Matthew 1 | God's Word Translation

The Family Line of Jesus Christ

¹This is the list of ancestors of Jesus Christ, descendant of David and Abraham.

²Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

³Judah and Tamar were the father and mother of Perez and Zerah.

Perez was the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

⁴Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon.

⁵Salmon and Rahab were the father and mother of Boaz.

Boaz and Ruth were the father and mother of Obed.

Obed was the father of Jesse,

⁶Jesse the father of King David.

David and Uriah’s wife⌞Bathsheba⌟ were the father and mother of Solomon.

⁷Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

⁸Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

Joram the father of Uzziah,

⁹Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

¹⁰Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah.

¹¹Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.

They lived at the time when the people were exiled to Babylon.

¹²After the exile to Babylon,

Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel.

Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel,

¹³Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,

Abiud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

¹⁴Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Achim,

Achim the father of Eliud,

¹⁵Eliud the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob.

¹⁶Jacob was the father of Joseph, who was the husband of Mary.

Mary was the mother of Jesus, who is called Christ.

¹⁷So there were

14 generations from Abraham to David,

14 generations from David until the exile to Babylon,

14 generations from the exile until the Messiah.

The Virgin Birth of Jesus

¹⁸The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way: His mother Mary had been promised to Joseph in marriage. But before they were married, Mary realized that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit (pneuma). ¹⁹Her husband Joseph was an honorable man and did not want to disgrace her publicly. So he decided to break the marriage agreement with her secretly.

²⁰Joseph had this in mind when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said to him, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is pregnant by the Holy Spirit (pneuma). ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus [He Saves], because he will save his people from their sins.” ²²All this happened so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true: ²³“The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel,” which means “Theos is with us.”

²⁴When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him to do. He took Mary to be his wife. ²⁵He did not have marital relations with her before she gave birth to a son. Joseph named the child Jesus.

Matthew 2

The Wise Men Visit

¹Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea when Herod was king. After Jesus’ birth wise men (Or “astrologers.”) from the east arrived in Jerusalem. ²They asked, “Where is the one who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star rising and have come to worship him.”

³When King Herod and all Jerusalem heard about this, they became disturbed. ⁴He called together all the chief priests and the experts in the Scriptures and tried to find out from them where the Messiah was supposed to be born.

6 Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah.
A leader will come from you.
He will shepherd my people Israel.”

⁷Then Herod secretly called the wise men and found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. ⁸As he sent them to Bethlehem, he said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you have found him, report to me so that I may go and worship him too.”

⁹After they had heard the king, they started out. The star they had seen rising led them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰They were overwhelmed with joy to see the star. ¹¹When they entered the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary. So they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Myrrh is a fragrant resin used for perfumes, embalming, and deodorizers.)

¹²Theos warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they left for their country by another road.

The Escape to Egypt

¹³After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel said to him, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and kill him.”

¹⁴Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left for Egypt that night. ¹⁵He stayed there until Herod died. What the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true: “I have called my son out of Egypt.”

¹⁶When Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him, he became furious. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys two years old and younger in or near Bethlehem. This matched the exact time he had learned from the wise men. ¹⁷Then the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah came true:

18 “A sound was heard in Ramah,
the sound of crying in bitter grief.
Rachel was crying for her children.
She refused to be comforted
because they were dead.”

From Egypt to Nazareth

¹⁹After Herod was dead, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. ²⁰The angel said to him, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to Israel. Those who tried to kill the child are dead.”

²¹Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea, Joseph was afraid to go there. Warned in a dream, he left for Galilee ²³and made his home in a city called Nazareth. So what the prophets had said came true: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Matthew 3

John Prepares the Way

¹Later, John the Baptizer appeared in the desert of Judea. His message was, ²“Turn to Theos and change the way you think and act, because the kingdom of heaven is near.” ³Isaiah the prophet spoke about this man when he said,

“A voice cries out in the desert:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord!
Make his paths straight!’ ”

⁴John wore clothes made from camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.

⁵Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole Jordan Valley went to him. ⁶As they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

⁷But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he said to them, “You poisonous snakes! Who showed you how to flee from Theos’s coming anger? ⁸Do those things that prove you have turned to Theos and have changed the way you think and act. ⁹Don’t think you can say, ‘Abraham is our ancestor.’ I can guarantee that Theos can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰The ax is now ready to cut the roots of the trees. Any tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire. ¹¹I baptize you with water so that you will change the way you think and act. But the one who comes after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (pneuma) and fire. ¹²His winnowing (Winnowing is the process of separating husks from grain.) shovel is in his hand, and he will clean up his threshing floor. (A threshing floor is an outdoor area where grain is separated from its husks.) He will gather his wheat into a barn, but he will burn the husks in a fire that can never be put out.”

John Baptizes Jesus

¹³Then Jesus appeared. He came from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. ¹⁴But John tried to stop him and said, “I need to be baptized by you. Why are you coming to me?”

¹⁵Jesus answered him, “This is the way it has to be now. This is the proper way to do everything that Theos requires of us.”

Then John gave in to him. ¹⁶After Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up from the water. Suddenly, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit (pneuma) of Theos coming down as a dove to him. ¹⁷Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love—my Son with whom I am pleased.”

Matthew 4

The Temptation of Jesus

¹Then the Spirit (pneuma) led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. ²Jesus did not eat anything for 40 days and 40 nights. At the end of that time, he was hungry.

³The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of Theos, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

⁴Jesus answered, “Scripture says, ‘A person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that Theos speaks.’ ”

⁵Then the devil took him into the holy city and had him stand on the highest part of the temple. ⁶He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of Theos, jump! Scripture says, ‘He will put his angels in charge of you. They will carry you in their hands so that you never hit your foot against a rock.’ ”

⁷Jesus said to him, “Again, Scripture says, ‘Never tempt the Lord your Theos.’ ” (Or “Never put the Lord your Theos to any test.”)

⁸Once more the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms in the world and their glory. ⁹The devil said to him, “I will give you all this if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! Scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your Theos and serve only him.’ ”

A Light Has Risen

¹²When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went back to Galilee. ¹³He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. This was in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴So what the prophet Isaiah had said came true:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
on the way to the sea,
across the Jordan River,
Galilee, where foreigners live!
16 The people who lived in darkness
have seen a bright light.
A light has risen
for those who live in a land overshadowed by death.”

¹⁷From then on, Jesus began to tell people, “Turn to Theos and change the way you think and act, because the kingdom of heaven is near!”

Calling of the First Disciples

¹⁸As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew. They were throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen. ¹⁹Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me! I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish.” ²⁰They immediately left their nets and followed him.

²¹As Jesus went on, he saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee preparing their nets to go fishing. He called them, ²²and they immediately left the boat and their father and followed Jesus.

Spreading the Good News in Galilee

²³Jesus went all over Galilee. He taught in the synagogues and spread the Good News of the kingdom. He also cured every disease and sickness among the people.

²⁴The news about Jesus spread throughout Syria. People brought him everyone who was sick, those who suffered from any kind of disease or pain. They also brought epileptics, those who were paralyzed, and people possessed by demons, and he cured them all. ²⁵Large crowds followed him. They came from Galilee, the Ten Cities, (A federation of ten Greek city states east and west of the Jordan River.) Jerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan River.

Matthew 5

The Sermon on a Mountain: the Beatitudes

¹When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them:

3 “Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless.
The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
4 Blessed are those who mourn.
They will be comforted.
5 Blessed are those who are gentle.
They will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Theos’s approval.
They will be satisfied.
7 Blessed are those who show mercy.
They will be treated mercifully.
8 Blessed are those whose thoughts are pure.
They will see Theos.
9 Blessed are those who make peace.
They will be called Theos’s children.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing what Theos approves of.
The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you,
lie, and say all kinds of evil things about you because of me.

12 Rejoice and be glad because you have a great reward in heaven!
The prophets who lived before you were persecuted in these ways.

Theos’s People Make a Difference in the World

¹³“You are salt for the earth. But if salt loses its taste, how will it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people.

¹⁴“You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill. ¹⁵No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven.

Jesus Fulfills the Old Testament Scriptures

¹⁷“Don’t ever think that I came to set aside Moses’ Teachings or the Prophets. I didn’t come to set them aside but to make them come true. ¹⁸I can guarantee this truth: Until the earth and the heavens disappear, neither a period nor a comma will disappear from the Scriptures before everything has come true. ¹⁹So whoever sets aside any command that seems unimportant and teaches others to do the same will be unimportant in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches what the commands say will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰I can guarantee that unless you live a life that has Theos’s approval and do it more faithfully than the experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus Talks about Anger

²¹“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Never murder. Whoever murders will answer for it in court.’ ²²But I can guarantee that whoever is angry with another believer (Some manuscripts and translations add “without a cause.”) will answer for it in court. Whoever calls another believer an insulting name will answer for it in the highest court. Whoever calls another believer a fool will answer for it in hellfire.

²³“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember there that another believer has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift at the altar. First go away and make peace with that person. Then come back and offer your gift.

²⁵“Make peace quickly with your opponent while you are on the way to court with him. Otherwise, he will hand you over to the judge. Then the judge will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison. ²⁶I can guarantee this truth: You will never get out until you pay every penny of your fine.

About Sexual Sin

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘Never commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I can guarantee that whoever looks with lust at a woman has already committed adultery in his heart.

²⁹“So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it go into hell.

³¹“It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice.’ ³²But I can guarantee that any man who divorces his wife for any reason other than unfaithfulness makes her look as though she has committed adultery. Whoever marries a woman divorced in this way makes himself look as though he has committed adultery.

About Oaths

³³“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Never break your oath, but give to the Lord what you swore in an oath to give him.’ ³⁴But I tell you don’t swear an oath at all. Don’t swear an oath by heaven, which is Theos’s throne, ³⁵or by the earth, which is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, which is the city of the great King. ³⁶And don’t swear an oath by your head. After all, you cannot make one hair black or white. ³⁷Simply say yes or no. Anything more than that comes from the evil one.

Love Your Enemies

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹But I tell you not to oppose an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn your other cheek to him as well. ⁴⁰If someone wants to sue you in order to take your shirt, let him have your coat too. ⁴¹If someone forces you to go one mile, go two miles with him. ⁴²Give to everyone who asks you for something. Don’t turn anyone away who wants to borrow something from you.

