Matthew 22

Modern

Literal

The Parable of the Banquet

¹Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables:

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

²“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

²“The kingdom of the heavens was likened to a man, a king, who made a wedding feast for his son.

³He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come.

³And he sent his servants to call those having been called to the wedding feast, and they were not willing to come.

⁴Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

⁴Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Say to those having been called: Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fatlings have been killed, and all things are ready; come to the wedding feast.’

⁵But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business.

⁵And having disregarded it, they went away, one to his own field, and one to his business.

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

⁶And the rest, having laid hold of his servants, mistreated and killed them.

⁷The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.

⁷And the king was enraged, and having sent his armies, he destroyed those murderers and set on fire their city.

⁸Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy.

⁸Then he says to his servants, ‘Indeed, the wedding feast is ready, but those having been called were not worthy.

⁹Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’

⁹Therefore go on the thoroughfares of the roads and call to the wedding feast as many as you may find.’

¹⁰So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹⁰And those servants, having gone out into the roads, gathered together all whom they found, both evil and good, and the wedding feast was filled with those reclining.

¹¹But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes.

¹¹And the king, having entered to view those reclining, saw a man there not dressed in clothing of a wedding feast.

¹²‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’

But the man was speechless.

¹²And he says to him, ‘Friend, how did you enter here not having clothing of a wedding feast?’ And he was speechless.

¹³Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

¹³Then the king said to the servants, ‘Having bound his feet and hands, cast him out into the outer darkness—there will be weeping and gnashing of the teeth.’

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

¹⁴For many are called, but few chosen.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words.

¹⁵Then having gone, the Pharisees took counsel as to how they might trap Him in a word.

¹⁶They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.

¹⁶And they send to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and You teach the way of God in truth. And to You there is care about no one, for You do not look to the appearance of men.

¹⁷So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

¹⁷Therefore tell us, what do You think? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me?

¹⁸But having known their malice, Jesus said, “Why do you test Me, hypocrites?

¹⁹Show Me the coin used for the tax.”

And they brought Him a denarius.^a

¹⁹Show Me the coin of the tribute.” And they presented to Him a denarius.

²⁰“Whose image is this,” He asked, “and whose inscription?”

²⁰And He says to them, “Whose is this image, and the inscription?”

²¹“Caesar’s,” they answered.

So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

²¹They say to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He says to them, “Therefore give back the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God.”

²²And when they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.

²²And having heard, they marveled. And having left Him, they went away.

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

²³That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.

²³On that day Sadducees, saying there is not a resurrection, came to Him, and they questioned Him,

²⁴“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.^a

²⁴saying, “Teacher, Moses said that if anyone should die not having children, his brother will marry his wife and will raise up seed for his brother.

²⁵Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.

²⁵Now there were seven brothers with us. And the first, having married, died; and not having seed, he left his wife to his brother.

²⁶The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh.

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

²⁷And last of all, the woman died.

²⁸In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For all of them were married to her.”

²⁸In the resurrection, therefore, of which of the seven will she be wife? For all had her.”

²⁹Jesus answered, “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

²⁹And answering, Jesus said to them, “You go astray, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.

³⁰In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels^a in heaven.

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

³¹But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you:

³¹But concerning the resurrection of the dead, did you not read what has been spoken to you by God, saying,

³²‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?^a He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

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.”

³³When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

³³And having heard, the crowds were astonished at His teaching.

The Greatest Commandment

³⁴And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together.

³⁴And the Pharisees, having heard that He silenced the Sadducees, were gathered at the same place.

³⁵One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question:

³⁵And one of them, a lawyer, questioned, testing Him,

³⁶“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”

³⁶“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

³⁷Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^a

³⁷And 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.’

³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment.

³⁸This is the great and first commandment.

³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^a

³⁹And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Whose Son Is the Christ?

⁴¹While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus questioned them:

⁴¹And the Pharisees having been assembled together, Jesus questioned them,

⁴²“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?”

“David’s,” they answered.

⁴²saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Of whom is He son?” They say to Him, “Of David.”

⁴³Jesus said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’? For he says:

⁴³He says 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.”’^a

⁴⁴‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I place Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet”’?

⁴⁵So if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be David’s son?”

⁴⁵If, therefore, David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?”

⁴⁶No one was able to answer a word, and from that day on no one dared to question Him any further.

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