Matthew 21 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

The Triumphal Entry

Jesus Rides into Jerusalem

(Mark 11:1–10; Luke 19:28–40; John 12:12–19 )

Mat 21:1Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage,[fn] at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

Mat 21:2

Mat 21:2saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.

Mat 21:3

Mat 21:3“And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

Mat 21:4

Mat 21:4All[fn] this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

Mat 21:5

Mat 21:5“Tell the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”[fn]

Mat 21:6

Mat 21:6So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.

Mat 21:7

Mat 21:7They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him[fn] on them.

Mat 21:8

Mat 21:8And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

Mat 21:9

Mat 21:9Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’[fn]
Hosanna in the highest!”

Mat 21:10

Mat 21:10And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”

Mat 21:11

Mat 21:11So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

(Mark 11:15–19; Luke 19:45–48; John 2:13–22 )

Mat 21:12

Mat 21:12Then Jesus went into the temple of God[fn] and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.

Mat 21:13

Mat 21:13And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’[fn] but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”[fn]

Mat 21:14

Mat 21:14Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.

Mat 21:15

Mat 21:15But when the chief priests and 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

Mat 21:16

Mat 21:16and 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 babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”[fn]

Mat 21:17

Mat 21:17Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

The Fig Tree Withered

(Mark 11:12–14 )

Mat 21:18

Mat 21:18Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.

Mat 21:19

Mat 21:19And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.

The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree

(Mark 11:20–24 )

Mat 21:20

Mat 21:20And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”

Mat 21:21

Mat 21:21So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, 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 also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.

Mat 21:22

Mat 21:22“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Jesus’ Authority Questioned

(Mark 11:27–33; Luke 20:1–8 )

Mat 21:23

Mat 21:23Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”

Mat 21:24

Mat 21:24But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:

Mat 21:25

Mat 21:25“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?’

Mat 21:26

Mat 21:26“But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.”

Mat 21:27

Mat 21:27So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

Mat 21:28

Mat 21:28“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’

Mat 21:29

Mat 21:29“He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went.

Mat 21:30

Mat 21:30“Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go.

Mat 21:31

Mat 21:31“Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.

Mat 21:32

Mat 21:32“For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers

(Mark 12:1–12; Luke 20:9–19 )

Mat 21:33

Mat 21:33“Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.

Mat 21:34

Mat 21:34“Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.

Mat 21:35

Mat 21:35“And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.

Mat 21:36

Mat 21:36“Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.

Mat 21:37

Mat 21:37“Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

Mat 21:38

Mat 21:38“But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’

Mat 21:39

Mat 21:39“So they took him and cast 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 vinedressers?”

Mat 21:41

Mat 21:41They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”

Mat 21:42

Mat 21:42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the LORD’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’ ?[fn]

Mat 21:43

Mat 21:43“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.

Mat 21:44

Mat 21:44“And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

Mat 21:45

Mat 21:45Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.

Mat 21:46

Mat 21:46But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

See the NKJV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NKJV Footnotes

(21:1)

M-Text reads Bethsphage.

NU-Text omits All.

NU-Text reads and He sat.

(21:9)

Psalm 118:26

(21:12)

NU-Text omits of God.

The text of the New King James Version (NKJV) appearing on or deriving from this or any other web page is for personal use only. Any other use of the NKJV must be in conformity with the Quotation Policy for the New King James Version. For more information about the New King James Version, the Quotation Policy, and for inquiries about permission to use the New King James Version, go to Thomas Nelson, Inc..

For more information on this translation, see the NKJV Preface.