Jeremiah 37 – 38

King Zedekiah’s Request to Jeremiah

Jeremiah 37

¹ King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, made Zedekiah son of Josiah king in place of Jehoiachin ^[1] son of Jehoiakim. ² But neither Zedekiah nor his attendants nor the people of the land obeyed the word of the Lord that he spoke through the prophet Jeremiah.

³ Nevertheless, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah with Zephaniah son of Ma’aseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah to request, “Please pray to the Lord our God for us.”

⁴ Jeremiah was still moving about freely among the people, for they had not yet put him into prison. ⁵ Pharaoh’s army had come out of Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

⁶ Then the word of the Lord came to the prophet Jeremiah.

¹¹ When the Chaldean army had withdrawn from Jerusalem to face Pharaoh’s army, ¹² Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go to the territory of Benjamin to claim his share of the property among the people there. ¹³ But as he arrived at the Benjamin Gate, the sentry who was in charge there, named Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah the prophet. He said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!”

¹⁴ But Jeremiah said, “That is false! I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.”

But Irijah did not listen to him. He seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. ¹⁵ Angry with Jeremiah, they beat him, and they imprisoned him in the house of Jonathan the scribe, because they were using that house as a prison.

¹⁶ Jeremiah was kept in a vaulted cistern ^[2] for a long time. ¹⁷ Then King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought out. The king asked him secretly in his house, “Is there any word from the Lord?”

Jeremiah answered, “There is. He said, ‘You will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.’”

¹⁸ Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you, against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? ¹⁹ Where are your prophets now, who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land’? ²⁰ Now, my lord the king, please listen to me. Let my petition come before you: Please do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”

²¹ Then Zedekiah the king ordered that Jeremiah be placed in the courtyard of the guard. Every day they gave him a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

Jeremiah Is Imprisoned in a Cistern

Jeremiah 38

¹ Shephatiah son of Mattah, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal ^[3] son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah had told the people when he said, ² “This is what the Lord says. Whoever remains in this city will die by sword, famine, and plague, but whoever goes over to the Chaldeans will live. He will escape with his life, and he will live. ³ This is what the Lord says. This city will surely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”

⁴ Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death because he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in the city. He is demoralizing all the people by saying these things to them. This man is not seeking the welfare of the people. He wants to hurt them.”

⁵ King Zedekiah answered, “Very well. He is in your hands. The king cannot do anything to stop you.”

⁶ So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They let Jeremiah down by ropes. There was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

⁷ Ebed Melek the Cushite, ^[4] an official in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate, ⁸ Ebed Melek left the palace and said to the king, ⁹ “My lord the king, everything that these men have done to Jeremiah the prophet is evil. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he is likely to die because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.”

¹⁰ Then the king gave orders to Ebed Melek the Cushite: “Take thirty men from here under your command and lift Jeremiah the prophet up out of the cistern before he dies.”

¹¹ So Ebed Melek took command of the men and entered a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothing from there, and he lowered them with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. ¹² Ebed Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” After Jeremiah did that, ¹³ they lifted him up with the ropes and pulled him out of the cistern. After this Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

¹⁴ King Zedekiah then sent for Jeremiah and brought him to the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. He said to Jeremiah, “I am going to ask you something. Do not hide anything from me.”

¹⁵ Jeremiah replied, “Won’t you put me to death if I tell you the truth? If I give you advice, you won’t listen to me.”

¹⁶ So King Zedekiah swore a secret oath to Jeremiah: “As surely as the Lord lives, who gave us our lives, I will not put you to death, and I will not hand you over to the men who seek your life.”

¹⁷ Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “The Lord, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: If you surrender to the Babylonian king’s officials, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned. You will live, and your family will live. ¹⁸ But if you will not surrender to the Babylonian king’s officials, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you will not escape from their hands.”

¹⁹ King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans may turn me over to them, and they will torture me.”

²⁰ But Jeremiah said, “They will not turn you over to them. Please obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. It will go well with you, and your life will be spared. ²¹ But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me. ²² All the women who are left in the palace of the king of Judah will certainly be brought out to the officials of the Babylonian king. Those women will say to you, ‘Those trusted friends of yours misled you and led you to defeat. Your feet have sunk down into the mud, and they all have deserted you.’ ²³ They will bring all your wives and children to the Chaldeans. You yourself will not escape their grasp. You will be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down.”

²⁴ Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “If you do not let anyone know about this conversation, you will not die. ²⁵ But if the officials hear that I have spoken with you, they will come and ask you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king. Do not hide it from us, and we will not put you to death—just tell us what the king said to you.’ ²⁶ Tell them, ‘I was humbly begging the king not to return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”

²⁷ All the officials then came to Jeremiah. When they began to question him, he said everything just the way the king had commanded. Then they stopped questioning him, since no one had heard the conversation.

