 The Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5 through 10, from the twentieth century New Testament. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. CHAPTER V On seeing the crowds of people, Jesus went up the hill, and when he had taken his seat, his disciples came up to him, and he began to teach them as follows. BLESSED are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. BLESSED are the mourners, for they shall be comforted. BLESSED are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. BLESSED are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. BLESSED are the merciful, for they shall find mercy. BLESSED are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. BLESSED are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. BLESSED are those who have been persecuted in the cause of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. BLESSED are you when people taunt you and persecute you, and say everything evil about you untruely on my account? Be glad and rejoice, because your reward in heaven will be great, for so men persecuted the prophets who live before you. It is you who are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its strength, what will you use to restore its saltness? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown away and trampled under foot. It is you who are the light of the world. A town that stands on a hill cannot be hidden. Men do not light a lamp and put it under the corn-measure, but on the lamp-stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. Let your light so shine before the eyes of your fellow men, that seeing your good actions they may praise your Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I have come to do away with the law or the prophets. I have not come to do away with them, but to complete them. For I tell you, until the heavens and the earth disappear, not even the smallest letter nor one stroke of a letter shall disappear from the law until all is done. Whoever therefore breaks one of these commandments, even the least of them, and teaches others to do so, will be the least esteemed in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps them, and teaches others to do so, will be esteemed great in the kingdom of heaven. Indeed, I tell you that unless your religion is above that of the teachers of the law and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that to our ancestors it was said, Thou shalt not commit murder, and whoever commits murder shall be liable to answer for it to the court. I, however, say to you that anyone who cherishes anger against his brother shall be liable to answer for it to the court, and whoever pours contempt upon his brother shall be liable to answer for it to the High Council, while whoever calls down curses upon him shall be liable to answer for it in the fiery pit. Therefore, when presenting your gift at the altar, if even there you remember that your brother has some grievance against you, leave your gift there before the altar. Go and be reconciled to your brother first, then come and present your gift. Be ready to make friends with your opponent, even when you meet him on your way to the court, for fear that he should hand you over to the judge and the judge to his officer, and you should be thrown into prison. I tell you you will not come out until you have paid the last penny. You have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery. I, however, say to you that anyone who looks at a woman with an impure intention has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye is a snare to you, take it out and throw it away. It would be best for you to lose one part of your body, and not to have the whole of it thrown into the pit. And if your right hand is a snare to you, cut it off and throw it away. It would be best for you to lose one part of your body, and not to have the whole of it go down to the pit. It was also said, Let anyone who divorces his wife serve her with a notice of separation. I, however, say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of her unchastity, leads to her committing adultery, while anyone who marries her after her divorce is guilty of adultery. Again, you have heard that to our ancestors it was said, Thou shalt not break an oath, but thou shalt keep thine oaths as a debt due to the Lord. I, however, say to you that you must not swear at all, either by heaven, since it is God's throne, or by the earth, since that is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great king, nor should you swear by your head, since you cannot make a single hair, either white or black. Let your words be simply yes or no. Anything beyond this comes from what is wrong. You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. I, however, say to you that you must not resist wrong, but if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. And when anyone wants to go to law with you, to take your coat, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone compels you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to him who asks of you, and from him who wants to borrow from you, do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thy enemy. I, however, say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may become sons of your father who is in heaven, for he causes his son to rise upon bad and good alike, and sends rain upon the righteous and upon the unrighteous. For if you love only those who love you, what reward will you have? Even the tax-gatherers do this. And if you show courtesy to your brothers only, what are you doing more than others? Even the Gentiles do this. You then must become perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. CHAPTER VI Take care not to perform your religious duties in public in order to be seen by others. If you do, your Father who is in heaven has no reward for you. Therefore, when you do acts of charity, do not have a trumpet blown in front of you as hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may be praised by others. There, I tell you, is their reward. But when you do acts of charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your charity may be secret, and your Father who sees what is in secret will recompense you. And when you pray, you are not to behave as hypocrites do. They like to pray standing in the synagogues and at the corners of the streets that they may be seen by men. There, I tell you, is their reward. But when one of you prays, let him go into his own room, shut the door, and pray to his Father who dwells in secret. And his Father who sees what is secret will recompense him. When praying, do not repeat the same words over and over again as is done by the Gentiles, who think that by using many words they will obtain a hearing. Do not imitate them. For God your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. You, therefore, should pray thus. Our Father who art in heaven, may your name be held holy. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us to-day the bread that we shall need, and forgive us our wrongdoings, as we have forgiven those who have wronged us. And take us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you also. But if you do not forgive others their offenses, not even your Father will forgive your offenses. And when you fast, do not put on gloomy looks as hypocrites do who disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. That, I tell you, is their reward. So when one of you fasts, let him anoint his head and wash his face that he may not be seen by men to be fasting, but by his Father who dwells in secret. At his Father who sees what is secret will recompense him. Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is unclouded, your whole body will be lit up. But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be darkened. And if the inner light is darkness, how intense must that darkness be? No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will attach himself to one and despise the other. You cannot serve, both God and money. That is why I say to you, do not be anxious about your life here, what you can get to eat or drink, nor yet about your body, what you can get to wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than its clothing? Look at the wild birds. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more precious than they? But which of you, by being anxious, can prolong his life a single moment? And why be anxious about clothing? Study the wild lilies and how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you that even Solomon, in all his splendor, was not robed like one of these. If God so clothes even the grass of the field which is living today and tomorrow will be thrown into the oven, will not he much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Do not then ask anxiously what can we get to eat, or what can we get to drink, or what can we get to wear. All these are the things for which the nations are seeking, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But first seek his kingdom and the righteousness that he requires, and then all these things will be added for you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own anxieties. Every day has trouble enough of its own. Chapter 7 Do not judge that you may not be judged, for just as you judge others you will yourselves be judged, and the measure that you meet will be meted out to you. And why do you look at the straw in your brother's eye, while you pay no attention at all to the beam in yours? How will you say to your brother, let me take out the straw from your eye, when all the time there is a beam in your own? Hippocrate, take out the beam from your own eye first, and then you will see clearly how to take out the straw from your brother's. Do not give what is sacred to dogs, nor yet throw your pearls before pigs, lest they should trample them under their feet, and then turn and attack you. Ask, and your prayer shall be granted. Search, and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened to you. For he that asks receives, he that searches finds, and to him that knocks the door shall be opened. Who among you, when his son asks him for a loaf, will give him a stone, or when he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, wicked though you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father who is in heaven give what is good to those that ask him? Due to others whatever you would wish them to do to you, for that is the teaching of both the law and the prophets. Go in by the small gate. Broad and spacious is the road that leads to destruction, and those who go in by it are many, for small is the gate, and narrow the road that leads to life, and those that find it are few. Bear of false teachers, men who come to you in the guise of sheep, but at heart they are ravenous wolves. By the fruit of their lives you will know them. Do people gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? So too every sound tree bears good fruit, while a worthless tree bears bad fruit. A sound tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a worthless tree bear good fruit. Every tree that fails to bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Hence it is by the fruit of their lives that you will know such men. Not every one who says to me, Master, Master, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Master, Master, was it not in your name that we taught and in your name that we drove out demons and in your name that we did many miracles? And then I will say to them plainly, I never knew you. Go from my presence, you who live in sin. Everyone therefore that listens to this teaching of mine and acts upon it may be compared to a prudent man who built his house upon the rock. The rain poured down, the rivers rose, the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, for its foundations were upon the rock. And every one that listens to this teaching of mine and does not act upon it may be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain poured down, the rivers rose, the winds blew and struck against that house, and it fell, and great was its downfall. By the time that Jesus had finished speaking the crowd was filled with amazement at his teaching, for he taught them like one who had authority and not like the teachers of the law. CHAPTER VIII When Jesus had come down from the hill great crowds followed him, and he saw a leper who came up and bowed to the ground before him and said, Master, if only you are willing, you are able to make me clean. Stretching out his hand Jesus touched him, saying as he did so, I am willing, become clean. Instantly he was made clean from his leprosy, and then Jesus said to him, Be careful not to say a word to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest and offer the gift directed by Moses as evidence of your cure. After Jesus had entered Capernaum, a captain in the Roman army came up to him in treating his help. Sir, he said, my manservant is lying ill at my house with a stroke of paralysis and is suffering terribly. I will come and cure him, answered Jesus. Sir, the captain went on, I am unworthy to receive you under my roof, but only speak, and my manservant will be cured. For I myself am a man under the orders of others, with soldiers under me, and if I say to one of them go, he goes, and to another come, he comes, and to my slave, do this, and he does it. Jesus was surprised to hear this, and said to those who were following him, Never, I tell you, in any Israelite have I met with such faith as this. Yes, and many will come in from east and west and take their places beside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs to the kingdom will be banished into the darkness outside. There there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then Jesus said to the captain, Go now, and it shall be according to your faith, and the man was cured that very hour. When Jesus went into Peter's house he saw Peter's mother-in-law prostrated with fever. On his taking her hand the fever left her, and she rose and began to wait upon him. In the evening the people brought to Jesus many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits with a word and cured all who were ill in fulfillment of these words in the prophet Isaiah. He took our infirmities on himself, and bore the burden of our diseases. Being a crowd round him, Jesus gave orders to go across, and a teacher of the law came up to him and said, Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. Foxes have holes, answered Jesus, and wild birds their roosting places, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. Master, said another who was a disciple, let me first go and bury my father. But Jesus answered, follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead. Then he got into the boat, followed by his disciples. Suddenly so great a storm came on upon the sea that the waves broke right over the boat. But Jesus was asleep, and the disciples came and roused him. Master, they cried, save us, we are lost! Why are you so timid, he said, O men of little faith? Then Jesus rose and rebuked the winds in the sea, and a great calm followed. The men were amazed, and exclaimed, What kind of man is this, that even the winds in the sea obey him? And on getting to the other side, the country of the Gatorines, Jesus met two men who were possessed by demons coming out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one was able to pass that way. Suddenly they shrieked out, What do you want with us, son of God? Have you come here to torment us before our time? A long way off there was a drove of many pigs feeding, and the foul spirits began begging Jesus. If you drive us out, send us into the drove of pigs. Go, he said. The spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the whole drove rushed down the steep slope into the sea, and died in the water. At this the men who tended them ran away and went to the town, carrying the news of all that had occurred, and of what had happened to the possessed men. At the news the whole town went out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they entreated him to go away from their neighborhood. Chapter 9 Afterwards Jesus got into a boat, and crossing over came to his own city. And there some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith he said to the man, Courage, child, your sins are forgiven. Then some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, this man is blaspheming. Knowing their thoughts, Jesus exclaimed, Why do you cherish such wicked thoughts? Which I ask is the easier, to say your sins are forgiven, or to say get up and walk about. But that you may know, that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. Then he said to the paralyzed man, Get up, take up your bed, and return to your home. The man got up and went to his home. When the crowd saw this they were awestruck and praised God for giving such power to men. As Jesus went along he saw a man called Matthew sitting in the tax office and said to him, Follow me, Matthew got up and followed him. And later on when he was at table in the house a number of tax gatherers and outcasts came in and took their places at table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this they said to his disciples, Why does your teacher eat in the company of tax gatherers and outcasts? On hearing this Jesus said, It is not those who are in health that need a doctor, but those who are ill. Go and learn what this means. I desire mercy and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the religious but the outcast. Then John's disciples came to Jesus and asked, Why do we in the Pharisees fast while your disciples do not? Jesus answered, Can the bridegroom's friends mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be parted from them and they will fast then. No man ever puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for such a patch tears away from the garment and a worse rent is made. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins, for if they do the skins burst and the wine runs out and the skins are lost, but they put new wine into fresh skins and so both are preserved. While Jesus was saying this a president of a synagogue came up and bowed to the ground before him. My daughter, he said, has just died, but come and place your hand on her and she will be restored to life. So Jesus rose and followed him and his disciples went also. But meanwhile a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel of his cloak. If I only touch his cloak, she said to herself, I shall get well. Turning and seeing her, Jesus said, Courage, daughter, your faith has delivered you. And the woman was delivered from her malady from that very hour. When Jesus reached the president's house, seeing the flute players and a number of people all in confusion, he said, go away, the little girl is not dead, she is asleep. They began to laugh at him, but when the people had been sent out, Jesus went in and took the little girl's hand and she rose. The report of this spread throughout all that part of the country. As Jesus was passing on from there, he was followed by two blind men who kept calling out, take pity on us, son of David. When he had gone indoors, the blind men came up to him and Jesus asked them, do you believe that I am able to do this? Yes, master, they answered. Upon that he touched their eyes and said, it shall be according to your faith. Then their eyes were opened. Jesus sternly cautioned them. See that no one knows of it, he said, but the men went out and spread the news about him throughout all that part of the country. Just as they were going out, some people brought up to Jesus a dumb man who was possessed by a demon, and as soon as the demon had been driven out, the dumb man spoke. The people were astonished at this and exclaimed, nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel, but the Pharisees said, he drives out the demons by the help of the chief of the demons. Jesus went round all the towns and the villages teaching in their synagogues proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. But when he saw the crowds, his heart was moved with compassion for them because they were distressed and harassed, like sheep without a shepherd, and he said to his disciples, the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray to the owner of the harvest to send laborers to gather in his harvest. CHAPTER X Calling his twelve disciples to him, Jesus gave them authority over foul spirits so that they could drive them out, as well as the power of curing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. The names of the twelve apostles are these. First Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew. James the son of Zebediah and his brother John. Philip and Bartholomew. Thomas and Matthew the tax-gatherer. James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddeus. John the zealot and Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out as his messengers after giving them these instructions. Do not go to the Gentiles nor enter any Samaritan town, but make your way rather to the lost sheep of Israel, and on your way proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, make the lepers clean, drive out demons. You have received free of cost. Give free of cost. Do not provide yourselves with gold or silver or pence in your purses, not even with a bag for the journey, or a change of clothes or sandals or even a staff, for the worker is worth his food. Whatever town or village you visit, find out who is worthy in that place and remain there till you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. Even if the house is worthy, let your blessing rest upon it. But if it is unworthy, let your blessing return upon yourselves. If no one welcomes you or listens to what you have to say, as you leave that house or that town, shake off its dust from your feet. I tell you the doom of the land of Sodom and Gomorrah will be more bearable in the day of judgment than the doom of that town. Remember, I am sending you out as my messengers like sheep among wolves, so be as wise as serpents and as blameless as doves. Be on your guard against your fellow men, for they will betray you to courts of law and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake that you may witness for me before them and the nations. Whenever they betray you, do not be anxious as to how you shall speak or what you shall say, for what you shall say will be given you at the moment, for it will not be you who speak but the spirit of your father that speaks within you. Brother will betray brother to death and the father his child, and children will turn against their parents and cause them to be put to death, and you will be hated by everyone on account of my name. Yet the man that endures to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in one town, escape to the next, for I tell you you will not have come to the end of the towns of Israel before the son of man comes. A scholar is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a scholar to be treated like his teacher and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Bielzebub, how much more the members of his household? Do not therefore be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed which will not be revealed, nor anything hidden which will not become known. What I tell you in the dark, say again in the light, and what is whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops, and do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul. Rather be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in the pit. Are not two sparrows sold for a halfpenny? That not one of them will fall to the ground without your father's knowledge, while as for you the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not therefore be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. Everyone therefore who shall acknowledge me before his fellow men, I too will acknowledge before my father who is in heaven. But if anyone disowns me before his fellow man, I too will disown him before my father who is in heaven. Do not imagine that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword, for I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, and the man who does not take his cross and follow in my steps is not worthy of me. He who has found his life will lose it, while he who for my sake has lost his life shall find it. He who welcomes you is welcoming me, and he who welcomes me is welcoming him who sent me as his messenger. He who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who welcomes a good man because he is a good man shall receive a good man's reward. And if any one gives but a cup of cold water to one of these lowly ones because he is a disciple, I tell you that he shall assuredly not lose his reward. THE GOSPEL OF MATHEW CHAPTERS XI THROUGH SIXTEEN FROM THE TWENTYTH CENTURY NEW TESTIMENT THE TWENTYTH CENTURY NEW TESTIMENT BY A COMPANY OF ABOUT TWENTY SCHOLARS THE GOSPEL OF MATHEW CHAPTERS XI THROUGH SIXTEEN CHAPTER XI After Jesus had finished giving directions to his twelve disciples, he left that place in order to teach and preach in their towns. Now John had heard in prison what the Christ was doing, and he sent a message by his disciples and asked, Are you the coming one, or are we to look for someone else? The answer of Jesus to the question was, Go and report to John what you hear and see. The blind recover their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, and the deaf hear, the dead too are raised to life, and the good news is told to the poor. And blessed is the man who finds no hindrance in me. While these men were going back, Jesus began to say to the crowds with reference to John, What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed waving in the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man richly dressed? Why, those who wear rich things are to be found in the courts of kings. What then did you go for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet. This is the man of whom Scripture says, Behold, I am myself sending my messenger before thy face, and he shall prepare thy way before thee. I tell you, no one born of a woman has yet appeared who is greater than John the Baptist. And yet the lowliest in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the time of John the Baptist to this very hour the kingdom of heaven has been taken by force, and men using force have been seizing it. For the teaching of all the prophets and of the law continued till the time of John, and if you are ready to accept it, John is himself the Elijah who is destined to come. Let him who has ears hear. But to what shall I compare the present generation? It is like little children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to their playmates. We have played the flute for you, but you have not danced. We have wailed, but you have not mourned. For when John came neither eating nor drinking men said he has a demon in him, and now that the son of man has come eating and drinking they are saying, here is a glutton and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and outcasts. And yet wisdom is vindicated by her actions. Then Jesus began to reproach the towns in which most of his miracles had been done because they had not repented. Alas for you, Chorazan, alas for you, Bethsaida, for if the miracles which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Yet I tell you the doom of Tyre and Sidon will be more bearable in the day of judgment than yours. And you, Capernaum, will you exalt yourself to heaven? You shall go down to the place of death. For if the miracles which have been done in you had been done in Sodom it would have been standing to this day. Yet I tell you the doom of Sodom will be more bearable in the day of judgment than yours. At that same time Jesus uttered these words. I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that though thou hast hidden these things from the wise and learned, thou hast revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, I thank thee that this has seemed good to thee. Everything has been committed to me by my Father. Nor does anyone fully know the Son except the Father, or fully know the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son may choose to reveal him. Come to me, all you who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly-minded, and you shall find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. CHAPTER 12 At the same time Jesus walked through the cornfields one sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and began to pick some ears of wheat and eat them. But when the Pharisees saw this they said, Look, your disciples are doing what it is