1 This is the genealogy of Yeshua (Grk: Yaysous) the messiah (Grk: Christ) the descendant of King David the descendant of Abraham (Grk: Abraam).

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Yacob (Grk: Yakob), Yacob the father of Yudah (Grk: Youdas) and his brothers. 3 Yudah was the father of Perez (Grk: Fares) and Zerah (Grk: Zara) through Tamar (Grk: Thamar), Perez the father of Hezron (Grk: Hezrom), Hezron the father of Aram, 4 Aram the father of Aminadab, Aminadab the father of Nahshon (Grk: Naasson), Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz (Grk: Boes) through Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed (Grk: Yobed) through Ruth (Grk: Routh), and Obed the father of Jesse (Grk: Yessai), 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon (Grk: Solomona) through Uriah’s (Grk: Ourias) wife, 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam (Grk: Roboam), Rehoboam the father of Abijah (Grk: Abia), Abijah the father of Asa (Grk: Asaf), 8 Asa the father of Jehoshapat (Grk: Yosafat). Jehoshapat the father of Joram (Grk: Yoram), Joram the father of Uzziah (Grk: Ozias), 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham (Grk: Yoatham), Jotham the father of Ahaz (Grk: Achaz), Ahaz the father of Hezekiah (Grk: Hezekias), 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh (Grk: Manasse), Manasseh the father of Amon (Grk: Amos), Amos the father of Josiah (Grk: Yosias), 11 [ref]Josiah was the father of Jechoniah (Grk: Yechonias) and his brothers, when they were deported to Babylon (Grk: Babulonos).

12 And after the deportation to Babylon, Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel (Grk: Salathiel), Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel (Grk: Zorobabel), 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud (Grk: Abioud), Abiud was the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud (Grk: Elioud), 15 Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Yacob (Grk: Yakob), 16 Yacob the father of Yosef (Grk: Yosef), the husband of Maria (Grk: Marias) who Yeshua (Grk: Yesous), the one called the messiah was born to.

17 So the generations from Abraham to David numbered fourteen, from David to the deportation to Babylon there were fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the messiah there were fourteen generations.

18 [ref]Now this is how the birth of Yeshua came about: Maria his mother was engaged to Yosef. But before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the work of the holy spirit. 19 But Yosef, her husband to be was a good man, and not wishing to disgrace Maria, he decided to quietly divorce her. 20 But as he was pondering this, one of God’s messengers appeared to him in a dream and told him, “Yosef, descendant of King David, don’t to be afraid to marry Maria because the baby in her has been conceived by the holy spirit. 21 [ref]In due course she will have a son and you’ll name him Yeshua, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 Now all this happened in fulfilment of what the God had said through the prophet, 23 [ref]“Listen, the virgin will get pregnant and she will have a son, and they will call him Immanuel (in Hebrew) which means ‘God with us.’ ”

24 Then Yosef got up and did what God’s messenger had commanded him and he went ahead and married Maria 25 [ref]but he didn’t sleep with her until after she gave birth. And Yosef named the boy Yeshua.

2 After Yeshua had been born in Bethlehem in the province of Yudea during the time of King Herod, watchers of signs arrived in Yerushalem from the east 2 and asked, “Where is the one born as king of the Jews, because we saw his star in the east and we came to worship him.”

3 Now when King Herod heard this, he was upset and all of Yerushalem as well. 4 He gathered together all of the chief priests and those who teach the religious law to the people and asked them where the Messiah was expected to be born.

5 And they told him, “It’ll be in Bethlehem in Yudea because the prophet wrote:[ref]

6 ‘You Bethlehem in the land of Yudah,

are not the most insignificant of the leaders of Yudah.

For a leader will come from you

who will guide my people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod sent for the watchers of signs and met secretly with them to determine when the star had first appeared. 8 Then he sent them on to Bethlehem with these instructions: “Go on and carefully investigate about the child and when you find him, report back to me so that I can also come and worship him.”

9 So when the king had finished speaking, they departed and the star which they could see in the east went ahead of them and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 Seeing this, the watchers of signs were very happy indeed. 11 As they entered the house, the saw the child with his mother Maria. They bowed low and worshipped him, then they opened their chests and presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 But because they had been warned in a dream not to return to King Herod, they went home again to their own country.

13 After they had departed, a messenger of the Lord appeared to Yosef in a dream and said, “Get up and take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt (Mitsrayim). Remain there until I tell you because King Herod will soon search for the child in order to kill him.”

14 So Yosef got up during the night and took the child and his mother and departed for Egypt. 15 [ref]They stayed there until the death of Herod, in order to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “I called my son out of Egypt.”

16 When King Herod realised that he had been tricked by the watchers of signs, he got very angry and gave orders that all the sons in Bethlehem and its districts that were two years old and younger be killed, because that was the period that he had found out from the watchers of signs.

17 That fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah which said:

18 [ref]The sound of great weeping and mourning was heard in Ramah;

Rachel weeping for her children and she didn’t want to be comforted

because her children were no more.

19 After King Herod died, a messenger of the Lord appeared to Yosef in Egypt in a dream 20 and said, “Get up and take the child and his mother and go back to the land of Israel, because the ones wanting to kill him have died.” 21 So Yosef got up and took the child and his mother and went back to Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Yudea instead of his father Herod, and also having been warning in a dream, he left Yudea and went to the Galilee area. 23 [ref]Once they got there, he settled into the town of Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets would be fulfilled: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

3 That was the time when Yohan-the-immerser started preaching in the Yudean wilderness 2 telling everyone,[ref] “Turn from your sins because the kingdom of heavens is close. 3 This is the man that the prophet Isayah was talking about when he wrote:[ref]

‘The voice of one shouting in the wilderness

prepare the road for the master;

straighten his paths.’

4 [ref]Yohan himself wore clothes made from coarse camel hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Yerushalem and all Yudea and all of the regions surrounding the Yordan River went out into the wilderness to listen to Yohan 6 and many confessed their sins and asked him to immerse them in the river.

7 [ref]But when Yohan saw many from the party of the Pharisees and from the Sadducee sect coming for immersion, he told them, “You brood of snakes, who warned you all to flee from God’s severe anger that’s coming? 8 Turning from your sins should be accompanied by evidence that you’ve changed. 9 [ref]And don’t think that you can just tell yourselves that you’re descendants of Abraham, because I can tell you that God could turn these stones into descendants of Abraham. 10 [ref]The axe has already been placed at the base of the trees ready to cut down any tree that’s not producing good fruit and then it’ll be thrown into the fire. 11 I’m immersing people in water as a sign that they’re turning away from their sins, but there’s another one coming after me who’s greater than me—so much so that I’m not even worthy to carry his sandals. He’ll immerse you in the holy spirit and fire. 12 He’s already holding his fork so that he can clear his threshing floor—he’ll work through the pile throwing it into the air where the breeze will carry the chaff away and he’ll burn that with unquenchable fire, while the (heavier) grains of wheat will land in the pile to be brought into the barn.

13 Then Yeshua came down from Galilee to Yohan at the Yordan River to be immersed by him. 14 But Yohan refused, saying, “It’s me who needs to be immersed by you, and yet you’re coming to me?”

15 “Just allow it,” answered Yeshua, “because we need to do what righteousness requires.” So Yohan immersed him.

16 As Yeshua came up out of the water after being immersed, the sky was opened up and he saw God’s spirit coming down like a dove and landing on him. 17 [ref]Then, wow, a voice came from the sky and said, “This is my son that I love and I’m pleased with.”

4 [ref]Then Yeshua was taken by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 As he’d been fasting for forty days (and nights), he was getting hungry, 3 and the tempter approached him and asked, “If you’re God’s son, command some of these stones to turn into buns.”

4 [ref]But Yeshua answered, “It’s written in the scriptures that it’s not just food that a person needs to live, but also all of God’s message.”

5 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and stood him on the highest point of the temple 6 [ref]and told him, “Throw yourself down if you’re God’s son, because it’s written in the scriptures that God will command his messengers to look after you and to carry you in their arms so that you won’t bash your foot on a rock.”

7 [ref]“But it’s also written,” Yeshua answered, “that you shouldn’t test God your master.”

8 Then the devil took him to a very high mountains and showed him all the countries of the world with all their splendour, 9 then told him, “I’ll give all of these to you if you get down and prostrate yourself to me.”

10 [ref]“Go away, Satan,” Yeshua replied, “because it’s written in the scriptures that you should worship God your master and should only serve him.”

11 Then the devil left him and God’s messengers came and looked after him.

12 [ref]When Yeshua heard that Yohan had been arrested, he withdrew up to Galilee. 13 [ref]He moved from Nazareth across to Capernaum beside the lake in the region that had been given to the tribes of Zebulun and Naftali 14 so that what had been written by the prophet Isayah would come true,

15 [ref]‘Land of Zebulun and land of Naftali,

the way of the sea beyond the Yordan;

Galilee of the non-Jews.

16 The people sitting in darkness

saw a powerful light,

and those sitting in a land under the shadow of death

had a light rise over them.’

17 [ref]From then onwards, Yeshua started preaching and telling people to turn from their sins because the kingdom of heavens is close.

18 As he walked beside Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (later nicknamed Peter) and Andrew, throwing their net into the sea because they were fishermen. 19 “Come and follow me,” Yeshua told them, “and I’ll make you fishers of people.” 20 So they left their nets immediately and followed after him.

21 Going on a bit further, he saw two other brothers, Yacob and Yohan, in the boat getting their nets ready along with their father Zebedee, and Yeshua also called the two of them. 22 So they too immediately left the boat and their father and followed after him.

23 [ref]Then Yeshua went around all of Galilee, teaching in their Jewish meeting halls and proclaiming the good message about the kingdom, and healing all the diseases and sicknesses of the people 24 and the news about this went all the way up to Syria. 25 Large crowds from Galilee and Decapolis and Yerushalem, and from all of Yudea and even beyond the Yordan River, followed after Yeshua.

5 After seeing all the crowds, Yeshua climbed up a hill, and when he sat down, his apprentices approached him 2 and he taught them:

3 “Those who are poor in the spirit are blessed, because the kingdom of the heavens is theirs.

4 [ref]“Those who are mourning are blessed, because they will be comforted.

5 [ref]“Those who are gentle are blessed, because they will inherit the earth.

6 [ref]“Those who are hungry and thirsty to obey God are blessed, because they will be satisfied.

7 “Those who are merciful are blessed, because they will receive mercy.

8 [ref]“Those who have pure hearts are blessed, because they will see God.

9 “Those who are peacemakers are blessed, because they will be called children of God.

10 [ref]“Those who are persecuted for being godly are blessed, because the kingdom of heavens belongs to them.

11 [ref]“Everyone who is derided or chased or lied about is blessed, along with those who have evil things said about them just because they follow me. 12 [ref]Be happy and praising God because you’ll all have a wonderful reward in the heavens, because in the past they also persecuted the prophets like that.

13 [ref]“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt is made tasteless, what would you all use to salt your food? The salt wouldn’t be useful for anything anymore and would just get thrown out and trampled on by the people.

14 [ref]“You are the light of the world. A city up on a hill can’t be hidden. 15 [ref]No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket—you put it on a lampstand and it lightens up the house. 16 [ref]In the same way, let your light shine in front of everyone, so that they can see your good behaviour and then might praise your father in the heavens.

17 “Don’t imagine that I came to criticise the prophets or Mosheh’ law. I didn’t come to oppose the scriptures, but to fulfil them, 18 [ref]because I can assure you all that until heaven and earth reach their end, not one letter or mark will be taken away from the law until everything is fulfilled. 19 Therefore anyone who breaks even a minor commandment and teaches others to do the same, will be seen as one of the least in the kingdom of the heavens, but anyone who practices and teaches the law will be considered outstanding in the kingdom. 20 Let me tell all of you, unless you’re more godly than the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, there’s no way that you’ll get to enter the kingdom of the heavens.

21 [ref]“You all heard that your ancestors were told not to murder because any murderer will be sentenced. 22 But I’m telling you that anyone who gets angry at another will be liable for judgement, and anyone who calls another person a numbskull will have to face the court, and if you call them a fool, you’re liable for hellfire. 23 So if you’re there at the altar to offer your gift and remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your gift there at the altar and go and sort that out first, before coming back to offer your gift.

25 “Resolve things with your opponent as soon as you can, hopefully while you’re still on the way to the court, in case your opponent turns you in to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and then you’ll end up in prison. 26 I can assure you that you won’t get out of prison until the fine is completely paid.

27 [ref]“You all know that the scriptures say not to commit adultery, 28 but I’m telling you that if you look at a woman lustfully then you’ve already committed adultery in your mind. 29 [ref]If your right eye is causing you to stumble, then pluck it out and throw it away 30 [ref]

31 [ref]“It’s said that any man can divorce his wife just by sending her away. 32 [ref]But I’m telling you all that anyone who sends his wife away, except in the case where she’s committed sexual immorality, is causing her to commit adultery, and anyone who marries a wife that’s been sent away, is causing her to be committing adultery.

33 [ref]“Also you’ve heard that it was said to our ancestors that you shouldn’t break your oath, but you must do whatever you promised to the master. 34 [ref]But I’m telling you not to make oaths in the first place—don’t swear by heaven because it’s God’s throne, 35 [ref]nor by the earth because it’s God’s footrest, nor by Jerusalem because it’s the supreme king’s city. 36 And don’t swear by your own strength because you can’t even make one strand of hair grow a different colour. 37 Just say ‘yes’ when you commit to doing something, and ‘no’ when you don’t, because going beyond that is actually evil.

38 [ref]“You’ve all heard it said that it’s an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, 39 but I’m telling you not to resist those who want to hurt you. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn your left cheek towards them, 40 and to the person suing you in court and claiming your robe, let them have your coat as well. 41 And if someone forces you to walk a mile, walk two miles with them. 42 Give whatever others request from you and don’t turn away from anyone who wants to borrow from you.

43 “You’ve all heard it said it said that you should love your neighbour and hate your enemy, 44 but I’m telling you all to love your enemies and to pray for anyone who’s persecuting you, 45 so that all of you might become children of your father in the heavens, because he causes his sun to rise on both evil and good people and sends the rain for both godly and ungodly people. 46 If you all just love people who love you, what reward would you expect for that? Don’t the tax collectors even do that? 47 And if you’re only polite to your own circle, how is that achieving anything? Aren’t non-Jews just the same? 48 [ref]Instead you all should aim to be perfect just like your heavenly father is perfect.

6 [ref]“Take care not to only be obeying God in front of others so they’ll think well of you, because if you do, you’ll all certainly get no reward from your father in the heavens.

2 “So when you’re giving to the poor, don’t make a big display of it like the hypocrites do in the meeting halls and in the streets so they’ll get the people’s praises. I can assure you that they’ve already received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be private, yet your father who sees everything you do will give back to you.

5 [ref]“Whenever you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray in the meeting halls and on street corners so everyone will notice them. I can assure you that they’ve already received their reward in full. 6 Instead when you pray, go into a private room and shut the door, then pray to your father who’s not visible to you. Then your father who sees everything will reward you.

7 “And when you do pray, don’t babble away like other religions who think they’ll be listened to just because of the number of their prayers. 8 There’s no need to be like them because God your father already knows your needs before you even ask him. 9 So pray like this:

‘Our father in the heavens

May we always honour your name.

10 We want your kingdom to come,

and for your plans to be fulfilled here on earth just like they are in heaven.

11 Give us everything we need today

12 and write-off what we owe you

as we also write-off what others owe us.

13 Don’t bring us to the point of being tempted

but keep us away from doing evil things.

14 [ref]“Because if you all forgive other people’s wrongs, then your heavenly father will also forgive your wrongs. 15 But if you all don’t forgive other people’s wrongs, then your father won’t forgive your wrongs either.

16 “Whenever you all are abstaining from food, don’t look miserable like the hypocrites because they intentionally try to look awful so that everyone will notice that they’re fasting. I can assure you that they’ve already received their reward in full. 17 Instead when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face 18 so that no one will realise that you’re fasting other than your father who’s not visible to you. Then your father who sees everything will reward you.

19 [ref]“Don’t amass wealth for yourselves here on earth where insects and corrosion destroy things and where it can be stolen. 20 Instead store your wealth in heaven where there’s no insects or corrosion or thieves or scammers, 21 because wherever your wealth is, your values will also be focussed there.

22 “Your eyes are the body’s lamps, so if your eyes are healthy, then your entire body will be bright. 23 But if your eyes are evil, your entire body will be dark.

24 “No one can serve two masters because he’ll either hate one and like the other one, or else will be supporting one and despising the other, so you all can’t serve both God and money.

25 “So that’s why I’m telling you not to worry about your worldly life—things like what you’ll all eat or drink, or how you look and what you’ll dress in. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Think about the birds in the sky—they don’t plant seeds or harvest crops or gather grain into barns, but it’s your heavenly father who feeds them. Aren’t each of you worth more than them? 27 Who can add an hour to their lifetime by worrying?

28 “Why would you be worrying about clothes? Look how the flowers grow in the fields—they don’t work or make fabric, 29 [ref]but I can tell you that not even King Solomon at the peak of his reign was dressed at well as the flowers. 30 So if God dresses the plants in the fields that are here today and thrown away tomorrow, won’t he care much more for you, you people with little faith.

31 “That means that you all don’t need to worry about having anything to eat or drink, or having some clothes to wear. 32 People with no trust in God are trying to obtain all those things, but your heavenly father already knows that you need these things. 33 So instead you should be striving to enter God’s kingdom and to be guiltless in his eyes, and then all these other things will just follow. 34 Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow can worry about itself—today’s problems are enough by themselves.

7 “Don’t judge others so that you won’t be judged yourselves, 2 [ref]because you’ll all be judged in the same way that you judge others. Whatever standard you use on others will be the same standard used on you. 3 And why are you looking at the speck in the eye of another person when you have a massive lump in your own eye? 4 How could you say to them, ‘Let me get the speck out of your eye,’ when the lump is still in your eye? 5 What a hypocrite! First get the lump out of your own eye and you’ll be able to see clearly so then you can help them with their eye.

6 “Don’t give special things to dogs and don’t pitch pearls to pigs, because they’ll all just trample them underfoot and then they’re just as likely to turn and attack you.

7 “Make your requests and they’ll be given to you. Keep looking and you’ll find it. Knock on doors and they’ll be opened. 8 Because everyone who makes requests, receives, and everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for the one knocking. 9 Which one of you who has a child that asks for something to eat would give them a stone? 10 Or if the child asked for some fish, who would give them a snake? 11 So if evil people know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more will your father in the heavens give good things to those who are making their requests to him?

12 [ref]“So in every area, whatever you’d like others to be doing for all of you, that’s how you should also be treating them.

13 “Come in through the narrow gate, because there’s a big gateway and a wide path that leads away to destruction and lots of people go that way. 14 The gateway leading away to life is narrow and the path has been kept narrow and not many people find it.

15 “Watch out for false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inside they are swindling wolves. 16 You’ll all know who they are if you observe their fruit. Does anyone pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Similarly, every good tree produces good fruit, but the bad tree produces evil fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 [ref]Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown in the fire. 20 [ref]So then, you’ll know the false teachers by observing their fruit.

21 “Not everyone who goes around calling me ‘master’ will enter the kingdom of heavens—only those who actually do what my father who lives in the heavens wants. 22 Many people will complain on judgement day saying, “Master, master, didn’t we prophesy using your name, and exorcise demons using your name, and do many miracles using your name?” 23 [ref]Then I’ll have to tell them, “I don’t even know you. Go away from me all of you whose behaviour is against God’s laws.”

24 “Therefore anyone who hears these messages of mine and puts them into practice, they can be likened to a sensible person who built their house on the rock. 25 When the rains started and the floods came and the winds blew and battered that house, it was stable because it had been founded on the rock.

26 “But anyone who hears these messages of mine and doesn’t put them into practice, they can be likened to a stupid person who built their house on the sand. 27 When the rains started and the floods came and the winds blew and battered that house, it collapsed with a loud crash.”

28 [ref]When Yeshua had finished sharing all these messages, the crowds were astonished at his teaching 29 because he taught like someone who had authority, and not like their regular teachers of the law.

8 When Yeshua came down from the hillside, a large crowd followed him, 2 and then a man with leprosy approached him and knelt down in front of him and asked, “Master, if you’re willing, you’re able to get rid of this disease.”

3 “I am willing,” said Yeshua as he stretched out his hand and commanded, “Be clean.” The leprosy disappeared immediately 4 [ref]and Yeshua told him, “Make sure that you don’t tell anyone about this but you do need to go and show yourself to the priest and make the offering required by Mosheh’ law as a testimony to the authorities.”

5 When Yeshua arrived in Capernaum, a Roman army commander approached him and begged him, 6 saying, “Master, I have a slave who’s paralysed and had to kept in bed because he’s being badly tormented.”

7 “I’ll come and heal him,” Yeshua answered.

8 “But master,” the commander replied, “I’m not worthy that you should come to my house, but just give the command and my slave will be healed, 9 because I’m also a man given a position under authority with soldiers under me, and I tell this one, ‘Come here,’ and he comes, and tell my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.

10 Yeshua was amazed when he heard that and said to his followers around him, “I can assure you that I haven’t discovered faith like this from any Israeli. 11 [ref]I’m telling you that many people from all over the world will come and join Abraham and Isaac and Yacob at the table in the kingdom of the heavens, 12 [ref]but the ones who thought they were the true children will be thrown out into the distant darkness where there’ll be crying and regrets. 13 Then he said to the commander, “Go then and it will happen according to your faith,” and his slave was healed that very moment.

14 When Yeshua came to Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with the fever. 15 Yeshua touched her hand and the fever left her. Then she got up and looked after her guest.

16 In the evening, the people brought many who were possessed by evil spirits and Yeshua drove out the spirits with a command and healed all of them that were sick. 17 This fulfilled what the prophet Isayah had written: ‘He took our sickness and bore our diseases.’[ref]

18 When Yeshua saw the crowd around him, he told his apprentices to take him across to the other side of the lake. 19 One of the teachers of the law came up to Yeshua and told him, “Teacher, I’ll follow you wherever you go.”

20 “Foxes have burrows,” said Yeshua, “and birds have their nests, but humanity’s child doesn’t even have a place to lay his head.”

21 Another one of his followers said to him, “I’ll follow you, Master, but first let me wait until I can bury[fn] my father.”

22 “Follow after me,” Yeshua responded, “and leave the dead to bury the dead by themselves.”

23 Then Yeshua and his apprentices followed him and got into the boat and launched it. 24 Then wow, a huge storm rose up on the lake and the waves started coming into the boat, but Yeshua was asleep. 25 They woke him up and pleaded, “Master, save us, we’re going to drown.”

26 “What are you worried about,”, asked Yeshua, “you who don’t have much faith.” Then he stood up and told the winds and the water to stop, and the lake became very calm.

27 The people were astonished and asked, “What kind of man is this that the winds and the lake just do what he says?”

28 And when Yeshua arrived at the country of the Gadarenes on the other side of the lake, he was met by two very dangerous demon-possessed men who were coming out of the cemetery. Because of them, some people weren’t able to travel on that road. 29 Suddenly the two men yelled out saying, “Son of God, what’s the connection between us and you? Have you come here to cause us pain before the designated time?”

30 Now there was a herd of many pigs grazing not far away from them, 31 and the demons begged Yeshua saying, “If you do drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

32 And he said to them, “Depart!” So they came out and went away into the pigs, and next thing all the herd rushed down the bank into the lake and drowned in the water.

33 Then the men who had been grazing them took off, and when they got to the city they reported everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Soon all the city came out to meet with Yeshua, and when they found him they asked him to leave their region.

9 So Yeshua got into a boat and crossed back over to his own city of Capernaum. 2 Some people there brought a paralysed man to him lying on a stretcher. And when Yeshua saw their faith, he said to the man, “Son, be encouraged. Your sins are forgiven.”

3 Immediately some of the law teachers said among themselves, “This man presumes to be God.”

4 But Yeshua knew their thoughts and said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts? 5 Do you think it’s easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 But so that you will know that humanity’s child has the authority here on earth to forgive sins,” he said, “stand up, take your stretcher, and go to your house.”

7 Then the man stood up and went off to his house. 8 The crowds were struck with fear after seeing this, yet they praised God for giving such authority to men.

9 And as Yeshua was leaving there, he saw a man called Matthew (also known as Levi) sitting in the tax office. He said to Matthew, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

10 [ref]Later when Yeshua was eating at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came in and sat at the table together with Yeshua and his disciples. 11 Some of the Pharisee party noticed this and said to his disciples, “How come your teacher eats with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 But Yeshua heard this and said, “People who are well don’t need a doctor—only the ones with problems do. 13 [ref]So go and find out the meaning of this: I like mercy not sacrifice. Because it’s sinners that I came to call, not those considered righteous.”

14 Then the disciples of Yohan approached Yeshua and said, “How come that we and the Pharisees fast regularly, but your disciples don’t fast?”

15 And Yeshua replied to them, “Surely the groomsmen aren’t sad while the groom is with them? But the time will come when the groom has to leave them and then they will fast.

16 No one patches old clothes with new material because the patch will shrink and the clothes would end up with a worse hole. 17 And they don’t put new wine into an old container, otherwise the container could split and be ruined and the wine would be lost. Rather they put new wine into a new container and both survive.”

18 While Yeshua was speaking to them, an official came and bowed to him saying, “My daughter has just passed away, but come and put your hand on her and she will revive.

19 So Yeshua and his disciples got up and followed him.

20 Just then a woman who had been bleeding internally for twelve years came up behind Yeshua and touched the edge of his robe 21 because she had told herself that if she could just touch his robe, she would be healed.

22 Yeshua turned and saw her and said, “Be encouraged, daughter, your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed that very moment.

23 Now when Yeshua went into the house of the ruler, he saw the funeral musicians and the distressed people 24 and he said, “Go away. The girl hasn’t died—she’s sleeping.” But they ridiculed him. 25 However when the crowd was moved out, he went in and took her hand, and the girl got up. 26 Then the news of this spread all around that region.

27 As Yeshua left the ruler’s home, two blind men followed him and called out, “Have mercy on us, son of David.”

28 When he went into the house, the blind men went to him and Yeshua said to them, “Do you believe that I’m able to do this?”

They replied, “Yes, master.”

29 Then he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done to you in line with your faith.” 30 Then their eyes were healed and Yeshua told them, “Don’t let anyone know about this.”

31 But after they had departed, the men told the whole region about him.

32 As they were leaving, some people brought a man to Yeshua who was demon-possessed and unable to talk. 33 After the demon was cast out, the man was able to speak and the crowds were amazed saying, “Never before has anything like this happened in Israel.” 34 [ref]But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons with the help of the ruler of the demons.”

35 [ref]And Yeshua went around teaching in the meeting halls in all the cities and the villages and announcing the good news about the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness. 36 [ref]When he saw the crowds, he felt for them because they were tired and stressed like sheep with no shepherd. 37 [ref]He said to his disciples, “The harvest is large, but there’s not enough workers. 38 So ask the owner of the harvest to send more workers to help with it.”

10 Then calling his twelve apprentices, he gave them authority over evil spirits so they could drive them out, and they could heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve: Simon (nicknamed Peter) and his brother Andrew, Yacob and his brother Yohan (the sons of Zebedee), 3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector, Yacob (nicknamed Thaddeus, son of Alphaeus), 4 Simon (member of the Caananites) and Yudas Iscariot (who eventually turned Yeshua in).

5 Yeshua sent out these twelve, instructing them, “Don’t go onto the roads of non-Jews or into the city of Samaria, 6 but rather go to the lost sheep who a descendants of Israel. 7 As you go, announce to the people that the kingdom of the heavens is close. 8 Heal those who need it, bring the dead back to life, get rid of leprosy, and drive evil spirits away. You all freely received, so give freely. 9 Don’t accept any money for your wallets, 10 [ref]and don’t take a backpack, or a change of clothes or footwear, or a staff, because a worker deserves to be fed.

11 “Whatever city or village you arrive at, look around to discover who is godly, and stay with them until you all leave. 12 When you enter a home, bless it, 13 and if the house is worthy of it, let your peace come onto it, but if not, let your peace return to you. 14 [ref]If there’s any that don’t accept you or don’t want to hear your messages, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or city as a sign that you all accept no responsibility for them. 15 [ref]I can assure you that it will be more tolerable for the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement that it will be for those places.

16 [ref]“Look out, because I’m sending you out like sheep among the wolves, so you’ll all need to be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 [ref]But watch out because there’s people that will turn you in to the councils and then you’ll be flogged in their meeting halls. 18 You’ll be stood before governors and even kings on my account, but it’ll be a testimony to them and to the non-Jews. 19 However, whenever they turn you in, you don’t need to worry about what to say or how to say it, because whatever you all need to say will be given to you at the right time, 20 because you won’t be the ones speaking, but it’ll be your father’s spirit speaking through you.

21 [ref]“One sibling will turn in another to be executed, and a father his child, and children will be rebelling against their parents and having them put to death. 22 [ref]You all will be hated by everyone because of my name, but the ones who endure until the end, they are the ones who will be saved. 23 Whenever they persecute you in one city, escape to the next city, because I can assure you that you won’t get through all the cities in Israel before humanity’s child comes.

24 [ref]“An apprentice is not above their teacher, nor is a slave above their master. 25 [ref]The apprentice is happy to eventually become like their teacher, and the slave to become like their master. If they accuse the home owner of being a devil, then that will apply to his followers even more.

26 [ref]“Therefore don’t be afraid of them, because nothing is covered up that won’t eventually be revealed, and nothing is hidden that won’t be made known. 27 Anything that I tell you all in the darkness, speak it out in the light, and what you hear whispered, go and yell it out from up on the top porch. 28 Don’t be afraid of anyone who can kill your body but who can’t touch your soul, but rather work to please the one who can destroy both soul and body in fire. 29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for almost nothing? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your father being involved. 30 For you all, even hair on your head has been counted, 31 so don’t worry about things, because you are more valuable than any sparrows.

32 “Everyone who acknowledges in front of others that they’re my followers, then I will also acknowledge them in front of my father who is in the heavens, 33 [ref]but anyone who disowns me in front of others, then I will also disown them in front of my father who is in the heavens.

34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth. No, I came to bring war not peace, 35 [ref]because I came to divide a son against his father and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law 36 and person to become an enemy of their own household.

37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than they love me is not worthy of being mine, and anyone who loves their son or daughter more than they love me is not worthy of being mine. 38 [ref]Anyone who doesn’t pick up their own execution stake and carry it as they follow me, is not worthy of being mine. 39 [ref]Anyone who has found their life will lose it, and anyone who loses their life because of following me, will find it.

40 [ref]Anyone who accepts you is accepting me, and anyone who accepts me is accepting the one who sent me down here. 41 Anyone who accepts a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive the reward of a prophet, and anyone who accepts a godly person in the name of a godly person will receive the reward of a godly person. 42 Anyone who as a follower of me gives a cup of cool water to one of these little ones to drink, I’m telling you that that person certainly won’t lose their reward.

11 When Yeshua had finished giving those instructions to his twelve apprentices, he also left there and went to teach and preach in the Jewish cities.

2 Then Yohan, who was in prison, heard about what the messiah was doing, he sent some of his apprentices 3 to ask Yeshua, “Are you the promised one, or should we be waiting for someone else?”

4 “Well,” Yeshua answered, “go and tell Yohan everything that you’re hearing and seeing: 5 [ref]those who were blind can see now, lame people are now walking, people will leprosy are ‘clean’, deaf people can now hear, dead people have been brought back to life, and the good message is being preached to the poor. 6 Anyone who’s not embarrassed by me will be blessed.”

7 As Yohan’s apprentices left, Yeshua started talking to the crowd about Yohan: “What was it that you all went out to the wilderness to see? A reed being blown around by the wind?[fn]” 8 Yes, what did you all go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? People in palaces wear fine clothes. 9 So why did you go out there? To see a prophet? Yes, I’m telling you that he is a prophet, and even more important than the prophets. 10 [ref]He is the one that was written about: ‘See, I’m sending out my messenger ahead of you and he’ll prepare your path before you.’ 11 I can assure you that no person who’s ever been born is greater than Yohan-the-immerser. But even the least important person in the kingdom of heavens is greater than him. 12 [ref]From the time of Yohan-the-immerser through to the present time, the kingdom of the heavens has been opposed, and the opposition is grabbing at it. 13 All the prophets and the law prophesied before Yohan came, 14 [ref]and now, if you’re all willing to believe it, he is Eliyah—the one who would come ahead. 15 Anyone who is willing, let them strive to understand this.

16 “So what should I liken this generation to? It’s like young children sitting in the town centre who are calling out to others 17 and saying, ‘We played lively music for you but you didn’t dance. Then we played sad music, but you didn’t mourn.’ 18 Because Yohan came and he wasn’t eating or drinking, and they said, ‘He’s possessed by a demon!’ 19 Then humanity’s child came and he was eating and drinking, but they said, ‘Look at this fellow—he’s a glutton and a drunkard—a friend of tax collectors and immoral people.’ But wisdom is only recognised with hindsight.

20 Then Yeshua began deriding the cities that he had done most of his miracles in, because they hadn’t turned from their sins. 21 [ref]“Chorazin you’re doomed. Bethsaida you’re doomed. Because if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Tsidon, they would have shown their turning from their sins by wearing coarse cloth and showering themselves with ashes. 22 However, I’m telling you all that it will be more tolerable for the people of Tyre and Tsidon on judgement day than it will be for you. 23 [ref]Same with you, Capernaum. You won’t be lifted up to heaven but you’ll be sent down to hell, because if the miracles which were done in you had been done in Sodom, that city would still be here today. 24 [ref]However, I’m telling you all that it will be more tolerable for the people of Sodom on judgement day than it will be for you.”

25 At that time Yeshua said, “I am acknowledging you, father, master of the heaven and earth, that you hid these things from ‘wise’ and ‘intelligent’ people and revealed them to the ‘naive’. 26 Yes father, because that was your desire.

27 [ref]My father has given control of everything over to me, but no one really knows the son except the father, and no one really knows the father except the son and anyone who the son wants to tell about him.

28 Come to me all of you who are tired and feel overloaded, and I’ll help you relax. 29 [ref]You all can take on my workload and learn from me, because I’m gentle and humble and your souls will be able to relax 30 because my workload is easy, and the load on your shoulders is just light.

