Chapter 20

Jesus’ Authority Questioned

1 aOn one of the days while bHe was teaching the people in the temple and cpreaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders dconfronted Him,

2 and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?”

3 Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a 1question, and you tell Me:

4 “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

5 They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

6 “But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a aprophet.”

7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from.

8 And Jesus said to them, “Nor 1will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Parable of the Vine-growers

9 aAnd He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to 1vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time.

10 “At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

11 “And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed.

12 “And he proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out.

13 “The 1owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will arespect him.’

14 “But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’

15 “So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the 1owner of the vineyard do to them?

16 “He will come and adestroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “bMay it never be!”

17 But 1Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

‘aThe stone which the builders rejected,

This became bthe chief corner stone’?

18 “aEveryone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

Tribute to Caesar

19 The scribes and the chief priests atried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them.

20 aSo they watched Him, and sent spies who 1pretended to be righteous, in order bthat they might 2catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of cthe governor.

21 They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You 1are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth.

22 “Is it 1lawful for us ato pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

23 But He detected their trickery and said to them,

24 “Show Me a 1denarius. Whose 2likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.”

25 And He said to them, “Then arender to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

26 And they were unable to 1acatch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.

Is There a Resurrection?

27 aNow there came to Him some of the bSadducees (who say that there is no resurrection),

28 and they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that aif a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should 1marry the wife and raise up children to his brother.

29 “Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless;

30 and the second

31 and the third 1married her; and in the same way 2all seven 3died, leaving no children.

32 “Finally the woman died also.

33 “In the resurrection therefore, which one’s wife will she be? For 1all seven 2had married her.”

34 Jesus said to them, “The sons of athis age marry and are given in marriage,

35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to athat age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;

36 for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are asons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

37 “But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in athe passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord bthe God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

38 “aNow He is not the God of the dead but of the living; for ball live to Him.”

39 Some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.”

40 For athey did not have courage to question Him any longer about anything.

41 aThen He said to them, “How is it that they say 1the Christ is bDavid’s son?

42 “For David himself says in the book of Psalms,

‘aThe Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

43 aUntil I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” ’

44 “Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and how is He his son?”

45 aAnd while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples,

46 “Beware of the scribes, awho like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets,

47 who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

Chapter 21

The Widow’s Gift

1 aAnd He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury.

2 And He saw a poor widow putting 1in atwo 2small copper coins.

3 And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them;

4 for they all out of their 1surplus put into the 2offering; but she out of her poverty put in all 3that she had ato live on.”

5 aAnd while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said,

6 “As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which athere will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.”

7 They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the 1sign when these things are about to take place?”

8 And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘aI am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ bDo not go after them.

9 “When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.”

Things to Come

10 Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,

11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great 1signs from heaven.

12 “But before all these things, athey will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, 1bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.

13 “aIt will lead to 1an opportunity for your testimony.

14 “aSo make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;

15 for aI will give you 1utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.

16 “But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death,

17 and you will be hated by all because of My name.

18 “Yet anot a hair of your head will perish.

19 “aBy your endurance you will gain your 1lives.

20 “But when you see Jerusalem asurrounded by armies, then 1recognize that her desolation is near.

21 “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of 1the city must leave, and athose who are in the country must not enter 1the city;

22 because these are adays of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled.

23 “Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for athere will be great distress upon the 1land and wrath to this people;

24 and they will fall by athe edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and bJerusalem will be ctrampled under foot by the Gentiles until dthe times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Return of Christ

25 “There will be 1signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the 1world; for the powers of 2the heavens will be shaken.

27 “aThen they will see bthe Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because ayour redemption is drawing near.”

29 Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees;

30 as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and aknow for yourselves that summer is now near.

31 “So you also, when you see these things happening, 1recognize that athe kingdom of God is near.

32 “Truly I say to you, this 1generation will not pass away until all things take place.

33 “aHeaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

34 “aBe on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;

35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.

36 “But akeep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to bstand before the Son of Man.”

