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The Triumphal Entry

¹ When^(C1) they approached Jerusalem,^(C2) at Bethphage and Bethany^(C3) near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples ² and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, 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 Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’”

⁴ So they went and found a colt outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it, ⁵ and some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶ They answered them just as Jesus had said; so they let them go.

⁷ They brought the donkey to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their clothes on the road,^(C1) and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields.^{(F1) 9} Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted:

¹¹ He went into Jerusalem^(C1) and into the temple.^(C2) After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany^(C3) with the Twelve.

The Barren Fig Tree Is Cursed

¹² The^(C1) next day when they went out from Bethany, he was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig^(C1) tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit

Cleansing the Temple

¹⁵ They came to Jerusalem,^(C1) and he went into the temple^(C2) and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers^(C3) and the chairs of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. ¹⁷ He was teaching them: “Is it not written,

¹⁸ The chief priests and the scribes^(C1) heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid^(C2) of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching.

¹⁹ Whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.

The Barren Fig Tree Is Withered

²⁰ Early^(C1) in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. ²¹ Then Peter^(C1) remembered and said to him, “Rabbi,^(C2) look! The fig tree that you cursed^(C3) has withered.”

²² Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God.²³ Truly I tell you,²⁴ Therefore I tell you, everything you pray²⁵ And whenever you stand [²⁶ But if you don't forgive, neither will your Father in heaven^(ar) forgive your wrongdoing.]"^[f][g]

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

²⁷ They^(C1) came again to Jerusalem.^(C2) As he was walking in the temple,^(C3) the chief priests, the scribes,^(C4) and the elders^(C5) came ²⁸ and asked him, “By what authority^(C1) are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things?”

²⁹ Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question;³⁰ Was John’s baptism

³¹ They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe^(C1) him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘Of human origin’”—they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was truly a prophet.^{(C1) 33} So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”