Jonathan Defeats the Philistines

1 One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine ^mgarrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave¹ at Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men, 3 including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, ⁿIchabod’s brother, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, wearing an ^oephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4 Within the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.

6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” 7 And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish.² Behold, I am with you heart and soul.” 8 Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.” 11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” 12 And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.” 13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him. 14 And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre³ of land. 15 And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.⁴

16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude was dispersing here and there.⁵ 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Count and see who has gone from us.” And when they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there. 18 So Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God went at that time with the people⁶ of Israel. 19 Now while Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the camp of the Philistines increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” 20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle. And behold, every Philistine’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion. 21 Now the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines before that time and who had gone up with them into the camp, ^peven they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Likewise, when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too followed hard after them in the battle. 23 So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.

The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs

1 ^qAnd the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them,¹ “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 ^rAn evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except ^sthe sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

5 ^tWhen the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and ^ubeware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, ^v“O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 ^wDo you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and ^xhow many baskets you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and ^yhow many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

13 ^zNow when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say ^aJohn the Baptist, others say ^bElijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the ^cprophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, ^d“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, ^ebut my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and ^fon this ^grock² I will ^hbuild my church, and the ⁱgates of hell³ shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the ^jkeys of the kingdom of heaven, and ^kwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed⁴ in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

21 ^lFrom that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the ^mthird day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!⁵ This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, ⁿ“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance⁶ to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

24 ^oThen Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and ^ptake up his cross and ^qfollow me. 25 ^rFor whoever would save his life⁷ will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he ^sgains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to ^tcome with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person ^uaccording to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are ^vsome standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

The Transfiguration

1 ^wAnd after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And ^xhe was ^ytransfigured before them, and his ^zface shone like the sun, and his clothes became ^awhite as light. 3 ^bAnd behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three ^ctents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright ^dcloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ^e“This is my beloved Son,^{8 f}with whom I am well pleased; ^glisten to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and ^htouched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9 ⁱAnd as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ^j“Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that ^kfirst Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him ^lwhatever they pleased. ^mSo also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of ⁿJohn the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

14 ^oAnd when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has ^pseizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your ^qdisciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus ^rrebuked the demon,⁹ and it¹⁰ came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.¹¹ 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus ^sprivately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and ^tnothing will be impossible for you.”¹²

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

22 ^uAs they were gathering¹³ in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the ^vthird day.” And they were greatly distressed.

The Temple Tax

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the ^wtwo-drachma ^xtax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel.¹⁴ Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Who Is the Greatest?

1 ^yAt that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the ^zgreatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like ^achildren, you will never ^benter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever ^chumbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 ^d“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 ^ebut whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,^{15 f}it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!¹⁶ For it is necessary that temptations come, but ^gwoe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 ^hAnd if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell¹⁷ of fire.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10 ⁱ“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven ^jtheir angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.¹⁸ 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and ^kgo in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 ^lSo it is not the will of my¹⁹ Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

If Your Brother Sins Against You

15 ^m“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, ⁿbetween you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have ^ogained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established ^pby the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, ^qlet him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, ^rwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed²⁰ in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, ^sif two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, ^tthere am I among them.”

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as ^useven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but ^vseventy-seven times.²¹

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to ^wsettle accounts with his servants.²² 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand ^xtalents.²³ 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be ^ysold, with his wife and ^zchildren and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant²⁴ fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and ^aforgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,²⁵ and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 ^bAnd should not you have had ^cmercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the ^djailers,²⁶ until he should pay all his debt. 35 ^eSo also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”