Mattityahu (Mat) 21
21
1As they were approaching Yerushalayim, they came to Beit-Pagei on the Mount of Olives. Yeshua sent two talmidim 2with these instructions: “Go into the village ahead of you, and you will immediately find a donkey tethered there with its colt. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him, ‘The Lord needs them’; and he will let them go at once.” 4This happened in order to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet,
5“Say to the daughter of Tziyon,
‘Look! Your King is coming to you,
riding humbly on a donkey,
and on a colt, the offspring of a beast of burden!’
6So the talmidim went and did as Yeshua had directed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and put their robes on them, and Yeshua sat on them. 8Crowds of people carpeted the road with their clothing, while others cut branches from trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds ahead of him and behind shouted,
“Please! Deliver us!”
to the Son of David;
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of Adonai!”
“You in the highest heaven! Please! Deliver us!”
10When he entered Yerushalayim, the whole city was stirred. “Who is this?” they asked. 11And the crowds answered, “This is Yeshua, the prophet from Natzeret in the Galil.”
12Yeshua entered the Temple grounds and drove out those who were doing business there, both the merchants and their customers. He upset the desks of the money-changers and knocked over the benches of those who were selling pigeons. 13He said to them, “It has been written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it into a den of robbers!”
14Blind and lame people came up to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15But when the head cohanim and Torah-teachers saw the wonderful things he was doing, and the children crying out in the Temple, “Please deliver us!” to the Son of David, they were furious. 16They said to him, “Do you hear what they’re saying?” Yeshua replied, “Of course! Haven’t you ever read,
‘From the mouth of children and infants
you have prepared praise for yourself’?”
17With that, he left them and went outside the city to Beit-Anyah, where he spent the night.
18The next morning, on his way back to the city, he felt hungry. 19Spotting a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. So he said to it, “May you never again bear fruit!” and immediately the fig tree dried up. 20The talmidim saw this and were amazed. “How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?” they asked. 21Yeshua answered them, “Yes! I tell you, if you have trust and don’t doubt, you will not only do what was done to this fig tree; but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea!’ it will be done. 22In other words, you will receive everything you ask for in prayer, no matter what it is, provided you have trust.”
23He went into the Temple area; and as he was teaching, the head cohanim and the elders of the people approached him and demanded, “What s’mikhah do you have that authorizes you to do these things? And who gave you this s’mikhah?” 24Yeshua answered, “I too will ask you a question. If you answer it, then I will tell you by what s’mikhah I do these things. 25The immersion of Yochanan — where did it come from? From Heaven or from a human source?” They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From Heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘From a human source,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard Yochanan as a prophet.” 27So they answered Yeshua, “We don’t know.” And he replied, “Then I won’t tell you by what s’mikhah I do these things.
28“But give me your opinion: a man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29He answered, ‘I don’t want to’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30The father went to his other son and said the same thing. This one answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he didn’t go. 31Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they replied. “That’s right!” Yeshua said to them. “I tell you that the tax-collectors and prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you! 32For Yochanan came to you showing the path to righteousness, and you wouldn’t trust him. The tax-collectors and prostitutes trusted him; but you, even after you saw this, didn’t change your minds later and trust him.
33“Now listen to another parable. There was a farmer who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower; then he rented it to tenants and left. 34When harvest-time came, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the crop. 35But the tenants seized his servants — this one they beat up, that one they killed, another they stoned. 36So he sent some other servants, more than the first group, and they did the same to them. 37Finally, he sent them his son, saying, ‘My son they will respect.’ 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance!’ 39So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41They answered him, “He will viciously destroy those vicious men and rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the crop when it’s due.” 42Yeshua said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Tanakh,
‘The very rock which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone!
This has come from Adonai,
and in our eyes it is amazing’?
43Therefore, I tell you that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to the kind of people that will produce its fruit!” 44
45As the head cohanim and the P’rushim listened to his stories, they saw that he was speaking about them. 46But when they set about to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds; because the crowds considered him a prophet.
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Mattityahu (Mat) 21: CJB
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Learn More About Complete Jewish BibleMatthew 21
21
The Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem
(Mk 11.1–11; Lk 19.28–40; Jn 12.12–19)
1As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. There Jesus sent two of the disciples on ahead 2with these instructions: “Go to the village there ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied up with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3And if anyone says anything, tell him, ‘The Master#21.3 The Master; or Their owner. needs them’; and then he will let them go at once.”