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I tell you this: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. ⁴⁵In this way you show that you are children of your Father in heaven. He makes his sun rise on people whether they are good or evil. He lets rain fall on them whether they are just or unjust. ⁴⁶If you love those who love you, do you deserve a reward? Even the tax collectors do that! ⁴⁷Are you doing anything remarkable if you welcome only your friends? Everyone does that! ⁴⁸That is why you must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 6

The Sermon on a Mountain Continues: Don’t Do Good Works to Be Praised by People

¹“Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you. ²So when you give to the poor, don’t announce it with trumpet fanfare. This is what hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets in order to be praised by people. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. ³When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴Give your contributions privately. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.

The Lord’s Prayer

⁵“When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They like to stand in synagogues and on street corners to pray so that everyone can see them. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. ⁶When you pray, go to your room and close the door. Pray privately to your Father who is with you. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.

⁷“When you pray, don’t ramble like heathens who think they’ll be heard if they talk a lot. ⁸Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Our Father in heaven,
let your name be kept holy.
10 Let your kingdom come.
Let your will be done on earth
as it is done in heaven.
11 Give us our daily bread today.
12 Forgive us as we forgive others.
13 Don’t allow us to be tempted.
Instead, rescue us from the evil one.*

¹⁴“If you forgive the failures of others, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failures.

Fasting

¹⁶“When you fast, stop looking sad like hypocrites. They put on sad faces to make it obvious that they’re fasting. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. ¹⁷When you fast, wash your face and comb your hair. ¹⁸Then your fasting won’t be obvious. Instead, it will be obvious to your Father who is with you in private. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.

True Riches

¹⁹“Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. ²⁰Instead, store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust don’t destroy and thieves don’t break in and steal. ²¹Your heart will be where your treasure is.

²²“The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is unclouded, your whole body will be full of light. ²³But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light in you is darkness, how dark it will be!

²⁴“No one can serve two masters. He will hate the first master and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and despise the second. You cannot serve Theos and wealth.

Stop Worrying

²⁵“So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?

²⁶“Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?

²⁸“And why worry about clothes? Notice how the flowers grow in the field. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. ²⁹But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. ³⁰That’s the way Theos clothes the grass in the field. Today it’s alive, and tomorrow it’s thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith?

³¹“Don’t ever worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ ³²Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them. ³³But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.

³⁴“So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 7

The Sermon on a Mountain Continues: Stop Judging

¹“Stop judging so that you will not be judged. ²Otherwise, you will be judged by the same standard you use to judge others. The standards you use for others will be applied to you. ³So why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer’s eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye? ⁴How can you say to another believer, ‘Let me take the piece of sawdust out of your eye,’ when you have a beam in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye. Then you will see clearly to remove the piece of sawdust from another believer’s eye.

Don’t Throw Pearls to Pigs

⁶“Don’t give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls to pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them and then tear you to pieces.

The Power of Prayer

⁷“Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. ⁸Everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find, and for the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹“If your child asks you for bread, would any of you give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if your child asks for a fish, would you give him a snake? ¹¹Even though you’re evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. So how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him?

The Golden Rule

¹²“Always do for other people everything you want them to do for you. That is ⌞the meaning of⌟ Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets.

The Narrow Gate

¹³“Enter through the narrow gate because the gate and road that lead to destruction are wide. Many enter through the wide gate. ¹⁴But the narrow gate and the road that lead to life are full of trouble. Only a few people find the narrow gate.

False Prophets

¹⁵“Beware of false prophets. They come to you disguised as sheep, but in their hearts they are vicious wolves. ¹⁶You will know them by what they produce.

“People don’t pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles, do they? ¹⁷In the same way every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit. ¹⁹Any tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into a fire. ²⁰So you will know them by what they produce.

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who does what my Father in heaven wants. ²²Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we force out demons and do many miracles by the power and authority of your name?’ ²³Then I will tell them publicly, ‘I’ve never known you. Get away from me, you evil people.’

Build on the Rock

²⁴“Therefore, everyone who hears what I say and obeys it will be like a wise person who built a house on rock. ²⁵Rain poured, and floods came. Winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not collapse, because its foundation was on rock.

²⁶“Everyone who hears what I say but doesn’t obey it will be like a foolish person who built a house on sand. ²⁷Rain poured, and floods came. Winds blew and struck that house. It collapsed, and the result was a total disaster.”

²⁸When Jesus finished this speech, the crowds were amazed at his teachings. ²⁹Unlike their experts in Moses’ Teachings, he taught them with authority.

Matthew 8

Jesus Cures a Man with a Skin Disease

²A man with a serious skin disease came and bowed down in front of him. The man said to Jesus, “Sir, if you’re willing, you can make me clean.” (“Clean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is presentable to Theos.)

³Jesus reached out, touched him, and said, “I’m willing. So be clean!” Immediately, his skin disease went away, and he was clean.

⁴Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this! Instead, show yourself to the priest. Then offer the sacrifice Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean.”

A Believing Army Officer

⁵When Jesus went to Capernaum, a Roman army officer came to beg him for help. ⁶The officer said, “Sir, my servant is lying at home paralyzed and in terrible pain.”

⁸The officer responded, “Sir, I don’t deserve to have you come into my house. But just give a command, and my servant will be healed. ⁹As you know, I’m in a chain of command and have soldiers at my command. I tell one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I tell my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

¹⁰Jesus was amazed when he heard this. He said to those who were following him, “I can guarantee this truth: I haven’t found faith as great as this in anyone in Israel. ¹¹I can guarantee that many will come from all over the world. They will eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹²The citizens of that kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness. People will cry and be in extreme pain there.”

¹³Jesus told the officer, “Go! What you believed will be done for you.” And at that moment the servant was healed.

Jesus Cures Peter’s Mother-in-Law and Many Others

¹⁴When Jesus went to Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law in bed with a fever. ¹⁵Jesus touched her hand, and the fever went away. So she got up and prepared a meal for him.

¹⁶In the evening the people brought him many who were possessed by demons. He forced the ⌞evil⌟ spirits out of people with a command and cured everyone who was sick. ¹⁷So what the prophet Isaiah had said came true: “He took away our weaknesses and removed our diseases.”

¹⁸Now, when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he ordered ⌞his disciples⌟ to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

What It Takes to Be a Disciple

¹⁹An expert in Moses’ Teachings came to him and said, “Teacher, I’ll follow you wherever you go.”

²⁰Jesus told him, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to sleep.”

Jesus Calms the Sea

²³Jesus’ disciples went with him as he left in a boat. ²⁴Suddenly, a severe storm came across the sea. The waves were covering the boat. Yet, Jesus was sleeping.

²⁶Jesus said to them, “Why do you cowards have so little faith?” Then he got up, gave an order to the wind and the sea, and the sea became very calm.

²⁷The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Jesus Cures Two Demon-Possessed Men

²⁸When he arrived in the territory of the Gadarenes on the other side ⌞of the Sea of Galilee⌟, two men met him. They were possessed by demons and had come out of the tombs. No one could travel along that road because the men were so dangerous.

²⁹They shouted, “Why are you bothering us now, Son of Theos? Did you come here to torture us before it is time?”

³⁰A large herd of pigs was feeding in the distance. ³¹The demons begged Jesus, “If you’re going to force us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”

³²Jesus said to them, “Go!” The demons came out and went into the pigs. Suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the cliff into the sea and died in the water. ³³Those who took care of the pigs ran into the city. There they reported everything, especially about the men possessed by demons.

³⁴Everyone from the city went to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their territory.

Matthew 9

Jesus Forgives Sins

¹Jesus got into a boat, crossed the sea, and came to his own city. ²Some people brought him a paralyzed man on a stretcher.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Cheer up, friend! Your sins are forgiven.”

³Then some of the experts in Moses’ Teachings thought, “He’s dishonoring Theos.”

⁴Jesus knew what they were thinking. He asked them, “Why are you thinking evil things? ⁵Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”

⁷So the man got up and went home. ⁸When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe and praised Theos for giving such authority to humans.

Jesus Chooses Matthew to Be a Disciple

⁹When Jesus was leaving that place, he saw a man sitting in a tax office. The man’s name was Matthew. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” So Matthew got up and followed him.

¹⁰Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹The Pharisees saw this and asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹²When Jesus heard that, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. ¹³Learn what this means: ‘I want mercy, not sacrifices.’ I’ve come to call sinners, not people who think they have Theos’s approval.”

Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting

¹⁴Then John’s disciples came to Jesus. They said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often but your disciples never do?”

¹⁵Jesus replied, “Can wedding guests be sad while the groom is still with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.

¹⁶“No one patches an old coat with a new piece of cloth that will shrink. When the patch shrinks, it will rip away from the coat, and the tear will become worse. ¹⁷Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, people pour new wine into fresh skins, and both are saved.”

A Synagogue Leader’s Daughter and the Woman with Chronic Bleeding

¹⁸A ⌞synagogue⌟ leader came to Jesus while he was talking to John’s disciples. He bowed down in front of Jesus and said, “My daughter just died. Come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

²⁰Then a woman came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his clothes. She had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years. ²¹She thought, “If I only touch his clothes, I’ll get well.”

²²When Jesus turned and saw her he said, “Cheer up, daughter! Your faith has made you well.” At that very moment the woman became well.

²³Jesus came to the ⌞synagogue⌟ leader’s house. He saw flute players and a noisy crowd. ²⁴He said to them, “Leave! The girl is not dead. She’s sleeping.” But they laughed at him.

²⁵When the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went in, took her hand, and the girl came back to life.

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

²⁷When Jesus left that place, two blind men followed him. They shouted, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”

²⁸Jesus went into a house, and the blind men followed him. He said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?”

²⁹He touched their eyes and said, “What you have believed will be done for you!” ³⁰Then they could see.

He warned them, “Don’t let anyone know about this!” ³¹But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that region.

Jesus Forces a Demon out of a Man Who Couldn’t Talk

³²As they were leaving, some people brought a man to Jesus. The man was unable to talk because he was possessed by a demon. ³³But as soon as the demon was forced out, the man began to speak.

The crowds were amazed and said, “We have never seen anything like this in Israel!”

³⁴But the Pharisees said, “He forces demons out of people with the help of the ruler of demons.”

Jesus’ Compassion for People

³⁵Jesus went to all the towns and villages. He taught in the synagogues and spread the Good News of the kingdom. He also cured every disease and sickness.

³⁶When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were troubled and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is large, but the workers are few. ³⁸So ask the Lord who gives this harvest to send workers to harvest his crops.”

Matthew 10

Jesus Appoints Twelve Apostles

¹Jesus called his twelve disciples and gave them authority to force evil spirits out of people and to cure every disease and sickness.

²These are the names of the twelve apostles: first and foremost, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee; ³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James (son of Alphaeus), and Thaddaeus; ⁴Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

⁵Jesus sent these twelve out with the following instructions: “Don’t go among people who are not Jewish or into any Samaritan city. ⁶Instead, go to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel. ⁷As you go, spread this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ ⁸Cure the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse those with skin diseases, and force demons out of people. Give these things without charging, since you received them without paying.

⁹“Don’t take any gold, silver, or even copper coins in your pockets. ¹⁰Don’t take a traveling bag for the trip, a change of clothes, sandals, or a walking stick. After all, the worker deserves to have his needs met.

¹¹“When you go into a city or village, look for people who will listen to you there. Stay with them until you leave ⌞that place⌟. ¹²When you go into a house, greet the family. ¹³If it is a family that listens to you, allow your greeting to stand. But if it is not receptive, take back your greeting. ¹⁴If anyone doesn’t welcome you or listen to what you say, leave that house or city, and shake its dust off your feet. ¹⁵I can guarantee this truth: Judgment day will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city.

¹⁶“I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as snakes but as innocent as doves. ¹⁷Watch out for people who will hand you over to the Jewish courts and whip you in their synagogues. ¹⁸Because of me you will even be brought in front of governors and kings to testify to them and to everyone in the world. ¹⁹When they hand you over ⌞to the authorities⌟, don’t worry about what to say or how to say it. When the time comes, you will be given what to say. ²⁰Indeed, you’re not the ones who will be speaking. The Spirit (pneuma) of your Father will be speaking through you.

²¹“Brother will hand over brother to death; a father will hand over his child. Children will rebel against their parents and kill them. ²²Everyone will hate you because you are committed to me. But the person who patiently endures to the end will be saved. ²³So when they persecute you in one city, flee to another. I can guarantee this truth: Before you have gone through every city in Israel, the Son of Man will come.

²⁴“A student is not better than his teacher. Nor is a slave better than his owner. ²⁵It is enough for a student to become like his teacher and a slave like his owner. If they have called the owner of the house Beelzebul, (Beelzebul is another name for the devil. See Matthew 12:24.) they will certainly call the family members the same name. ²⁶So don’t be afraid of them. Nothing has been covered that will not be exposed. Whatever is secret will be made known. ²⁷Tell in the daylight what I say to you in the dark. Shout from the housetops what you hear whispered. ²⁸Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

²⁹“Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s permission. ³⁰Every hair on your head has been counted. ³¹Don’t be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows.

³²“So I will acknowledge in front of my Father in heaven that person who acknowledges me in front of others. ³³But I will tell my Father in heaven that I don’t know the person who tells others that he doesn’t know me.

³⁴“Don’t think that I came to bring peace to earth. I didn’t come to bring peace but conflict. ³⁵I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶A person’s enemies will be the members of his own family.

³⁷“The person who loves his father or mother more than me does not deserve to be my disciple. The person who loves a son or daughter more than me does not deserve to be my disciple. ³⁸Whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me doesn’t deserve to be my disciple. ³⁹The person who tries to preserve his life will lose it, but the person who loses his life for me will preserve it.

⁴⁰“The person who welcomes you welcomes me, and the person who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹The person who welcomes a prophet as such will receive a prophet’s reward. The person who welcomes a godly person as such will receive a godly person’s reward. ⁴²I can guarantee this truth: Whoever gives any of my humble followers a cup of cold water because that person is my disciple will certainly never lose his reward.”

Matthew 11

¹After Jesus finished giving his twelve disciples these instructions, he moved on from there to teach his message in their cities.

John Sends Two Disciples

²When John was in prison, he heard about the things Christ had done. So he sent his disciples ³to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for someone else?”

⁴Jesus answered John’s disciples, “Go back, and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵Blind people see again, lame people are walking, those with skin diseases are made clean, deaf people hear again, dead people are brought back to life, and poor people hear the Good News. ⁶Whoever doesn’t lose his faith in me is indeed blessed.”

Jesus Speaks about John

⁷As they were leaving, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John. “What did you go into the desert to see? Tall grass swaying in the wind? ⁸Really, what did you go to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Those who wear fine clothes are in royal palaces.

⁹“Really, what did you go to see? A prophet? Let me tell you that he is far more than a prophet. ¹⁰John is the one about whom Scripture says,

‘I’m sending my messenger ahead of you
to prepare the way in front of you.’

¹¹“I can guarantee this truth: Of all the people ever born, no one is greater than John the Baptizer. Yet, the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. ¹²From the time of John the Baptizer until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful people have been seizing it. ¹³All the Prophets and Moses’ Teachings prophesied up to the time of John. ¹⁴If you are willing to accept their message, John is the Elijah who was to come. ¹⁵Let the person who has ears listen!

¹⁶“How can I describe the people who are living now? They are like children who sit in the marketplaces and shout to other children,

17 ‘We played music for you,
but you didn’t dance.
We sang a funeral song,
but you didn’t show any sadness.’

¹⁸“John came neither eating nor drinking, and people say, ‘There’s a demon in him!’ ¹⁹The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! He’s a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

Jesus Warns Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum

²⁰Then Jesus denounced the cities where he had worked most of his miracles because they had not changed the way they thought and acted. ²¹“How horrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How horrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had been worked in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed the way they thought and acted long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²²I can guarantee that judgment day will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you. ²³And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to heaven? No, you will go down to hell! If the miracles that had been worked in you had been worked in Sodom, it would still be there today. ²⁴I can guarantee that judgment day will be better for Sodom than for you.”

Jesus Praises the Father and Invites Disciples to Come to Him

²⁵At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from wise and intelligent people and revealing them to little children. ²⁶Yes, Father, this is what pleased you.

²⁷“My Father has turned everything over to me. Only the Father knows the Son. And no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son is willing to reveal him.

²⁸“Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Place my yoke (A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts.) over your shoulders, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble. Then you will find rest for yourselves ³⁰because my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 12

Jesus Has Authority over the Day of Rest—a Holy Day

¹Then on a day of rest—a holy day, Jesus walked through the grainfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain to eat.

²When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing something that is not right to do on the day of rest—a holy day.”

³Jesus asked them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his men were hungry? ⁴Haven’t you read how he went into the house of Theos and ate (Some manuscripts and translations read “they ate.”) the bread of the presence? He and his men had no right to eat those loaves. Only the priests have that right. ⁵Or haven’t you read in Moses’ Teachings that on the day of rest—a holy day, the priests in the temple do things they shouldn’t on the day of rest yet remain innocent? ⁶I can guarantee that something (Some manuscripts and translations read “someone.”) greater than the temple is here. ⁷If you had known what ‘I want mercy, not sacrifices’ means, you would not have condemned innocent people.

Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest—a Holy Day

⁹Jesus moved on from there and went into a synagogue. ¹⁰A man with a paralyzed hand was there. The people asked Jesus whether it was right to heal on a day of rest—a holy day, so that they could accuse him of doing something wrong.

¹¹Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you has a sheep. If it falls into a pit on a day of rest—a holy day, wouldn’t you take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²Certainly, a human is more valuable than a sheep! So it is right to do good on the day of rest—a holy day.”

¹³Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held it out, and it became normal again, as healthy as the other.

¹⁴The Pharisees left and plotted to kill Jesus. ¹⁵He knew about this, so he left that place.

Jesus Is Theos’s Servant

Many people followed him, and he cured all of them. ¹⁶He also ordered them not to tell people who he was. ¹⁷So what the prophet Isaiah had said came true:

18 “Here is my servant
whom I have chosen,
whom I love,
and in whom I delight.
I will put my Spirit (pneuma) on him,
and he will announce justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or shout,
and no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 He will not break off a damaged cattail.
He will not even put out a smoking wick
until he has made justice victorious.
21 The nations will have hope because of him.”

Jesus Is Accused of Working with Beelzebul

²²Then some people brought Jesus a man possessed by a demon. The demon made the man blind and unable to talk. Jesus cured him so that he could talk and see.

²³The crowds were all amazed and said, “Can this man be the Son of David?” ²⁴When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man can force demons out of people only with the help of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons.”

²⁵Since Jesus knew what they were thinking, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is ruined. And every city or household divided against itself will not last. ²⁶If Satan forces Satan out, he is divided against himself. How, then, can his kingdom last? ²⁷If I force demons out of people with the help of Beelzebul, who helps your followers force them out? That’s why they will be your judges. ²⁸But if I force demons out with the help of Theos’s Spirit (pneuma), then Theos’s kingdom has come to you. ²⁹How can anyone go into a strong man’s house and steal his property? First he must tie up the strong man. Then he can go through his house and steal his property.

³⁰“Whoever isn’t with me is against me. Whoever doesn’t gather with me scatters. ³¹So I can guarantee that people will be forgiven for any sin or cursing. However, cursing the Spirit (pneuma) will not be forgiven. ³²Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit (pneuma) will not be forgiven in this world or the next.

³³“Make a tree good, and then its fruit will be good. Or make a tree rotten, and then its fruit will be rotten. A person can recognize a tree by its fruit. ³⁴You poisonous snakes! How can you evil people say anything good? Your mouth says what comes from inside you. ³⁵Good people do the good things that are in them. But evil people do the evil things that are in them.

³⁶“I can guarantee that on judgment day people will have to give an account of every careless word they say. ³⁷By your words you will be declared innocent, or by your words you will be declared guilty.”

The Sign of Jonah

³⁸Then some experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign.”

³⁹He responded, “The people of an evil and unfaithful era look for a miraculous sign. But the only sign they will get is the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰Just as Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. ⁴¹The men of Nineveh will stand up with you at the time of judgment and will condemn you, because they turned to Theos and changed the way they thought and acted when Jonah spoke his message. But look, someone greater than Jonah is here! ⁴²The queen from the south will stand up at the time of judgment with you. She will condemn you, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom. But look, someone greater than Solomon is here!

⁴³“When an evil spirit (pneuma) comes out of a person, it goes through dry places looking for a place to rest. But it doesn’t find any. ⁴⁴Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to the home I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean, and in order. ⁴⁵Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself. They enter and take up permanent residence there. In the end the condition of that person is worse than it was before. That is what will happen to the evil people of this day.”

The True Family of Jesus

⁴⁶While Jesus was still talking to the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside. They wanted to talk to him. ⁴⁷Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside. They want to talk to you.”

⁴⁸He replied to the man speaking to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹Pointing with his hand at his disciples, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 13

A Story about a Farmer

¹That same day Jesus left the house and sat down by the Sea of Galilee. ²The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat. He sat in the boat while the entire crowd stood on the shore. ³Then he used stories as illustrations to tell them many things.

He said, “Listen! A farmer went to plant seed. ⁴Some seeds were planted along the road, and birds came and devoured them. ⁵Other seeds were planted on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The plants sprouted quickly because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶But when the sun came up, they were scorched. They withered because their roots weren’t deep enough. ⁷Other seeds were planted among thornbushes, and the thornbushes grew up and choked them. ⁸But other seeds were planted on good ground and produced grain. They produced one hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much as was planted. ⁹Let the person who has ears listen!”

¹⁰The disciples asked him, “Why do you use stories as illustrations when you speak to people?”

¹¹Jesus answered, “Knowledge about the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you. But it has not been given to the crowd. ¹²Those who understand ⌞these mysteries⌟ will be given ⌞more knowledge⌟, and they will excel ⌞in understanding them⌟. However, some people don’t understand ⌞these mysteries⌟. Even what they understand will be taken away from them. ¹³This is why I speak to them this way. They see, but they’re blind. They hear, but they don’t listen. They don’t even try to understand. ¹⁴So they make Isaiah’s prophecy come true:

‘You will hear clearly but never understand.
You will see clearly but never comprehend.
15 These people have become close-minded
and hard of hearing.
They have shut their eyes
so that their eyes never see.
Their ears never hear.
Their minds never understand.
And they never return to me for healing!’

¹⁶“Blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷I can guarantee this truth: Many prophets and many of Theos’s people longed to see what you see but didn’t see it, to hear what you hear but didn’t hear it.

¹⁸“Listen to what the story about the farmer means. ¹⁹Someone hears the word about the kingdom but doesn’t understand it. The evil one comes at once and snatches away what was planted in him. This is what the seed planted along the road illustrates. ²⁰The seed planted on rocky ground ⌞is the person who⌟ hears the word and accepts it at once with joy. ²¹Since he doesn’t have any root, he lasts only a little while. When suffering or persecution comes along because of the word, he immediately falls ⌞from faith⌟. ²²The seed planted among thornbushes ⌞is another person who⌟ hears the word. But the worries of life and the deceitful pleasures of riches choke the word so that it can’t produce anything. ²³But the seed planted on good ground ⌞is the person who⌟ hears and understands the word. This type produces crops. They produce one hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much as was planted.”

A Story about Weeds in the Wheat

²⁴Jesus used another illustration. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who planted good seed in his field. ²⁵But while people were asleep, his enemy planted weeds in the wheat field and went away. ²⁶When the wheat came up and formed kernels, weeds appeared.

²⁷“The owner’s workers came to him and asked, ‘Sir, didn’t you plant good seed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?’

²⁹“He replied, ‘No. If you pull out the weeds, you may pull out the wheat with them. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. When the grain is cut, I will tell the workers to gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned. But I’ll have them bring the wheat into my barn.’ ”

Stories about a Mustard Seed and Yeast

³¹Jesus used another illustration. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone planted in a field. ³²It’s one of the smallest seeds. However, when it has grown, it is taller than the garden plants. It becomes a tree that is large enough for birds to nest in its branches.”

³³He used another illustration. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman mixed into a large amount of flour until the yeast worked its way through all the dough.”

³⁴Jesus used illustrations to tell the crowds all these things. He did not tell them anything without illustrating it with a story. ³⁵So what the prophet had said came true:

“I will open my mouth to illustrate points.
I will tell what has been hidden since the world was made.”

The Meaning of the Weeds in the Wheat

³⁶When Jesus had sent the people away, he went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain what the illustration of the weeds in the field means.”

³⁷He answered, “The one who plants the good seeds is the Son of Man. ³⁸The field is the world. The good seeds are those who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are those who belong to the evil one. ³⁹The enemy who planted them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world. The workers are angels. ⁴⁰Just as weeds are gathered and burned, so it will be at the end of time. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send his angels. They will gather everything in his kingdom that causes people to sin and everyone who does evil. ⁴²The angels will throw them into a blazing furnace. People will cry and be in extreme pain there. ⁴³Then the people who have Theos’s approval will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let the person who has ears listen!

Stories about a Treasure, a Merchant, and a Net

⁴⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. When a man discovered it, he buried it again. He was so delighted with it that he went away, sold everything he had, and bought that field.

⁴⁵“Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who was searching for fine pearls. ⁴⁶When he found a valuable pearl, he went away, sold everything he had, and bought it.

⁴⁷“Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea. It gathered all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸When it was full, they pulled it to the shore. Then they sat down, gathered the good fish into containers, and threw the bad ones away. ⁴⁹The same thing will happen at the end of time. The angels will go out and separate the evil people from people who have Theos’s approval. ⁵⁰Then the angels will throw the evil people into a blazing furnace. They will cry and be in extreme pain there.

⁵²So Jesus said to them, “That is why every student of the Scriptures who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure chest.”

Nazareth Rejects Jesus

⁵⁴Jesus went to his hometown and taught the people in the synagogue in a way that amazed them. People were asking, “Where did this man get this wisdom and the power to do these miracles? ⁵⁵Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary? Aren’t his brothers’ names James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? ⁵⁶And aren’t all his sisters here with us? Where, then, did this man get all this?” ⁵⁷So they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them, “The only place a prophet isn’t honored is in his hometown and in his own house.”

Matthew 14

Recalling John’s Death

¹At that time Herod, ruler of Galilee, heard the news about Jesus. ²He said to his officials, “This is John the Baptizer! He has come back to life. That’s why he has the power to perform these miracles.”

³Herod had arrested John, tied him up, and put him in prison. Herod did this for Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. ⁴John had been telling Herod, “It’s not right for you to be married to her.” ⁵So Herod wanted to kill John. However, he was afraid of the people because they thought John was a prophet.

⁶When Herod celebrated his birthday, Herodias’ daughter danced for his guests. Herod was so delighted with her that ⁷he swore he would give her anything she wanted.

⁸Urged by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptizer on a platter.”

⁹The king regretted his promise. But because of his oath and his guests, he ordered that her wish be granted. ¹⁰He had John’s head cut off in prison. ¹¹So the head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.

¹²John’s disciples came for the body and buried it. Then they went to tell Jesus.

Jesus Feeds More Than Five Thousand

¹³When Jesus heard about John, he left in a boat and went to a place where he could be alone. The crowds heard about this and followed him on foot from the cities. ¹⁴When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. He felt sorry for them and cured their sick people.

¹⁵In the evening the disciples came to him. They said, “No one lives around here, and it’s already late. Send the crowds to the villages to buy food for themselves.”

¹⁶Jesus said to them, “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷They told him, “All we have here are five loaves of bread and two fish.”

¹⁹Then he ordered the people to sit down on the grass. After he took the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed the food. He broke the loaves apart, gave them to the disciples, and they gave them to the people. ²⁰All of them ate as much as they wanted. When they picked up the leftover pieces, they filled twelve baskets.

²¹About five thousand men had eaten. (This number does not include the women and children who had eaten.)

Jesus Walks on the Sea

²²Jesus quickly made his disciples get into a boat and cross to the other side ahead of him while he sent the people away. ²³After sending the people away, he went up a mountain to pray by himself. When evening came, he was there alone.

²⁴The boat, now hundreds of yards from shore, was being thrown around by the waves because it was going against the wind.

²⁵Between three and six o’clock in the morning, he came to them. He was walking on the sea. ²⁶When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. They said, “It’s a ghost!” and began to scream because they were afraid.

²⁸Peter answered, “Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹Jesus said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he noticed how strong the wind was, he became afraid and started to sink. He shouted, “Lord, save me!”

³¹Immediately, Jesus reached out, caught hold of him, and said, “You have so little faith! Why did you doubt?”

³²When they got into the boat, the wind stopped blowing. ³³The men in the boat bowed down in front of Jesus and said, “You are truly the Son of Theos.”

³⁴They crossed the sea and landed at Gennesaret. ³⁵The men there recognized Jesus and sent messengers all around the countryside. The people brought him everyone who was sick. ³⁶They begged him to let them touch just the edge of his clothes. Everyone who touched his clothes was made well.

Matthew 15

Jesus Challenges the Pharisees’ Traditions

¹Then some Pharisees and experts in Moses’ Teachings came from Jerusalem to Jesus. They asked, ²“Why do your disciples break the traditions of our ancestors? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”

³He answered them, “Why do you break the commandment of Theos because of your traditions? ⁴For example, Theos said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother must be put to death.’ ⁵But you say that whoever tells his father or mother, ‘I have given to Theos whatever support you might have received from me,’ ⁶does not have to honor his father. Because of your traditions you have destroyed the authority of Theos’s word. ⁷You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

8 ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 Their worship of me is pointless,
because their teachings are rules made by humans.’ ”

¹⁰Then he called the crowd and said to them, “Listen and try to understand! ¹¹What goes into a person’s mouth doesn’t make him unclean. (“Unclean” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is not presentable to Theos.) It’s what comes out of the mouth that makes a person unclean.”

¹²Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you realize that when the Pharisees heard your statement they were offended?”

¹³He answered, “Any plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴Leave them alone! They are blind leaders. When one blind person leads another, both will fall into the same pit.”

¹⁶Jesus said, “Don’t you understand yet? ¹⁷Don’t you know that whatever goes into the mouth goes into the stomach and then into a toilet? ¹⁸But whatever goes out of the mouth comes from within, and that’s what makes a person unclean. ¹⁹Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, ⌞other⌟ sexual sins, stealing, lying, and cursing come from within. ²⁰These are the things that make a person unclean. But eating without washing one’s hands doesn’t make a person unclean.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

²²A Canaanite woman from that territory came ⌞to him⌟ and began to shout, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”

²³But he did not answer her at all. Then his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away. She keeps shouting behind us.”

²⁴Jesus responded, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.”

²⁶Jesus replied, “It’s not right to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”

²⁷She said, “You’re right, Lord. But even the dogs eat scraps that fall from their masters’ tables.”

²⁸Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, you have strong faith! What you wanted will be done for you.” At that moment her daughter was cured.

²⁹Jesus moved on from there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up a mountain and sat there.

³⁰A large crowd came to him, bringing with them the lame, blind, disabled, those unable to talk, and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he cured them. ³¹The crowd was amazed to see mute people talking, the disabled cured, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. So they praised the Theos of Israel.

Jesus Feeds More Than Four Thousand

³²Jesus called his disciples and said, “I feel sorry for the people. They have been with me three days now and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they may become exhausted on their way home.”

³³His disciples asked him, “Where could we get enough bread to feed such a crowd in this place where no one lives?”

³⁵He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks to Theos. Then he broke the bread and gave it to the disciples, and they gave the bread and fish to the people.

