Holman Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

1When they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples,

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

2telling them, "Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to Me.

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

3If anyone says anything to you, you should say that the Lord needs them, and immediately he will send them."

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

4This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

4This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,

5Tell Daughter Zion, "Look, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden."

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

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

6The two disciples did as Jesus commanded.

7They brought the donkey and the colt; then they laid their robes on them, and He sat on them.

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

8A very large crowd spread their robes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.

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

9Then the crowds who went ahead of Him and those who followed kept shouting: Hosanna to the Son of David! He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One! Hosanna in the highest heaven!

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

10When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?"

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

11And the crowds kept saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee!"

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

12Jesus went into the temple complex and drove out all those buying and selling in the temple. He overturned the money changers' tables and the chairs of those selling doves.

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

13And He said to them, "It is written, My house will be called a house of prayer. But you are making it a den of thieves!"

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

14The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple complex, and He healed them.

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

15When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders that He did and the children shouting in the temple complex, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant

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

16and said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" "Yes," Jesus told them. "Have you never read: You have prepared praise from the mouths of children and nursing infants?"

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

17Then He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

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

18Early in the morning, as He was returning to the city, He was hungry.

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

19Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And He said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" At once the fig tree withered.

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

20When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?"

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

21Jesus answered them, "I assure you: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done.

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

22And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

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

23When He entered the temple complex, 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? Who gave You this authority?"

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

24Jesus answered them, "I will also ask you one question, and if you answer it for Me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

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

25Where did John's baptism come from? From heaven or from men?" They began to argue among themselves, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why didn't you believe him?'

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

26But if we say, 'From men,' we're afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought John was a prophet."

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

27So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

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

28"But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, My son, go, work in the vineyard today.'

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

29"He answered, I don't want to!' Yet later he changed his mind and went.

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

30Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. "'I will, sir,' he answered. But he didn't go.

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

31"Which of the two did his father's will?"" The first," they said. Jesus said to them, "I assure you: Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you!

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

32For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn't believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him, but you, when you saw it, didn't even change your minds then and believe him.

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

33"Listen to another parable: There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. He leased it to tenant farmers and went away.

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

34When the grape harvest drew near, he sent his slaves to the farmers to collect his fruit.

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

35But the farmers took his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

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

36Again, he sent other slaves, more than the first group, and they did the same to them.

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

37Finally, he sent his son to them. They will respect my son,' he said.

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

38"But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance!'

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

39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

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

40Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?""

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

41He will completely destroy those terrible men," they told Him, "and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his produce at the harvest."

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

42Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes?

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

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

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

44Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whoever it falls, it will grind him to powder!"

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

45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they knew He was speaking about them.

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

46Although they were looking for a way to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, because they regarded Him as a prophet.

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

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

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