The Parable of the Wedding Feast

1 And again Jesus ^ospoke to them in parables, saying, 2 ^p“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave ^qa wedding feast for his son, 3 and ^rsent his servants¹ to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 ^sAgain he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my ^tdinner, ^umy oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But ^vthey paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, ^wtreated them shamefully, and ^xkilled them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and ^ydestroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not ^zworthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and ^bgathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there ^ca man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ^d‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and ^ecast him into the outer darkness. In that place ^ethere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are ^fcalled, but few are ^fchosen.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

15 ^gThen the Pharisees went and plotted how ^hto entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent ⁱtheir disciples to him, along with ^jthe Herodians, saying, “Teacher, ^kwe know that you are true and teach ^lthe way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for ^myou are not swayed by appearances.² 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay ⁿtaxes to ^oCaesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why ^pput me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.³ 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, ^q“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they ^rleft him and went away.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

23 The same day ^sSadducees came to him, ^twho say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ^u‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, ^vbecause you know neither the Scriptures nor ^wthe power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither ^xmarry nor ^xare given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, ^yhave you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ^z‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, ^athey were astonished at his teaching.

The Great Commandment

34 ^bBut when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced ^cthe Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 ^dAnd one of them, ^ea lawyer, asked him a question ^fto test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, ^g“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And ^ha second is like it: ⁱYou shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 ^jOn these two commandments depend ^kall the Law and the Prophets.”

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41 ^lNow while the Pharisees ^mwere gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about ⁿthe Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, ⁿ“The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, ^oin the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

45 If then David calls him Lord, ^qhow is he his son?” 46 ^rAnd no one was able to answer him a word, ^snor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

1 Then Jesus ^tsaid to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 ^u“The scribes and the Pharisees ^vsit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, ^wbut not the works they do. ^xFor they preach, but do not practice. 4 ^yThey tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,⁴ and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 ^tThey do all their deeds ^zto be seen by others. For they make ^atheir phylacteries broad and ^btheir fringes long, 6 and they ^clove the place of honor at feasts and ^dthe best seats in the synagogues 7 and ^dgreetings in ^ethe marketplaces and being called ^frabbi⁵ by others. 8 ^gBut you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are ^hall brothers.⁶ 9 ⁱAnd call no man your father on earth, for ^jyou have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, ^kthe Christ. 11 ^lThe greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 ^mWhoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 “But woe ⁿto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^oshut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you ^pneither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.⁷ 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single ^qproselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a ^rchild of ^shell⁸ as yourselves.

16 “Woe to ^tyou, ^ublind guides, who say, ^v‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or ^wthe temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by ^xthe gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ^ythe altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^zhim who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by ^aheaven swears by ^bthe throne of God and by ^chim who sits upon it.

23 ^d“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^eyou tithe mint and dill and ^fcumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ^gjustice and mercy and faithfulness. ^hThese you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing ⁱa camel!

25 ^j“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^kyou clean the outside of ^lthe cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^mgreed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of ^lthe cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 ⁿ“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^owhitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and ^pall uncleanness. 28 So you also ^qoutwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of ^rhypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 ^s“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are ^tsons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 ^uFill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, ^vyou brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to ^whell? 34 ^xTherefore ^yI send you ^zprophets and wise men and ^ascribes, ^bsome of whom you will kill and crucify, and ^bsome you will ^cflog in your synagogues and ^dpersecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all ^ethe righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^fAbel to the blood of ^gZechariah the son of Barachiah,⁹ whom you murdered between ^hthe sanctuary and ⁱthe altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, ^jall these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

37 ^k“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^lkills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have ^mgathered ⁿyour children together ^oas a hen gathers her brood ^punder her wings, and ^qyou were not willing! 38 See, ^ryour house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ^s‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

1 ^tJesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, ^uthere will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

3 As he sat on ^vthe Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him ^wprivately, saying, “Tell us, ^xwhen will these things be, and what will be the sign of your ^ycoming and of ^zthe end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, ^a“See that no one leads you astray. 5 For ^bmany will come in my name, saying, ‘I am ^cthe Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you ^dare not alarmed, for this ^emust take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For ^fnation will rise against nation, and ^gkingdom against kingdom, and there will be ^hfamines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of ⁱthe birth pains.

9 “Then ^jthey will deliver you up ^kto tribulation and ^lput you to death, and ^myou will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away¹⁰ and ⁿbetray one another and hate one another. 11 And many ^ofalse prophets will arise ^pand lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, ^qthe love of many will grow cold. 13 ^rBut the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom ^swill be proclaimed throughout the whole world ^tas a testimony ^uto all nations, and ^vthen the end will come.

The Abomination of Desolation

15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation ^wspoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in ^xthe holy place (^ylet the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 ^zLet the one who is on ^athe housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And ^balas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be ^cgreat tribulation, ^dsuch as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for ^ethe sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 ^fThen if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For ^gfalse christs and ^hfalse prophets will arise and ⁱperform great signs and wonders, ^hso as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, ^jI have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, ^khe is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 ^lFor as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be ^mthe coming of the Son of Man. 28 ⁿWherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

29 “Immediately after ^othe tribulation of those days ^pthe sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and ^qthe stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then ^rwill appear in heaven ^sthe sign of the Son of Man, and then ^tall the tribes of the earth will mourn, and ^uthey will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven ^vwith power and great glory. 31 And ^whe will send out his angels with a loud ^xtrumpet call, and they will ^ygather ^zhis elect from ^athe four winds, ^bfrom one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, ^cat the very gates. 34 ^dTruly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 ^eHeaven and earth will pass away, but ^fmy words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

36 “But concerning that day and hour ^gno one knows, not even the angels of heaven, ^hnor the Son,^{11 i}but the Father only. 37 ^jFor as were the days of Noah, ^kso will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 ^jFor as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, ^lmarrying and giving in marriage, until ^mthe day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, ^kso will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 ⁿTwo women will be grinding ^oat the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, ^pstay awake, for you do not know on what day ^qyour Lord is coming. 43 ^rBut know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night ^sthe thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ^tready, for ^uthe Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45 “Who then is ^vthe faithful and ^wwise servant,¹² whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 ^xBlessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, ^yhe will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master ^zis delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants¹³ and eats and drinks with ^adrunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come ^bon a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place ^cthere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Cast Your Burden on the Lord

To the choirmaster: with ^fstringed instruments. A Maskil¹ of David.