4This happened in order to make what the prophet had said come true:
5 #
Zech 9.9
“Tell the city of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you!
He is humble and rides on a donkey
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
6So the disciples went and did what Jesus had told them to do: 7they brought the donkey and the colt, threw their cloaks over them, and Jesus got on. 8A large crowd of people spread their cloaks on the road while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9#Ps 118.25, 26The crowds walking in front of Jesus and those walking behind began to shout, “Praise to David's Son! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God!”
10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was thrown into an uproar. “Who is he?” the people asked.
11“This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee,” the crowds answered.
Jesus Goes to the Temple
(Mk 11.15–19; Lk 19.45–48; Jn 2.13–22)
12Jesus went into the Temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the stools of those who sold pigeons, 13#Is 56.7; Jer 7.11and said to them, “It is written in the Scriptures that God said, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it a hideout for thieves!”
14The blind and the crippled came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15The chief priests and the teachers of the Law became angry when they saw the wonderful things he was doing and the children shouting in the Temple, “Praise to David's Son!” 16#Ps 8.2 (LXX)So they asked Jesus, “Do you hear what they are saying?”
“Indeed I do,” answered Jesus. “Haven't you ever read this scripture? ‘You have trained children and babies to offer perfect praise.’ ”
17Jesus left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
(Mk 11.12–14, 20–24)
18On his way back to the city early next morning, Jesus was hungry. 19He saw a fig tree by the side of the road and went to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. So he said to the tree, “You will never again bear fruit!” At once the fig tree dried up.
20The disciples saw this and were astounded. “How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?” they asked.
21 #
Mt 17.20; 1 Cor 13.2 Jesus answered, “I assure you that if you believe and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I have done to this fig tree. And not only this, but you will even be able to say to this hill, ‘Get up and throw yourself in the sea,’ and it will. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
The Question about Jesus' Authority
(Mk 11.27–33; Lk 20.1–8)
23Jesus came back to the Temple; and as he taught, the chief priests and the elders came to him and asked, “What right have you to do these things? Who gave you this right?”
24Jesus answered them, “I will ask you just one question, and if you give me an answer, I will tell you what right I have to do these things. 25Where did John's right to baptize come from: was it from God or from human beings?”
They started to argue among themselves, “What shall we say? If we answer, ‘From God,’ he will say to us, ‘Why, then, did you not believe John?’ 26But if we say, ‘From human beings,’ we are afraid of what the people might do, because they are all convinced that John was a prophet.” 27So they answered Jesus, “We don't know.”
And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “Now, what do you think? There was once a man who had two sons. He went to the elder one and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29‘I don't want to,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. ‘Yes, sir,’ he answered, but he did not go. 31Which one of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The elder one,” they answered.
So Jesus said to them, “I tell you: the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you. 32#Lk 3.12; 7.29–30For John the Baptist came to you showing you the right path to take, and you would not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. Even when you saw this, you did not later change your minds and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard
(Mk 12.1–12; Lk 20.9–19)
33 #
Is 5.1–2
“Listen to another parable,” Jesus said. “There was once a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he let out the vineyard to tenants and went on a journey. 34When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent his slaves to the tenants to receive his share of the harvest. 35The tenants seized his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again the man sent other slaves, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37Last of all he sent his son to them. ‘Surely they will respect my son,’ he said. 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the owner's son. Come on, let's kill him, and we will get his property!’ 39So they seized 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 tenants?” Jesus asked.
41“He will certainly kill those evil men,” they answered, “and let the vineyard out to other tenants, who will give him his share of the harvest at the right time.”
42 #
Ps 118.22–23
Jesus said to them, “Haven't you ever read what the Scriptures say?
‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless
turned out to be the most important of all.
This was done by the Lord;
what a wonderful sight it is!’
43 “And so I tell you,” added Jesus, “the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce the proper fruits.”#21.43 Some manuscripts add verse 44: Whoever falls on this stone will be cut to pieces; and if the stone falls on someone, it will crush him to dust (see Lk 20.18).
45The chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables and knew that he was talking about them, 46so they tried to arrest him. But they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.