37 Now 1during the day He was ateaching in the temple, but 2bat evening He would go out and spend the night on 3cthe mount that is called 4Olivet.

38 And all the people would get up aearly in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.

Chapter 22

Preparing the Passover

1 aNow the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the bPassover, was approaching.

2 The chief priests and the scribes awere seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.

3 aAnd bSatan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, 1belonging to the number of the twelve.

4 And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and aofficers how he might betray Him to them.

5 They were glad and agreed to give him money.

6 So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them 1apart from the crowd.

7 aThen came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which bthe Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

8 And Jesus sent aPeter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.”

9 They said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?”

10 And He said to them, “When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters.

11 “And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’

12 “And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.”

13 And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

The Lord’s Supper

14 aWhen the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and bthe apostles with Him.

15 And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

16 for I say to you, I shall never again eat it auntil it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

17 aAnd when He had taken a cup and bgiven thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves;

18 for aI say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.”

19 And when He had taken some bread and agiven thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is apoured out for you is the bnew covenant in My blood.

21 “aBut behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with 1Mine on the table.

22 “For indeed, the Son of Man is going aas it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

23 And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.

Who Is Greatest

24 And there arose also aa dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.

25 aAnd He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’

26 “But it is not this way with you, abut the one who is the greatest among you must become like bthe youngest, and the leader like the servant.

27 “For awho is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But bI am among you as the one who serves.

28 “You are those who have stood by Me in My atrials;

29 and just as My Father has granted Me a akingdom, I grant you

30 that you may aeat and drink at My table in My bkingdom, and cyou will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

31 “Simon, Simon, behold, aSatan has 1demanded permission to bsift you like wheat;

32 but I ahave prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, bstrengthen your brothers.”

33 aBut he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”

34 And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

35 And He said to them, “aWhen I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.”

36 And He said to them, “But now, 1whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and 1whoever has no sword is to sell his 2coat and buy one.

37 “For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘aAnd He was numbered with transgressors’; for bthat which refers to Me has its 1fulfillment.”

38 They said, “Lord, look, here are two aswords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

The Garden of Gethsemane

39 aAnd He came out and proceeded bas was His custom to cthe Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him.

40 aWhen He arrived at the place, He said to them, “bPray that you may not enter into temptation.”

41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He aknelt down and began to pray,

42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this acup from Me; byet not My will, but Yours be done.”

43 1Now an aangel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.

44 And abeing in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

45 When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow,

46 and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and apray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Jesus Betrayed by Judas

47 aWhile He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him.

48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49 When those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the asword?”

50 And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

51 But Jesus answered and said, “1Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and aofficers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs bas you would against a robber?

53 “While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but 1this hour and the power of darkness are yours.”

Jesus’ Arrest

54 aHaving arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but bPeter was following at a distance.

55 aAfter they had kindled a fire in the middle of bthe courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.

56 And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.”

57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”

58 A little later, aanother saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”

59 After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, afor he is a Galilean too.”

60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

61 aThe Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “bBefore a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”

62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

63 aNow the men who were holding 1Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him,

64 and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “aProphesy, who is the one who hit You?”

65 And they were saying many other things against Him, ablaspheming.

Jesus before the Sanhedrin

66 aWhen it was day, bthe 1Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their ccouncil chamber, saying,

67 “aIf You are the 1Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe;

68 and if I ask a question, you will not answer.

69 “aBut from now on bthe Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”

70 And they all said, “Are You athe Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “1bYes, I am.”

71 Then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

Chapter 23

Jesus before Pilate

1 Then the whole body of them got up and abrought Him before Pilate.

2 aAnd they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man bmisleading our nation and cforbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is 1Christ, a King.”

3 So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “aIt is as you say.”

4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “aI find no guilt in this man.”

5 But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, astarting from Galilee even as far as this place.”

6 When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean.

7 And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to aHerod, who himself also was in Jerusalem 1at that time.

Jesus before Herod

8 Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for ahe had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some 1sign performed by Him.

9 And he questioned Him 1at some length; but aHe answered him nothing.

10 And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently.

11 And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, adressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.

