New Living Translation

English Standard Version

1As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead.

1Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples

2 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

2and 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 asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’”

3If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’”

4The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door.

4And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.

5As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, “What are you doing, untying that colt?”

5And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”

6They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it.

6And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.

7Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it.

7And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.

8Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields.

8And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.

9Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD!

9And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

10Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!”

10Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

11So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around carefully at everything, he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples. Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

11And 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.

12The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.

12On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.

13He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit.

13And seeing in the distance a fig 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.

14Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it. Jesus Clears the Temple

14And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

15When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves,

15And 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 money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.

16and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.

16And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.

17He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

17And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

18When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.

18And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.

19That evening Jesus and the disciples left the city.

19And when evening came they went out of the city.

20The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up.

20As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.

21Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!”

21And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”

22Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God.

22And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.

23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.

23Truly, 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 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. ” The Authority of Jesus Challenged

25And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

26

26

27Again they entered Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him.

27And 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,

28They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?”

28and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”

29 “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied.

29Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”

30Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”

31They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John.

31And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

32But do we dare say it was merely human?” For they were afraid of what the people would do, because everyone believed that John was a prophet.

32But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.

33So they finally replied, “We don’t know.” And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

33So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.