Matthew 21

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The Triumphal Entry

¹Καὶ ὅτε ἤγγισαν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα καὶ ἦλθον εἰς Βηθφαγὴ εἰς τὸ ὄρος τῶν Ἐλαιῶν τότε Ἰησοῦς ἀπέστειλεν δύο μαθητὰς

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

²λέγων αὐτοῖς Πορεύεσθε εἰς τὴν κώμην τὴν κατέναντι ὑμῶν καὶ εὐθέως εὑρήσετε ὄνον δεδεμένην καὶ πῶλον μετ’ αὐτῆς λύσαντες ἀγάγετέ μοι

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

³καὶ ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ τι ἐρεῖτε ὅτι Ὁ Κύριος αὐτῶν χρείαν ἔχει εὐθὺς δὲ ἀποστελεῖ αὐτούς

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

⁴Τοῦτο δὲ γέγονεν ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος

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

⁵Εἴπατε τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιών Ἰδοὺ ὁ Βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι πραῢς καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὄνον καὶ ἐπὶ πῶλον υἱὸν ὑποζυγίου

⁵“Say to the Daughter of Zion,

‘See, your King comes to you,

gentle and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”^a

⁶Πορευθέντες δὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ καὶ ποιήσαντες καθὼς συνέταξεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς

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

⁷ἤγαγον τὴν ὄνον καὶ τὸν πῶλον καὶ ἐπέθηκαν ἐπ’ αὐτῶν τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ ἐπεκάθισεν ἐπάνω αὐτῶν

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

⁸Ὁ δὲ πλεῖστος ὄχλος ἔστρωσαν ἑαυτῶν τὰ ἱμάτια ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἄλλοι δὲ ἔκοπτον κλάδους ἀπὸ τῶν δένδρων καὶ ἐστρώννυον ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ

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

⁹Οἱ δὲ ὄχλοι οἱ προάγοντες αὐτὸν καὶ οἱ ἀκολουθοῦντες ἔκραζον λέγοντες Ὡσαννὰ τῷ υἱῷ Δαυίδ Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου Ὡσαννὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις

⁹The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”^a

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”^b

“Hosanna in the highest!”^c

¹⁰Καὶ εἰσελθόντος αὐτοῦ εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἐσείσθη πᾶσα ἡ πόλις λέγουσα Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος

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

¹¹Οἱ δὲ ὄχλοι ἔλεγον Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ προφήτης Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲθ τῆς Γαλιλαίας

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

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

¹²Καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ ἱερόν καὶ ἐξέβαλεν πάντας τοὺς πωλοῦντας καὶ ἀγοράζοντας ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ καὶ τὰς τραπέζας τῶν κολλυβιστῶν κατέστρεψεν καὶ τὰς καθέδρας τῶν πωλούντων τὰς περιστεράς

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

¹³καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς Γέγραπται Ὁ οἶκός μου οἶκος προσευχῆς κληθήσεται ὑμεῖς δὲ αὐτὸν ποιεῖτε Σπήλαιον λῃστῶν

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

¹⁴Καὶ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ τυφλοὶ καὶ χωλοὶ ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ καὶ ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτούς

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

¹⁵ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς τὰ θαυμάσια ἃ ἐποίησεν καὶ τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς κράζοντας ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ καὶ λέγοντας Ὡσαννὰ τῷ υἱῷ Δαυίδ ἠγανάκτησαν

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

¹⁶καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ Ἀκούεις τί οὗτοι λέγουσιν Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτοῖς Ναί οὐδέποτε ἀνέγνωτε ὅτι Ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων Κατηρτίσω αἶνον

¹⁶“Do You hear what these children are saying?” they asked.

“Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read:

‘From the mouths of children and infants

You have ordained praise’?”^a

¹⁷Καὶ καταλιπὼν αὐτοὺς ἐξῆλθεν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως εἰς Βηθανίαν καὶ ηὐλίσθη ἐκεῖ

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

The Barren Fig Tree

¹⁸Πρωῒ δὲ ἐπανάγων εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐπείνασεν

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

¹⁹καὶ ἰδὼν συκῆν μίαν ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἦλθεν ἐπ’ αὐτήν καὶ οὐδὲν εὗρεν ἐν αὐτῇ εἰ μὴ φύλλα μόνον καὶ λέγει αὐτῇ Οὐ μηκέτι ἐκ σοῦ καρπὸς γένηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἐξηράνθη παραχρῆμα ἡ συκῆ

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

²⁰Καὶ ἰδόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες Πῶς παραχρῆμα ἐξηράνθη ἡ συκῆ

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

²¹Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ἐὰν ἔχητε πίστιν καὶ μὴ διακριθῆτε οὐ μόνον τὸ τῆς συκῆς ποιήσετε ἀλλὰ κἂν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ εἴπητε Ἄρθητι καὶ βλήθητι εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν γενήσεται

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

²²καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσητε ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ πιστεύοντες λήμψεσθε

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

Jesus’ Authority Challenged

²³Καὶ ἐλθόντος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν προσῆλθον αὐτῷ διδάσκοντι οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ λέγοντες Ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖς καὶ τίς σοι ἔδωκεν τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην

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

²⁴Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἐρωτήσω ὑμᾶς κἀγὼ λόγον ἕνα ὃν ἐὰν εἴπητέ μοι κἀγὼ ὑμῖν ἐρῶ ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιῶ

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

²⁵τὸ βάπτισμα τὸ Ἰωάννου πόθεν ἦν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἢ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων Οἱ δὲ διελογίζοντο ἐν ἑαυτοῖς λέγοντες Ἐὰν εἴπωμεν Ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐρεῖ ἡμῖν Διὰ τί οὖν οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατε αὐτῷ

²⁵What was the source of John’s baptism? Was it from heaven or from men?”

