Christ rides into Jerusalem upon an ass. He casts the buyers and
sellers out of the temple, curses the fig tree and puts to silence the
priests and scribes.
21:1. And when they drew nigh to Jerusalem and were come to Bethphage,
unto mount Olivet, then Jesus sent two disciples,
21:2. Saying to them: Go ye into the village that is over against you:
and immediately you shall find an ass tied and a colt with her. Loose
them and bring them to me.
21:3. And if any man shall say anything to you, say ye that the Lord
hath need of them. And forthwith he will let them go.
21:4. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the prophet, saying:
21:5. Tell ye the daughter of Sion: Behold thy king cometh to thee,
meek and sitting upon an ass and a colt, the foal of her that is used
to the yoke.
21:6. And the disciples going, did as Jesus commanded them.
21:7. And they brought the ass and the colt and laid their garments
upon them and made him sit thereon.
21:8. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way: and
others cut boughs from the trees and strewed them in the way.
21:9. And the multitudes that went before and that followed cried,
saying: Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
21:10. And when he was come into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved,
saying: Who is this?
21:11. And the people said: This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of
Galilee.
21:12. And Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all them that
sold and bought in the temple and overthrew the tables of the money
changers and the chairs of them that sold doves.
21:13. And he saith to them: It is written, My house shall be called
the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.
21:14. And there came to him the blind and the lame in the temple: and
he healed them.
21:15. And the chief priests and scribes, seeing the wonderful things
that he did and the children crying in the temple and saying: Hosanna
to the son of David, were moved with indignation,
21:16. And said to him: Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus said to
them: Yea, have you never read: Out of the mouth of infants and of
sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
21:17. And leaving them, he went out of the city into Bethania and
remained there.
21:18. And in the morning, returning into the city, he was hungry.
21:19. And seeing a certain fig tree by the way side, he came to it and
found nothing on it but leaves only. And he saith to it: May no fruit
grow on thee henceforward for ever. And immediately the fig tree
withered away.
21:20. And the disciples seeing it wondered, saying: How is it
presently withered away?
21:21. And Jesus answering, said to them: Amen, I say to you, if you
shall have faith and stagger not, not only this of the fig tree shall
you do, but also if you shall say to this mountain, Take up and cast
thyself into the sea, it shall be done.
21:22. And all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer believing, you
shall receive.
21:23. And when he was come into the temple, there came to him, as he
was teaching, the chief priests and ancients of the people, saying: By
what authority dost thou these things? And who hath given thee this
authority?
21:24. Jesus answering, said to them: I also will ask you one word,
which if you shall tell me, I will also tell you by what authority I do
these things.
21:25. The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men? But
they thought within themselves, saying:
21:26. If we shall say, from heaven, he will say to us: Why then did
you not believe him? But if we shall say, from men, we are afraid of
the multitude: for all held John as a prophet.
21:27. And answering Jesus, they said: We know not. He also said to
them: Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
21:28. But what think you? A certain man had two sons: and coming to
the first, he said: Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
21:29. And he answering, said: I will not. But afterwards, being moved
with repentance, he went.
21:30. And coming to the other, he said in like manner. And he
answering said: I go, Sir. And he went not.
21:31. Which of the two did the father’s will? They say to him: The
first. Jesus saith to them: Amen I say to you that the publicans and
the harlots shall go into the kingdom of God before you.
21:32. For John came to you in the way of justice: and you did not
believe him. But the publicans and the harlots believed him: but you,
seeing it, did not even afterwards repent, that you might believe him.
21:33. Hear ye another parable. There was a man, an householder, who
planted a vineyard and made a hedge round about it and dug in it a
press and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen and went into a
strange country.
21:34. And when the time of the fruits drew nigh, he sent his servants
to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits thereof.
21:35. And the husbandmen laying hands on his servants, beat one and
killed another and stoned another.
21:36. Again he sent other servants, more than the former; and they did
to them in like manner.
21:37. And last of all he sent to them his son, saying: They will
reverence my son.
21:38. But the husbandmen seeing the son, said among themselves: This
is the heir: come, let us kill him, and we shall have his inheritance.
21:39. And taking him, they cast him forth out of the vineyard and
killed him.
21:40. When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he
do to those husbandmen?
21:41. They say to him: He will bring those evil men to an evil end and
will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen that shall render him the
fruit in due season.
21:42. Jesus saith to them: Have you never read in the Scriptures: The
stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the
corner? By the Lord this has been done; and it is wonderful in our
eyes.
21:43. Therefore I say to you that the kingdom of God shall be taken
from you and shall be given to a nation yielding the fruits thereof.
21:44. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on
whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.
21:45. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables,
they knew that he spoke of them.
21:46. And seeking to lay hands on him, they feared the multitudes,
because they held him as a prophet.