Matthew 22-28

New American Standard Bible

Parable of the Marriage Feast

22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, ² “^(A)The kingdom of heaven ^[a]is like ^[b]a king who ^[c]held a ^(B)wedding feast for his son. ³ And he ^(C)sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. ⁴ Again he ^(D)sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened cattle are all butchered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!”’ ⁵ But they paid no attention and went their separate ways, one to his own ^[d]farm, another to his business, ⁶ and the rest seized his slaves and treated them abusively, and then killed them. ⁷ Now the king was angry, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. ⁸ Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ⁹ So go to ^(E)the main roads, and invite whomever you find there to the wedding feast.’ ¹⁰ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good; and the wedding hall was filled with ^[e]dinner guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to look over the ^[f]dinner guests, he saw ^(F)a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, ¹² and he *said to him, ‘^(G)Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. ¹³ Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet, and throw him into ^(H)the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in that place.’ ¹⁴ For many are ^[g](I)called, but few are ^(J)chosen.”

Poll-tax to Caesar

^15 (K)Then the Pharisees went and ^[h]plotted together how they might trap Him ^[i]in what He said. ¹⁶ And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the ^(L)Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and ^[j]do not care what anyone thinks; for You ^[k]are not partial to anyone. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what do You think? Is it ^[l]permissible to pay a ^[m](M)poll-tax to ^(N)Caesar, or not?” ¹⁸ But Jesus perceived their ^[n]malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show Me the ^(O)coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a ^[o]denarius. ²⁰ And He *said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” ²¹ They *said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He *said to them, “^(P)Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” ²² And hearing this, they were amazed; and ^(Q)they left Him and went away.

Jesus Answers the Sadducees

^23 (R)On that day some ^(S)Sadducees (who say ^(T)there is no resurrection) came to ^[p]Jesus and questioned Him, ²⁴ saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘^(U)If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up ^[q]children for his brother.’ ²⁵ Now there were seven brothers among us; and the first married and died, and having no ^[r]children, he left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ It was the same also with the second brother, and the third, down to the seventh. ²⁷ Last of all, the woman died. ²⁸ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her in marriage.”

²⁹ But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, ^(V)since you do not ^[s]understand the Scriptures nor the power of God. ³⁰ For in the resurrection they neither ^(W)marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ³¹ But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: ³² ‘^(X)I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” ³³ When the crowds heard this, ^(Y)they were astonished at His teaching.

^34 (Z)But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced ^(AA)the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵ And one of them, ^[t](AB)a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And He said to him, “‘^(AC)You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the great and ^[u]foremost commandment. ³⁹ The second is like it, ‘^(AD)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ^40 (AE)Upon these two commandments ^[v]hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”

^41 (AF)Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: ⁴² “What do you think about the ^[w]Christ? Whose son is He?” They *said to Him, “^(AG)The son of David.” ⁴³ He *said to them, “Then ^[x]how does David ^[y](AH)in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,

⁴⁵ Therefore, if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ ^[z]how is He his son?” ^46 (AJ)No one was able to offer Him a word in answer, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him any more questions.

Hypocrisy Exposed

23 ^(AK)Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, ² saying: “^(AL)The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. ³ Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and ^[aa]comply with it all, but do not do ^[ab]as they do; for they say things and do not do them. ⁴ And ^(AM)they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. ⁵ And they do all their deeds ^(AN)to be noticed by other people; for they ^(AO)broaden their ^[ac]phylacteries and lengthen ^(AP)the tassels of their garments. ⁶ And they ^(AQ)love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, ⁷ and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called ^[ad](AR)Rabbi by the people. ⁸ But as for you, ^(AS)do not be called ^[ae](AT)Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. ⁹ And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only ^(AU)One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ And do not be called ^[af]leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ. ^11 (AV)But the greatest of you shall be your servant. ^12 (AW)Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Eight Woes

¹³ “^(AX)But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, ^(AY)because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.^[ag]

¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one ^[ah](AZ)proselyte; and when he becomes one, you ^[ai]make him twice as much a son of ^[aj](BA)hell as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, ^(BB)blind guides, who say, ‘^(BC)Whoever swears by the ^[ak]temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the ^[al]temple is obligated.’ ¹⁷ You fools and blind men! ^(BD)Which is ^[am]more important, the gold or the ^[an]temple that sanctified the gold? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the ^[ao]offering that is on it is obligated.’ ¹⁹ You blind men, ^(BE)which is ^[ap]more important, the ^[aq]offering or the altar that sanctifies the ^[ar]offering? ²⁰ Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by ^[as]the altar and by everything on it. ²¹ And the one who swears by the ^[at]temple, swears both by ^[au]the temple and by Him who ^(BF)dwells in it. ²² And the one who swears by ^[av]heaven, ^(BG)swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

²³ “^(BH)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and ^[aw]cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You ^(BI)blind guides, who ^[ax]strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(BJ)you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full ^[ay]of robbery and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee, first ^(BK)clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the ^[az]outside of it may also become clean.

²⁷ “^(BL)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. ²⁸ So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²⁹ “^(BM)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ So you testify against yourselves, that you ^(BN)are ^[ba]sons of those who murdered the prophets. ^32 [bb]Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. ³³ You snakes, ^(BO)you ^[bc]offspring of vipers, how ^[bd]will you escape the ^[be]sentence of ^[bf](BP)hell?

³⁴ “^(BQ)Therefore, behold, ^(BR)I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will ^(BS)flog in your synagogues, and ^(BT)persecute from city to city, ³⁵ so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^(BU)Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the ^(BV)son of Berechiah, whom ^(BW)you murdered between the ^[bg]temple and the altar. ³⁶ Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon ^(BX)this generation.

Grieving over Jerusalem

³⁷ “^(BY)Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who ^(BZ)kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, ^(CA)the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. ³⁸ Behold, ^(CB)your house is being left to you desolate! ³⁹ For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘^(CC)Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Signs of Christ’s Return

24 ^(CD)Jesus ^(CE)left the temple area and was going on His way ^[bh]when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. ² But He responded and said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, ^(CF)not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

³ And as He was sitting on ^(CG)the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of ^(CH)Your coming, and of the ^[bi]end of the age?”

⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them, “^(CI)See to it that no one ^[bj]misleads you. ⁵ For ^(CJ)many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the ^[bk]Christ,’ and they will ^[bl]mislead many people. ⁶ And you will be hearing of ^(CK)wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. ⁷ For ^(CL)nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be ^(CM)famines and earthquakes in various places. ^8 (CN)But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

⁹ “^(CO)Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and ^(CP)you will be hated by all nations because of My name. ¹⁰ And at that time many will ^[bm](CQ)fall away, and they will ^[bn]betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many ^(CR)false prophets will rise up and ^[bo]mislead many people. ¹² And because lawlessness is increased, ^[bp]most people’s love will become cold. ^13 (CS)But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. ¹⁴ This ^(CT)gospel of the kingdom ^(CU)shall be preached in the whole ^[bq](CV)world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Perilous Times

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the ^(CW)abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in ^(CX)the holy place—^[br](CY)let the ^[bs]reader understand— ¹⁶ then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ^17 [bt]Whoever is on ^(CZ)the ^[bu]housetop must not go down to get things out of his house. ¹⁸ And ^[bv]whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ¹⁹ But ^(DA)woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ Moreover, pray that ^[bw]when you flee, it will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be a ^(DB)great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. ²² And if those days had not been cut short, no ^[bx]life would have been saved; but for ^(DC)the sake of the ^[by]elect those days will be cut short. ^23 (DD)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the ^[bz]Christ,’ or ‘He is over here,’ do not believe him. ²⁴ For false christs and ^(DE)false prophets will arise and will provide great ^[ca](DF)signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even ^(DG)the ^[cb]elect. ²⁵ Behold, I have told you in advance. ²⁶ So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. ^27 (DH)For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the ^(DI)coming of the ^(DJ)Son of Man ^[cc]be. ^28 (DK)Wherever the corpse is, there the ^[cd]vultures will gather.