³⁷All of them ate as much as they wanted. The disciples picked up the leftover pieces and filled seven large baskets. ³⁸Four thousand men had eaten. (This number does not include the women and children who had eaten.)

³⁹After he sent the people on their way, Jesus stepped into the boat and came to the territory of Magadan.

Matthew 16

The Pharisees Ask for a Sign from Heaven

¹The Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus. So they asked him to show them a miraculous sign from heaven.

²He responded to them, “In the evening you say that the weather will be fine because the sky is red. ³And in the morning you say that there will be a storm today because the sky is red and overcast. You can forecast the weather by judging the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

⁴“Evil and unfaithful people look for a miraculous sign. But the only sign they will be given is that of Jonah.”

The Yeast of the Pharisees

⁵The disciples had forgotten to take any bread along when they went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

⁶Jesus said to them, “Be careful! Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”

⁷The disciples had been discussing among themselves that they had not taken any bread along.

⁸Jesus knew about their conversation and asked, “Why are you discussing among yourselves that you don’t have any bread? You have so little faith! ⁹Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you filled? ¹⁰Don’t you remember the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many large baskets you filled? ¹¹Why don’t you understand that I wasn’t talking to you about bread? Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”

¹²Then they understood that he didn’t say to watch out for the yeast in bread, but to watch out for the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Declares His Belief about Jesus

¹³When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptizer, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Theos!”

¹⁷Jesus replied, “Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! No human revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven revealed it to you. ¹⁸You are Peter, and I can guarantee that on this rock (In Greek there is a play on words between petros (Peter or pebble) and petra (rock).) I will build my church. And the gates of hell will not overpower it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you imprison, Theos will imprison. And whatever you set free, Theos will set free.”

²⁰Then he strictly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life

²¹From that time on Jesus began to inform his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem. There he would have to suffer a lot because of the leaders, the chief priests, and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be brought back to life.

²²Peter took him aside and objected to this. He said, “Heaven forbid, Lord! This must never happen to you!”

²³But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get out of my way, Satan! You are tempting me to sin. You aren’t thinking the way Theos thinks but the way humans think.”

What It Means to Follow Jesus

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses, and follow me. ²⁵Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me will find them. ²⁶What good will it do for people to win the whole world and lose their lives? Or what will a person give in exchange for life? ²⁷The Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory. Then he will pay back each person based on what that person has done. ²⁸I can guarantee this truth: Some people who are standing here will not die until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Matthew 17

Moses and Elijah Appear with Jesus

¹After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John (the brother of James) and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone.

²Jesus’ appearance changed in front of them. His face became as bright as the sun and his clothes as white as light. ³Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them and were talking with Jesus.

⁴Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good that we’re here. If you want, I’ll put up three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

⁵He was still speaking when a bright cloud overshadowed them. Then a voice came out of the cloud and said, “This is my Son, whom I love and with whom I am pleased. Listen to him!”

⁶The disciples were terrified when they heard this and fell facedown on the ground. ⁷But Jesus touched them and said, “Get up, and don’t be afraid!” ⁸As they raised their heads, they saw no one but Jesus.

⁹On their way down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen. Wait until the Son of Man has been brought back to life.”

¹⁰So the disciples asked him, “Why do the experts in Moses’ Teachings say that Elijah must come first?”

¹¹Jesus answered, “Elijah is coming and will put everything in order again. ¹²Actually, I can guarantee that Elijah has already come. Yet, people treated him as they pleased because they didn’t recognize him. In the same way they’re going to make the Son of Man suffer.”

Jesus Cures a Demon-Possessed Boy

¹⁴When they came to a crowd, a man came up to Jesus, knelt in front of him, ¹⁵and said, “Sir, have mercy on my son. He suffers from seizures. Often he falls into fire or water. ¹⁶I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t cure him.”

¹⁷Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and corrupt generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me!”

¹⁸Jesus ordered the demon to come out of the boy. At that moment the boy was cured.

¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we force the demon out of the boy?”

²⁰He told them, “Because you have so little faith. I can guarantee this truth: If your faith is the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Some manuscripts and translations add verse 21: “However, this kind ⌞of demon⌟ goes away only by prayer and fasting.”)

Jesus Again Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life

²²While they were traveling together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over to people. ²³They will kill him, but on the third day he will be brought back to life.” Then the disciples became very sad.

Paying the Temple Tax

²⁴When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter. They asked him, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”

Peter went into the house. Before he could speak, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the world collect fees or taxes? Is it from their family members or from other people?”

Jesus said to him, “Then the family members are exempt. ²⁷However, so that we don’t create a scandal, go to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish that you catch. Open its mouth, and you will find a coin. Give that coin to them for you and me.”

Matthew 18

Greatness in the Kingdom

¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

²He called a little child and had him stand among them. ³Then he said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever becomes like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me.

Causing Others to Lose Faith

⁶“These little ones believe in me. It would be best for the person who causes one of them to lose faith to be drowned in the sea with a large stone hung around his neck. ⁷How horrible it will be for the world because it causes people to lose their faith. Situations that cause people to lose their faith will arise. How horrible it will be for the person who causes someone to lose his faith!

⁸“If your hand or your foot causes you to lose your faith, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life disabled or injured than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into everlasting fire. ⁹If your eye causes you to lose your faith, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire.

¹⁰“Be careful not to despise these little ones. I can guarantee that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father, who is in heaven. (Some manuscripts and translations add verse 11: “The Son of Man came to save the lost.”)

The Lost Sheep

¹²“What do you think? Suppose a man has 100 sheep and one of them strays. Won’t he leave the 99 sheep in the hills to look for the one that has strayed? ¹³I can guarantee this truth: If he finds it, he is happier about it than about the 99 that have not strayed. ¹⁴In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want one of these little ones to be lost.

Dealing with Believers When They Do Wrong

¹⁵“If a believer does something wrong, (Some manuscripts and translations add “against you.”) go, confront him when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have won back that believer. ¹⁶But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you so that every accusation may be verified by two or three witnesses. ¹⁷If he ignores these witnesses, tell it to the community of believers. If he also ignores the community, deal with him as you would a heathen or a tax collector. ¹⁸I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you imprison, Theos will imprison. And whatever you set free, Theos will set free.

¹⁹“I can guarantee again that if two of you agree on anything here on earth, my Father in heaven will accept it. ²⁰Where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them.”

Personally Forgiving Others

²¹Then Peter came to Jesus and asked him, “Lord, how often do I have to forgive a believer who wrongs me? Seven times?”

²²Jesus answered him, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy times seven.

²³“That is why the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴When he began to do this, a servant who owed him millions of dollars was brought to him. ²⁵Because he could not pay off the debt, the master ordered him, his wife, his children, and all that he had to be sold to pay off the account. ²⁶Then the servant fell at his master’s feet and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay everything!’

²⁷“The master felt sorry for his servant, freed him, and canceled his debt. ²⁸But when that servant went away, he found a servant who owed him hundreds of dollars. He grabbed the servant he found and began to choke him. ‘Pay what you owe!’ he said.

²⁹“Then that other servant fell at his feet and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’ ³⁰But he refused. Instead, he turned away and had that servant put into prison until he would repay what he owed.

³¹“The other servants who worked with him saw what had happened and felt very sad. They told their master the whole story.

³²“Then his master sent for him and said to him, ‘You evil servant! I canceled your entire debt, because you begged me. ³³Shouldn’t you have treated the other servant as mercifully as I treated you?’

³⁴“His master was so angry that he handed him over to the torturers until he would repay everything that he owed. ³⁵That is what my Father in heaven will do to you if each of you does not sincerely forgive other believers.”

Matthew 19

A Discussion about Divorce and Celibacy

¹When Jesus finished speaking, he left Galilee and traveled along the other side of the Jordan River to the territory of Judea. ²Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

³Some Pharisees came to test him. They asked, “Can a man divorce his wife for any reason?”

⁴Jesus answered, “Haven’t you read that the Creator made them male and female in the beginning ⁵and that he said, ‘That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and will remain united with his wife, and the two will be one’? ⁶So they are no longer two but one. Therefore, don’t let anyone separate what Theos has joined together.”

⁷The Pharisees asked him, “Why, then, did Moses order a man to give his wife a written notice to divorce her?”

⁸Jesus answered them, “Moses allowed you to divorce your wives because you’re heartless. It was never this way in the beginning. ⁹I can guarantee that whoever divorces his wife for any reason other than her unfaithfulness is committing adultery if he marries another woman.”

¹⁰The disciples said to him, “If that is the only reason a man can use to divorce his wife, it’s better not to get married.”

¹¹He answered them, “Not everyone can do what you suggest. Only those who have that gift can. ¹²For example, some men are celibate because they were born that way. Others are celibate because they were castrated. Still others have decided to be celibate because of the kingdom of heaven. If anyone can do what you’ve suggested, then he should do it.”

Jesus Blesses Children

¹³Then some people brought little children to Jesus to have him bless them and pray for them. But the disciples told the people not to do that.

¹⁴Jesus said, “Don’t stop children from coming to me! Children like these are part of Theos’s kingdom.” ¹⁵After Jesus blessed them, he went away from there.

Eternal Life in the Kingdom

¹⁶Then a man came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good deed should I do to gain eternal life?”

¹⁷Jesus said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, obey the commandments.”

Jesus said, “Never murder. Never commit adultery. Never steal. Never give false testimony. ¹⁹Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

²⁰The young man replied, “I have obeyed all these commandments. What else do I need to do?”

²¹Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, sell what you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!”

²²When the young man heard this, he went away sad because he owned a lot of property.

²³Jesus said to his disciples, “I can guarantee this truth: It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴I can guarantee again that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter Theos’s kingdom.”

²⁵He amazed his disciples more than ever when they heard this. “Then who can be saved?” they asked.

²⁶Jesus looked at them and said, “It is impossible for people ⌞to save themselves⌟, but everything is possible for Theos.”

²⁷Then Peter replied to him, “Look, we’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get out of it?”

²⁸Jesus said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: When the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the world to come, you, my followers, will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹And everyone who gave up homes, brothers or sisters, father, mother, children, or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰However, many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Matthew 20

A Story about Vineyard Workers

¹“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. ²After agreeing to pay the workers the usual day’s wages, he sent them to work in his vineyard. ³About 9 a.m. he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. ⁴He said to them, ‘Work in my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So they went.

⁵“He went out again about noon and 3 p.m. and did the same thing. ⁶About 5 p.m. he went out and found some others standing around. He said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day long without work?’

⁸“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told the supervisor, ‘Call the workers, and give them their wages. Start with the last, and end with the first.’

⁹“Those who started working about 5 p.m. came, and each received a day’s wages. ¹⁰When those who had been hired first came, they expected to receive more. But each of them received a day’s wages. ¹¹Although they took it, they began to protest to the owner. ¹²They said, ‘These last workers have worked only one hour. Yet, you’ve treated us all the same, even though we worked hard all day under a blazing sun.’

¹³“The owner said to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m not treating you unfairly. Didn’t you agree with me on a day’s wages? ¹⁴Take your money and go! I want to give this last worker as much as I gave you. ¹⁵Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Or do you resent my generosity towards others?’

For the Third Time Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life

¹⁷When Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he took the twelve apostles aside and said to them privately, ¹⁸“We’re going to Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. They will condemn him to death ¹⁹and hand him over to foreigners. They will make fun of him, whip him, and crucify him. But on the third day he will be brought back to life.”

A Mother Makes a Request

²⁰Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her two sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor.

She said to him, “Promise that one of my sons will sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

²²Jesus replied, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink the cup that I’m going to drink?”

²³Jesus said to them, “You will drink my cup. But I don’t have the authority to grant you a seat at my right or left. My Father has already prepared these positions for certain people.”

²⁴When the other ten apostles heard about this, they were irritated with the two brothers. ²⁵Jesus called the apostles and said, “You know that the rulers of nations have absolute power over people and their officials have absolute authority over people. ²⁶But that’s not the way it’s going to be among you. Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant. ²⁷Whoever wants to be most important among you will be your slave. ²⁸It’s the same way with the Son of Man. He didn’t come so that others could serve him. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

Jesus Gives Two Blind Men Their Sight

²⁹As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus. ³⁰Two blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³¹The crowd told them to be quiet. But they shouted even louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³²Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³⁴Jesus felt sorry for them, so he touched their eyes. Their sight was restored at once, and they followed him.

Matthew 21

The King Comes to Jerusalem

¹When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples ahead of him. ²He said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you. You will find a donkey tied there and a colt with it. Untie them, and bring them to me. ³If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them. That person will send them at once.”

5 “Tell the people of Zion,
‘Your king is coming to you.
He’s gentle,
riding on a donkey,
on a colt, a young pack animal.’ ”

⁶The disciples did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸Most of the people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹The crowd that went ahead of him and that followed him was shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹⁰When Jesus came into Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar. People were asking, “Who is this?”

¹¹The crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Jesus Throws Out the Moneychangers

¹²Jesus went into the temple courtyard and threw out everyone who was buying and selling there. He overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those who sold pigeons. ¹³He told them, “Scripture says, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you’re turning it into a gathering place for thieves!”

¹⁴Blind and lame people came to him in the temple courtyard, and he healed them.

¹⁵When the chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings saw the amazing miracles he performed and the children shouting in the temple courtyard, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were irritated. ¹⁶They said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”

Jesus replied, “Yes, I do. Have you never read, ‘From the mouths of little children and infants, you have created praise’?”

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

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

¹⁸In the morning, as Jesus returned to the city, he became hungry. ¹⁹When he saw a fig tree by the road, he went up to the tree and found nothing on it but leaves. He said to the tree, “May fruit never grow on you again!” At once the fig tree dried up.

²⁰The disciples were surprised to see this. They asked, “How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?”

²¹Jesus answered them, “I can guarantee this truth: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to the fig tree. You could also say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. ²²Have faith that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Jesus’ Authority Challenged

²³Then Jesus went into the temple courtyard and began to teach. The chief priests and the leaders of the people came to him. They asked, “What gives you the right to do these things? Who told you that you could do this?”

²⁴Jesus answered them, “I, too, have a question for you. If you answer it for me, I’ll tell you why I have the right to do these things. ²⁵Did John’s right to baptize come from heaven or from humans?”

They discussed this among themselves. They said, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶But if we say, ‘from humans,’ we’re afraid of what the crowd might do. All those people think of John as a prophet.” ²⁷So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you why I have the right to do these things.

A Story about Two Sons

²⁸“What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go to work in the vineyard today.’

²⁹“His son replied, ‘I don’t want to!’ But later he changed his mind and went.

³⁰“The father went to the other son and told him the same thing. He replied, ‘I will, sir,’ but he didn’t go.

Jesus said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Tax collectors and prostitutes are going into Theos’s kingdom ahead of you. ³²John came to you and showed you the way that Theos wants you to live, but you didn’t believe him. The tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. But even after you had seen that, you didn’t change your minds and believe him.

A Story about a Vineyard

³³“Listen to another illustration. A landowner planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip.

³⁴“When the grapes were getting ripe, he sent his servants to the workers to collect his share of the produce. ³⁵The workers took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned a third to death. ³⁶So the landowner sent more servants. But the workers treated them the same way.

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

³⁸“When the workers saw his son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him and get his inheritance.’ ³⁹So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

⁴⁰“Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those workers?”

⁴¹They answered, “He will destroy those evil people. Then he will lease the vineyard to other workers who will give him his share of the produce when it is ready.”

‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
The Lord is responsible for this,
and it is amazing for us to see’?

⁴³That is why I can guarantee that Theos’s kingdom will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce what Theos wants. ⁴⁴Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken. If the stone falls on anyone, it will crush that person.” (Some manuscripts and translations omit this verse.)

⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his illustrations, they knew that he was talking about them. ⁴⁶They wanted to arrest him but were afraid of the crowds, who thought he was a prophet.

Matthew 22

A Story about a Wedding Reception

¹Again Jesus used stories as illustrations when he spoke to them. He said, ²“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who planned a wedding for his son. ³He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the wedding, but they refused to come. ⁴He sent other servants to tell the people who had been invited, ‘I’ve prepared dinner. My bulls and fattened calves have been butchered. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding!’

⁵“But they paid no attention and went away. Some went to work in their own fields, and others went to their businesses. ⁶The rest grabbed the king’s servants, mistreated them, and then killed them.

⁷“The king became angry. He sent his soldiers, killed those murderers, and burned their city.

⁸“Then the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited don’t deserve the honor. ⁹Go where the roads leave the city. Invite everyone you find to the wedding.’ ¹⁰The servants went into the streets and brought in all the good people and all the evil people they found. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹“When the king came to see the guests, he saw a person who was not dressed in the wedding clothes ⌞provided for the guests⌟. ¹²He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without proper wedding clothes?’

“The man had nothing to say. ¹³Then the king told his servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet, and throw him outside into the darkness. People will cry and be in extreme pain there.’

A Question about Taxes

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went away and planned to trap Jesus into saying the wrong thing. ¹⁶They sent their disciples to him along with Herod’s followers. They said to him, “Teacher, we know that you tell the truth and that you teach the truth about the way of Theos. You don’t favor individuals because of who they are. ¹⁷So tell us what you think. Is it right to pay taxes to the emperor or not?”

¹⁸Jesus recognized their evil plan, so he asked, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? ¹⁹Show me a coin used to pay taxes.”

They brought him a coin. ²⁰He said to them, “Whose face and name is this?”

Then he said to them, “Very well, give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and give Theos what belongs to Theos.”

The Dead Come Back to Life

²³On that day some Sadducees, who say that people will never come back to life, came to Jesus. They asked him, ²⁴“Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother should marry his widow and have children for his brother.’ ²⁵There were seven brothers among us. The first married and died. Since he had no children, he left his widow to his brother. ²⁶The second brother also died, as well as the third, and the rest of the seven brothers. ²⁷At last the woman died. ²⁸Now, when the dead come back to life, whose wife will she be? All seven brothers had been married to her.”

²⁹Jesus answered, “You’re mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or Theos’s power. ³⁰When people come back to life, they don’t marry. Rather, they are like the angels in heaven. ³¹Haven’t you read what Theos told you about the dead coming back to life? He said, ³²‘I am the Theos of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ He’s not the Theos of the dead but of the living.”

Love Theos and Your Neighbor

³⁴When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵One of them, an expert in Moses’ Teachings, tested Jesus by asking, ³⁶“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in Moses’ Teachings?”

³⁷Jesus answered him, “ ‘Love the Lord your Theos with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the greatest and most important commandment. ³⁹The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ ⁴⁰All of Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.”

How Can David’s Son Be David’s Lord?

⁴¹While the Pharisees were still gathered, Jesus asked them, ⁴²“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

⁴³He said to them, “Then how can David, guided by the Spirit (pneuma), call him Lord? David says,

⁴⁶No one could answer him, and from that time on no one dared to ask him another question.

Matthew 23

Jesus Disapproves of the Example Set by the Jewish Leaders

¹Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ²“The experts in Moses’ Teachings and the Pharisees teach with Moses’ authority. ³So be careful to do everything they tell you. But don’t follow their example, because they don’t practice what they preach. ⁴They make loads that are hard to carry and lay them on the shoulders of the people. However, they are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

⁵“They do everything to attract people’s attention. They make their headbands large and the tassels on their shawls long. ⁶They love the place of honor at dinners and the front seats in synagogues. ⁷They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have people call them Rabbi. ⁸But don’t make others call you Rabbi, because you have only one teacher, and you are all followers. ⁹And don’t call anyone on earth your father, because you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰Don’t make others call you a leader, because you have only one leader, the Messiah. ¹¹The person who is greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²Whoever honors himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be honored.

The Hypocrisy of the Jewish Leaders

¹³“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You don’t enter it yourselves, and you don’t permit others to enter when they try. (Some manuscripts and translations add verse 14: “How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You rob widows by taking their houses and then say long prayers to make yourselves look good. You will receive a most severe punishment.” (See Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.))

¹⁵“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You cross land and sea to recruit a single follower, and when you do, you make that person twice as fit for hell as you are.

¹⁶“How horrible it will be for you, you blind guides! You say, ‘To swear an oath by the temple doesn’t mean a thing. But to swear an oath by the gold in the temple means a person must keep his oath.’ ¹⁷You blind fools! What is more important, the gold or the temple that made the gold holy? ¹⁸Again you say, ‘To swear an oath by the altar doesn’t mean a thing. But to swear an oath by the gift on the altar means a person must keep his oath.’ ¹⁹You blind men! What is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? ²⁰To swear an oath by the altar is to swear by it and by everything on it. ²¹To swear an oath by the temple is to swear by it and by the one who lives there. ²²And to swear an oath by heaven is to swear by Theos’s throne and the one who sits on it.

²³“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give ⌞Theos⌟ one-tenth of your mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the most important things in Moses’ Teachings. You should have done these things without neglecting the others. ²⁴You blind guides! You strain gnats ⌞out of your wine⌟, but you swallow camels.

