Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
8 bIn those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have ccompassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they date and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.1
The Pharisees Demand a Sign
11 eThe Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, f“Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to gthis generation.” 13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod
14 hNow they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; ibeware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”2 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? jDo you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts khardened? 18 lHaving eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, mhow many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, nhow many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida
22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a oblind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had pspit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus3 laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, q“Do not even enter the village.”
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
27 rAnd Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, s“John the Baptist; and others say, tElijah; and others, one of the uprophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, v“You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
31 wAnd he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be xrejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after ythree days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, z“Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
34 aAnd calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and btake up his cross and cfollow me. 35 dFor whoever would save his life4 will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the egospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to fgain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is gashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he hcomes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
9 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are isome standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
The Transfiguration
2 jAnd after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And khe was ltransfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became mradiant, intensely white, as no one1 on earth could bleach them. 4 nAnd there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, o“Rabbi,2 it is good that we are here. Let us make three ptents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a qcloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, r“This is my beloved Son;3 slisten to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
9 tAnd as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to utell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning vwhat this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that wfirst Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it xwritten of the Son of Man ythat he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him zwhatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”
Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit
14 aAnd when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him bmute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your cdisciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it dconvulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, e“‘If you can’! fAll things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out4 and said, “I believe; ghelp my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he hrebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I icommand you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him jprivately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but kprayer.”5
Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection
30 lThey went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after mthree days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
Who Is the Greatest?
33 nAnd they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, o“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 p“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”
Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us
38 qJohn said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,6 and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 rFor the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, swhoever gives you a cup of water to drink because7 you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
Temptations to Sin
42 t“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,8 uit would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 vAnd if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell,9 to the unquenchable fire.10 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to wenter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 x‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 yFor everyone will be salted with fire.11 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? zHave salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Teaching About Divorce
10 aAnd he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.
2 And Pharisees came up and bin order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to cdivorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, d“Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your ehardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, f‘God made them male and female.’ 7 g‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,1 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, h“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Let the Children Come to Me
13 iAnd they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples jrebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, k“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not lenter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
The Rich Young Man
17 mAnd as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, nwhat must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: o‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, psell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, qfollow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have rwealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, s“Children, how difficult it is2 to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a trich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were uexceedingly astonished, and said to him,3 “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For vall things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, wwe have xleft everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or ybrothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 zBut many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
32 aAnd they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after bthree days he will rise.”
The Request of James and John
35 cAnd James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to dsit, eone at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the fcup that I drink, or to be baptized with the gbaptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. hBut whoever would be great among you must be your servant,4 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave5 of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to iserve, and to give his life as a jransom for many.”
Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus
46 kAnd they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, lSon of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, m“Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; nyour faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
The Triumphal Entry
11 oNow when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus1 sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The pLord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought qthe colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many rspread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, s“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the tcoming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
12 uOn the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a vfig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
15 wAnd they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the xmoney-changers and the seats of those who sold ypigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, z‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a aden of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way bto destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was castonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they2 went out of the city.
The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree
20 dAs they passed by in the morning, they saw the efig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, f“Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, gwhatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received3 it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, hif you have anything against anyone, iso that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”4
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
27 jAnd they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, “By what kauthority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you lnot believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a mprophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The Parable of the Tenants
12 nAnd he began to speak to them in parables. o“A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and pwent into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant1 to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they qkilled. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, a rbeloved son. sFinally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the their. Come, let us ukill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and vgive the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture:
w“‘The stone that the builders rejected
11 this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
13 yAnd they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, zto trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, awe know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For byou are not swayed by cappearances,3 but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay dtaxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius4 and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, e“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
18 fAnd Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no gresurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, hMoses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man5 must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, iin the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, j‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”
The Great Commandment
28 kAnd one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, l‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall mlove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: n‘You shall olove your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said pthat qhe is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much rmore than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Whose Son Is the Christ?
35 sAnd as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the tson of David? 36 David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared,
u“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.”’
37 David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.
Beware of the Scribes
38 vAnd in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like wgreetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the xbest seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who ydevour widows’ houses and for a zpretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
The Widow’s Offering
41 aAnd he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the boffering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.6 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