The Glorious Return

²⁹ “But immediately after the ^(DL)tribulation of those days ^(DM)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and ^(DN)the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ And then ^(DO)the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ^(DP)the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. ³¹ And ^(DQ)He will send forth His angels with ^(DR)a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His ^[ce](DS)elect from ^(DT)the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Parable of the Fig Tree

³² “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near; ³³ so you too, when you see all these things, ^[cf]recognize that ^[cg]He is near, right ^(DU)at the ^[ch]door. ³⁴ Truly I say to you, ^(DV)this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ^35 (DW)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

³⁶ “But ^(DX)about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. ³⁷ For ^[ci]the ^(DY)coming of the Son of Man will be ^(DZ)just like the days of Noah. ³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, ^(EA)marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that ^(EB)Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they did not ^[cj]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the ^(EC)coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ At that time there will be two men in the field; one ^[ck]will be taken and one ^[cl]will be left. ^41 (ED)Two women will be grinding at the ^[cm](EE)mill; one ^[cn]will be taken and one ^[co]will be left.

Be Ready for His Coming

⁴² “Therefore ^(EF)be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But ^[cp]be sure of this, that ^(EG)if the head of the house had known ^(EH)at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ For this reason ^(EI)you must be ready as well; for ^(EJ)the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

⁴⁵ “^(EK)Who then is the ^(EL)faithful and ^(EM)sensible slave whom his ^[cq]master ^(EN)put in charge of his household slaves, to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that slave whom his ^[cr]master finds so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly I say to you that ^(EO)he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My ^[cs]master ^[ct]is not coming for a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and he eats and drinks with those habitually drunk; ⁵⁰ then the ^[cu]master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, ⁵¹ and he will ^[cv]cut him in two and assign ^[cw]him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be ^(EP)weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Parable of Ten Virgins

25 “Then ^(EQ)the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their ^(ER)lamps and went out to meet the groom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were ^(ES)prudent. ³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take extra oil with them; ⁴ but the ^(ET)prudent ones took oil in flasks with their lamps. ⁵ Now while the groom was delaying, they all became drowsy and began to sleep. ⁶ But at midnight ^[cx]there finally was a shout: ‘Behold, the groom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ But the foolish virgins said to the prudent ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ However, the ^(EU)prudent ones answered, ‘No, there most certainly would not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ But while they were ^[cy]on their way to buy the oil, the groom came, and those who were ^(EV)ready went in with him to ^(EW)the wedding feast; and ^(EX)the door was shut. ¹¹ Yet later, the other virgins also came, saying, ‘^(EY)Lord, lord, open up for us.’ ¹² But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ ^13 (EZ)Be on the alert then, because you do not know the day nor the hour.

Parable of the Talents

¹⁴ “^(FA)For it is just like a man ^(FB)about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five ^[cz](FC)talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he ^(FD)went on his journey. ¹⁶ The one who had received the five ^(FE)talents immediately went and did business with them, and earned five more talents. ¹⁷ In the same way the one who had received the two talents earned two more. ¹⁸ But he who received the one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his ^[da]master’s money.

¹⁹ “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *^(FF)settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The one who had received the five ^(FG)talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have earned five more talents.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and ^(FH)faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will ^(FI)put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your ^[db]master.’

²² “Also the one who had received the two ^(FJ)talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have earned two more talents.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and ^(FK)faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

²⁴ “Now the one who had received the one ^(FL)talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. ²⁵ And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’

²⁶ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You ^[dc]worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed? ²⁷ Then you ought to have ^[dd]put my money in the bank, and ^[de]on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. ²⁸ Therefore: take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

²⁹ “^(FM)For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. ³⁰ And throw the worthless slave into ^(FN)the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Judgment

³¹ “But when ^(FO)the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then ^(FP)He will sit on His glorious throne. ³² And all the nations will be ^(FQ)gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, ^(FR)just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; ³³ and He will put the sheep ^(FS)on His right, but the goats ^(FT)on the left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, ^(FU)inherit the kingdom prepared for you ^(FV)from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For ^(FW)I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; ^(FX)I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; ^36 (FY)naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you ^(FZ)visited Me; ^(GA)I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ³⁸ And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ³⁹ And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And ^(GB)the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, ^(GC)to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘^(GD)Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the ^(GE)eternal fire which has been prepared for ^(GF)the devil and his angels; ⁴² for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not ^[df]take care of You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ ⁴⁶ These will go away into ^(GG)eternal punishment, but the righteous into ^(GH)eternal life.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 ^(GI)When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, ² “^(GJ)You know that after two days ^(GK)the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be ^(GL)handed over for crucifixion.”