not allowable to do on a sabbath. Have you not read, replied Jesus, what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God, and how they ate the consecrated bread, though it was not allowable for him or his companions to eat it, but only for the priests. And have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are not guilty? Here, however, I tell you there is something greater than the temple. And had you learnt the meaning of the words, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned those who are not guilty, for the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath. Passing on Jesus went into their synagogue, and there he saw a man with a withered hand. Some people asked Jesus whether it was allowable to work a cure on the sabbath, so that they might have a charge to bring against him. But Jesus said to them, Which of you, if he had only one sheep and that sheep fell into a pit on the sabbath, would not lay hold of it and pull it out? And how much more precious a man is than a sheep! Therefore it is allowable to do good on the sabbath. Then he said to the man, Stretch out your hand. The man stretched it out, and it had become as sound as the other. On coming out the Pharisees plotted against Jesus to put him to death. Jesus however became aware of it and went away from that place. A number of people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known in fulfilment of these words in the prophet Isaiah. Behold, the servant of my choice, my beloved in whom my heart delights, I will breathe my spirit upon him, and he shall announce a time of judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not contend nor cry aloud, neither shall anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, till he has brought the judgment to a victorious issue, and on his name shall the Gentiles rest their hopes. Then some people brought to Jesus a possessed man who was blind and dumb, and he cured him so that the man who had been dumb both talked and saw. At this all the people were astounded. Is it possible that this is the son of David, they exclaimed? But the Pharisees heard of it, and said, He drives out demons only by the help of Beelzebub, the chief of the demons. Jesus however was aware of what was passing through their minds, and said to them, Any kingdom divided against itself becomes a desolation, and any town or household divided against itself will not last. So if Satan drives Satan out, he must be divided against himself, and how then can his kingdom last? And if it is by Beelzebub's help that I drive out demons, by whose help is it that your own sons drive them out? Therefore they shall themselves be your judges. But if it is by the help of the spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God must already be upon you. How again can anyone get into a strong man's house and carry off his goods without first securing him? And not till then will he plunder his house. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not help me to gather is scattering. Therefore I tell you, men will be forgiven every sin and slander, but slander against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in the present age or in the age to come. You must assume either that both tree and fruit are good, or that both tree and fruit are worthless, since it is by its fruit that a tree is known. You brood of vipers. How can you, evil as you are, say anything good? For what fills the heart will rise to the lips? A good man from his good stores produces good things, while an evil man from his evil stores produces evil things. I tell you that for every careless thing that men say they must answer on the day of judgment, for it is by your words that you will be acquitted and by your words that you will be condemned. At this point some teachers of the Law and Pharisees interposed. Teacher, they said, we want to see some sign from you. It is a wicked and unfaithful generation, answered Jesus, that is asking for a sign, and no sign shall be given it except the sign of the Prophet Jonah, for just as Jonah was inside the sea monster three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and will condemn it, because they repented it Jonah's proclamation, and here is more than a Jonah. At the judgment the Queen of the South will rise up with the present generation and will condemn it, because she came from the very ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and here is more than a Solomon. No sooner does a foul spirit leave a man than it passes through places where there is no water in search of rest and does not find it. Then it says, I will go back to the home which I left, but on coming there it finds it unoccupied and swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and make their home there, and the last state of that man proves to be worse than the first. So too will it be with this wicked generation. While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside asking to speak to him. Someone told him this, and Jesus replied, Who is my mother? And who are my brothers? Then stretching out his hand toward his disciples he said, Here are my mother and my brothers. For anyone who does the will of my father who is in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. CHAPTER XIII That same day when Jesus had left the house and was sitting by the sea, such great crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood upon the beach. Then he told them many truths and parables. The sower, he began, went out to sow. And as he was sowing, some seed fell upon the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places where it had not much soil, and having no depth of soil sprang up at once. As soon as the sun had risen it was scorched and having no root withered away. Some again fell into the brambles, but the brambles shot up and choked it. Some, however, fell on good soil, and yielded a return sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty-fold. Let him who has ears hear. Afterwards, his disciples came to him and said, Why do you speak to them in parables? To you, answered Jesus, the knowledge of the hidden truths of the kingdom of heaven has been imparted, but not to those. For to all who have more will be given, and they shall have abundance. But from all who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. That is why I speak to them in parables, because though they have eyes they do not see, and though they have ears they do not hear or understand. And in them is being fulfilled that prophecy of Isaiah which says, You will hear with your ears without ever understanding, and though you have eyes you will see without ever perceiving. For the mind of this nation has grown dense, and their ears are dull of hearing, their eyes also have they closed. Lest some day they should perceive with their eyes, and with their ears they should hear, and in their mind they should understand and should turn, and I should heal them. Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear, for I tell you that many prophets and good men have longed for the sight of the things which you are seeing, and yet never saw them, and to hear the things which you are hearing, yet never heard them. Listen then, yourselves, to the parable of the sore. When any one hears the message of the kingdom without understanding it, the evil one comes, and snatches away what has been sown in his mind. This is the man meant by the seed which was sown along the path. By the seed which was sown on rocky places is meant the man who hears the message, and at once accepts it joyfully, but as he has no root he stands for only a short time, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the message he falls away at once. By the seed which was sown among the brambles is meant the man who hears the message, but the cares of life and the glamour of wealth completely choke the message so that it gives no return. But by the seed which was sown on the good ground is meant the man who hears the message and understands it, and really yields a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty-fold. Another parable which Jesus told them was this. The kingdom of heaven is compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while every one was asleep his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and then went away. So when the blades of corn shot up and came into ear the tares made their appearance also. On this the owner's servants came to him and said, Was not it good seed that you sowed in your field? Where then do the tares in it come from? An enemy has done this, was his answer. Do you wish us then, they asked, to go and gather them together? No, said he, for fear that while you are gathering the tares you should root up the wheat as well. Let both grow side by side till harvest, and then I shall say to the reapers gather the tares together first and tie them in bundles for burning, but bring all the wheat into my barn. Another parable which he told them was this. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. This seed is smaller than all other seeds, but when it has grown up it is larger than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and roost in its branches. This was another parable which Jesus related. The kingdom of heaven is like some yeast which a woman took and covered up in three pecks of flour till the whole had risen. Of all this Jesus spoke to the crowd in parables. Indeed to them he never used to speak at all except in parables, in fulfillment of these words in the prophet. I will speak to them in parables. I will utter things kept secret since the foundation of the world. Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. Presently his disciples came to him and said, Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field. And he answered, The sower of the good seed is the son of man. The field is the world. By the good seed is meant the people of the kingdom. The tares are the wicked. And the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest time is the close of the age and the reapers are angels. And just as the tares are gathered and burnt, so it will be at the close of the age. The son of man will send his angels and they will gather from his kingdom all that hinders and those who live in sin and will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine like the son in the kingdom of their father. Let him who has ears hear. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man found and hid again and then his delight went and sold everything that he had and bought that field. Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of choice pearls, finding one of great value he went and sold everything that he had and bought it. Or again the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was cast into the sea and caught fish of all kinds. When it was full they hauled it up on the beach and sat down and sorted the good fish into baskets but threw the worthless ones away. So will it be at the close of the age? The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Have you understood all this?" Jesus asked. Yes, they answered. Then he added, So every teacher of the law who has received instruction about the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who produces from his stores things both new and old. When Jesus had finished these parables he withdrew from that place. Going to his own part of the country he taught the people in their synagogue in such a manner that they were deeply impressed. Where did he get this wisdom, they said, and the miracles? Is not he the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And his sisters, too, are not they all living among us? Where then did he get all this? These things proved a hindrance to their believing in him, whereupon Jesus said, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house. He did not work many miracles there because of their want of faith. CHAPTER XIV At that time Prince Herod heard of the fame of Jesus and said to his attendants, This must be John the Baptist. He must be risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are active in him. For Herod had arrested John, put him in chains, and shut him up in prison to please Herodius, the wife of Herod's brother Philip. For John had said to him, You have no right to be living with her. Yet though Herod wanted to put him to death, he was afraid of the people, because they looked on John as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodius danced before his guests, and so pleased Herod that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, the girl said, Give me here on a dish the head of John the Baptist. The king was distressed at this, yet on account of his oath and of the guests at his table, he ordered it to be given her. He sent and beheaded John in the prison, and his head was brought on a dish and given to the girl, and she took it to her mother. Then John's disciples came and took the body away and buried it, and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard of it, he retired privately in a boat to a lonely spot. The people, however, heard of his going, and followed him in crowds from the towns on foot. On getting out of the boat, Jesus saw a great crowd, and his heart was moved at the sight of them, and he cured all the sick among them. In the evening, the disciples came up to him and said, This is a lonely spot, and the day is now far advanced. Send the crowds away that they may go to the villages and buy themselves food. But Jesus said, They need not go away, it is for you to give them something to eat. We have nothing here, they said, except five loaves and two fishes. Bring them here to me, was his reply. Jesus ordered the people to take their seats on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven and said the blessing, and after he had broken the loaves, gave them to his disciples, and they gave them to the crowds. One had sufficient to eat, and they picked up enough of the broken pieces that were left to fill twelve baskets, the men who ate were about five thousand in number without counting women and children. Immediately afterwards, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and cross over in advance of him while he dismissed the crowds. After dismissing the crowds, he went up the hill by himself to pray, and when evening fell he was there alone. The boat was by this time some miles from shore, laboring in the waves, for the wind was against her. Three hours after midnight, however, Jesus came toward the disciples, walking on the water. But when they saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. It is a ghost, they exclaimed, and cried out for fear. But Jesus at once spoke to them. Courage, he said, it is I, do not be afraid. Master, Peter exclaimed, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water. And Jesus said, come. So Peter got down from the boat and walked on the water and went towards Jesus. But when he felt the wind, he was frightened and beginning to sink, cried out, master, save me. Instantly Jesus stretched out his hand and caught hold of him. Oh, man of little faith, he said, why did you falter? When they had got into the boat, the wind dropped. But the men in the boat threw themselves on their faces before him and said, you are indeed God's son. When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. But the people of that place, recognizing Jesus, sent out to the whole country round and brought to him all who were ill, begging him merely to let them touch the tassel of his cloak, and all who touched were made perfectly well. CHAPTER XV Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus and said, How is it that your disciples break the traditions of our ancestors, for they do not wash their hands when they eat food? His reply was, How is it that you, on your side, break God's commandments out of respect for your own traditions? For God said, Honor thy father and mother, and let him who reviles his father or mother suffer death. But you say, whenever anyone says to his father or mother, whatever of mine might have been service to you is given to God, he is in no way bound to honor his father. In this way you have nullified the words of God on account of your traditions. Hippocrates, it was well said by Isaiah when he prophesied about you. This is the people that honor me with their lips while their hearts are far removed from me. But vainly do they worship me, for they teach but the precepts of men. Then Jesus called the people to him and said, Listen, and mark my words. It is not what enters a man's mouth that defiles him, but what comes out from his mouth. That does defile him. On this his disciples came up to him and said, Do you know that the Pharisees were shocked on hearing what you said? Every plant, Jesus replied, that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them be. They are but blind guides, and if one blind man guides another, both of them will fall into a ditch. Upon this, Peter said to Jesus, Explain this saying to us. What, do even you understand nothing yet, Jesus exclaimed? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is afterwards expelled, but the things that come out from the mouth proceed from the heart, and it is these that defile a man, for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, perjury, slander. These are the things that defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man. On going away from that place, Jesus retired to the country round Tyre and Sidon. There, a Canaanite woman of that district came out and began calling to Jesus. Make pity on me, master, son of David. My daughter is grievously possessed by a demon. But Jesus did not answer her a word, and his disciples came up and begged him to send her away. She keeps calling out after us, they said. I was not sent, replied Jesus, to anyone except the lost sheep of Israel. But the woman came and bowing to the ground before him said, Master, help me. It is not fair, replied Jesus, to take the children's food and throw it to dogs. Yes, master, she said, for even dogs do feed on the scraps that fall from their owner's table. Your faith is great, was his reply to the woman. It shall be as you wish. And her daughter was cured that very hour. On leaving that place, Jesus went to the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and then went up the hill and sat down. Great crowds of people came to him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, or dumb, and many others. They put them down at his feet, and he cured them. And the crowd were astonished when they saw the dumb talking, the cripples made sound, the lame walking about, and the blind with their sight restored, and they praised the God of Israel. Afterwards, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, My heart is moved at the sight of all these people, for they have already been with me three days, and they have nothing to eat, and I am unwilling to send them away hungry for fear that they should break down on the way. Where can we, his disciples asked, in this lonely place find enough bread for such a crowd as this? How many loaves have you, said Jesus? Seven, they answered, and