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Matthew 21 :: New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

(Mar 11:1–10; Luk 19:28–40; Jhn 12:12–19 )

Mat 21:1

Mat 21:1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,

Mat 21:2

Mat 21:2saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.

Mat 21:3

Mat 21:3If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

Mat 21:4

Mat 21:4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

Mat 21:5

Mat 21:5“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”[fn]

Mat 21:6

Mat 21:6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.

Mat 21:7

Mat 21:7They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.

Mat 21:8

Mat 21:8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

Mat 21:9

Mat 21:9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna[fn] to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[fn] “Hosanna[fn] in the highest heaven!”

Mat 21:10

Mat 21:10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

Mat 21:11

Mat 21:11The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Jesus at the Temple

(Mar 11:15–19; Luk 19:45–48; Jhn 2:13–22 )

Mat 21:12

Mat 21:12Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.

Mat 21:13

Mat 21:13“It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[fn] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[fn]”

Mat 21:14

Mat 21:14The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.

Mat 21:15

Mat 21:15But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

Mat 21:16

Mat 21:16“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “ ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’[fn]?”

Mat 21:17

Mat 21:17And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree

(Mar 11:12–14 )

Mat 21:18

Mat 21:18Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.

Mat 21:19

Mat 21:19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

Mat 21:20

Mat 21:20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

Mat 21:21

Mat 21:21Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.

Mat 21:22

Mat 21:22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

(Mar 11:27–33; Luk 20:1–8 )

Mat 21:23

Mat 21:23Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

Mat 21:24

Mat 21:24Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

Mat 21:25

Mat 21:25John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’

Mat 21:26

Mat 21:26But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

Mat 21:27

Mat 21:27So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

Mat 21:28

Mat 21:28“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

Mat 21:29

Mat 21:29“ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

Mat 21:30

Mat 21:30“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

Mat 21:31

Mat 21:31“Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.

Mat 21:32

Mat 21:32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

(Mar 12:1–12; Luk 20:9–19 )

Mat 21:33

Mat 21:33“Listen 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 watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.

Mat 21:34

Mat 21:34When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

Mat 21:35

Mat 21:35“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

Mat 21:36

Mat 21:36Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.

Mat 21:37

Mat 21:37Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

Mat 21:38

Mat 21:38“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’

Mat 21:39

Mat 21:39So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

Mat 21:40

Mat 21:40“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

Mat 21:41

Mat 21:41“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

Mat 21:42

Mat 21:42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’[fn]?

Mat 21:43

Mat 21:43“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

Mat 21:44

Mat 21:44Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”[fn]

Mat 21:45

Mat 21:45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them.

Mat 21:46

Mat 21:46They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
See the NIV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NIV Footnotes
A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
Psalm 8:2 (see Septuagint)
Some manuscripts do not have verse 44.
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Matthew Chapter 21 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New Living Translation English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Morphological Greek New Testament Textus Receptus Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras