Matthew

Chapter 1

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers,

3 and Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram,

4 and Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon,

5 and Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, and Obed begot Jesse,

6 and Jesse begot David the king. And David begot Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

7 and Solomon begot Rehoboam, and Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asaph,

8 and Asaph begot Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah,

9 and Uzziah begot Jotham, and Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah,

10 and Hezekiah begot Manasseh, and Manasseh begot Amos, and Amos begot Josiah,

11 and Josiah begot Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon, Jechoniah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel,

13 and Zerubbabel begot Abiud, and Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor,

14 and Azor begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud,

15 and Eliud begot Eleazar, and Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob,

16 and Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

19 And Joseph her husband, being a just man and not willing to expose her to disgrace, resolved to divorce her quietly.

2 0But as he pondered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

21 And she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

22 All this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled:

23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel," which is interpreted, "God with us."

24 And Joseph, rising from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife,

25 and he did not know her until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.

Chapter 2

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magicians from the east arrived in Jerusalem,

2 saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;

4 and gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 And they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

7 Then Herod, secretly calling the magicians, ascertained from them exactly the time the star had appeared,

8 and sending them to Bethlehem he said, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship him."

9 And having heard the king, they went on their way, and behold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them, until it came and stood over the place where the child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

11 And coming into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling down they worshiped him; and opening their treasures they offered him gifts: gold and frankincense and myrrh.

12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their own country by another way.

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is about to seek the child to destroy him."

14 And he rose, took the child and his mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt,

15 and was there until the death of Herod; that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

16 Then Herod, seeing that he had been mocked by the magicians, was exceedingly angry, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all its borders, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.

17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted, because they are no more."

19 But when Herod had died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

20 saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."

21 And he rose, took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But hearing that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there; and being warned in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee,

23 and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Chapter 3

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea

2 saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near."

3 For this is he who was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying: "A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."

4 Now John himself had his garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan went out to him,

6 and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

8 Bear fruit, therefore, worthy of repentance,

9 and do not presume to say among yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

10 Already the axe is laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire."

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.

14 But John tried to prevent him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he permitted him.

16 And when Jesus had been baptized, he immediately went up from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him;

17 and behold, a voice from the heavens saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Chapter 4

1 Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.

2 And having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry.

3 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread."

4 But he answered and said, "It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple

6 and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone."

7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written: You shall not put the Lord your God to the test."

8 Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,

9 and said to him, "All these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me."

10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and him alone shall you serve."

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.

12 Now when he heard that John had been handed over, he withdrew into Galilee.

13 And leaving Nazareth, he went and settled in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,

14 so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying:

15 "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles

16 the people sitting in darkness have seen a great light, and on those sitting in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned."

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

18 And walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

19 And he said to them, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

20 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

21 And going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.

22 And immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

23 And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.

24 And his fame went out into all Syria; and they brought to him all who were ill, afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those possessed by demons, and epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.

25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and beyond the Jordan.

Chapter 5

1 And seeing the crowds, he went up onto the mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him;

2 and opening his mouth he taught them, saying:

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and say every kind of evil against you falsely for my sake.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven; for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is good for nothing anymore except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

15 nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it shines for all who are in the house.

16 So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17 Do not think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or one stroke shall pass from the law until all things come to pass.

19 Therefore whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

21 You have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not murder; and whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.

22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, "Raca," shall be liable to the council; and whoever says, "Fool," shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire.

23 Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

25 Come to terms quickly with your adversary while you are with him on the way, lest your adversary hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison;

26 truly I say to you, you shall by no means come out from there until you have paid the last penny.

27 You have heard that it was said: You shall not commit adultery.

28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 And if your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is better for you that one of your members perish than that your whole body be thrown into Gehenna.

30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is better for you that one of your members perish than that your whole body go away into Gehenna.

31 And it was said: Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.

32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on account of unchastity, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33 Again you have heard that it was said to the ancients: You shall not swear falsely, but you shall render to the Lord your oaths.

34 But I say to you not to swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King,

36 nor shall you swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

37 But let your word be "Yes, yes," "No, no"; anything beyond these is from the evil one.

38 You have heard that it was said: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

39 But I say to you not to resist the evil one; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;

40 and to him who wishes to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well;

41 and whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wishes to borrow from you.

43 You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

44 But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45 so that you may become sons of your Father who is in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

48 Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Chapter 6

1 Take care not to practice your righteousness before men in order to be seen by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

2 So when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men; truly I say to you, they have received their reward.

3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

4 so that your almsgiving may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, so that they may be seen by men; truly I say to you, they have received their reward.

6 But when you pray, go into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

7 And when praying, do not babble as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8 Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him.

9 Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name;

10 your kingdom come; your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth;

11 give us this day our daily bread;

12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors;

13 and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;

15 but if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 And when you fast, do not be gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so that they may be seen by men as fasting; truly I say to you, they have received their reward.

17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

18 so that you may not appear to men as fasting, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;

20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in nor steal;

21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 The lamp of the body is the eye. If then your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light;

23 but if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say to you: do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat [or what you shall drink], nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

26 Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them; are you not worth much more than they?

27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?

28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they do not toil nor spin;

29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these.

30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?"

32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

33 But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself; sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Chapter 7

1 Judge not, that you be not judged;

2 for with the judgment you judge you will be judged, and with the measure you measure it will be measured to you.

3 Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but do not notice the beam in your own eye?

4 Or how will you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when behold, the beam is in your own eye?

5 Hypocrite, first take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

6 Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces.

7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?

11 If then you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those who ask him.

12 So whatever you wish that men should do to you, do also to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

13 Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it.

14 How narrow is the gate and constricted the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

16 By their fruits you will know them. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?

17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the rotten tree bears bad fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.

19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

21 Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of the heavens, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in the heavens.

22 Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?"

23 And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."

24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be likened to a wise man who built his house on the rock;

25 and the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be likened to a foolish man who built his house on the sand;

27 and the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and struck against that house, and it fell, and its fall was great.

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching;

29 for he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Chapter 8

1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.

2 And behold, a leper came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."

3 And stretching out his hand, he touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

4 And Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him 6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly."

7 And he said to him, "I will come and heal him."

8 But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.

9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."

10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those following him, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.

11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,

12 while the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

13 And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; let it be done for you as you have believed." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

14 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever;

15 and he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and served him.

16 That evening they brought to him many who were possessed by demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick,

17 so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases."

18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.

19 And a scribe came up and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."

20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."

21 Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

24 And behold, a great storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but he was asleep.

25 And they came and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us; we are perishing."

26 And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

27 And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming out of the tombs met him, so fierce that no one could pass by that way.

29 And behold, they cried out, saying, "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"

30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them.

31 And the demons begged him, saying, "If you cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs."

32 And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the pigs; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters.

33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they reported everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Chapter 9

1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.

2 And behold, they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Take heart, child; your sins are forgiven."

3 And behold, some of the scribes said among themselves, "This man is blaspheming."

4 And Jesus, seeing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

5 For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?

6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" Then he says to the paralytic, "Rise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

7 And rising, he went away to his house.

8 And when the crowds saw it, they were afraid and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

9 And as Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man sitting at the tax booth, called Matthew, and he says to him, "Follow me." And rising, he followed him.

10 And it happened, as he reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and reclined with Jesus and his disciples.

11 And the Pharisees, seeing this, said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

12 But he, hearing it, said, "Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are ill. 13 Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

14 Then the disciples of John come to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the sons of the bridal chamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 And no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results.

17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."

18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just now died; but come and lay your hand upon her, and she will live."

19 And rising, Jesus followed him, and so did his disciples.

20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment;

21 for she said within herself, "If I only touch his garment, I will be saved."

22 But Jesus, turning and seeing her, said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has saved you." And the woman was saved from that hour.

23 And Jesus, coming into the ruler's house and seeing the flute players and the crowd making a commotion,

24 said, "Go away, for the girl has not died but is sleeping." And they laughed at him.

25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.

26 And this report went out into all that land.

27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying out and saying, "Have mercy on us, Son of David."

28 And when he had come into the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus says to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They say to him, "Yes, Lord."

29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be done to you."

30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, saying, "See that no one knows of it."

31 But they went out and spread his fame throughout all that land.

32 And as they were going out, behold, they brought to him a mute man possessed by a demon.

33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, "Never has anything like this been seen in Israel."

34 But the Pharisees said, "By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons."

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity.

36 And seeing the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and cast down, like sheep having no shepherd.

37 Then he says to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

38 therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

Chapter 10

1 And having called to himself his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, so as to cast them out and to heal every disease and every infirmity.

2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James the son of Zebedee and John his brother,

3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus,

4 Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, saying: "Do not go on the road of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans;

6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And as you go, proclaim, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven has drawn near.'

8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give.

9 Do not acquire gold nor silver nor copper for your belts,

10 nor a bag for the journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the worker is worthy of his food.

11 And into whatever city or village you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there until you depart.

12 As you enter the house, greet it;

13 and if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

14 And whoever does not receive you nor hear your words, as you go out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

15 Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city.

16 Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you;

18 and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

19 But when they hand you over, do not be anxious about how or what you should speak; for what you should speak will be given to you in that hour;

20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking in you.

21 Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and put them to death.

