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Matthew 21 :: Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Mat 21:1And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Beth'phage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
Mat 21:2saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.
Mat 21:3If any one says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and he will send them immediately."
Mat 21:4This took place to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
Mat 21:5"Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of an ass."
Mat 21:6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them;
Mat 21:7they brought the ass and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon.
Mat 21:8Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
Mat 21:9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
Mat 21:10And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?"
Mat 21:11And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee."

Cleansing the Temple

Mat 21:12And Jesus entered the temple of God and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.
Mat 21:13He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you make it a den of robbers."
Mat 21:14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.
Mat 21:15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant;
Mat 21:16and they 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 sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise'?"
Mat 21:17And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

The Barren Fig Tree

Mat 21:18In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry.
Mat 21:19And seeing a fig tree by the wayside he went to it, and found nothing on it but leaves only. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once.
Mat 21:20When the disciples saw it they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?"
Mat 21:21And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will be done.
Mat 21:22And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

Authority Challenged

Mat 21:23And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"
Mat 21:24Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you a question; and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Mat 21:25The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'
Mat 21:26But if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John was a prophet."
Mat 21:27So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Parable of Two Sons

Mat 21:28"What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'
Mat 21:29And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterward he repented and went.
Mat 21:30And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir,' but did not go.
Mat 21:31Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
Mat 21:32For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.

Parable of the Landowner

Mat 21:33"Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country.
Mat 21:34When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit;
Mat 21:35and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
Mat 21:36Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them.
Mat 21:37Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'
Mat 21:38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.'
Mat 21:39And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
Mat 21:40When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"
Mat 21:41They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."
Mat 21:42Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?
Mat 21:43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it."
Mat 21:44Other ancient authorities insert verse 44, "And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but when it falls on any one, it will crush him."
Mat 21:45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.
Mat 21:46But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multitudes, because they held him to be a prophet.
RSV Footnotes
Other ancient authorities insert verse 44, ["And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but when it falls on any one, it will crush him."]
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Source: Transcribed from: The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version containing the Old and New Testaments, translated from the original tongues: being the version set forth A.D. 1611, revised A.D. 1881-1885 and A.D. 1901: compared with the most ancient authorities and revised A.D. 1946-52. — 2nd ed. of New Testament A.D. 1971. There should be enough in the rest of the description to identify the text.

Language: English

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Pericope

Pericope taken from the NASB95 and has been graciously provided by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved.

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