They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

²⁶ἐὰν δὲ εἴπωμεν Ἐξ ἀνθρώπων φοβούμεθα τὸν ὄχλον πάντες γὰρ ὡς προφήτην ἔχουσιν τὸν Ἰωάννην

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

²⁷καὶ ἀποκριθέντες τῷ Ἰησοῦ εἶπαν Οὐκ οἴδαμεν Ἔφη αὐτοῖς καὶ αὐτός Οὐδὲ ἐγὼ λέγω ὑμῖν ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιῶ

²⁷So they answered, “We do not know.”

And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

²⁸Τί δὲ ὑμῖν δοκεῖ ἄνθρωπος εἶχεν τέκνα δύο καὶ προσελθὼν τῷ πρώτῳ εἶπεν Τέκνον ὕπαγε σήμερον ἐργάζου ἐν τῷ ἀμπελῶνι

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

²⁹Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν Οὐ θέλω ὕστερον δὲ μεταμεληθεὶς ἀπῆλθεν

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

³⁰Προσελθὼν δὲ τῷ δευτέρῳ εἶπεν ὡσαύτως Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν Ἐγώ κύριε καὶ οὐκ ἀπῆλθεν

³⁰Then the man went to the second son and told him the same thing.

‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he did not go.

³¹Τίς ἐκ τῶν δύο ἐποίησεν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός Λέγουσιν Ὁ πρῶτος Λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι οἱ τελῶναι καὶ αἱ πόρναι προάγουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ

³¹Which of the two did the will of his father?”

“The first,”^a they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

³²ἦλθεν γὰρ Ἰωάννης πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ὁδῷ δικαιοσύνης καὶ οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατε αὐτῷ οἱ δὲ τελῶναι καὶ αἱ πόρναι ἐπίστευσαν αὐτῷ ὑμεῖς δὲ ἰδόντες οὐδὲ μετεμελήθητε ὕστερον τοῦ πιστεῦσαι αὐτῷ

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

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

³³Ἄλλην παραβολὴν ἀκούσατε Ἄνθρωπος ἦν οἰκοδεσπότης ὅστις ἐφύτευσεν ἀμπελῶνα καὶ φραγμὸν αὐτῷ περιέθηκεν καὶ ὤρυξεν ἐν αὐτῷ ληνὸν καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν πύργον καὶ ἐξέδετο αὐτὸν γεωργοῖς καὶ ἀπεδήμησεν

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

³⁴Ὅτε δὲ ἤγγισεν ὁ καιρὸς τῶν καρπῶν ἀπέστειλεν τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ πρὸς τοὺς γεωργοὺς λαβεῖν τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτοῦ

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

³⁵καὶ λαβόντες οἱ γεωργοὶ τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ ὃν μὲν ἔδειραν ὃν δὲ ἀπέκτειναν ὃν δὲ ἐλιθοβόλησαν

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

³⁶Πάλιν ἀπέστειλεν ἄλλους δούλους πλείονας τῶν πρώτων καὶ ἐποίησαν αὐτοῖς ὡσαύτως

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

³⁷Ὕστερον δὲ ἀπέστειλεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ λέγων Ἐντραπήσονται τὸν υἱόν μου

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

³⁸Οἱ δὲ γεωργοὶ ἰδόντες τὸν υἱὸν εἶπον ἐν ἑαυτοῖς Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ κληρονόμος δεῦτε ἀποκτείνωμεν αὐτὸν καὶ σχῶμεν τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ

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

³⁹καὶ λαβόντες αὐτὸν ἐξέβαλον ἔξω τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος καὶ ἀπέκτειναν

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

⁴⁰Ὅταν οὖν ἔλθῃ ὁ κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος τί ποιήσει τοῖς γεωργοῖς ἐκείνοις

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

⁴¹Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ Κακοὺς κακῶς ἀπολέσει αὐτούς καὶ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα ἐκδώσεται ἄλλοις γεωργοῖς οἵτινες ἀποδώσουσιν αὐτῷ τοὺς καρποὺς ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς αὐτῶν

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

⁴²Λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς Οὐδέποτε ἀνέγνωτε ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς Λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες Οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας Παρὰ Κυρίου ἐγένετο αὕτη Καὶ ἔστιν θαυμαστὴ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν

⁴²Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

‘The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

This is from the Lord,

and it is marvelous in our eyes’?^a

⁴³Διὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀρθήσεται ἀφ’ ὑμῶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ δοθήσεται ἔθνει ποιοῦντι τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς

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

⁴⁴καὶ ὁ πεσὼν ἐπὶ τὸν λίθον τοῦτον συνθλασθήσεται ἐφ’ ὃν δ’ ἂν πέσῃ λικμήσει αὐτόν

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

⁴⁵Καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τὰς παραβολὰς αὐτοῦ ἔγνωσαν ὅτι περὶ αὐτῶν λέγει

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

⁴⁶καὶ ζητοῦντες αὐτὸν κρατῆσαι ἐφοβήθησαν τοὺς ὄχλους ἐπεὶ εἰς προφήτην αὐτὸν εἶχον

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