22 And you will be hated by all because of my name; but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another; for truly I say to you, you will not have finished the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.

25 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household.

26 Therefore do not fear them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be made known.

27 What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, proclaim upon the housetops.

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 So do not fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, I also will confess him before my Father who is in heaven;

33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven.

34 Do not think that I came to bring peace upon the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,

36 and a man's enemies will be those of his own household.

37 He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

38 and he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.

39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

40 He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.

41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.

42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."

Chapter 11

1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.

2 Now when John heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent word through his disciples

3 and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?"

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you hear and see:

5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised and the poor have good news preached to them;

6 and blessed is whoever is not offended because of me."

7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold, those who wear soft garments are in the houses of kings.

9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.

10 This is he about whom it is written: 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'

11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent seize it.

13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John;

14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

15 He who has ears, let him hear.

16 But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to the others

17 and say: 'We played the flute for you and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.'

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'

19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a glutton and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' And wisdom is justified by her works."

20 Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:

21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

24 But I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

25 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants;

26 yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing before you.

27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal him.

28 Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls;

30 for my assistance is easy and my burden is light."

Chapter 12

1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

2 But the Pharisees, seeing this, said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath."

3 But he said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those with him,

4 how he entered the house of God and they ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but only for the priests?

5 Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple profane the sabbath and are guiltless?

6 But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

7 And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.

8 For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath."

9 And departing from there, he came into their synagogue;

10 and behold, there was a man with a withered hand. And they questioned him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?" So that they might accuse him.

11 But he said to them, "What man will there be among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?

12 How much more, then, is a man worth than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath."

13 Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored, sound like the other.

14 But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.

15 But Jesus, knowing this, withdrew from there. And many crowds followed him, and he healed them all,

16 and he charged them not to make him known,

17 so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying:

18 "Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased; I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall proclaim justice to the nations.

19 He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

20 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory.

21 And in his name the nations will hope."

22 Then a demon-possessed man, blind and mute, was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw.

23 And all the crowds were amazed and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"

24 But the Pharisees, hearing it, said, "This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons."

25 But knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?

27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

29 Or how can anyone enter the house of the strong man and seize his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

30 He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.

31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come.

33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by its fruit.

34 Brood of vipers, how can you speak good things when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

35 The good man brings forth good things out of his good treasure, and the evil man brings forth evil things out of his evil treasure.

36 But I tell you that for every idle word that men speak, they will give an account of it on the day of judgment;

37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."

39 But he answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.

40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the sea monster three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

42 The queen of the South will be raised up at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

43 But when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.

44 Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came out'; and coming, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.

45 Then it goes and takes with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and entering, they dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So will it also be with this evil generation."

46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with him.

48 But he answered and said to the one who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"

49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Behold my mother and my brothers.

50 For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother."

Chapter 13

1 On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.

2 And great crowds gathered to him, so that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood on the shore.

3 And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying: Behold, the sower went out to sow.

4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up immediately, because it had no depth of soil;

6 but when the sun rose it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.

7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.

8 Other seed fell on good soil and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

9 He who has ears, let him hear.

10 And the disciples came and said to him: Why do you speak to them in parables?

11 And he answered and said to them: Because to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

12 For whoever has, to him it will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: Hearing you will hear and never understand, and seeing you will see and never perceive.

15 For the heart of this people has grown dull, and with their ears they hear heavily, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.

17 For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

18 Hear then, you, the parable of the sower.

19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart; this is the one sown along the path.

20 And the one sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,

21 yet he has no root in himself but endures only for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

22 And the one sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, and the care of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

23 And the one sown on the good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

24 Another parable he set before them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

25 But while the men slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.

26 And when the plants sprouted and bore fruit, then the weeds also appeared.

27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him: Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? Whence then does it have weeds?

28 And he said to them: An enemy has done this. And the servants say to him: Do you wish, then, that we go and gather them up?

29 But he says: No, lest in gathering the weeds you uproot the wheat along with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather first the weeds and bind them into bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.

31 Another parable he set before them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;

32 it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is greater than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and nest in its branches.

33 Another parable he spoke to them: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until the whole was leavened.

34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and without a parable he spoke nothing to them,

35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying: I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.

36 Then, leaving the crowds, he went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying: Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.

37 And he answered and said: The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,

38 and the field is the world, and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one,

39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

40 Just as therefore the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age:

41 the Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of stumbling and those who do lawlessness,

42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

44 The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and from his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls;

46 and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea and gathering fish of every kind;

48 and when it was full, they drew it up onto the shore, and sitting down they gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they threw away.

49 So shall it be at the end of the age: the angels will go out and separate the wicked from the midst of the righteous

50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51 Have you understood all these things? They say to him: Yes.

52 And he said to them: Therefore every scribe who has been made a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.

53 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there.

54 And coming into his homeland he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said: Whence has this man this wisdom and these mighty works?

55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

56 And are not all his sisters with us? Whence then has this man all these things?

57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honor except in his homeland and in his own house.

58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Chapter 14

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus,

2 and he said to his servants: "This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and that is why these powers are at work in him."

3 For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip;

4 for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her."

5 And though he wanted to kill him, he feared the crowd, because they held him to be a prophet.

6 But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in their midst and pleased Herod,

7 so that with an oath he promised to give her whatever she might ask.

8 And she, prompted by her mother, said: "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

9 And the king was grieved, but because of his oaths and those reclining at table with him, he commanded it to be given,

10 and he sent and had John beheaded in the prison.

11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

12 And his disciples came, took the corpse, and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

13 When Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there by boat to a deserted place by himself; and when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.

14 And when he came ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 When evening came, the disciples came to him saying: "This place is deserted, and the hour is already late; send the crowds away, so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves."

16 But Jesus said to them: "They have no need to go away; you give them something to eat."

17 And they said to him: "We have nothing here except five loaves and two fish."

18 And he said: "Bring them here to me."

19 And having commanded the crowds to recline on the grass, he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them, and breaking the loaves he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

20 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they took up what remained of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.

21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

22 And immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.

23 And after dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. And when evening came, he was there alone.

24 But the boat was already many stadia distant from the land, battered by the waves, for the wind was against them.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying: "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

28 And Peter answered him and said: "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters."

29 And he said: "Come." And Peter got down from the boat, walked on the waters, and came toward Jesus.

30 But seeing the strong wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying: "Lord, save me!"

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him: "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying: "Truly you are the Son of God."

34 And having crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.

35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent word into all that surrounding region and brought to him all who were sick,

36 and they begged him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made completely well.

Chapter 15

1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,

2 "Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."

3 But he answered and said to them, "And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

4 For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever speaks evil of father or mother, let him die the death.'

5 But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift to God,"

6 need not honor his father.' And you have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, saying:

8 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

10 And calling the crowd to him, he said to them, "Hear and understand:

1 1it is not what enters the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles a man."

12 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"

13 But he answered and said, "Every plant which my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted.

14 Let them be; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."

15 Then Peter answered and said to him, "Explain this parable to us."

16 And he said, "Are you also still without understanding?

17 Do you not perceive that everything entering the mouth passes into the belly and is cast out into the latrine?

18 But the things coming out of the mouth proceed from the heart, and these defile a man.

19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnessings, blasphemies.

20 These are the things that defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

21 And going out from there, Jesus withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that territory came out and cried out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is grievously demon-possessed."

23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and asked him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us."

24 But he answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me."

26 And he answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."

27 But she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith; let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour.

29 And passing on from there, Jesus came beside the Sea of Galilee, and going up on the mountain, he sat there.

30 And great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they laid them at his feet, and he healed them;

31 so that the crowd marveled, seeing the mute speaking, the crippled made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

32 But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have remained with me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I am unwilling to send them away fasting, lest they faint on the way."

33 And the disciples said to him, "Where in a desolate place could we get so many loaves as to satisfy so great a crowd?"

34 And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few small fish."

35 And having commanded the crowd to recline on the ground,

36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds.

37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what remained over of the broken pieces, seven baskets full.

38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

39 And having dismissed the crowds, he got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan.

Chapter 16

1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

2 But he answered and said to them:

4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah. And leaving them, he went away.

5 And when the disciples came to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.

6 And Jesus said to them: Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we took no bread."

8 But Jesus, knowing this, said: Why do you reason among yourselves, you of little faith, that you have no bread?

9 Do you not yet understand, nor remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up?

10 Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?

11 How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

13 Now when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying: Who do people say that the Son of Man is?

14 And they said: Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

15 He said to them: But you, who do you say that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said to him: Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

20 Then he charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying: Far be it from you, Lord; this shall never happen to you.

23 But he turned and said to Peter: Get behind me, Satan; you are a stumbling block to me, for you are not thinking the things of God, but the things of men.

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples: If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

26 For what will a man be profited if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

27 For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will repay each one according to his deeds.

28 Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

Chapter 17

1 And after six days Jesus took Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up onto a high mountain by themselves.

2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as the light.

3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him.

4 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah."

5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

6 And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.

7 And Jesus came and touched them and said, "Rise, and do not be afraid."

8 And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

9 And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

10 And the disciples asked him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

11 And he answered and said, "Elijah indeed comes, and he will restore all things;

12 but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished; so also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands."

