CHAPTER 12.
ND when they
drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of
Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto
them, Go into the village which is before you, and straightway ye shall
find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto
me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say,
The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
4 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded
them, 5 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on
them their clothes, and he sat thereon. 6 And a very
great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches
from the trees, and strewed them in the way. 7 And when
he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is
this? 8 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves,
Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after
him. 9 Now there were certain Greeks among them that came
up to worship at the feast: 10 The same came therefore to
Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we
would see Jesus. 11 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and
then Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. 12 And Jesus answered
them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be
glorified. 13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a
corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it
die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 14 And he left them,
and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
15 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany,
16 Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold
and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers,
and the seats of them that sold doves; 17 And would not
suffer that any man should carry any goods through the temple.
18 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house
shall be called the house of prayer for all nations? but ye have made it a
den of thieves. 19 And the chief priests and scribes
heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him,
because all the people was astonished at his teaching. 20
And when even was come, they went out of the city.
And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was
walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the
scribes, and the elders, 22 And he said unto them, But
what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and
said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 23 And he
answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and
went. 24 And he came to the second, and said likewise.
And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. 25
Which of the twain did the will of his father? They answer, The first.
Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the
harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
Hear another parable: 27 A certain
man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a pit for
the winepress, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went
into a far country. 28 And at the harvest season he sent
to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of
the fruit of the vineyard. 29 And they caught him, and
beat him, and sent him away empty- handed. 30 And again
he sent unto them another servant; and they wounded him in the head, and
sent him away shamefully handled. 31 And again he sent
another; and him they killed; and many others, beating some, and killing
some. 32 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved,
he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my
son. 33 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This
is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be
our's. 34 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him
out of the vineyard. 35 What shall therefore the lord of
the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give
the vineyard unto others. 36 And when the chief priests
and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of
them. 37 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they
feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.
And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by
parables, and said, 39 The kingdom of heaven is like unto
a certain king, which made a marriage feast for his son,
40 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the
wedding feast: and they would not come. 41 Again, he sent
forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have
prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are
ready: come unto the marriage feast. 42 But they made
light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his
business: 43 And the remnant took his servants, and
treated them shamefully and slew them. 44 But the king
was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers,
and burned up their city. 45 Then saith he to his
servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not
worthy. 46 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many
as ye shall find, bid to the marriage feast. 47 So those
servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as
they found, both bad and good: and the wedding hall was furnished with
guests.
But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw
there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 49 And he
saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding
garment? And he was speechless. 50 Then said the king to
the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness;
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 For many
are called, but few are chosen.
Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they
might entangle him in his talk. 53 And they sent out unto
him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou
art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither deferrest thou to
any man: for thou regardest not the station of men. 54
Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to pay taxes unto
Caesar, or not? 55 But Jesus perceived their wickedness,
and said, Why do ye test me, ye hypocrites? 56 Shew me
the tax money. And they brought unto him a denarius. 57
And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
58 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render
therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the
things that are God's. 59 When they had heard these
words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say
that there is no resurrection, and asked him, 61 Saying,
Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall
marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 62
Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married
a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his
brother: 63 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto
the seventh. 64 And last of all the woman died
also. 65 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall
she be of the seven? for they all had her. 66 Jesus
answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor
the power of God. 67 For in the resurrection they neither
marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels in
heaven. 68 But as touching the resurrection of the dead,
have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
69 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.
70 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his
teaching.
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them
reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked
him, Which is the first commandment of all? 72 And Jesus
answered him, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one
Lord: 73 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy
strength: this is the first commandment. 74 The second is
thus: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other
commandment greater than these. 75 On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 76 And
the scribe said unto him, Thou speakest rightly, Master, in that thou hast
said, God is one; and there is none other but he: 77 And
to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with
all the strength, and to love thy neighbour as thyself, is more than all
whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.
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