²⁸ So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured. He was still there when Jerusalem fell.

Jeremiah 35

The Example of the Rekabites

¹ This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah. ² “Go to the house of the Rekabites, and bring them into one of the rooms in the House of the Lord, and give them wine to drink.”

³ So I took Ja’azaniah son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, along with his brothers and all his sons—the whole house of the Rekabites— ⁴ and I brought them into the House of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials that was above the room of Ma’asaiah son of Shallum, the doorkeeper. ⁵ I set bowls of wine and some cups before the men of the house of the Rekabites, and I said to them, “Drink some wine.”

⁶ But they said, “We do not drink wine. Our ancestor Jonadab son of Rekab commanded us: ‘You are not to drink wine, neither you nor your descendants, not ever. ⁷ Also, you are not to build houses, sow seed, plant vineyards, or own any of these things. You must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time on the land where you live as nomads.’ ⁸ We have obeyed what Jonadab son of Rekab, our ancestor, commanded us. We have never drunk wine—we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters. ⁹ We have never built houses to live in. We have no vineyards, fields, or crops. ¹⁰ We have lived in tents, and we have obeyed everything that Jonadab our ancestor commanded us. ¹¹ But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, we said, ‘Come on, we have to go to Jerusalem to escape the armies of the Chaldeans and the Arameans.’ That is why we are living in Jerusalem.”

¹² Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

¹⁸ Jeremiah said to the house of the Rekabites, “The Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says this. Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and kept all his instructions and done everything he commanded you, ¹⁹ the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says that Jonadab will never fail to have a man to serve me.”

Jeremiah 32 – 33

Jeremiah Is Imprisoned

Jeremiah 32

¹ This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.

² At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the palace of the king of Judah. ³ Zedekiah king of Judah had confined him there.

Zedekiah had said, “Why do you prophesy and say that the Lord says that he will certainly give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and that he will capture it? ⁴ Why do you say that Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and that he will speak with him face-to-face and see him eye-to-eye? ⁵ Why do you say that he will bring Zedekiah to Babylon, to remain there until the Lord deals with him? declares the Lord. And that even though I fight with the Chaldeans, I will not succeed?”

Jeremiah Redeems a Field

⁶ Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me. ⁷ Watch for this. Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, will come to you and tell you to buy his field in Anathoth, because the right of redemption is yours. So buy it.”

⁸ Then Hanamel my cousin came to me in the courtyard of the guard, just as the Lord had said, and he told me to buy his field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, because the right to redeem it and take possession of it was mine. He told me to buy it for myself.

Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. ⁹ I purchased the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out for him seventeen shekels ^[1] of silver. ¹⁰ I signed the deed, sealed it, called witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales. ¹¹ Then I took the deed of the purchase containing the terms and conditions, both the sealed copy and an unsealed copy, ¹² and I gave them to Baruch son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, and in the presence of the witnesses who had signed the deed, and in the presence of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

¹³ I gave Baruch instructions in their presence. I told him ¹⁴ that this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, said: “Take these deeds, the sealed deed of purchase and the unsealed copy, and put them in a clay jar so that they will be preserved for a long time. ¹⁵ For the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says this: Houses and fields and vineyards will again be purchased in this land.”

¹⁶ After I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:

²⁶ Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 33

¹ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time. This was while he was still locked up in the courtyard of the guard.

¹⁷ This is what the Lord says.

¹⁹ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

²³ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 30:1 – 31:26

The Lord Will Restore Israel

Jeremiah 30

¹ This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord. ² The Lord, the God of Israel, says,

⁴ These are words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. ⁵ This is what the Lord says.

The Lord’s Love for Israel

Jeremiah 31

¹ At that time, declares the Lord,

Interjection by Israel

The Lord Speaks Again

God’s People Will Prosper Once Again

Jeremiah 27 – 28

The Yoke of Babylon

Jeremiah 27

¹ Early in the reign of Zedekiah ^[1] son of Josiah, king of Judah, this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord.

² This is what the Lord said to me.

⁸ The Lord also said:

¹² I also said all these things to Zedekiah king of Judah.

¹⁶ I also spoke to the priests and to all of the people.