13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

14 And when they came to the crowd, a man approached him, kneeling before him

15 and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers terribly; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.

16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him."

17 And Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to me."

18 And Jesus rebuked it, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was healed from that hour.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"

20 And he said to them, "Because of your little faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

22 And as they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men,

23 and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised." And they were greatly grieved.

24 And when they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?"

25 He said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect tolls or tribute? From their sons or from strangers?"

26 And when he said, "From strangers," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free.

27 But so that we may not give offense to them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a stater; take that and give it to them for me and for you."

Chapter 18

1 At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

2 And calling a child to him, he set it in their midst

3 and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whoever therefore humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 And whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.

6 But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For it is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the man through whom the stumbling block comes.

8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than, having two hands or two feet, to be thrown into the eternal fire.

9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than, having two eyes, to be thrown into the Gehenna of fire.

10 See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.

12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and seek the one that is straying?

13 And if he happens to find it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.

14 So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

15 If your brother sins [against you], go and reprove him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother;

16 but if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly; and if he refuses to listen even to the assembly, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector.

18 Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about any matter that they ask, it shall be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.

20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst."

21 Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.

24 And when he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents.

25 Since he could not pay, the master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.

26 So the servant fell down and did obeisance to him, saying, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.'

27 And moved with compassion, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.

28 But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.'

29 So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, saying, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you.'

30 But he refused, and went and threw him into prison until he should pay what was owed.

31 When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were greatly grieved, and they went and reported to their master all that had happened.

32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'Wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

33 Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?'

34 And in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay all that was owed.

35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your hearts."

Chapter 19

1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

2 And great crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

3 And Pharisees came to him, testing him and saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?"

4 And he answered and said, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female?

5 And he said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.'

6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

7 They said to him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?"

8 He said to them, "Moses, because of your hardness of heart, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery."

10 His disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry."

11 But he said to them, "Not all can receive this saying, but only those to whom it has been given.

12 For there are eunuchs who were born so from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let him who is able to receive it, receive it."

13 Then little children were brought to him, that he might lay his hands on them and pray; but the disciples rebuked them.

14 But Jesus said, "Let the children be, and do not hinder them from coming to me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

15 And having laid his hands on them, he went away from there.

16 And behold, one came to him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"

17 And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."

18 He said to him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness,

19 honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself."

20 The young man said to him, "All these I have kept; what do I still lack?"

21 Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

22 But when the young man heard this saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions.

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I say to you, a rich man will enter the kingdom of heaven with difficulty.

24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"

26 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

27 Then Peter answered and said to him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed you; what then shall we have?"

28 And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, you who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my name's sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

Chapter 20

1 For the kingdom of heaven is like a man, a master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

2 And having agreed with the laborers on a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3 And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4 and to them he said, "You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is just I will give you."

5 And they went. Again going out about the sixth and ninth hours, he did likewise.

6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing, and he said to them, "Why have you stood here idle all day?"

7 They said to him, "Because no one has hired us." He said to them, "You also go into the vineyard."

8 And when evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, "Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first."

9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius.

10 And when the first came, they thought they would receive more; and they also each received a denarius.

11 But receiving it, they grumbled against the master of the house,

12 saying, "These last worked one hour, and you have made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the scorching heat."

13 But he answered one of them and said, "Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

14 Take what is yours and go. I wish to give to this last one as also to you.

15 Or is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is mine? Or is your eye evil because I am good?"

16 So the last shall be first, and the first last.

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately, and on the way he said to them,

18 "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death,

19 and they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised."

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, bowing down and asking something from him.

21 And he said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom."

22 But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able."

23 He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

24 And when the ten heard this, they were indignant at the two brothers.

25 But Jesus called them to himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

26 It shall not be so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;

28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

29 And as they were going out from Jericho, a great crowd followed him.

30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!"

31 But the crowd rebuked them, that they should be silent; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!"

32 And Jesus stood still, called them, and said, "What do you wish that I should do for you?"

33 They said to him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."

34 And Jesus, moved with compassion, touched their eyes, and immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Chapter 21

1 And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.

3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."

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

5 "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"

6 And the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them;

7 they brought the donkey and the colt and placed their garments on them, and he sat upon them.

8 And most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9 And the crowds that went before him and those that followed cried out, saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"

10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken, saying, "Who is this?"

11 And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves,

13 and he said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a den of robbers."

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant,

16 and they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babes you have prepared praise'?"

17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

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

19 And seeing a single fig tree by the road, he went to it and found nothing on it but leaves only, and he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again forever." And immediately the fig tree withered.

20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?"

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

22 And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, saying, "By what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority?"

