Matthew

The Triumphal Entry

1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two disciples,

2saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to Me.

3If anyone questions you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

5“Say to the Daughter of Zion,‘See, your King comes to you,gentle and riding on a donkey,on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

6So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.

7They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.

8A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”

10When Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12Then Jesus entered the temple courtsand drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves.

13And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

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

15But the chief priests and scribes were indignant when they saw the wonders He performed and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

16“Do You hear what these children are saying?” they asked. “Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read: ‘From the mouths of children and infantsYou have ordained praise’?”

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

The Barren Fig Tree

18In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He was hungry.

19Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.

20When the disciples saw this, they marveled and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

21“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Jesus’ Authority Challenged

23When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?”

24“I will also ask you one question,” Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

25What was the source of John’s baptism? Was it from heaven or from men?” They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

26But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard John as a prophet.”

27So they answered, “We do not know.” And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

28But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went.

30Then the man went to the second son and told him the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he did not go.

31Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

32For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

33Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

34When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit.

35But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

36Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group. But the tenants did the same to them.

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

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

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

40Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those tenants?”

41“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and will rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the fruit at harvest time.”

42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone.This is from the Lord,and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

44He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

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

46Although they wanted to arrest Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because the people regarded Him as a prophet.

光榮地進耶路撒冷

1耶穌和門徒將近耶路撒冷，到了伯法其，在橄欖山那裏。

2耶穌就打發兩個門徒，對他們說：「你們往對面村子裏去，必看見一匹驢拴在那裏，還有驢駒同在一處；你們解開，牽到我這裏來。

3若有人對你們說甚麼，你們就說：『主要用牠。』那人必立時讓你們牽來。

4這事成就是要應驗先知的話，說：

5要對錫安的居民說：看哪，你的王來到你這裏， 是溫柔的，又騎着驢， 就是騎着驢駒子。」

6門徒就照耶穌所吩咐的去行，

7牽了驢和驢駒來，把自己的衣服搭在上面，耶穌就騎上。

8眾人多半把衣服鋪在路上；還有人砍下樹枝來鋪在路上。

9前行後隨的眾人喊着說：和散那歸於大衛的子孫！ 奉主名來的是應當稱頌的！ 高高在上和散那！

10耶穌既進了耶路撒冷，合城都驚動了，說：「這是誰？」

11眾人說：「這是加利利拿撒勒的先知耶穌。」

潔淨聖殿

12耶穌進了上帝的殿，趕出殿裏一切做買賣的人，推倒兌換銀錢之人的桌子，和賣鴿子之人的凳子，

13對他們說：「經上記着說：我的殿必稱為禱告的殿， 你們倒使它成為賊窩了。」

14在殿裏有瞎子、瘸子到耶穌跟前，他就治好了他們。

15祭司長和文士看見耶穌所行的奇事，又見小孩子在殿裏喊着說：「和散那歸於大衛的子孫！」就甚惱怒，

16對他說：「這些人所說的，你聽見了嗎？」耶穌說：「是的。經上說『你從嬰孩和吃奶的口中完全了讚美』的話，你們沒有念過嗎？」

17於是離開他們，出城到伯大尼去，在那裏住宿。

咒詛無花果樹

18早晨回城的時候，他餓了，

19看見路旁有一棵無花果樹，就走到跟前，在樹上找不着甚麼，不過有葉子，就對樹說：「從今以後，你永不結果子。」那無花果樹就立刻枯乾了。

20門徒看見了，便希奇說：「無花果樹怎麼立刻枯乾了呢？」

21耶穌回答說：「我實在告訴你們，你們若有信心，不疑惑，不但能行無花果樹上所行的事，就是對這座山說：『你挪開此地，投在海裏！』也必成就。

22你們禱告，無論求甚麼，只要信，就必得着。」

質問耶穌的權柄

23耶穌進了殿，正教訓人的時候，祭司長和民間的長老來問他說：「你仗着甚麼權柄做這些事？給你這權柄的是誰呢？」

24耶穌回答說：「我也要問你們一句話，你們若告訴我，我就告訴你們我仗着甚麼權柄做這些事。

25約翰的洗禮是從哪裏來的？是從天上來的？是從人間來的呢？」他們彼此商議說：「我們若說『從天上來』，他必對我們說：『這樣，你們為甚麼不信他呢？』

26若說『從人間來』，我們又怕百姓，因為他們都以約翰為先知。」

27於是回答耶穌說：「我們不知道。」耶穌說：「我也不告訴你們我仗着甚麼權柄做這些事。」

兩個兒子的比喻

28又說：「一個人有兩個兒子。他來對大兒子說：『我兒，你今天到葡萄園裏去做工。』

29他回答說：『我不去』，以後自己懊悔，就去了。

30又來對小兒子也是這樣說。他回答說：『父啊，我去』，他卻不去。

31你們想，這兩個兒子是哪一個遵行父命呢？」他們說：「大兒子。」耶穌說：「我實在告訴你們，稅吏和娼妓倒比你們先進上帝的國。

32因為約翰遵着義路到你們這裏來，你們卻不信他；稅吏和娼妓倒信他。你們看見了，後來還是不懊悔去信他。」

凶惡園戶的比喻

33「你們再聽一個比喻：有個家主栽了一個葡萄園，周圍圈上籬笆，裏面挖了一個壓酒池，蓋了一座樓，租給園戶，就往外國去了。

34收果子的時候近了，就打發僕人到園戶那裏去收果子。

35園戶拿住僕人，打了一個，殺了一個，用石頭打死一個。

36主人又打發別的僕人去，比先前更多；園戶還是照樣待他們。

37後來打發他的兒子到他們那裏去，意思說：『他們必尊敬我的兒子。』

38不料，園戶看見他兒子，就彼此說：『這是承受產業的。來吧，我們殺他，佔他的產業！』

39他們就拿住他，推出葡萄園外，殺了。

40園主來的時候要怎樣處治這些園戶呢？」

41他們說：「要下毒手除滅那些惡人，將葡萄園另租給那按着時候交果子的園戶。」

42耶穌說：「經上寫着：匠人所棄的石頭 已作了房角的頭塊石頭。 這是主所做的， 在我們眼中看為希奇。這經你們沒有念過嗎？

43所以我告訴你們，上帝的國必從你們奪去，賜給那能結果子的百姓。

44誰掉在這石頭上，必要跌碎；這石頭掉在誰的身上，就要把誰砸得稀爛。」

45祭司長和法利賽人聽見他的比喻，就看出他是指着他們說的。

46他們想要捉拿他，只是怕眾人，因為眾人以他為先知。