The New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Part 6

XXI.

AND when they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the mount of the Olives, Jesus sent forth two disciples, (2)saying to them: Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye will find an a.s.s tied, and a colt with her; loose and bring them to me.

(3)And if any one say aught to you, ye shall say: The Lord has need of them; and straightway he will send them.

(4)Now all this has been done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying:

(5)Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King comes to thee, Meek, and mounted upon an a.s.s, And upon a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.

(6)And the disciples, having gone and done as Jesus commanded them, (7)brought the a.s.s and the colt, and put on them their garments, and he sat thereon. (8)And most of the mult.i.tude spread their own garments in the way; and others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed in the way. (9)And the mult.i.tudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying: Hosanna[21:9] to the Son of David; Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. (10)And as he entered into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying: Who is this?

(11)And the mult.i.tudes said: This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth of Galilee.

(12)And Jesus entered into the temple of G.o.d, and cast out all that sold and bought in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of those who sold doves. (13)And he says to them: It is written,

My house shall be called a house of prayer; But ye 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 the chief priests and the scribes, seeing the wonders that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, were much displeased, (16)and said to him: Dost thou hear what these say? And Jesus says to them: Yea; did ye never read: From the mouth of babes and sucklings thou preparedst praise?

(17)And leaving them, he went forth out of the city into Bethany, and lodged there.

(18)And in the morning, as he was returning into the city, he hungered. (19)And seeing a fig-tree by the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon but leaves only. And he says to it: Let there be no fruit from thee henceforward, forever. And immediately the fig-tree withered away. (20)And the disciples seeing it wondered, saying: How did the fig-tree immediately wither away? (21)And Jesus answering said to them: Verily I say to you, if ye have faith, and do not doubt, not only shall ye do what is done to the fig-tree, but even if ye say to this mountain, be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it shall be done. (22)And all things whatever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

(23)And when he had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said: By what authority doest thou these things; and who gave thee this authority?

(24)And Jesus answering said to them: I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I too will tell you by what authority I do these things. (25)John's immersion, whence was it? From heaven, or from men?

And they reasoned among themselves, saying: If we say, From heaven, he will say to us: Why then did ye not believe him? (26)But if we say, From men, we fear the mult.i.tude; for all hold John as a prophet.

(27)And they answered Jesus, saying: We do not know. And he said to them: Neither do I say to you, by what authority I do these things.

(28)But what think ye? A man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said: Son, go work to-day in the vineyard. (29)And he answering said: I will not; but afterward he repented, and went. (30)And he came to the other[21:30], and said likewise. And he answering said: I will, sir; and went not. (31)Which of the two did the father's will? They say to him: The first[21:31]. Jesus says to them: Verily I say to you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of G.o.d before you. (32)For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and ye did not believe him; but the publicans and the harlots believed him; and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

(33)Hear another parable. There was a householder, who planted a vineyard, and put a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husband-men, and went abroad. (34)And when the season of fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive his fruits. (35)And the husbandmen taking his servants, beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. (36)Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did to them likewise. (37)And afterward he sent to them his son, saying: They will reverence my son. (38)But the husbandmen, seeing the son, said among themselves: This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and have his inheritance. (39)And taking him, they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. (40)When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those husbandmen? (41)They say to him: He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out the vineyard to other husbandmen, who will deliver over to him the fruits in their seasons. (42)Jesus says to them: Did ye never read in the Scriptures:

The stone which the builders disallowed, The same is become the head of the corner; This is from the Lord, And is wonderful in our eyes.

(43)Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of G.o.d shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

(44)And he that falls upon this stone will be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

(45)And the chief priests and Pharisees, hearing his parables, knew that he spoke of them. (46)And they sought to lay hold of him, but feared the mult.i.tudes, since they held him as a prophet.

XXII.

AND Jesus answering spoke to them again in parables, saying:

(2)The kingdom of heaven is like to a certain king, who made a marriage for his son. (3)And he sent forth his servants to call those who were bidden to the wedding; and they would not come. (4)Again he sent forth other servants, saying: Tell those who are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come to the marriage. (5)But they made light of it, and went away, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. (6)And the rest laid hold of his servants, and ill-treated and slew them. (7)And the king, hearing it, was angry; and sending forth his armies, he destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. (8)Then he says to his servants: The wedding is ready, but they who were bidden were not worthy. (9)Go therefore into the thoroughfares, and as many as ye find, bid to the marriage. (10)And those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was furnished with guests.