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

25 The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

26 But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the crowd, for all hold John to be a prophet."

27 And answering Jesus, they said, "We do not know." He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

28 "But what do you think? A man had two children. And going to the first, he said, 'Child, go work today in the vineyard.'

29 And he answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he repented and went.

30 And going to the other, he said the same. And he answered, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.

31 Which of the two did the will of the father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go before you into the kingdom of God.

32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent so as to believe him.

33 "Hear another parable. There was a man, a master of a house, who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower, and he leased it to farmers and went abroad.

34 And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers to receive his fruits.

35 And the farmers took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

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

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

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

39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40 When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?"

41 They said to him, "He will miserably destroy those wretches and lease the vineyard to other farmers, who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."

42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner; this was from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?

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

45 And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them;

46 and though they sought to seize him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

Chapter 22

1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying:

2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a man, a king, who prepared a wedding feast for his son.

3 And he sent his servants to call those who had been invited to the wedding, but they would not come.

4 Again he sent other servants, saying: 'Tell those who have been invited: Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.'

5 But they paid no heed and went away, one to his own field, another to his business;

6 and the rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.

7 The king was enraged, and sending his armies he destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8 Then he said to his servants: 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

9 Go therefore to the crossroads of the streets, and invite to the wedding as many as you find.'

10 And those servants went out into the streets and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good; and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes,

12 and he said to him: 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And he was speechless.

13 Then the king said to the attendants: 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

14 For many are called, but few are chosen."

15 Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his speech.

16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying: "Master, we know that you are truthful and master the way of God in truth, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you do not regard the person of men.

17 Tell us, then, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay tax to Caesar or not?"

18 But Jesus, perceiving their wickedness, said: "Why do you test me, hypocrites?

19 Show me the coin of the tax." And they brought him a denarius.

20 And he said to them: "Whose image and inscription is this?"

21 They said to him: "Caesar's." Then he said to them: "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

22 And when they heard this, they marveled, and leaving him, they went away.

23 On that day Sadducees came to him, who say there is no resurrection, and they questioned him,

24 saying: "Teacher, Moses said: 'If a man dies having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.'

25 Now there were among us seven brothers; and the first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.

26 Likewise also the second and the third, down to the seventh.

27 Last of all, the woman died.

28 In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her."

29 But Jesus answered and said to them: "You are in error, knowing neither the scriptures nor the power of God.

30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying:

32 'I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."

33 And when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,

35 and one of them, a lawyer, questioned him, testing him:

36 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"

37 And he said to him: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

38 This is the great and first commandment.

39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

40 On these two commandments hang the whole law and the prophets."

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

42 saying: "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him: "David's."

43 He said to them: "How then does David, in the Spirit, call him Lord, saying:

44 'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet'?

45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?"

46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to question him any longer.

Chapter 23

1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,

2 saying: The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses.

3 Therefore do and observe everything whatever they tell you, but do not act according to their works; for they say and do not do.

4 They bind heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with their finger.

5 They do all their works to be seen by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and enlarge their tassels,

6 and they love the place of honor at dinners and the chief seats in the synagogues

7 and the greetings in the marketplaces and to be called rabbi by men.

8 But you are not to be called rabbi; for one is your teacher, and you are all brothers.

9 And call no one your father on earth, for one is your Father, the heavenly one.

10 Neither be called instructors, for your instructor is one, the Christ.

11 But the greatest among you shall be your servant.

12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces; for you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who are entering to go in.

15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around sea and dry land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves.

16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say: Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound.

17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?

18 And: Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is upon it is bound.

19 Blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

20 Therefore he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything upon it;

21 and he who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it,

22 and he who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

24 Blind guides, straining out the gnat but swallowing the camel!

25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup, so that its outside may also become clean.

27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,

30 and say: If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

31 Thus you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.

33 Serpents, brood of vipers, how will you escape from the judgment of Gehenna?

34 Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,

35 so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I have wished to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

38 Behold, your house is left to you desolate.

39 For I say to you, you will not see me from now on until you say: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Chapter 24

1 And Jesus went out from the temple and was departing, and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.

2 But he answered and said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."

3 And as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, "See that no one leads you astray;

5 for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray.

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for it must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places;

8 but all these things are the beginning of birth pains.

9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be hated by all the nations because of my name.

10 And then many will fall away, and will betray one another and hate one another;

11 and many false prophets will arise and lead many astray;

12 and because lawlessness will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold.

13 But the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole inhabited world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand

16 then let those in Judea flee to the mountains,

17 let the one on the housetop not come down to take the things out of his house,

18 and let the one in the field not turn back to take his cloak.

19 But woe to those who are with child and to those who are nursing in those days.

20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter nor on a Sabbath.

21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall be.