12 [ref]At that time, Yeshua was going through some fields of grain on a rest day, and his apprentices were hungry and began to pluck some heads of grain and crunch them. 2 But some from the Pharisees party saw them and said, “Look, your followers are harvesting when it’s not permitted to harvest on a rest day.”

3 [ref]“Haven’t you read about what David did when him and his fighters were hungry?” Yeshua responded. 4 [ref]He went into God’s tent and they ate the Bread of the Presence which none of them were allowed to eat—only the priests. 5 [ref]Or haven’t you understood that when the priests work in the temple on the rest day, it’s against the law and yet they’re innocent? 6 But I’m telling you that someone greater than the temple is here. 7 [ref]But you all should have known that what I want is mercy over sacrifices—you shouldn’t have convicted the innocent 8 because humanity’s child is the master over the rest day.

9 After leaving that place, Yeshua went into the Jewish meeting hall, 10 and look, there was a man there with a clawed fist. So the people there asked Yeshua if it was permitted to heal people on the rest days.

11 [ref]“Which of you,” Yeshua responded, “if you owned a single sheep and it fell into a pit on a rest day, wouldn’t then grab hold of it and lift it out? 12 Now a human is worth much more than a sheep, so then it must be permissible to do good on a rest day.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”

The man stretched his hand out and it was restored—now just as healthy as the other one, 14 but the Pharisees came out and sought legal advice because they wanted to ruin Yeshua.

15 Yeshua knew what they were trying to do, so he left that place. A lot of people followed along after him and he healed them all 16 but warned them not to reveal who he was 17 in order to fulfil what the prophet Isayah had written:

18 [ref]‘See my servant who I chose,

the one I dearly love and who my soul takes pleasure in.

I will place my spirit on him

and he will bring justice to the nations.

19 He won’t be arguing or yelling out,

and no one on the roads will hear his voice.

20 He won’t break off a bruised reed

and certainly won’t extinguish a smoldering wick

before he sends justice forward into victory.

21 The other nations will put their hope in his name and authority.’

22 Then a man possessed by evil spirits was brought to Yeshua. He was blind and unable to speak, but Yeshua healed him so that he could both speak and see. 23 All the people were amazed and were saying, “Surely this must be the promised descendant of David?”

24 [ref]When the Pharisees’ party heard about that, they said, “That man is only driving out demons because he’s Beelzebul, the leader of the demons.”

25 But Yeshua, knowing their thoughts, said, “Every kingdom that’s divided against itself is doomed, and any city or household that’s divided against itself will self-destruct. 26 If Satan is driving out Satan, then he’s divided against himself and how could his kingdom possibly be established? 27 And if I’m driving out demons by Beelzebul, then by who are your sons driving them out? 28 But if I am driving out demons by God’s spirit, then that must mean that God’s kingdom has already arrived among you all.

29 “How can someone go into the house of a strong man and steal his goods if they don’t tie him up first? Only then can his home be plundered.

30 [ref]“Anyone who’s not for me is against me, and anyone who isn’t helping me gather others is scattering them. 31 That’s why I’m telling you that people can be forgiven for all kinds of sin and slander, except that slandering God’s spirit won’t be forgiven. 32 [ref]Anyone who speaks out against humanity’s child can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks out against the holy spirit won’t be forgiven either in this age or in the coming one.

33 [ref]“Either make both the tree and its fruit good, or make them both bad, because a tree is known by its fruit. 34 [ref]You brood of snakes! You’re evil inside so why do you think you can say anything that’s good because your mouths speak out of what’s plentiful in your hearts. 35 A good person produces good words out of their store of goodness, and an evil person produces evil words out of their store of evil.

36 “But I’m telling you that people will have to give an account on judgement day for every worthless sentence that they’ve spoken, 37 because you’ll be either be convicted, or be declared guiltless, by the things that you yourself have said.”

38 [ref]Then some of the teachers of the law and some from the Pharisees’ party responded to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

39 [ref]“It’s an evil and adulterous generation that’s looking for a sign,” answered Yeshua, “and no sign will be given to it apart from the sign of the prophet Yonah. 40 [ref]Because just like Yonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, in the same way humanity’s child will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 [ref]The inhabitants of Nineveh will stand up and condemn this generation on judgement day, because they turned from their sins when Yonah preached, and look, now there’s one here who’s greater than Yonah. 42 [ref]The queen of the south will get up and condemn this generation on judgement day, because she travelled a great distance to hear King Solomon’s wisdom, and look, now there’s one here who’s greater than Solomon.

43 “Whenever an evil spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid lands looking for a place to rest, and doesn’t find any. 44 So it says to itself, ‘I’ll go back to the house that I just left.’ Then when it gets back, it finds that it’s not only unoccupied, but it’s been swept and tidied up. 45 So it goes and find seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all go to live there, so the later state of that person is worse that it was at the beginning. So now, it’ll be just like that for this evil generation.”

46 While Yeshua was still talking to the crowd, his mother and siblings stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your siblings are outside, waiting to speak with you.”

48 “Who’s my mother and who are my siblings?” Yeshua answered to that person. 49 Then extending his hand around to his followers he said, “See, these are my mother and my siblings, 50 because anyone who obeys my father in the heavens is my brother and my sister and my mother.”

13 That same day, Yeshua went outside and sat by the lake. 2 [ref]A large crowd of people gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat there while the crowd remained standing on the beach, 3 where he told them many parables, saying, “Listen, a farmer went out to plant seed at that time of the year. 4 As he was spreading the seed, some of it fell beside a path and the birds come and ate that seed. 5 Some fell on stony ground where there wasn’t much soil, and it sprouted immediately because the thin layer of soil was moist and warm, 6 but when the sun rose high, it was scorched and not having any deep roots, it withered up. 7 Some seed fell in a thistle patch, but the thistles grew over them and choked them out. 8 However, some seed landed on the good soil and it grew to bear a harvest—some a hundred times more, some sixty times, and some thirty times. 9 Anyone who wants to hear should strive to understand this.”

