Matthew 21

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 When they were near Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, then Jesus senttwo disciples,	1 And when they had drawn near to Jerusalem, and had arrived at Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2 saying to them, 'Go to the village facing you, and you wil at once find a tethered donkey and a coltwith her. Untie them and bring them to me.	2 saying to them: “Go into the town that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Release them, and lead them to me.
3 If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, "The Master needs them and wil send them back atonce." '	3 And if anyone will have said anything to you, say that the Lord has need of them. And he will promptly dismiss them.”
4 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet:	4 Now all this was done in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying,
5 Say to the daughter of Zion: Look, your king is approaching, humble and riding on a donkey and on acolt, the foal of a beast of burden.	5 “Tell the daughter of Zion: Behold, your king comes to you meekly, sitting on a donkey and on a colt, the son of one accustomed to the yoke.”
6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus had told them.	6 Then the disciples, going out, did just as Jesus instructed them.
7 They brought the donkey and the colt, then they laid their cloaks on their backs and he took his seaton them.	7 And they brought the donkey and the colt, and they laid their garments on them, and they helped him sit upon them.
8 Great crowds of people spread their cloaks on the road, while others were cutting branches from thetrees and spreading them in his path.	8 Then a very numerous crowd spread their garments on the way. But others cut branches from the trees and scattered them on the way.
9 The crowds who went in front of him and those who fol owed were al shouting: Hosanna to the son ofDavid! Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heavens!	9 And the crowds that preceded him, and those that followed, cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!”
10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil as people asked, 'Who is this?'	10 And when he had entered into Jerusalem, the entire city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
11 and the crowds answered, 'This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.'	11 But the people were saying, “This is Jesus, the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
12 Jesus then went into the Temple and drove out al those who were selling and buying there; he upsetthe tables of the money-changers and the seats of the dove-sel ers.	12 And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and he cast out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of the vendors of doves.
13 He said to them, 'According to scripture, my house wil be cal ed a house of prayer; but you areturning it into a bandits' den.'	13 And he said to them: “It is written: ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer. But you have made it into a den of robbers.’ ”
14 There were also blind and lame people who came to him in the Temple, and he cured them.	14 And the blind and the lame drew near to him in the temple; and he healed them.
15 At the sight of the wonderful things he did and of the children shouting, 'Hosanna to the son of David'in the Temple, the chief priests and the scribes were indignant and said to him,	15 Then the leaders of the priests and the scribes became indignant, seeing the miracles that he wrought, and the children crying out in the temple, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
16 'Do you hear what they are saying?' Jesus answered, 'Yes. Have you never read this: By the mouthsof children, babes in arms, you have made sure of praise?'	16 And they said to him, “Do you hear what these ones are saying?” But Jesus said to them, “Certainly. Have you never read: For out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have perfected praise?”
17 With that he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.	17 And leaving them behind, he went out, beyond the city, into Bethania, and he lodged here.
18 As he was returning to the city in the early morning, he felt hungry.	18 Then, as he was returning to the city in the morning, he was hungry.
19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it but leaves. And he said to it,'May you never bear fruit again,' and instantly the fig tree withered.	19 And seeing a certain fig tree beside the way, he approached it. And he found nothing on it, except only leaves. And he said to it, “May fruit never spring forth from you, for all time.” And immediately the fig tree was dried up.
20 The disciples were amazed when they saw it and said, 'How is it that the fig tree withered instantly?'	20 And seeing this, the disciples wondered, saying, “How did it dry up so quickly?”
21 Jesus answered, 'In truth I tel you, if you have faith and do not doubt at all, not only wil you do what Ihave done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, "Be pul ed up and thrown into the sea," it will be done.	21 And Jesus responded to them by saying: “Amen I say to you, if you have faith and do not hesitate, not only shall you do this, concerning the fig tree, but even if you would say to this mountain, ‘Take and cast yourself into the sea,’ it shall be done.
22 And if you have faith, everything you ask for in prayer, you wil receive.'	22 And all things whatsoever that you shall ask for in prayer: believing, you shall receive.”
