1 And as they came near Jerusalem and reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus {Iesous, Anointed King} then sent two disciples {mathētēs: devoted learners}.
2 He {Iesous, Approaching King} said to them, “Go into the village {kome: small rural settlement} in front of you, and at once you will come upon a donkey tied up, with her colt; untie them and bring them to Me.”
3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall reply, “The Lord {Kyrios, Sovereign Claimant} has need of them,” and he will send {apostelei: send with purpose} them immediately.
4 Now this occurred so that what was spoken through the prophet {prophētēs: inspired spokesperson} might be fulfilled {plerothe: brought to completion}, saying:
5 Say to the daughter {thugater: personified city} of Zion, “Look, your king is coming to you—gentle and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden {hypozygion: laboring animal}.”
6 So the disciples {mathetai: devoted learners} went and carried out what Jesus {Iesous, Guiding Lord} had instructed them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their garments {himatia: outer cloaks} on them, and He {Iesous, Messianic King} sat upon them.
8 And a very large crowd {ochlos: assembled throng} spread their garments on the road {hodo: public thoroughfare}; others cut branches from the trees and laid them on the road.
9 And the crowds before Him and those behind were crying out, “Hosanna {hosanna: save us} to the Son of David! Blessed is the One coming in the name of the Lord {Kyrios, Covenant King}; Hosanna in the highest!”
10 And when He {Iesous, Promised King} entered into Jerusalem, the whole city {polis: urban community} was shaken, saying, “Who is this?”
11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet {prophetes: inspired spokesman} Jesus {Iesous, Publicly Acknowledged Prophet}, from Nazareth, in Galilee.”
12 And Jesus {Iēsous, Zealous Purifier} went into the temple {hieron: sacred courts} and drove out all who were selling and buying there; He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those selling doves.
13 And He {Iesous, Righteous Temple Judge} said to them, “It has been written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den {spelaion: secret refuge} of robbers.”
14 And the blind and the lame came to Him {Iēsous, Merciful Healer} in the temple, and He healed them {etherapeusen: restored completely}.
15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He {Iesous, Wonder-Working King} did and the children {paidas: Young Worshipers} crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant.
16 And they said to Him, “Do You hear what these are uttering?” But Jesus {Iēsous, Authority on Scripture} says to them, “Yes; Have You never read that, ‘Out of the mouth of infants {nēpiōn: very young children} and nursing babies You have prepared praise’?”
17 Then He {Iesous, Withdrawing To Rest} left them, went outside the city to Bethany {Bethania: nearby village}, and stayed there.
18 Now in the morning, while He {Iesous, Truly Human Lord} was going back into the city {polin: urban center}, He became hungry.
19 And seeing a fig tree {syke: Israel’s fruitfulness} beside the road, Jesus {Iesous, Righteous Judge} went to it and found nothing on it except leaves. Then He said to it, “May fruit never again come from you forever,” and the fig tree withered immediately.
20 And when the disciples {mathetai: devoted learners} saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither {xeraino: dried up} so quickly?”
21 And Jesus {Iēsous, Faithful Instructor} answered them, “Truly {amēn: firmly assured} I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and be thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.”
22 And all things{panta: all things} that you ask in prayer, believing{pisteuontes: exercising trust}, you will receive.
23 And after He {Iesous, Questioned Teacher} had 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 {exousia: delegated authority} are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”
24 But Jesus {Iesous, Skillful Questioner} answered them, “I too will ask you one thing; if you tell Me, then I also will tell you by what authority {exousia: delegated right} I do these things.”
25 The baptism {baptisma: ritual immersion} of John—where did it originate, from heaven or from men? And they were reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He {Iesous, Discerning Teacher} will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’”
26 But if we say, “From men,” we fear the crowd {ochlos: volatile assembly}, for all consider John to be a prophet {prophētes: inspired messenger}.
27 And answering, they said to Jesus {Iesous, Wise Questioner}, “We do not know.” He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what kind of authority {exousia: rightful mandate} I do these things.”
28 But what do you think{dokei: evaluate this}? A man had two children{tekna: children, here sons}. He came to the first and said, “Son, go today and work in the vineyard.”
29 And he answered and said, “I do not want to.” But later, having regretted {metamelētheis: inner remorse}, he went {apelthen: went away}.
30 Then he went to the second {deuteros: other son} and said the same. And he answered, “I, sir {kyrie: respectful address},” but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus {Iesous, Righteous Judge} said to them, “Truly I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes go ahead of you into the kingdom of God {Theos, Holy King}.”
32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness {dikaiosynē: just conduct}, and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. You, however, after seeing this, did not repent {metamelomai: change one’s mind} later so as to believe him.
33 Hear another parable: There was a man, a master of a house {oikodespotes: head of household}, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, leased it to farmers, and went away to another country {apedemesen: journeyed abroad}.
34 When the season for fruit drew near, he dispatched his servants {doulos: household attendants} to the farmers {geōrgos: land cultivators} to gather his produce.
35 And the farmers {georgoi: tenant cultivators} seized his servants: they beat one, killed another, and stoned {elithobolesan: attacked with stones} another.
36 Again {palin: once more} he sent other servants {doulos: household messengers}, more than the first, and they did the same to them.
37 But afterward he sent to them his son {huios: unique heir}, saying, “They will respect {entrapesontai: show due honor} my son.”
38 But the farmers, upon seeing the son, said among themselves, “This is the heir {kleronomos: rightful successor}. Come, let us kill him and seize the inheritance {kleronomia: property to be received}.”
39 And after they seized {labontes: forcefully apprehended} him, they threw him out of the vineyard {ampelonos: cultivated vineyard estate} and killed him.
40 Therefore, when the master {kyrios: legal proprietor} of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers {georgois: tenant cultivators}?
41 They said to Him, “He will bring those evil men to a dreadful end, and will lease the vineyard {ampelon: cultivated grape field} to other farmers who will give Him the fruits {karpos: harvest produce} at their seasons.”
42 Jesus {Iēsous, Faithful Teacher} said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this came from the Lord {Kyrios, Sovereign Builder}, and it is marvelous in our eyes.’”
43 Because of this, I say to you that the kingdom of God {Theos, Righteous Judge} will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation producing its fruits {karpous: visible obedience}.
44 And the one who falls on this stone {lithon: this stone of judgment} will be shattered; but if it falls on someone, it will crush {likmesei: total ruin} him to dust.
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His {Iesous, Revealing Judge} parables {parabolas: pointed comparisons}, they realized He was speaking about them.
46 And though they were seeking to seize Him {Iesous, Rejected Prophet}, they feared the crowds, because the people regarded Him as a prophet {prophetes: God’s spokesman}.