^3 (GM)At that time the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in ^(GN)the courtyard of the high priest named ^(GO)Caiaphas; ⁴ and they ^(GP)plotted together to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him. ⁵ But they were saying, “Not during the festival, ^(GQ)otherwise a riot might occur among the people.”

The Precious Ointment

^6 (GR)Now when Jesus was in ^(GS)Bethany, at the home of Simon ^[dg]the Leper, ^7 (GT)a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very expensive perfume, and she poured it on His head as He was reclining at the table. ⁸ But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this perfume could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you bothering the woman? For she has done a good deed for Me. ¹¹ For you always have ^(GU)the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. ¹² For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it ^(GV)to prepare Me for burial. ¹³ Truly I say to you, ^(GW)wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Judas’ Bargain

^14 (GX)Then one of the twelve, named ^(GY)Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What are you willing to give me ^[dh]to ^[di](GZ)betray Him to you?” And ^(HA)they set out for him thirty ^[dj]pieces of silver. ¹⁶ And from then on he looked for a good opportunity to ^[dk]betray ^[dl]Jesus.

^17 (HB)Now on the first day of ^[dm](HC)Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and ^[dn]asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ And He said, “Go into the city to ^(HD)a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “^(HE)My time is near; I am keeping the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’” ¹⁹ The disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

The Last Passover

^20 (HF)Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the ^[do]twelve. ²¹ And as they were eating, He said, “^(HG)Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” ²² Being deeply grieved, they began saying to Him, each one: “Surely it is not I, Lord?” ²³ And He answered, “^(HH)He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. ²⁴ The Son of Man is going away ^(HI)just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(HJ)It would have been good ^[dp]for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵ And ^(HK)Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, ^(HL)Rabbi?” Jesus *said to him, “^(HM)You have said it yourself.”

The Lord’s Supper Instituted

^26 (HN)Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and ^[dq](HO)after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” ²⁷ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸ for ^(HP)this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for ^(HQ)many for forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Father’s kingdom.”

^30 (HR)And after singing a ^[dr]hymn, they went out to ^(HS)the Mount of Olives.

³¹ Then Jesus *said to them, “You will all ^[ds](HT)fall away because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘^(HU)I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be ^(HV)scattered.’ ³² But after I have been raised, ^(HW)I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” ³³ But Peter replied to Him, “Even if they all ^[dt]fall away because of You, I will never fall away!” ³⁴ Jesus said to him, “^(HX)Truly I say to you that ^(HY)this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” ³⁵ Peter *said to Him, “^(HZ)Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” All the disciples said the same thing as well.

The Garden of Gethsemane

^36 (IA)Then Jesus *came with them to a place called ^[du](IB)Gethsemane, and *told His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And He took ^(IC)Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, and began to be grieved and distressed. ³⁸ Then He *said to them, “^(ID)My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and ^(IE)keep watch with Me.”

³⁹ And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let ^(IF)this cup pass from Me; ^(IG)yet not as I will, but as You will.” ⁴⁰ And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and He *said to Peter, “So, you men could not ^(IH)keep watch with Me for one hour? ^41 (II)Keep watching and praying, so that you do not come into temptation; ^(IJ)the spirit is ^[dv]willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup ^(IK)cannot pass away unless I drink from it, ^(IL)Your will be done.” ⁴³ Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. ⁴⁵ Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, “^[dw]Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, ^(IM)the hour ^[dx]is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!”

Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest

^47 (IN)And while He was still speaking, behold, ^(IO)Judas, one of the twelve, came ^[dy]accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign previously, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; arrest Him.” ⁴⁹ And immediately Judas went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, ^(IP)Rabbi!” and kissed Him. ⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “^(IQ)Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested Him.

⁵¹ And behold, ^(IR)one of those who were with Jesus ^[dz]reached and drew his ^(IS)sword, and struck the ^(IT)slave of the high priest and ^[ea]cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for ^(IU)all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword. ⁵³ Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve ^[eb](IV)legions of ^(IW)angels? ⁵⁴ How then would ^(IX)the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

⁵⁵ At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a man inciting a revolt? ^(IY)Every day I used to sit within the temple grounds teaching, and you did not arrest Me. ⁵⁶ But all this has taken place so that ^(IZ)the Scriptures of the prophets will be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

Jesus before Caiaphas

^57 (JA)Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to ^(JB)Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. ⁵⁸ But ^(JC)Peter was following Him at a distance, as far as the ^(JD)courtyard of the high priest, and he came inside and sat down with the ^[ec](JE)officers to see the outcome.

⁵⁹ Now the chief priests and the entire ^[ed](JF)Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. ⁶⁰ They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on ^(JG)two came forward, ⁶¹ and said, “This man stated, ‘^(JH)I am able to destroy the ^[ee]temple of God and to rebuild it ^[ef]in three days.’” ⁶² The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You offer no answer for what these men are testifying against You?” ⁶³ But ^(JI)Jesus kept silent. ^(JJ)And the high priest said to Him, “I ^(JK)place You under oath by ^(JL)the living God, to tell us whether You are the ^[eg]Christ, ^(JM)the Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus *said to him, “^(JN)You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see ^(JO)the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and ^(JP)coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵ Then the high priest ^(JQ)tore his ^[eh]robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? See, you have now heard the blasphemy; ⁶⁶ what do you think?” They answered, “^(JR)He deserves death!”

^67 (JS)Then they ^(JT)spit in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others ^[ei]slapped Him, ⁶⁸ and said, “^(JU)Prophesy to us, You ^[ej]Christ; who is the one who hit You?”

Peter’s Denials

^69 (JV)Now Peter was sitting outside in the ^(JW)courtyard, and a slave woman came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” ⁷¹ When he had gone out to the gateway, another slave woman saw him and *said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁷² And again he denied it, with an oath: “I do not know the man.” ⁷³ A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “You really are one of them as well, ^(JX)since even the way you talk ^[ek]gives you away.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the statement that Jesus had ^[el]made: “^(JY)Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Judas’ Remorse

27 ^(JZ)Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; ² and they bound Him and led Him away, and ^(KA)handed Him over to ^(KB)Pilate the governor.

³ Then when ^(KC)Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned ^(KD)the thirty ^[em]pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, ⁴ saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? ^(KE)You shall see to it yourself!” ⁵ And he threw the pieces of silver into ^(KF)the temple sanctuary and left; and ^(KG)he went away and hanged himself. ⁶ The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them in the temple treasury, since it is money paid for blood.” ⁷ And they conferred together and ^[en]with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. ^8 (KH)For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “^(KI)And ^[eo]they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; ^10 (KJ)and ^[ep]they gave them for the Potter’s Field, just as the Lord directed me.”

Jesus before Pilate

^11 (KK)Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “So You are the ^(KL)King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “^(KM)It is as you say.” ¹² And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, ^(KN)He did not offer any answer. ¹³ Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they are testifying against You?” ¹⁴ And still ^(KO)He did not answer him in regard to even a single ^[eq]charge, so the governor was greatly amazed.

^15 (KP)Now at the Passover Feast the governor was accustomed to release for the ^[er]people any one prisoner whom they wanted. ¹⁶ And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus ^(KQ)who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that it was because of envy that ^[es]they had handed Him over.

¹⁹ And ^(KR)while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “See that you have nothing to do with that ^(KS)righteous Man; for ^[et]last night I suffered greatly ^(KT)in a dream because of Him.” ²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ^(KU)ask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death. ²¹ And the governor ^[eu]said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” ²² Pilate *said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus ^(KV)who is called Christ?” They all *said, “^[ev]Crucify Him!” ²³ But he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” Yet they kept shouting all the more, saying, “^[ew]Crucify Him!”

²⁴ Now when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that ^(KW)a riot was starting, he took water and ^(KX)washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^(KY)this Man’s blood; ^(KZ)you yourselves shall see.” ²⁵ And all the people replied, “^(LA)His blood shall be on us and on our children!” ²⁶ Then he released Barabbas ^[ex]for them; but after having Jesus ^(LB)flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

^27 (LC)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into ^(LD)the ^[ey]Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman ^[ez](LE)cohort to Him. ²⁸ And they stripped Him and ^(LF)put a red ^[fa]cloak on Him. ^29 (LG)And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a ^[fb]reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “^(LH)Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰ And ^(LI)they spit on Him, and took the reed and beat Him on the head. ^31 (LJ)And after they had mocked Him, they took the cloak off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

^32 (LK)As they were coming out, they found a man of ^(LL)Cyrene named Simon, ^[fc]whom they compelled to carry His ^[fd]cross.