12 Now aHerod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.

Pilate Seeks Jesus’ Release

13 Pilate summoned the chief priests and the arulers and the people,

14 and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who aincites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I bhave found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him.

15 “No, nor has aHerod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him.

16 “Therefore I will apunish Him and release Him.”

17 [1Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]

18 But they cried out all together, saying, “aAway with this man, and release for us Barabbas!”

19 (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.)

20 Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again,

21 but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!”

22 And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will apunish Him and release Him.”

23 But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.

24 And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted.

25 And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.

Simon Bears the Cross

26 aWhen they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of bCyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

27 And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were 1amourning and lamenting Him.

28 But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

29 “For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘aBlessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’

30 “Then they will begin to asay to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’

31 “For if they do these things 1when the tree is green, what will happen 2when it is dry?”

32 aTwo others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.

The Crucifixion

33 aWhen they came to the place called 1The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

34 1But Jesus was saying, “aFather, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” bAnd they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

35 And the people stood by, looking on. And even the arulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; blet Him save Himself if this is the 1Christ of God, His Chosen One.”

36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, aoffering Him sour wine,

37 and saying, “aIf You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!”

38 Now there was also an inscription above Him, “aTHIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

39 aOne of the criminals who were hanged there was 1hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the 2Christ? bSave Yourself and us!”

40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

41 “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving 1what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come 1in Your kingdom!”

43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in aParadise.”

44 aIt was now about 1bthe sixth hour, and darkness 2fell over the whole land until 3the ninth hour,

45 1because the sun was obscured; and athe veil of the temple was torn 2in two.

46 And Jesus, acrying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, binto Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.

47 aNow when the centurion saw what had happened, he began bpraising God, saying, “Certainly this man was 1innocent.”

48 And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, 1abeating their breasts.

49 aAnd all His acquaintances and athe women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.

Jesus Is Buried

50 aAnd a man named Joseph, who was a bmember of the Council, a good and righteous man

51 (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was awaiting for the kingdom of God;

52 this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

53 And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain.

54 It was athe 1preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to 2begin.

55 Now athe women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.

56 Then they returned and aprepared spices and perfumes.

And bon the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Chapter 24

The Resurrection

1 aBut on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of athe Lord Jesus.

4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, atwo men suddenly bstood near them in dazzling clothing;

5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?

6 “He is not here, but He ahas 1risen. Remember how He spoke to you bwhile He was still in Galilee,

7 saying that athe Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”

8 And athey remembered His words,

9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

10 Now they were aMary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to bthe apostles.

11 But these words appeared 1to them as nonsense, and they awould not believe them.

12 But Peter got up and aran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he * saw the linen wrappings 1only; and he went away bto his home, marveling at what had happened.

The Road to Emmaus

13 And behold, atwo of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was 1about seven miles from Jerusalem.

14 And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place.

15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them.

16 But atheir eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.

17 And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad.

18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You 1the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?”

19 And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about aJesus the Nazarene, who was a bprophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people,

20 and how the chief priests and our arulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him.

21 “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to aredeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.

22 “But also some women among us amazed us. aWhen they were at the tomb early in the morning,

23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive.

24 “Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”

25 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that athe prophets have spoken!

26 “aWas it not necessary for the 1Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”

27 Then beginning 1with aMoses and 1with all the bprophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

28 And they approached the village where they were going, and aHe acted as though He were going farther.

29 But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day 1is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them.

30 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and ablessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them.

31 Then their aeyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from 1their sight.

32 They said to one another, “1Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He awas 2explaining the Scriptures to us?”

33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and afound gathered together the eleven and bthose who were with them,

34 saying, “aThe Lord has really risen and bhas appeared to Simon.”

35 They began to relate 1their experiences on the road and how aHe was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

Other Appearances

36 While they were telling these things, aHe Himself stood in their midst and * said to them, “Peace be to you.”

37 But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing aa spirit.

38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your 1hearts?

39 “aSee My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; btouch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

41 While they still 1acould not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “bHave you anything here to eat?”

42 They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish;

43 and He took it and aate it before them.

