. 1. 21; Mt. 7. 28. 6. 3: Mt. 11. 6.
84
The Mission of the Twelve MARK 6
and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offenser at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.
And he went about among the villages teaching.
7 And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their purses;5 9but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, "Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. n And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them." 12 So they went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.
14 King Herod heard of it; for Jesus' name had become known. Some' said, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him." 15 But others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." 16 But when Herod heard of it he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised." 17 For Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of He-ro'di-as, his brother Philip's wife; because he had married her. 18 For John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's
T Or stumbled. 8 Greek girdles. * Some ancient authorities read he.
6. 5: Mk. 5. 23; 7. 32;! 8. 23. 6. 6: Mt. 9. 35. 6. 7-11: Mt. l8. 1, 5, 7-11;
Lk. 9. 1-5. 6. 7: Lk. 10. 1. 6. 11: Mt. 10. 14. 6. 12-13: Mt. 11. 1; Lk. 9. 6.
6. 13: Jas. 5. 14. 6. 14-16: Mt. 14. 1-2; Lk. 9. 7-9; 9. 19; Mt. 21. 11. 6. 17-1S: Mt. 14. 3-4; Lk. 3. 19-20.
85
MARK 6 John the Baptist Beheaded
wife." 19 And He-ro'di-as had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly. 2i But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when He-ro'di-as* daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will grant it." 23 And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom." 24 And she went out, and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the baptizer." 25And she came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard and gave orders to bring his head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When the disciples heard of it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. 30 The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got
there ahead of them. 34 As he landed he saw a great throng,
>
6. 19-29: Mt. 14. 5-12. 6. 20: Mt. 21. 26. 6. 23: EstL. 5. 3, 6. 6. 30-31:
Lk. 9. 10; Mk. 3. 20. 6. 32-44: Mt. 14. 13-21; Lk. 9. 11-17; Jn. 6. 5-13; Mk. 8. 1-10; Mt. 15. 32-39. 6. 34: Mt. 9. 36.
86
Feeding the Five Thousand MARK 6
and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late; 36 send them away, to go into the country and villages round about and buy themselves something to eat." 37But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii" worth of bread, and give it to them to eat? " 38 And he said to them, "How many loaves have you? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 4l And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. ** And they all ate, and were satisfied. 43And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. u And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Beth-sa'i-da, while he dismissed the crowd. * And after he had taken leave of them, he went into the hills to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat wa!s out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 4SAnd he saw that they were distressed in rowing, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke
* See note on Matthew 18. 28.
6. 37: 2 Kings 4. 42-44. 6. 41: Mk. 14. 22; Lk, 24. 30-31. 6. 45-82: Mt. 14. 22-33;
Jn. 6. 15-21. 6. 48: Mk. 13. 35. 6. 60: Mt. 9. 2.
87
MARK 6 The Tradition of the Elders
to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear/5 51 And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
S3 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gen-nes'a-ret, and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him, 55 and ran about the whole neighborhood and began to bring sick people on their pallets to any place where they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the market places, and be- sought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.
7 Now when the Pharisees gathered together to him, with some of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify"' themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze/) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not livey according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands defiled? " 6 And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
* This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'
wSome ancient authorities read baptize. ^Some ancient authorities add and beds. * Greek walk.
6. 52: Mk. 8. 17. 6. 63-56: Mt. 14. 34-36. 6. 56: Mk, 3. 10; Mt. 9. 20.
7. 1-15: Mt. 15. 1-11; Lk. 11. 38. 7. 4: Mt. 23. 25; Lk. 11. 39. 7. 5: Gal. 1. 14.
7. 6-7: Is. 29. 13.
88
Real Defilement MARK 7
8 You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men."
9 And he said to them, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your tradition! 10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die'; M but you say, 'If a man tells his father or his mother. What you would have gained from me is Corban' (that is, given to God)2 — 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God through your tradition which you hand on. And many such things you do."
14 And he called the people to him again, and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him."* 17 And when he had entered the house, and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, "Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters, not his heart but his stomach, and so passes on&?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said,