The Crucifixion

^33 (LM)And when they came to a place called ^(LN)Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, ^34 (LO)they gave Him ^(LP)wine mixed with ^[fe]bile to drink; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink it.

³⁵ And when they had crucified Him, ^(LQ)they divided His garments among themselves by casting ^[ff]lots. ³⁶ And sitting down, they began to ^(LR)keep watch over Him there. ³⁷ And above His head they put up the charge against Him ^[fg]which read, “^(LS)THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

³⁸ At that time two ^[fh]rebels *were being crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. ³⁹ And those passing by were ^[fi]speaking abusively to Him, ^(LT)shaking their heads, ⁴⁰ and saying, “^(LU)You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! ^(LV)If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, ⁴² “^(LW)He saved others; ^[fj]He cannot save Himself! ^(LX)He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. ^43 (LY)He has trusted in God; let God rescue Him now, if He ^[fk]takes pleasure in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ^44 (LZ)And the ^[fl]rebels who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him in the same way.

^45 (MA)Now from the ^[fm]sixth hour darkness ^[fn]fell upon all the land until the ^[fo]ninth hour. ⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “^(MB)Eli, Eli, lema sabaktanei?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” ⁴⁷ And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” ⁴⁸ And ^(MC)immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. ⁴⁹ But the rest of them said, “^[fp]Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him^[fq].” ⁵⁰ And Jesus ^(MD)cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. ^51 (ME)And behold, ^(MF)the ^[fr]veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and ^(MG)the earth shook and the rocks were split. ⁵² Also the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the ^[fs]saints who had ^(MH)fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered ^(MI)the holy city and appeared to many. ^54 (MJ)Now as for the centurion and those who were with him ^(MK)keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw ^(ML)the earthquake and the other things that were happening, they became extremely frightened and said, “Truly this was ^[ft](MM)the Son of God!”

^55 (MN)And many women were there watching from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ^(MO)caring for Him. ⁵⁶ Among them were ^(MP)Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and ^(MQ)the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus Is Buried

^57 (MR)Now when it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea came, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ This man 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 cloth, ⁶⁰ and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock; and he rolled ^(MS)a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ And ^(MT)Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

⁶² Now on the next day, that is, the day which is after ^(MU)the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, ⁶³ and they said, “Sir, we remember that when that deceiver was still alive, He said, ‘^(MV)After three days I am rising.’ ⁶⁴ Therefore, give orders for the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have a ^(MW)guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ And they went and made the tomb secure with ^(MX)the guard, ^(MY)sealing ^(MZ)the stone.

Jesus Is Risen!

28 ^(NA)Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, ^(NB)Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. ² And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for ^(NC)an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away ^(ND)the stone, and sat upon it. ³ And ^(NE)his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. ⁴ The guards shook from fear of him and became like dead men. ⁵ And the angel said to the women, “^[fu](NF)Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. ⁶ He is not here, for He has risen, ^(NG)just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. ⁷ And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you ^(NH)to Galilee. There you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

⁸ And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to report to His disciples. ⁹ And behold, Jesus met them ^[fv]and said, “^[fw]Rejoice!” And they came up and took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus *said to them, “^[fx](NI)Do not be afraid; go, bring word to ^(NJ)My brothers to leave ^(NK)for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

¹¹ Now while they were on their way, some of ^(NL)the men from the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. ¹² And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, ¹³ and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴ And if this comes to ^(NM)the governor’s ears, we will appease him and ^[fy]keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely ^(NN)spread among the Jews and is ^(NO)to this day.

The Great Commission

¹⁶ But the eleven disciples proceeded ^(NP)to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated to them. ¹⁷ And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but ^(NQ)some ^[fz]were doubtful. ¹⁸ And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “^(NR)All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. ^19 [ga](NS)Go, therefore, and ^(NT)make disciples of ^(NU)all the nations, ^(NV)baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to ^[gb]follow all that I commanded you; and behold, ^(NW)I am with you ^[gc]always, to ^(NX)the end of the age.”