The False Prophet Hananiah

Jeremiah 28

¹ That same year, in the fifth month of the fourth year (early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah), the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the House of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people. He said, ² “The Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says this. I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. ³ When two full years have passed, I will bring back all the vessels of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried off to Babylon. ⁴ I will also bring back Jeconiah ^[3] son of Jehoiakim king of Judah along with all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”

⁵ Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the House of the Lord. ⁶ He said, “Amen! May the Lord do that! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied and bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house, and may he bring all the exiles back from Babylon to this place. ⁷ Nevertheless, listen now to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. ⁸ The prophets from ancient times, who came before you and me, prophesied war, famine, ^[4] and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. ⁹ As for the prophet who prophesies peace, only when the word of the prophet actually comes true will that prophet become known as someone whom the Lord has truly sent.”

¹⁰ Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. ¹¹ In the presence of all the people, Hananiah said, “This is what the Lord says. This is how I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from off the neck of all the nations within two full years.” So the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.

¹² After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ¹³ “Go and tell Hananiah that this is what the Lord says. You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will receive an iron yoke. ¹⁴ For the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says, I will put an iron yoke on the neck of all these nations so that they will serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Yes, they will certainly serve him. I have even given him the wild animals.”

¹⁵ Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you are making this people trust in a lie. ¹⁶ Therefore this is what the Lord says. Watch, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you will die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.”

¹⁷ In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.

Matthew 28:1-20

Matthew 28

Jesus’ Resurrection

¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. ² Suddenly, there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and going to the tomb, he rolled away the stone and was sitting on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so terrified of him that they shook and became like dead men. ⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here. He has risen, just as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. ⁷ Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead! And look, he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him.’ See, I have told you!”

⁸ They hurried away from the tomb, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly ^[1] Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!”

They approached, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him.

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go, tell my brothers that they should go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

The Guards’ Report

¹¹ As they were on their way, there were some members of the guard who went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹² After the chief priests had assembled with the elders and had reached a decision, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers ¹³ and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came at night and stole him away while we were sleeping.’ ¹⁴ If the governor hears about it, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ After the soldiers took the money, they did as they were instructed. And this story has been repeated among the Jews until this day.

“Go and Gather Disciples”

¹⁶ The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some hesitated because they were uncertain. ^{[2] 18} Jesus approached and spoke to them saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in ^[3] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you. And surely I am with you always until the end of the age.”

Matthew 27:32-50

Matthew 27

³² As they were going out of the city, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon. They forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. ³³ They came to a place called Golgotha, which means “The place of the skull.” ³⁴ They offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. ³⁵ After they had crucified him, they divided his clothing among themselves by casting lots. ³⁶ Then they sat down and were keeping watch over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they posted the written charge against him: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

³⁸ At the same time two criminals were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ People who passed by kept insulting him, shaking their heads, ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”

⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, experts in the law, and elders kept mocking him. They said, ⁴² “He saved others, but he cannot save himself. If he’s the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now, if he wants him, because he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ In the same way even the criminals who were crucified with him kept insulting him.

Jesus’ Death

⁴⁵ From the sixth hour until the ninth hour, ^[1] there was darkness over all the land. ⁴⁶ About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ^[2]

⁴⁷ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “This fellow is calling for Elijah.”

⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, and soaked it with sour wine. Then he put it on a stick and gave him a drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰ After Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

Matthew 27:1-14

Matthew 27

¹ Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people reached the decision to put Jesus to death. ² They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor.

The End of Judas

³ Then when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he felt remorse. He brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders ⁴ and said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? That’s your problem.”

⁵ He threw the pieces of silver into the temple and left. Then he went out and hanged himself. ⁶ The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put these into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ They reached a decision to buy the potter’s field with the money, as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ So that field has been called The Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

Jesus’ Trial in Pilate’s Court

¹¹ When Jesus stood in the presence of the governor, the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.”

¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. ¹³ Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they are testifying against you?”

¹⁴ But he did not answer him—not even one word, so that the governor was very surprised.

Matthew 26:30-56

Matthew 26

³⁰ After they sang a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

³¹ Then Jesus said to them, “This night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ^{[1] 32} But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

³³ Peter answered him, “Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”

³⁴ Jesus said to him, “Amen I tell you: Tonight before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.”

³⁵ Peter said to him, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And all the disciples said the same.

Gethsemane

³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane. He told his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and distressed. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to the point of death. Stay here, and keep watch with me.”

³⁹ He went a little farther, fell on his face, and prayed. He said, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

⁴⁰ He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “So, were you not able to stay awake with me for one hour? ⁴¹ Watch and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to pass from me ^[2] unless I drink it, may your will be done.” ⁴³ Again he returned and found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time. He said the same words as before. ⁴⁵ Then he returned to his disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise. Let us go. Look, my betrayer is near.”

The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

⁴⁷ While Jesus was still speaking, suddenly Judas (one of the Twelve) arrived. With him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had given them a sign: “The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him.” ⁴⁹ Immediately he went to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?”