23 He had gone into the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests and the elders of the peoplecame to him and said, 'What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?'	23 And when he had arrived at the temple, as he was teaching, the leaders of the priests and the elders of the people approached him, saying: “By what authority do you do these things? And who has given this authority to you?”
24 In reply Jesus said to them, 'And I will ask you a question, just one; if you tell me the answer to it,then I wil tel you my authority for acting like this.	24 In response, Jesus said to them: “I also will question you with one word: if you tell me this, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.
25 John's baptism: what was its origin, heavenly or human?' And they argued this way amongthemselves, 'If we say heavenly, he wil retort to us, "Then why did you refuse to believe him?";	25 The baptism of John, where was it from? Was it from heaven, or from men?” But they thought within themselves, saying:
26 but if we say human, we have the people to fear, for they al hold that John was a prophet.'	26 “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we have the crowd to fear, for they all hold John to be a prophet.”
27 So their reply to Jesus was, 'We do not know.' And he retorted to them, 'Nor wil I tel you my authorityfor acting like this.'	27 And so, they answered Jesus by saying, “We do not know.” So he also said to them: “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
28 'What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, "My boy, go and work inthe vineyard today."	28 But how does it seem to you? A certain man had two sons. And approaching the first, he said: ‘Son, go out today to work in my vineyard.’
29 He answered, "I will not go," but afterwards thought better of it and went.	29 And responding, he said, ‘I am not willing.’ But afterwards, being moved by repentance, he went.
30 The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, "Certainly, sir," but did notgo.	30 And approaching the other, he spoke similarly. And answering, he said, ‘I am going, lord.’ And he did not go.
31 Which of the two did the father's wil ?' They said, 'The first.' Jesus said to them, 'In truth I tel you, taxcol ectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you.	31 Which of the two did the will of the father?” They said to him, “The first.” Jesus said to them: “Amen I say to you, that tax collectors and prostitutes shall precede you, into the kingdom of God.
32 For John came to you, showing the way of uprightness, but you did not believe him, and yet the taxcol ectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.	32 For John came to you in the way of justice, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. Yet even after seeing this, you did not repent, so as to believe him.
33 'Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced itround, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad.	33 Listen to another parable. There was a man, the father of a family, who planted a vineyard, and surrounded it with a hedge, and dug a press in it, and built a tower. And he loaned it out to farmers, and he set out to sojourn abroad.
34 When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to col ect his produce.	34 Then, when the time of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, so that they might receive its fruits.
35 But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, kil ed another and stoned a third.	35 And the farmers apprehended his servants; they struck one, and killed another, and stoned yet another.
36 Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the sameway.	36 Again, he sent other servants, more than before; and they treated them similarly.
37 Final y he sent his son to them thinking, "They will respect my son."	37 Then, at the very end, he sent his son to them, saying: ‘They will revere my son.’
38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, "This is the heir. Come on, let us kil himand take over his inheritance."	38 But the farmers, seeing the son, said among themselves: ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and then we will have his inheritance.’
39 So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and kil ed him.	39 And apprehending him, they cast him outside the vineyard, and they killed him.
40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?'	40 Therefore, when the lord of the vineyard arrives, what will he do to those farmers?”
41 They answered, 'He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to othertenants who wil deliver the produce to him at the proper time.'	41 They said to him, “He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and he will loan out his vineyard to other farmers, who shall repay to him the fruit in its time.”
42 Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected hasbecome the cornerstone; this is the Lord's doing and we marvel at it?	42 Jesus said to them: “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders have rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?’
43 'I tel you, then, that the kingdom of God wil be taken from you and given to a people who willproduce its fruit.'	43 Therefore, I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and it shall be given to a people who shall produce its fruits.
44	44 And whoever will have fallen on this stone shall be broken, yet truly, on whomever it shall fall, it will crush him.”
45 When they heard his parables, the chief priests and the scribes realised he was speaking aboutthem,	45 And when the leaders of the priests, and the Pharisees had heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them.
46 but though they would have liked to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on him asa prophet.	46 And though they sought to take hold of him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.