22 And if those days had not been cut short, no flesh would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

23 Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There,' do not believe it;

24 for false christs and false prophets will arise and will perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

25 Behold, I have told you beforehand.

26 So if they say to you, 'Behold, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out; 'Behold, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it;

27 for just as the lightning comes forth from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

28 Wherever the corpse is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory;

31 and he will send out his angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32 Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near;

33 so also you, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the doors.

34 Truly I say to you that this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

36 But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of the heavens, nor the Son, but the Father only.

37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,

39 and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man.

40 Then two will be in the field; one is taken and one is left.

41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left.

42 Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

43 But know this: that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45 Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has set over his household to give them their food at the proper time?

46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing;

47 truly I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

48 But if that wicked servant says in his heart, 'My master is delayed,'

49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with the drunkards,

50 the master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know,

51 and he will cut him in two and assign his portion with the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Chapter 25

1 Then the kingdom of heaven will be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

3 For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them,

4 but the wise took oil in their vessels along with their lamps.

5 While the bridegroom delayed, they all grew drowsy and slept.

6 But at midnight there was a cry: "Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him."

7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

8 And the foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out."

9 But the wise answered, saying, "No, lest there not be enough for us and for you; go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves."

10 And while they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.

11 Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, "Lord, lord, open to us."

12 But he answered and said, "Truly I say to you, I do not know you."

13 Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

14 For it is as when a man going on a journey called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his own ability, and he went away. Immediately

16 the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them and gained another five.

17 Likewise the one who had the two gained another two.

18 But the one who had received the one went away, dug in the ground, and hid his master's money.

19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20 And the one who had received the five talents came forward and brought another five talents, saying, "Master, you entrusted five talents to me; see, I have gained another five talents."

21 His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things; I will set you over many. Enter into the joy of your master."

22 And the one who had the two talents also came forward and said, "Master, you entrusted two talents to me; see, I have gained another two talents."

23 His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things; I will set you over many. Enter into the joy of your master."

24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward and said, "Master, I knew you, that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter,

25 and being afraid, I went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours."

26 But his master answered and said to him, "You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter?

27 Then you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and when I came I would have received back what is mine with interest.

28 Take, therefore, the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.

29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

31 But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.

32 And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,

33 and he will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then the king will say to those on his right, "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you took me in,

36 naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me."

37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

38 And when did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you?

39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?"

40 And the king will answer and say to them, "Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

41 Then he will say also to those on the left, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,

43 I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me."

44 Then they too will answer, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not serve you?"

45 Then he will answer them, saying, "Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, neither did you do it to me."

46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Chapter 26

1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples:

2 "You know that after two days the Passover takes place, and the Son of Man is handed over to be crucified."

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

4 and they plotted together to seize Jesus by deceit and kill him. 5 But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."

6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it over his head as he reclined at table.

8 But when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "To what purpose is this waste?

9 For this could have been sold for much and given to the poor."

10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good deed for me.

11 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.

12 For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

13 Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

14 Then one of the twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests

15 and said, "What are you willing to give me, and I will hand him over to you?" And they weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver.

16 And from then on he sought an opportunity to betray him.

17 On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?"

18 And he said, "Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The teacher says: My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'"

19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

20 When evening came, he reclined at table with the twelve.

21 And as they were eating, he said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me."

22 And being deeply grieved, they began to say to him, each one, "Surely it is not I, Lord?"

23 And he answered, "The one who has dipped his hand with me in the dish, this one will betray me.

24 The Son of Man goes as it is written concerning him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed; it would have been better for that man if he had not been born."

25 And Judas, who was betraying him, answered, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said it."

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and having blessed it, he broke it, and giving it to the disciples he said, "Take, eat; this is my body."

27 And taking a cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you,

28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

29 But I say to you, I will surely not drink from now on of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of my Father."

30 And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

31 Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee."

33 And Peter answered him, "Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away."

34 Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you that this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times."

35 Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will surely not deny you." And all the disciples said likewise.

36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."

37 And taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be grieved and distressed.

38 Then he said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, even to death; remain here and keep watch with me."

39 And going forward a little, he fell on his face, praying and saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will, but as you will."

40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "So, could you not keep watch with me for one hour?

41 Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

42 Again, a second time, he went away and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, let your will be done."

43 And coming again, he found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.

44 And leaving them, he went away again and prayed a third time, saying the same word again.

45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep on now and take your rest; behold, the hour has drawn near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

46 Rise, let us go; behold, my betrayer has drawn near."

47 And while he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.

48 Now his betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one whom I kiss, he is the man; seize him."

49 And immediately coming up to Jesus, he said, "Greetings, Rabbi," and kissed him.

50 But Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you have come for." Then they came up, laid hands on Jesus, and seized him.