Then they advanced, took hold of Jesus, and arrested him. ⁵¹ Suddenly, one of the men with Jesus reached out his hand, drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, because all who take the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Do you not realize that I could call on my Father, and at once he would provide me with more than twelve legions ^[3] of angels? ⁵⁴ But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”

⁵⁵ At that same time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out to arrest me with swords and clubs as if I were a robber? Day after day I was sitting in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶ But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Matthew 26:1-16

Matthew 26

The Plot to Kill Jesus

¹ When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ² “You know that after two days it will be the Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas. ⁴ They plotted together how to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. ⁵ But they said, “Not during the Festival, or else there might be a riot among the people.”

Mary Anoints Jesus

⁶ When Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, ⁷ a woman approached him holding an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. ⁸ But when his disciples saw this, they were upset and said, “Why this waste? ⁹ This perfume could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor.”

¹⁰ Jesus was aware of this and said to them, “Why are you causing trouble for this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. ¹¹ You are always going to have the poor with you, but you are not always going to have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Amen I tell you: Wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Judas Plans to Betray Jesus

¹⁴ Then one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From that time on Judas was looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Matthew 24:32 – 25:13

Matthew 24

³² “Learn this lesson from the fig tree. When its branch has become tender and produces leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ In the same way, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at the doors. ³⁴ Amen I tell you: This generation ^[1] will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Be Ready!

³⁶ “No one knows when that day and hour will be, not the angels of heaven, not even the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷ Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be when the Son of Man returns. ³⁸ In fact, in the days before the flood people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the very day that Noah entered the ark. ³⁹ And they did not realize what was coming until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man returns.

⁴⁰ “At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴² So be alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But understand this: If the master of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ You also need to be ready for this reason: The Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect him.

⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master finds doing this when he returns. ⁴⁷ Amen I tell you: He will put him in charge of all that he has. ⁴⁸ But if that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ ⁴⁹ and he begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will return on a day when he does not expect it and at an hour he does not know. ⁵¹ The master will cut him in two and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Matthew 25

¹ “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take any oil with them; ⁴ but the wise took oil in their containers with their lamps. ⁵ While the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶ But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, ‘No, there may not be enough for us and for you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ But while they were away buying oil, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. ¹¹ Later, the other virgins also came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, let us in.’ ¹² But he answered, ‘Amen I tell you: I do not know you.’ ¹³ Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Matthew 23:23-39

Matthew 23

²³ “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give ten percent of your mint, dill, and cumin, but you have neglected the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. You should have done these things and not failed to do the other things. ²⁴ Blind guides, you strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of a cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and dish so that the outside may become clean too.

²⁷ “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead people’s bones and every kind of uncleanness. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

²⁹ “Woe to you, experts in the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape being condemned to hell?

³⁴ “Look, this is why I am sending you prophets, wise men, and experts in the law. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town. ³⁵ As a result, you will be held responsible for all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶ Amen I tell you: All these things will come upon this generation.

³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will certainly not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” ^[1]

Matthew 22:15-46

Matthew 22

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went out and plotted together how to trap him in his words. ¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in accord with the truth. You are not concerned about gaining anyone’s approval because you are not swayed by appearances. ¹⁷ So tell us, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus knew their evil purpose and said, “Why are you testing me, hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for the tax.”

They brought him a denarius.

²⁰ He asked them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

²¹ “Caesar’s,” they replied to him.

Then he said to them, “Therefore give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

²² When they heard this, they were amazed. Then they left him and went away.

The God of the Living

²³ That same day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him a question: ²⁴ “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother should marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’ ^{[1] 25} Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one died after he married her, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ It was the same with the second brother, the third, and all the way to the seventh. ²⁷ Last of all, the woman died. ²⁸ So then, in the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since they all married her?”

²⁹ “You are mistaken,” Jesus replied, “since you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. ³⁰ In fact, in the resurrection people neither marry nor are given in marriage. Instead they are like the angels of God in heaven. ³¹ And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you never read what was spoken to you by God: ³² ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’? ^[2] He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

³³ When the crowds heard his answer, they were amazed at his teaching.

Love God and Your Neighbor

³⁴ When they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees met together. ³⁵ One of them who was an expert in the law asked him a question, trying to trap him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ^{[3] 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ^{[4] 40} All the Law and the Prophets depend ^[5] on these two commandments.”

David’s Son and David’s Lord

⁴¹ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: ⁴² “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?”

They said to him, “The Son of David.”

⁴³ He said to them, “Then how can David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,

⁴⁵ “So if David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”

⁴⁶ No one was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.