a few small fish. Telling the crowd to sit down on the ground, Jesus took the seven loaves and the fish, and after saying the thanksgiving, broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. Everyone had sufficient to eat, and they picked up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left. The men who ate were four thousand in number, without counting women and children. Then after dismissing the crowds, Jesus got into the boat, and went to the neighborhood of Magadan. CHAPTER 16 Here the Pharisees and Sadducees came up and to test Jesus requested him to show them some sign from the heavens. But Jesus answered, In the evening you say it will be fine weather for the sky is as red as fire, but in the morning you say today it will be stormy for the sky is as red as fire and threatening. You learn to read the sky, and yet you are unable to read the signs of the times. A wicked and unfaithful generation is asking for a sign, but no sign shall be given it except the sign of Jonah. So he left them, and went away. Now the disciples had crossed to the opposite shore, and had forgotten to take any bread. Presently Jesus said to them, Take care, and be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But the disciples began talking among themselves about their having brought no bread. On noticing this Jesus said, Why are you talking among yourselves about your being short of bread, O men of little faith? Do not you yet see, nor remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took away? Nor yet the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you took away? How is it that you do not see that I was not speaking about bread? Be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Then they understood that he had told them to be on their guard not against the leaven of bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. On coming into the neighborhood of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples this question. Who do people say that the Son of Man is? Some say John the Baptist, they answered. Others, however, say that he is Elijah, while others again say Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But you, he said, Who do you say that I am? And to this Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, Jesus replied, for no human being has revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Yes, and I tell you, your name is Peter, a rock, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of the place of death shall not prevail over it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be held in heaven to be forbidden, and whatever you allow on earth will be held in heaven to be allowed. Then he charged his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. At that time, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo much suffering at the hands of the counselors and chief priests and teachers of the law, and be put to death, and rise on the third day. But Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him. Master, he said, please God, that shall never be your fate. Jesus, however, turning to Peter, said, out of my way, Satan, you are a hindrance to me, for you look at things not as God does, but as man does. Then Jesus said to his disciples, if any man wishes to walk in my steps, let him renounce self and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, and whoever for my sake loses his life shall find it. What good will it do a man to gain the whole world if he forfeits his life, or what will a man give that is of equal value with his life? For the Son of Man is to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will give to every man what his actions deserve. I tell you, some of those who are standing here will not know death till they have seen the Son of Man coming into his kingdom. End of chapters 11 through 16. The Gospel of Matthew, chapters 17 through 22 from the 20th century New Testament. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Reading by J. A. Carter, www.pleonic.com. The 20th century New Testament by a company of about twenty scholars. The Gospel of Matthew, chapters 17 through 22. CHAPTER 17 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and the brothers James and John and led them up a high mountain alone. There his appearance was transformed before their eyes. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. And all at once Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. "'Master,' exclaimed Peter, interposing, "'it is good to be here. If you wish, I will make three tents here. One for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and there was a voice from the cloud which said, "'This is my son, the beloved, in whom I delight. Him you must hear.'" The disciples, on hearing this, fell on their faces, greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying as he did so, "'Rise up, and do not be afraid.' When they raised their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus himself alone. As they were going down the mountainside, Jesus gave them this warning. "'Do not speak of this vision to any one, until the son of man has risen from the dead.'" "'How is it?' his disciples asked, that our teachers of the law say that Elijah has to come first. "'Elijah indeed does come,' Jesus replied, and will restore everything. "'And I tell you that Elijah has already come, and people have not recognized him, but have treated them just as they pleased. In the same way, too, the son of man is destined to undergo suffering at men's hands.'" Then the disciples understood that it was of John the Baptist that he had spoken to them. When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and kneeling down before him said, "'Master, take pity on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers terribly. Indeed he often falls into the fire and into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.'" "'Oh, faithless and perverse generation,' Jesus exclaimed, "'how long must I be among you? How long must I have patience with you? Bring the boy here to me.'" Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was cured from that very hour. Afterwards, the disciples came up to Jesus and asked him privately, "'Why was it that we could not drive it out?' "'Because you have so little faith,' he answered, "'for I tell you, if your faith were only like a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, move from this place to that, and it would be moved, and nothing would be impossible to you.'" While Jesus and his disciples were together in Galilee, he said to them, "'The son of man is destined to be betrayed into the hands of his fellow men, and they will put him to death, but on the third day he will rise.' And the disciples were greatly distressed. After they had reached Capernaum, the collectors of the temple rate came up to Peter and said, "'Does not your master pay the temple rate?' "'Yes,' answered Peter. "'But I'm going into the house before he could speak,' Jesus said. "'What do you think, Simon, from whom do earthly kings take taxes or tribute, from their sons or from others?' "'From others,' answered Peter. "'Well, then,' continued Jesus, their sons go free. "'Still, that we may not shock them, go and throw a line into the sea. Take the first fish that rises, open its mouth, and you will find in it a piece of money. Take that and give it to the collectors for both of us.'" CHAPTER XVIII On the same occasion, the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, "'Who is really the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' Jesus called a little child to him and placed it in the middle of them and then said, "'I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven at all. Therefore any one who will humble himself like this child, that man shall be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And any one who, for the sake of my name, welcomes even one little child like this, is welcoming me. But if any one puts a snare in the way of one of these lowly ones who believe in me, it would be best for him to be sunk in the depths of the sea with a great millstone hung round his neck. Alas for the world, because of such snares, there cannot but be snares, yet alas for the man who is answerable for the snare. If your hand or your foot is a snare to you, cut it off and throw it away. It would be better for you to enter the life maimed or lame than to have both hands or both feet and be thrown into the Aeonian fire. If your eye is a snare to you, take it out and throw it away. It would be better for you to enter the life with only one eye than to have both eyes and be thrown into the fiery pit. Beware of despising one of these lowly ones, for in heaven I tell you their angels always see the face of my father who is in heaven. What thank you? If a man owns a hundred sheep and one of them strays, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go and search for the one that is straying? And if he succeeds in finding it, I tell you that he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine which did not stray. So, too, it is the will of my father who is in heaven that not one of these lowly ones should be lost. If your brother does wrong, go to him and convince him of his fault when you and he are alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take with you one or two others so that on the evidence of two or three witnesses every word may be put beyond dispute. If he refuses to listen to them, speak to the church. And if he also refuses to listen to the church, treat him as you would a gentile or a tax-gatherer. I