44 Now He said to them, “aThese are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the bLaw of Moses and the Prophets and cthe Psalms must be fulfilled.”

45 Then He aopened their 1minds to understand the Scriptures,

46 and He said to them, “aThus it is written, that the 1Christ would suffer and brise again from the dead the third day,

47 and that arepentance 1for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed 2in His name to ball the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

48 “You are awitnesses of these things.

49 “And behold, aI am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but byou are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

50 And He led them out as far as aBethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

52 And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

53 and were continually in the temple 1praising God.

The Gospel According to

JOHN

Chapter 1

The Deity of Jesus Christ

1 aIn the beginning was bthe Word, and the Word was cwith God, and dthe Word was God.

2 1He was in the beginning with God.

3 aAll things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

4 aIn Him was life, and the life was bthe Light of men.

5 aThe Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not 1comprehend it.

The Witness John

6 There 1came a man sent from God, whose name was aJohn.

7 1He came 2aas a witness, to testify about the Light, bso that all might believe through him.

8 1aHe was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

9 There was athe true Light 1which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

10 He was in the world, and athe world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

11 He came to His 1own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become achildren of God, even bto those who believe in His name,

13 awho were 1born, not of 2blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

The Word Made Flesh

14 And athe Word bbecame flesh, and 1cdwelt among us, and dwe saw His glory, glory as of 2the only begotten from the Father, full of egrace and ftruth.

15 John * atestified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘bHe who comes after me 1has a higher rank than I, cfor He existed before me.’ ”

16 For of His afullness 1we have all received, and 2grace upon grace.

17 For athe Law was given through Moses; bgrace and ctruth 1were realized through Jesus Christ.

18 aNo one has seen God at any time; bthe only begotten God who is cin the bosom of the Father, dHe has explained Him.

The Testimony of John

19 This is athe testimony of John, when bthe Jews sent to him priests and Levites cfrom Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

20 And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “aI am not 1the Christ.”

21 They asked him, “What then? Are you aElijah?” And he * said, “I am not.” “Are you bthe Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

23 He said, “I am aa voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.

25 They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the 1Christ, nor Elijah, nor athe Prophet?”

26 John answered them saying, “aI baptize 1in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.

27 “It is aHe who comes after me, the bthong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

28 These things took place in Bethany abeyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day he * saw Jesus coming to him and * said, “Behold, athe Lamb of God who btakes away the sin of the world!

30 “This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘aAfter me comes a Man who 1has a higher rank than I, bfor He existed before me.’

31 “I did not recognize 1Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing 2in water.”

32 John atestified saying, “bI have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.

33 “I did not recognize 1Him, but He who sent me to baptize 2in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, athis is the One who baptizes 2in the Holy Spirit.’

34 “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is athe Son of God.”

Jesus’ Public Ministry, First Converts

35 Again athe next day John was standing 1with two of his disciples,

36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and * said, “Behold, athe Lamb of God!”

37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38 And Jesus turned and saw them following, and * said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “aRabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”

39 He * said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the 1tenth hour.

40 aOne of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

41 He * found first his own brother Simon and * said to him, “We have found the aMessiah” (which translated means 1Christ).

42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of 1aJohn; you shall be called bCephas” (which is translated 2cPeter).

43 aThe next day He purposed to go into bGalilee, and He * found cPhilip. And Jesus * said to him, “dFollow Me.”

44 Now aPhilip was from bBethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.

45 aPhilip * found bNathanael and * said to him, “We have found Him of whom cMoses in the Law and also cthe Prophets wrote—Jesus of dNazareth, ethe son of Joseph.”

46 Nathanael said to him, “aCan any good thing come out of Nazareth?” bPhilip * said to him, “Come and see.”

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and * said of him, “Behold, an aIsraelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

48 Nathanael * said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before aPhilip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49 Nathanael answered Him, “aRabbi, You are bthe Son of God; You are the cKing of Israel.”

50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”

51 And He * said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see athe heavens opened and bthe angels of God ascending and descending on cthe Son of Man.”