(11)And the king, coming in to view the guests, saw there a man not clothed with a wedding garment; (12)and he says to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. (13)Then the king said to the attendants: Bind him hand and foot, and cast him forth into the outer darkness. There will be the weeping, and the gnas.h.i.+ng of teeth! (14)For many are called, but few are chosen.

(15)Then the Pharisees went and took counsel, how they might ensnare him with a word[22:15]. (16)And they send out to him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying: Teacher, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of G.o.d in truth; neither carest thou for any one, for thou regardest not the person of men. (17)Tell us, therefore, what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? (18)But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said: Why tempt ye me, hypocrites!

(19)Show me the tribute money. And they brought to him a denary[22:19]. (20)And he says to them: Whose is this image, and the inscription? (21)They say to him: Caesar's. Then says he to them; Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to G.o.d the things that are G.o.d's. (22)And hearing it they wondered, and left him and went away.

(23)On that day came to him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, (24)saying: Teacher, Moses said, If any one die having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed to his brother. (25)Now there were with us seven brothers; and the first married and died, and having no seed left his wife to his brother. (26)Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. (27)And last of all the woman died also. (28)In the resurrection therefore, of which of the seven shall she be wife? For they all had her.

(29)Jesus answering said to them: Ye err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of G.o.d. (30)For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of G.o.d in heaven.

(31)But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken to you by G.o.d, saying: (32)I am the G.o.d of Abraham, and the G.o.d of Isaac, and the G.o.d of Jacob? G.o.d is not the G.o.d of the dead, but of the living. (33)And the mult.i.tudes, hearing it, were astonished at his teaching.

(34)And the Pharisees, hearing that he had put the Sadducees to silence, collected together; (35)and one of them, a lawyer, asked, tempting him and saying: (36)Teacher, what commandment is great in the law? (37)Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy G.o.d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38)This is the great and first commandment. (39)And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self. (40)On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

(41)While the Pharisees were collected together, Jesus asked them, (42)saying: What think ye concerning the Christ? Of whom is he the son? They say to him: Of David. (43)He says to them: How then does David, in the Spirit, call him Lord, saying:

(44)The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, Till I put thine enemies under thy feet.

(45)If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son? (46)And no one was able to answer him a word; nor durst any one from that day question him any more.

XXIII.

THEN Jesus spoke to the mult.i.tudes, and to his disciples, (2)saying: The scribes and the Pharisees sat down in Moses' seat. (3)All, therefore, whatever they bid you, do and observe; but do not according to their works, for they say and do not. (4)For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders, but will not move them with their finger. (5)But all their works they do to be seen by men; they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the fringes; (6)and love the first place at feasts, and the first seats in the synagogues, (7)and the greetings in the markets, and to be called by men, Rabbi, Rabbi[23:7]. (8)But be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your Teacher, and all ye are brethren. (9)And call not any your father on the earth; for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. (10)Neither be called leaders; for one is your leader, the Christ. (11)But the greatest of you shall be your servant. (12)And whoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

(13)But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye go not in, nor suffer those who are entering to go in[23:13]:

(15)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye traverse sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more a child of h.e.l.l than yourselves.

(16)Woe to you, blind guides, who say: Whoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is bound. (17)Fools and blind; for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? (18)And, Whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is bound. (19)Fools and blind; for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

(20)He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things thereon. (21)And he that swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells therein. (22)And he that swears by heaven, swears by the throne of G.o.d, and by him who sits thereon.

(23)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye pay t.i.the of the mint and the dill and the c.u.min, and omitted the weightier things of the law, judgment, and mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not leave those undone.

(24)Blind guides! that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel.

(25)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full of rapacity and excess. (26)Blind Pharisee! Cleanse first the inside of the cup and the platter, that its outside also may become clean.

(27)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful, but within are full of bones of the dead, and of all uncleanness. (28)So also ye outwardly indeed appear righteous to men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

(29)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous, and say: (30)If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. (31)So that ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of those who killed the prophets; (32)and fill ye up the measure of your fathers!

(33)Serpents! Brood of vipers! How can ye escape the judgment of h.e.l.l?

(34)Therefore, behold, I send forth to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye will kill and crucify, and some of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city; (35)that on you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. (36)Verily I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.

(37)Jerusalem! Jerusalem! that killest the prophets, and stonest those sent to her; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

(38)Behold, your house is left to you desolate. (39)For I say to you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say: Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.

XXIV.