²⁵“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of cups and dishes. But inside they are full of greed and uncontrolled desires. ²⁶You blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cups and dishes so that the outside may also be clean.

²⁷“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed graves that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead people’s bones and every kind of impurity. ²⁸So on the outside you look as though you have Theos’s approval, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²⁹“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of those who had Theos’s approval. ³⁰Then you say, ‘If we had lived at the time of our ancestors, we would not have helped to murder the prophets.’ ³¹So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. ³²Go ahead, finish what your ancestors started!

³³“You snakes! You poisonous snakes! How can you escape being condemned to hell? ³⁴I’m sending you prophets, wise men, and teachers of the Scriptures. You will kill and crucify some of them. Others you will whip in your synagogues and persecute from city to city. ³⁵As a result, you will be held accountable for all the innocent blood of those murdered on earth. This includes the murder of Abel, who had Theos’s approval, to that of Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶I can guarantee this truth: The people living now will be held accountable for all these things.

³⁷“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone to death those sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings! But you were not willing! ³⁸Your house will be abandoned, deserted. ³⁹I can guarantee that you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Matthew 24

Jesus Teaches His Disciples on the Mount of Olives

¹As Jesus left the temple courtyard and was walking away, his disciples came to him. They proudly pointed out to him the temple buildings. ²Jesus said to them, “You see all these buildings, don’t you? I can guarantee this truth: Not one of these stones will be left on top of another. Each one will be torn down.”

³As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign that you are coming again, and when will the world come to an end?”

⁴Jesus answered them, “Be careful not to let anyone deceive you. ⁵Many will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many people.

⁶“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Don’t be alarmed! These things must happen, but they don’t mean that the end has come. ⁷Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All of these are only the beginning pains ⌞of the end⌟.

⁹“Then they will hand you over to those who will torture and kill you. All nations will hate you because you are committed to me. ¹⁰Then many will lose faith. They will betray and hate each other. ¹¹Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹²And because there will be more and more lawlessness, most people’s love will grow cold. ¹³But the person who endures to the end will be saved.

¹⁴“This Good News about the kingdom will be spread throughout the world as a testimony to all nations. Then the end will come.

¹⁵“The prophet Daniel said that the disgusting thing that will cause destruction will stand in the holy place. When you see this (let the reader take note), ¹⁶those of you in Judea should flee to the mountains. ¹⁷Those who are on the roof should not come down to get anything out of their houses. ¹⁸Those who are in the field should not turn back to get their coats.

¹⁹“How horrible it will be for the women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days. ²⁰Pray that it will not be winter or a day of rest—a holy day, when you flee. ²¹There will be a lot of misery at that time, a kind of misery that has not happened from the beginning of the world until now and will certainly never happen again. ²²If Theos does not reduce the number of those days, no one will be saved. But those days will be reduced because of those whom Theos has chosen.

²³“At that time don’t believe anyone who tells you, ‘Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ ²⁴False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will work spectacular, miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive, if possible, even those whom Theos has chosen. ²⁵Listen! I’ve told you this before it happens. ²⁶So if someone tells you, ‘He’s in the desert!’ don’t go out ⌞looking for him⌟. And don’t believe anyone who says, ‘He’s in a secret place!’ ²⁷The Son of Man will come again just as lightning flashes from east to west. ²⁸Vultures will gather wherever there is a dead body.

²⁹“Immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will turn dark, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the universe will be shaken.

³⁰“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. All the people on earth will cry in agony when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds in the sky with power and great glory. ³¹He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and from every direction under the sky, they will gather those whom Theos has chosen.

³²“Learn from the story of the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and it sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³In the same way, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the door.

³⁴“I can guarantee this truth: This generation will not disappear until all these things take place. ³⁵The earth and the heavens will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

No One Knows When the Son of Man Will Return

³⁶“No one knows when that day or hour will come. Even the angels in heaven and the Son don’t know. Only the Father knows.

³⁷“When the Son of Man comes again, it will be exactly like the days of Noah. ³⁸In the days before the flood, people were eating, drinking, and getting married until the day that Noah went into the ship. ³⁹They were not aware of what was happening until the flood came and swept all of them away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes again.

⁴⁰“At that time two men will be working in the field. One will be taken, and the other one will be left. ⁴¹Two women will be working at a mill. One will be taken, and the other one will be left.

⁴²“Therefore, be alert, because you don’t know on what day your Lord will return. ⁴³You realize that if a homeowner had known at what time of the night a thief was coming, he would have stayed awake. He would not have let the thief break into his house. ⁴⁴Therefore, you, too, must be ready because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him.

⁴⁵“Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant? The master will put that person in charge of giving the other servants their food at the right time. ⁴⁶That servant will be blessed if his master finds him doing this job when he comes. ⁴⁷I can guarantee this truth: He will put that servant in charge of all his property. ⁴⁸On the other hand, that servant, if he is wicked, may think that it will be a long time before his master comes. ⁴⁹The servant may begin to beat the other servants and eat and drink with the drunks. ⁵⁰His master will return unexpectedly. ⁵¹Then his master will severely punish him and assign him a place with the hypocrites. People will cry and be in extreme pain there.

Matthew 25

A Story about Ten Bridesmaids

¹“When the end comes, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids. They took their oil lamps and went to meet the groom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³The foolish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they didn’t take any extra oil. ⁴The wise bridesmaids, however, took along extra oil for their lamps. ⁵Since the groom was late, all the bridesmaids became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶“At midnight someone shouted, ‘The groom is here! Come to meet him!’ ⁷Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready.

⁸“The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.’

⁹“But the wise bridesmaids replied, ‘We can’t do that. There won’t be enough for both of us. Go! Find someone to sell you some oil.’

¹⁰“While they were buying oil, the groom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went with him into the wedding hall, and the door was shut.

¹¹“Later the other bridesmaids arrived and said, ‘Sir, sir, open the door for us!’

A Story about Three Servants

¹⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like a man going on a trip. He called his servants and entrusted some money to them. ¹⁵He gave one man ten thousand dollars, another four thousand dollars, and another two thousand dollars. Each was given money based on his ability. Then the man went on his trip.

¹⁶“The one who received ten thousand dollars invested the money at once and doubled his money. ¹⁷The one who had four thousand dollars did the same and also doubled his money. ¹⁸But the one who received two thousand dollars went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰The one who received ten thousand dollars brought the additional ten thousand. He said, ‘Sir, you gave me ten thousand dollars. I’ve doubled the amount.’

²¹“His master replied, ‘Good job! You’re a good and faithful servant! You proved that you could be trusted with a small amount. I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master’s happiness.’

²²“The one who received four thousand dollars came and said, ‘Sir, you gave me four thousand dollars. I’ve doubled the amount.’

²³“His master replied, ‘Good job! You’re a good and faithful servant! You proved that you could be trusted with a small amount. I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master’s happiness.’

²⁴“Then the one who received two thousand dollars came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you are a hard person to please. You harvest where you haven’t planted and gather where you haven’t scattered any seeds. ²⁵I was afraid. So I hid your two thousand dollars in the ground. Here’s your money!’

²⁶“His master responded, ‘You evil and lazy servant! If you knew that I harvest where I haven’t planted and gather where I haven’t scattered, ²⁷then you should have invested my money with the bankers. When I returned, I would have received my money back with interest. ²⁸Take the two thousand dollars away from him! Give it to the one who has the ten thousand! ²⁹To all who have, more will be given, and they will have more than enough. But everything will be taken away from those who don’t have much. ³⁰Throw this useless servant outside into the darkness. People will cry and be in extreme pain there.’

Jesus Will Judge the World

³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³²The people of every nation will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left.

³⁴“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, my Father has blessed you! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. ³⁵I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. ³⁶I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

³⁷“Then the people who have Theos’s approval will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or see you thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you as a stranger and take you into our homes or see you in need of clothes and give you something to wear? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

⁴⁰“The king will answer them, ‘I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant ⌞they seemed⌟, you did for me.’

⁴¹“Then the king will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me! Theos has cursed you! Go into everlasting fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels! ⁴²I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. ⁴³I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me into your homes. I needed clothes, and you didn’t give me anything to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t take care of me.’

⁴⁴“They, too, will ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a stranger or in need of clothes or sick or in prison and didn’t help you?’

⁴⁵“He will answer them, ‘I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you failed to do for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant ⌞they seemed⌟, you failed to do for me.’

⁴⁶“These people will go away into eternal punishment, but those with Theos’s approval will go into eternal life.”

Matthew 26

The Plot to Kill Jesus

¹When Jesus finished saying all these things, he told his disciples, ²“You know that the Passover will take place in two days. At that time the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

³Then the chief priests and the leaders of the people gathered in the palace of the chief priest Caiaphas. ⁴They made plans to arrest Jesus in an underhanded way and to kill him. ⁵But they said, “We shouldn’t arrest him during the festival, or else there may be a riot among the people.”

A Woman Prepares Jesus’ Body for the Tomb

⁶Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon, a man who had suffered from a skin disease. ⁷While Jesus was sitting there, a woman went to him with a bottle of very expensive perfume and poured it on his head.

⁸The disciples were irritated when they saw this. They asked, “Why did she waste it like this? ⁹It could have been sold for a high price, and the money could have been given to the poor.”

¹⁰Since Jesus knew what was going on, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. ¹¹You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me with you. ¹²She poured this perfume on my body before it is placed in a tomb. ¹³I can guarantee this truth: Wherever this Good News is spoken in the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Judas Plans to Betray Jesus

¹⁴Then one of the twelve apostles, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests. ¹⁵He asked, “What will you pay me if I hand him over to you?”

They offered him 30 silver coins. ¹⁶From then on, he looked for a chance to betray Jesus.

Preparations for the Passover

¹⁷On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples went to Jesus. They asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”

¹⁸He said, “Go to a certain man in the city, and tell him that the teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ ”

Jesus Knows Who Will Betray Him

²¹While they were eating, he said, “I can guarantee this truth: One of you is going to betray me.”

²²Feeling deeply hurt, they asked him one by one, “You don’t mean me, do you, Lord?”

²³Jesus answered, “Someone who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. ²⁴The Son of Man is going to die as the Scriptures say he will. But how horrible it will be for that person who betrays the Son of Man. It would have been better for that person if he had never been born.”

²⁵Then Judas, who betrayed him, asked, “You don’t mean me, do you, Rabbi?”

The Lord’s Supper

²⁶While they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take this, and eat it. This is my body.”

²⁷Then he took a cup and spoke a prayer of thanksgiving. He gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸This is my blood, the blood of the promise. (Or “testament,” or “covenant.”) It is poured out for many people so that sins are forgiven.