51 And behold, one of those with Jesus stretched out his hand, drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

52 Then Jesus said to him, "Return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

53 Or do you think that I cannot call upon my Father, and he will at once provide me with more than twelve legions of angels?

54 How then would the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way?"

55 In that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs, to arrest me? Every day I sat teaching in the temple, and you did not seize me.

56 But all this has happened so that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook him and fled.

57 And those who had seized Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.

58 But Peter followed him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside, he sat with the attendants to see the end.

59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put him to death,

60 and they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. But at last two came forward

61 and said, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'"

62 And the high priest stood up and said to him, "Do you answer nothing? What is it that these men testify against you?"

63 But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."

64 Jesus said to him, "You have said it. Nevertheless, I say to you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, "He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, now you have heard the blasphemy.

66 What do you think?" They answered and said, "He is deserving of death."

67 Then they spat in his face and struck him with their fists, and others slapped him,

68 saying, "Prophesy to us, Christ, who is the one who struck you?"

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard; and a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean."

70 But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."

71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another saw him and said to those there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene."

72 And again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man."

73 After a little while, those standing by came up and said to Peter, "Truly you also are one of them, for your accent makes you evident."

74 Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately a rooster crowed.

75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, who had said, "Before a rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.

Chapter 27

1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death;

2 and having bound him they led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

3 Then Judas, who had betrayed him, seeing that he was condemned, repented and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

4 saying: I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. But they said: What is that to us? See to it yourself.

5 And throwing the silver pieces into the temple, he withdrew, and going away he hanged himself.

6 But the chief priests, taking the silver pieces, said: It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.

7 And taking counsel, they bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers.

8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying: And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him who was priced, whom the sons of Israel had priced,

10 and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.

11 Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor questioned him, saying: Are you the king of the Jews? And Jesus said: You say so.

12 And while he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

13 Then Pilate said to him: Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?

14 And he did not answer him, not even to a single word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner, whom they wished.

16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.

17 So when they were gathered, Pilate said to them: Whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?

18 For he knew that they had handed him over out of envy.

19 And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying: Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him.

20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to destroy Jesus.

21 And the governor answered and said to them: Which of the two do you want me to release to you? And they said: Barabbas.

22 Pilate said to them: What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They all said: Let him be crucified.

23 But he said: Why, what evil has he done? But they cried out all the more, saying: Let him be crucified.

24 And when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a tumult was arising, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying: I am innocent of this blood; see to it yourselves.

25 And all the people answered and said: His blood be upon us and upon our children.

26 Then he released Barabbas to them, but having scourged Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him.

28 And having stripped him, they put a scarlet cloak around him,

29 and having woven a crown of thorns, they set it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and kneeling before him they mocked him, saying: Hail, king of the Jews!

30 And spitting on him, they took the reed and struck him on his head.

31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak and put his own garments on him, and led him away to crucify him.

32 And as they went out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry his cross.

33 And coming to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,

34 they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink; and when he had tasted it, he would not drink.

35 And having crucified him, they divided his garments, casting lots,

36 and sitting down they kept watch over him there.

37 And they set above his head his accusation written: This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.

38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.

3 9And those passing by blasphemed him, wagging their heads

40 and saying: You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.

41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said:

42 He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the king of Israel; let him come down now from the cross and we will believe in him.

43 He has trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he wants him; for he said, I am the Son of God.

44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

45 Now from the sixth hour darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying: Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? that is: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

47 And some of those standing there, hearing it, said: This man is calling Elijah.

48 And immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

49 But the rest said: Wait, let us see whether Elijah comes to save him.

50 And Jesus, crying out again with a loud voice, yielded up his spirit.

51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks were split,

52 and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,

53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

54 Now the centurion and those with him keeping watch over Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things that happened, were greatly afraid, saying: Truly this man was the Son of God.

55 And there were many women there, watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him;

56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

57 Now when evening came, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.

58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given up.

59 And Joseph, taking the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth

60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and having rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, he went away.

61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

62 Now on the next day, which is after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate,

63 saying: Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was still alive: After three days I will rise.

64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal him and say to the people: He has been raised from the dead; and the last deception will be worse than the first.

65 Pilate said to them: You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how. 66So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone, with the guard.

Chapter 28

1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.

4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.

5 But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

6 He is not here, for he has risen, just as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

7 And go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you into Galilee; there you will see him. Behold, I have told you."

8 And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

9 And behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Greetings!" And they came and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.

10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go into Galilee, and there they will see me."

11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened.

12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers,

13 saying, "Say that his disciples came by night and stole him while we were sleeping.

14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will persuade him and keep you free from worry."

15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them.

17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."