Read the Bible

¹ When they drew nigh to Jerusalem, and were come to Bepthphage, to the mount of Olives, Jesus dispatched two disciples, ² saying, go to yonder village, and you will immediately find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them to me. ³ if any man oppose you, say, the Lord wants them; and then he will send them. ⁴ all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, ⁵ saying, " tell ye the daughter of Sion, behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting on an ass, even a colt, the fole of an ass." ⁶ and the disciples went, and having done as Jesus commanded them, ⁷ they brought the ass with the colt, threw their clothes on them, and mounted him thereon: ⁸ abundance of people spread their garments upon the ground; others lop'd down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way: ⁹ while the crowd that were marching before, and behind, cried out, "Hosanna to the son of David: blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna, Hosanna." ¹⁰ and when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was in an uproar, saying, who is this? ¹¹ and the crowd said, 'tis Jesus the prophet of Nazareth in Galilee.

¹² Then Jesus entered into the temple of God, drove out all those that sold and bought in the temple, overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the stalls of those that sold doves, ¹³ and said to them, it is written, " my house shall be the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves." ¹⁴ Then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them: ¹⁵ but when the chief priests and Scribes saw the wonders that he did, and the young people crying in the temple, "Hosanna to the son of David;" they were full of indignation. ¹⁶ and said to him, do you hear what they say? yes, said Jesus; have ye never read, "out of the mouth of babes and sucklings I will make a consort of praise?" ¹⁷ then leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany, where he stay'd that night.

¹⁸ In the morning as he returned into the city, he was a hungry. ¹⁹ when seeing a fig-tree by the way, he came to it, and finding nothing thereon, but bare leaves, said to it, may you never more bear fruit. and presently the fig-tree withered away. ²⁰ upon which the disciples said to one another, much surpriz'd, how came the fig-tree to wither away so suddenly? ²¹ Jesus answered them, I declare to you, if ye have a full assurance of faith, ye shall not only be able to do this to a fig-tree, but if ye should even say to this mountain, be thou removed, and cast into the sea; it should be done. ²² and whatever ye shall ask in prayer, with faith, ye shall receive.

²³ When he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the magistrates came to him as he was teaching, and said, by what authority dost thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? ²⁴ and Jesus answered them, let me ask you one question, if ye answer me that, I shall likewise satisfy you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ the baptism of John, whence was it? was it a divine or a human Institution? and they reasoned thus with themselves, if we say, it was divine; he will say, then, why did ye not believe him? ²⁶ but if we say, it was merely human, we are obnoxious to the people; for all hold John as a prophet. ²⁷ so they made answer, we cannot tell. and Jesus said, neither shall I tell you, by what authority I do these things.

²⁸ But what do you think of this? a man had two sons, and coming to the first, he said, son, go, work to-day in my vineyard. ²⁹ I won't, said he: but afterward be chang'd his mind, and went. ³⁰ then he came to the other, and bid him do the same. and he answered, yes, sir; but went not. ³¹ which of the two obey'd his father? they said, the first. Jesus reply'd, I declare to you, that the publicans and licentious people enter into the gospel kingdom before you. ³² for John instructed you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the licentious believed him. and tho' you saw that, you did not yet repent, so as to believe him.

³³ Hear another parable: a certain landlord planted a vineyard, hedged it round, set up a wine-press in it, and built a tower, then lett it out to tenants, and went into a foreign country. ³⁴ and when the fruit-season came on, he sent his servants to the tenants, to receive the fruits of it. ³⁵ but they seiz'd his servants, beat some, killed one, and stoned another. ³⁶ then he sent a greater number of servants, than at first: who met with the same treatment. ³⁷ but last of all, he sent his son, saying, they will reverence my son. ³⁸ but when the tenants saw the son, they said among themselves, this is the heir, come, let us kill him, and then seize on his inheritance. ³⁹ so seizing upon him, they turn'd him out of the vineyard, and slew him. ⁴⁰ when the master therefore of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? ⁴¹ they answered, he will give those wretches no quarter, and will let out his vineyard to such as shall duly account for the profits thereof. ⁴² Jesus reply'd, did ye never read in the scriptures, " that very stone which the builders rejected, is become the principal stone of the angle, this the Lord effected, and it is marvellous in our eyes." ⁴³ wherefore I declare to you, the gospel dispensation shall be taken from you, and given to a nation that shall make a proper use thereof. ⁴⁴ and whosoever shall stumble at this stone, shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, he shall be entirely crush'd. ⁴⁵ When the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he meant them. ⁴⁶ and they endeavoured to seize him, but were afraid of the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.