²⁹“I can guarantee that I won’t drink this wine again until that day when I drink new wine with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

³¹Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will abandon me tonight. Scripture says,

³²“But after I am brought back to life, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.”

³⁴Jesus replied to Peter, “I can guarantee this truth: Before a rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you don’t know me.”

³⁵Peter told him, “Even if I have to die with you, I’ll never say that I don’t know you!” All the other disciples said the same thing.

Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane

³⁶Then Jesus went with the disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.”

³⁷He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons with him. He was beginning to feel deep anguish. ³⁸Then he said to them, “My anguish is so great that I feel as if I’m dying. Wait here, and stay awake with me.”

³⁹After walking a little farther, he quickly bowed with his face to the ground and prayed, “Father, if it’s possible, let this cup ⌞of suffering⌟ be taken away from me. But let your will be done rather than mine.”

⁴⁰When he went back to the disciples, he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? ⁴¹Stay awake, and pray that you won’t be tempted. You want to do what’s right, but you’re weak.”

⁴²Then he went away a second time and prayed, “Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, let your will be done.”

⁴⁴After leaving them again, he went away and prayed the same prayer a third time. ⁴⁵Then he came back to the disciples and said to them, “You might as well sleep now. The time is near for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners. ⁴⁶Get up! Let’s go! The one who is betraying me is near.”

Jesus Is Arrested

⁴⁷Just then, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve apostles, arrived. A large crowd carrying swords and clubs was with him. They were from the chief priests and leaders of the people. ⁴⁸Now, the traitor had given them a signal. He said, “The one I kiss is the man you want. Arrest him!”

⁴⁹Then Judas quickly stepped up to Jesus and said, “Hello, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

Then some men came forward, took hold of Jesus, and arrested him. ⁵¹Suddenly, one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of the chief priest’s servant. ⁵²Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword away! All who use a sword will be killed by a sword. ⁵³Don’t you think that I could call on my Father to send more than twelve legions of angels to help me now? ⁵⁴How, then, are the Scriptures to be fulfilled that say this must happen?”

⁵⁵At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a criminal? I used to sit teaching in the temple courtyard every day. But you didn’t arrest me then. ⁵⁶All of this has happened so that what the prophets have written would come true.”

The Trial in Front of the Jewish Council

⁵⁷Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the chief priest, where the experts in Moses’ Teachings and the leaders had gathered together. ⁵⁸Peter followed at a distance until he came to the chief priest’s courtyard. He went inside and sat with the guards to see how this would turn out.

⁵⁹The chief priests and the whole council were searching for false testimony to use against Jesus in order to execute him. ⁶⁰But they did not find any, although many came forward with false testimony. At last two men came forward. ⁶¹They stated, “This man said, ‘I can tear down Theos’s temple and rebuild it in three days.’ ”

⁶²The chief priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Don’t you have any answer to what these men testify against you?”

Then the chief priest said to him, “Swear an oath in front of the living Theos and tell us, are you the Messiah, the Son of Theos?”

⁶⁴Jesus answered him, “Yes, I am. But I alone can guarantee that from now on you will see the Son of Man in the honored position—the one next to Theos the Father on the heavenly throne (Or “you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Theos.”). He will be coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵Then the chief priest tore his robes in horror and said, “He has dishonored Theos! Why do we need any more witnesses? You’ve just heard him dishonor Theos! ⁶⁶What’s your verdict?”

⁶⁷Then they spit in his face, hit him with their fists, and some of them slapped him. ⁶⁸They said, “You Christ, if you’re a prophet, tell us who hit you.”

Peter Denies Jesus

⁶⁹Peter was sitting in the courtyard. A female servant came to him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus the Galilean.”

⁷⁰But Peter denied it in front of them all by saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

⁷¹As he went to the entrance, another female servant saw him. She told those who were there, “This man was with Jesus from Nazareth.”

⁷²Again Peter denied it and swore with an oath, “I don’t know the man!”

⁷³After a little while the men standing there approached Peter and said, “It’s obvious you’re also one of them. Your accent gives you away!”

⁷⁴Then Peter began to curse and swear with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” Just then a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter went outside and cried bitterly.

Matthew 27

The Death of Judas

¹Early in the morning all the chief priests and the leaders of the people decided to execute Jesus. ²They tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

³Then Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, regretted what had happened when he saw that Jesus was condemned. He brought the 30 silver coins back to the chief priests and leaders. ⁴He said, “I’ve sinned by betraying an innocent man.”

⁶The chief priests took the money and said, “It’s not right to put it into the temple treasury, because it’s blood money.” ⁷So they decided to use it to buy a potter’s field for the burial of strangers. ⁸That’s why that field has been called the Field of Blood ever since. ⁹Then what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true, “They took the 30 silver coins, the price the people of Israel had placed on him, ¹⁰and used the coins to buy a potter’s field, as the Lord had directed me.”

Pilate Questions Jesus

¹¹Jesus stood in front of the governor, ⌞Pilate⌟. The governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

¹²While the chief priests and leaders were accusing him, he said nothing. ¹³Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear how many charges they’re bringing against you?”

¹⁴But Jesus said absolutely nothing to him in reply, so the governor was very surprised.

The Crowd Rejects Jesus

¹⁵At every Passover festival the governor would free one prisoner whom the crowd wanted. ¹⁶At that time there was a well-known prisoner by the name of Barabbas. ¹⁷So when the people gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which man do you want me to free for you? Do you want me to free Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ?” ¹⁸Pilate knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous.

¹⁹While Pilate was judging the case, his wife sent him a message. It said, “Leave that innocent man alone. I’ve been very upset today because of a dream I had about him.”

²⁰But the chief priests and leaders persuaded the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.

²¹The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to free for you?”

²²Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?”

²⁴Pilate saw that he was not getting anywhere. Instead, a riot was breaking out. So Pilate took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. He said, “I won’t be guilty of killing this man. Do what you want!”

²⁵All the people answered, “The responsibility for killing him will rest on us and our children.”

²⁶Then Pilate freed Barabbas for the people. But he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus

²⁷Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the palace and gathered the whole troop around him. ²⁸They took off his clothes and put a bright red cape on him. ²⁹They twisted some thorns into a crown, placed it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. They knelt in front of him and made fun of him by saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” ³⁰After they had spit on him, they took the stick and kept hitting him on the head with it.

The Crucifixion

³¹After the soldiers finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

³²On the way they found a man named Simon. He was from the city of Cyrene. The soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.

³³They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ³⁴They gave him a drink of wine mixed with a drug called gall. When he tasted it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵After they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice. ³⁶Then they sat there and kept watch over him. ³⁷They placed a written accusation above his head. It read, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”

³⁸At that time they crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and the other on his left.

³⁹Those who passed by insulted him. They shook their heads ⁴⁰and said, “You were going to tear down Theos’s temple and build it again in three days. Save yourself! If you’re the Son of Theos, come down from the cross.” ⁴¹The chief priests together with the experts in Moses’ Teachings and the leaders made fun of him in the same way. They said, ⁴²“He saved others, but he can’t save himself. So he’s Israel’s king! Let him come down from the cross now, and we’ll believe him. ⁴³He trusted Theos. Let Theos rescue him now if he wants. After all, this man said, ‘I am the Son of Theos.’ ” ⁴⁴Even the criminals crucified with him were insulting him the same way.

Jesus Dies on the Cross

⁴⁵At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ⁴⁶About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My Theos, my Theos, why have you abandoned me?” ⁴⁷When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” ⁴⁸One of the men ran at once, took a sponge, and soaked it in some vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. ⁴⁹The others said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵¹Suddenly, the curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split open. ⁵²The tombs were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died came back to life. ⁵³They came out of the tombs after he had come back to life, and they went into the holy city where they appeared to many people.

⁵⁴An army officer and those watching Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the other things happening. They were terrified and said, “Certainly, this was the Son of Theos!”

⁵⁵Many women were there watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee and had always supported him. ⁵⁶Among them were Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Jesus Is Placed in a Tomb

⁵⁷In the evening a rich man named Joseph arrived. He was from the city of Arimathea and had become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate ordered that it be given to him.

⁵⁹Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. ⁶⁰Then he laid it in his own new tomb, which had been cut in a rock. After rolling a large stone against the door of the tomb, he went away. ⁶¹Mary from Magdala and the other Mary were sitting there, facing the tomb.

The Chief Priests and Pharisees Secure Jesus’ Tomb

⁶²The next day, which was the day of rest—a holy day, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together and went to Pilate. ⁶³They said, “Sir, we remember how that deceiver said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be brought back to life.’ ⁶⁴Therefore, give the order to make the tomb secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may steal him and say to the people, ‘He has been brought back to life.’ Then the last deception will be worse than the first.”

⁶⁵Pilate told them, “You have the soldiers you want for guard duty. Go and make the tomb as secure as you know how.”

⁶⁶So they went to secure the tomb. They placed a seal on the stone and posted the soldiers on guard duty.

Matthew 28

Jesus Comes Back to Life

¹After the day of rest—a holy day, as the sun rose Sunday morning, Mary from Magdala and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

²Suddenly, there was a powerful earthquake. An angel of the Lord had come down from heaven, rolled the stone away, and was sitting on it. ³He was as bright as lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow. ⁴The guards were so deathly afraid of him that they shook.

⁵The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid! I know you’re looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He’s not here. He has been brought back to life as he said. Come, see the place where he was lying. ⁷Then go quickly, and tell his disciples that he has been brought back to life. He’s going ahead of them into Galilee. There they will see him. Take note that I have told you.”

⁸They hurried away from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples.

⁹Suddenly, Jesus met them and greeted them. They went up to him, bowed down to worship him, and took hold of his feet.

¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go, tell my followers to go to Galilee. There they will see me.”

The Guards Report to the Chief Priests

¹¹While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city. They told the chief priests everything that had happened.

¹²The chief priests gathered together with the leaders and agreed on a plan. They gave the soldiers a large amount of money ¹³and told them to say that Jesus’ disciples had come at night and had stolen his body while they were sleeping. ¹⁴⌞They added,⌟ “If the governor hears about it, we’ll take care of it, and you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

¹⁵The soldiers took the money and did as they were told. Their story has been spread among the Jewish people to this day.

Jesus Gives Instructions to the Disciples

¹⁶The eleven disciples went to the mountain in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they bowed down in worship, though some had doubts.

¹⁸When Jesus came near, he spoke to them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (pneuma). ²⁰Teach them to do everything I have commanded you.