tell you all that you forbid on earth will be held in heaven to be forbidden, and all that you allow on earth will be held in heaven to be allowed. Again I tell you that if but two of you on earth agree as to what they shall pray for, whatever it be, it will be granted them by my father who is in heaven, for where two or three have come together in my name, I am present with them. Then Peter came up and said to Jesus, Master, how often am I to forgive my brother when he wrongs me, as many as seven times? But Jesus answered, not seven times, but seventy times seven. And therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he had begun to do so, one of them was brought to him who owed him six million pounds, and as he could not pay his master ordered him to be sold toward the payment of the debt, together with his wife and his children and everything that he had. Thereupon the servant threw himself down on the ground before him and said, Have patience with me, and I will pay you all. The master was moved with compassion, and he let him go and forgave him the debt. But on going out that same servant came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten pounds. Seizing him by the throat he said, Pay what you owe me. Thereupon his fellow servant threw himself on the ground and begged for mercy. Have patience with me, he said, and I will pay you. But the other would not, but went and put him in prison till he should pay his debt. When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and went to their master and laid the whole matter before him. Upon that the master sent for the servant and said to him, You wicked servant, when you begged me for mercy I forgave you the whole of that debt, ought not you also to have shown mercy to your fellow servant just as I showed mercy to you? Then his master, in anger, handed him over to the jailers, until he should pay the whole of his debt. So also will my heavenly father do to you, unless each one of you forgives his brother from his heart. CHAPTER XIX At the conclusion of this teaching, Jesus withdrew from Galilee and went to that district of Judea which is on the other side of the Jordan. He crowds followed him, and he cured them there. Presently, some Pharisees came up to him, and to test him said, Has a man the right to divorce his wife for every cause? Have you not read, replied Jesus, that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the man and his wife shall become one, so that they are no longer two, but one. What God himself then has yoked together, man must not separate. Why then, they said, did Moses direct that a man should serve his wife with a notice of separation and divorce her? Moses, owing to the hardness of your hearts, answered Jesus, permitted you to divorce your wives, but that was not so at the beginning. But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of her unchastity, and marries another woman, is guilty of adultery. If that, said the disciples, is the position of a man with regard to his wife, it is better not to marry. It is not every one, replied Jesus, who can accept this teaching, but only those who have been unable to do so. Some men, it is true, have from birth been disabled for marriage, while others have been disabled by their fellow men, and others again have disabled themselves for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let him accept it who can. Then some little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray, but the disciples found fault with those who had brought them. Jesus, however, said, Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for it is to the child-like that the kingdom of heaven belongs. So he placed his hands on them, and then went on his way. Then a man came up to Jesus and said, Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain immortal life? Why ask me about goodness, answered Jesus. There is but one who is good. If you want to enter the life, keep the commandments. What commandments? asked the man. These, answered Jesus, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not say what is false about others, honor thy father and thy mother, and Thou shalt love thy neighbor as Thou dost thyself. I have observed all these, said the young man. What is still wanting in me? If you wish to be perfect, answered Jesus, go and sell your property and give to the poor, and you shall have wealth in heaven. Then come and follow me. On hearing these words, the young man went away distressed, for he had great possessions. At this Jesus said to his disciples, I tell you that a rich man will find it hard to enter the kingdom of heaven. I say again, it is easier for a camel to get through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. On hearing this, the disciples exclaimed in great astonishment, Whoson can possibly be saved? But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but with God everything is possible. Then Peter turned and said to Jesus, But we, we left everything and followed you. What then shall we have? I tell you, answered Jesus, that at the new creation, when the son of man takes his seat on his throne of glory, you who followed me shall be seated upon twelve thrones as judges of the twelve tribes of Israel. Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or land on account of my name will receive many times as much and will gain immortal life. But many who are first now will then be last and those who are last will be first. CHAPTER XX For the kingdom of heaven is like an employer who went out in the early morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. He agreed with the laborers to pay them two shillings a day and sent them into his vineyard. When going out again, about nine o'clock, he saw some others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. You also may go into my vineyard, he said, and I will pay you what is fair. So the men went. Going out again, about mid-day, and about three o'clock, he did as before. When he went out about five, he found some other men standing there and said to them, Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing? Because no one has hired us, they answered. You also may go into my vineyard, he said. In the evening the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and pay them their wages beginning with the last and ending with the first. Now when those who had been hired about five o'clock went up, they received two shillings each. So when the first went up they thought that they would receive more, but they also received two shillings each, on which they began to grumble at their employer. These last, they said, have done only one hour's work, and yet you have put them on the same footing with us who have borne the brunt of the day's work and the heat. My friend was his reply to one of them, I am not treating you unfairly. Did not you agree with me for two shillings? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last man the same as to you. Have not I the right to do as I choose with what is mine? Are you envious because I am liberal? So those who are last will be first, and the first last. When Jesus was on the point of going up to Jerusalem, he gathered the twelve disciples round him by themselves and said to them as they were on their way, Listen, we are going up to Jerusalem, and there the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law, and they will condemn him to death and give him up to the gentiles for them to mock and to scourge and to crucify and on the third day he will rise. Then the mother of Zebediah's sons came to him with her sons, bowing to the ground and begging a favour. What is it that you want? he asked. I want you to say, she replied, that in your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and the other on your left. You do not know what you are asking, was Jesus's answer. Can you drink the cup that I am to drink? Yes, they exclaimed, we can. You shall indeed drink my cup, he said, but as to a seat at my right and at my left, that is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my father. On hearing this the ten others were very indignant about the two brothers. Jesus however called the ten to him and said, The rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them as you know, and their great men oppressed them. Among you it is not so. No, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to take the first place among you must be your slave, just as the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. As they were going out of Jericho a great crowd followed him. Two blind men who were sitting on the roadside hearing that Jesus was passing called out, Take pity on us, master, son of David. The crowd told them to be quiet, but the men only called out the louder. Take pity on us, master, son of David! Then Jesus stopped and called them. What do you want me to do for you, he said. Master they replied, We want our eyes to be opened. So Jesus moved with compassion, touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. CHAPTER XXI When they had almost reached Jerusalem, having come as far as Bethfaj on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent on two disciples. Go to the village facing you, he said, and you will immediately find an ass tethered with a foal by her side. Untie her and lead her here for me. And if anyone says anything to you, you are to say this. The master wants them, and he will send them at once. This happened in fulfillment of these words in the prophet. Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy king is coming to thee gentle and riding on an ass, and on the foal of a beast of burden. So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They led the ass and the foal back, and when they had put their cloaks on them he seated himself upon them. The immense crowd of people spread their cloaks in the road, while some cut branches off the trees and spread them on the road. The crowd that led the way, as well as those that followed behind, kept shouting, God save the son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, God save him from on high. When he had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, Who is this? To which the crowd replied, This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee. Jesus went into the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of the pigeon-dealers and said to them, Scripture says, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers. While he was still in the temple courts some blind and some lame people came up to him and he cured them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things that Jesus did and the boys who were calling out in the temple courts, God save the son of David, they were indignant and said to him, Do you hear what these boys are saying? Yes, Jesus answered, but did you never read the words, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast called forth perfect praise? Then he left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there. The next morning in returning to the city Jesus became hungry and noticing a solitary fig tree by the roadside he went up to it but found nothing on it but leaves. So he said to it, Never again shall fruit be gathered off you. And suddenly the fig tree withered up. When the disciples saw this they exclaimed in astonishment, how suddenly the fig tree withered up. I tell you, replied Jesus, If you have faith without ever a doubt you will do not only what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you should say to this hill, be lifted up and hurled into the sea, it would be done. And whatever you ask for in your prayers will, if you have faith, be granted you. After Jesus had come into the temple courts the chief priests and the counselors of the nation came up to him as he was teaching and said, What authority have you to do these things? Who gave you this authority? I too, said Jesus in reply, will ask you one question. If you will give me an answer to it then I also will tell you what authority I have to act as I do. It is about John's baptism. What was its origin? Divine or human? But they began arguing among themselves. If we say divine he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him? But if we say human, we are afraid of the people for everyone regards John as a prophet. So the answer they gave Jesus was, We do not know. Then I, he said, Refuse to tell you what authority I have to do these things. What do you think of this? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the elder and said, Go and work in the vineyard to day my son. Yes, sir, he answered, but he did not go. Then the father went to the second son and said the same. I will not, he answered. But afterwards he was sorry and went. Which of the two sons did as his father wished? The second, they said. I tell you, added Jesus, that tax-gatherers and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God before you. For when John came to you walking in the path of righteousness you did not believe him. But tax-gatherers and prostitutes did. And yet you, though you saw this, even then were not sorry, nor did you believe him. Listen to another parable. A man who was an employer, once planted a vineyard, put a fence round it, dug a wine-press in it, built a tower, and then let it out to tenants and went abroad. When the time for the vintage drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to receive his share of the produce. But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another and stoned a third. A second time the owner sent some servants, a larger number than before, and the tenants treated them in the same way. As a last resource he sent his son to them. They will respect my son, he said. But the tenants, on seeing his son, said to each other, Here is the heir. Come, let us kill him and get his inheritance. So they seized him and threw him outside the vineyard and killed him. Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? Miserable wretches they exclaimed. He will put them to a miserable death, and he will let out the vineyard to other tenants who will pay him his share of the produce at the proper times. Then Jesus added, Have you never read in the scriptures the very stone which the builders despised has now itself become the cornerstone? This cornerstone has come from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes. And that, I tell you, is why the kingdom of God will be taken from you, and given to a nation that does produce the fruit of the kingdom. Yes, and he who falls on this stone will be dashed to pieces, while any one on whom it falls it will scatter him as dust. After listening to these parables the chief priests and the Pharisees saw that it was about them that he was speaking. Yet although eager to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds who regarded him as a prophet. CHAPTER XXII Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables. The kingdom of heaven, he said, may be compared to a king who gave a banquet in honor of his son's wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited to the banquet, but they were unwilling to come. A second time he sent some servants with orders to say to those who had been invited, I have prepared my breakfast, my cattle and fat beasts are killed and everything is ready. Come to the banquet. They however took no notice, but went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest, seizing his servants, ill-treated them and killed them. The king, in anger, sent his troops, put those murderers to death, and set their city on fire. Then he said to his servants, the banquet is prepared, but those who were invited were not worthy. So go to the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the banquet. The servants went out into the roads and collected all the people whom they found, whether bad or good, and the bridal hall was filled with guests. But when the king went in to see his guests, he noticed there a man who had not put on a wedding robe. So he said to him, my friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding robe? The man was speechless. Then the king said to his attendants, tie him hand and foot, and put him out into the darkness outside, where there would be weeping and grinding of teeth. For many are called, but few chosen. Then the Pharisees went away and conferred together as to how they might lay a snare for Jesus in the course of conversation. They sent their disciples with the Herodians to say to him, Teacher, we know that you are an honest man, and that you teach the way of God honestly and are not afraid of any one, for you pay no regard to a man's position. Tell us, then, what you think. Are we right in paying taxes to the emperor or not? Perceiving their malice, Jesus answered, Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin with which the tax is paid. And when they had brought him a florin, he asked, Whose head and title are these? The emperors, they answered, on which he said to them, Then pay to the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and to God what belongs to God. They wondered at his answer, and left him alone and went away. That same day some Sadducees came up to Jesus, maintaining that there is no resurrection. Their question was this. Teacher, Moses said, Should a man die without children, The man's brother shall become the husband of the widow and raise a family for his brother. Now we had, living among us, seven brothers, of whom the eldest married and died, and as he had no family, left his wife for his brother. The same thing happened to the second and to the third brothers, and indeed to all the seven. The woman herself died last of all. At the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be out of the seven, all of them having had her? Your mistake, replied Jesus, is due to your ignorance of the scriptures, and of the power of God, for at the resurrection there is no marrying or being married, but all who rise are as angels in heaven. As to the resurrection of the dead, have you not read these words of God, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of dead men, but of living. The crowds who had been listening to him were greatly struck with his teaching. When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they collected together. Then one of them, a student of the law, to test him asked this question, Teacher, what is the great commandment in the law? His answer was, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the great first commandment. The second, which is like it, is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as Thou dust thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Before the Pharisees separated, Jesus put this question to them. What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he? David's, they said. How is it, then, Jesus replied, that David, speaking under inspiration, calls him Lord. In the passage, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I put thy enemies beneath thy feet. Since then David calls him Lord. How is he David's son? No one could say a word in answer, nor did any one after that day venture to question him further. End of chapter 17 through 22.