10 After this, his apprentices came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

11 “You guys have been permitted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens,” replied Yeshua, “but not those others.” 12 [ref]Because anyone who already has will be given more and they will end up with plenty, but anyone who doesn’t have, even what they have will be taken away from them. 13 That’s why I speak to them in parables, because when they look they don’t see, and when they listen, they don’t hear or understand, 14 [ref]and so the prophecy written by Isayah is being fulfilled:

‘When you listen you will hear but you certainly won’t understand,

and when you look you will see but you certainly won’t perceive anything.

15 Because these people’s hearts are insensitive and they can barely hear with their ears,

and they shut their eyes so they can’t see with them.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

and understand with their heart and then return to me and then I would heal them.’

16 [ref]“But your eyes are blessed because they can see, and your ears also, because they can hear, 17 because I can assure you all that many prophets and godly people wanted to see what you’re seeing, but they didn’t see, and they wanted to hear what you’re all hearing, but they didn’t hear it either.

18 “So now listen concerning the parable about the person spreading seed. 19 Everyone who hears the message about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in that person’s heart. That’s the seed that landed by the path. 20 The seed that landed on the rocky ground, that’s the person who hears the message and is immediately happy to accept it, 21 but doesn’t have any roots of their own so it’s just fleeting—they stumble as soon as there’s any difficulties or persecution because of the message. 22 The seed the landed among the thorns is the person who hears the message, but the worries of the time and the seduction of wealth chokes out the message and it becomes unfruitful. 23 The seed that landed on the good soil is the person who hears the message and understands it and goes on to bear fruit—some people producing a hundred times more, some sixty times, and some thirty times.”[fn]

24 Then Yeshua told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens is like a farmer who’s planted good seed in his field. 25 But the while they were all sleeping, his enemy came and spread black-grained ‘wheat’ seeds around his wheat field and left again. 26 Then when the wheat grew and produced grains, the poisonous ‘wheat’ could also be seen. 27 The farmer’s slave came and told him, ‘Master, wasn’t it good wheat seed that you planted? So why is there so much false wheat?’ 28 ‘An enemy must have done this,’ the farmer replied. ‘So should we go and pull out the bad stuff,’ asked the slaves. 29 ‘No,’ said the farmer, ‘because pulling that out might also pull up some of the wheat plants. 30 ‘Let them all grown together, and then at harvest time I can just tell the harvesters to pull the false wheat plants out first and put then in bundles to be incinerated, and then harvest the wheat to go into my barn.’ ”

31 Another one of his parables went like this: “The kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field. 32 Even though it’s a very small seed, it grows larger than most garden plants and becomes such a large bush that birds even come and nest in its branches.”

33 In another parable, Yeshua said, “The kingdom of the heavens is like yeast, which a woman took and hid it in a month’s worth of flour, and eventually all of it rose.”

34 Yeshua told all these things to the crowds in the form of parables, in fact he said nothing that wasn’t a parable, 35 [ref]so that that what had been written by the prophet would be fulfilled:

‘I will be saying things that have been hidden since the creation of the world.’

36 Then Yeshua left the crowd and went into the house. His apprentices followed him in and asked him for the interpretation of the parable about the poisonous black wheat in the field.

37 “The farmer spreading the good seed,” Yeshua answered, “is humanity’s child, 38 and the field is the world and the good seeds are the heirs to the kingdom. The false wheat seeds are the disciples of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who planted them in the devil. The harvest is at the end of this age, and the harvesters are God’s messengers. 40 Therefore at the end of this age, the false wheat plants will be gathered and incinerated. 41 humanity’s child will be sending out his messengers to remove all the temptations out of his kingdom, and all those who don’t obey God’s law, 42 and they will throw them into the incinerator, and there will be crying and much anguish. 43 Then the godly people will be shining as bright as the sun in their father’s kingdom. Anyone who is interested to hear, let them listen.

44 “The kingdom of the heavens is like a field that had had treasure hidden in it. When someone found the treasure, they hid it again, and with great excitement went and sold everything they had so they could buy that field.

45 “Also the kingdom of the heavens is like a trader wanting to buy beautiful pearls, 46 and when they found one outstanding pearl, they went and sold everything they had so they could buy that pearl.

47 “Also the kingdom of the heavens is like a dragnet that was thrown into the lake and picked up everything from under the water. 48 When it was full, they pulled it up onto the beach and sat and sorted the catch—throwing the good catch into containers and throwing out the bad stuff. 49 It’ll be just like that at the end of this age—God’s messengers will be coming out and will separate evil people from the godly people, 50 and they will throw the evil ones into the incinerator. There will be crying and great anguish.

51 “Did you all understand all of that?

“Yes,” his apprentices answered.

52 Then he said to them, “Because of this, every teacher who’s been trained about the kingdom of the heavens is like a person who’s a home owner who gives presents of both new and old things of out their valuables.”

53 After Yeshua had finished explaining the parables, he left that place 54 and went to his hometown of Nazareth and taught the people in the Jewish meeting hall. They were amazed at his teaching, asking each other, “Where did this fellow get his wisdom and his ability to do miracles? 55 Isn’t he the son of Yosef, the carpenter? Don’t we know his mother Maria and his brothers Yacob and Yosef and Simon and Yudas? 56 Aren’t his sisters still here in town? So where did he get all these abilities?” 57 [ref]As a result, they didn’t have any respect for him.

But Yeshua said to them, “A prophet is not dishonoured except in his own hometown and among his own household.” 58 So he didn’t do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

14 Around that time, King Herod the Tetrarch heard the news about Yeshua 2 and he said to his slaves, “This must be Yohan-the-immerser having come back from the dead and so that’s why he can do all these miracles!”

3 [ref]Herod said this because he had previously had Yohan arrested and put in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. 4 Yohan had been saying that it was against God’s law for Herod to take his brother’s wife. 5 Herod had been wanting to have Yohan executed, but he was afraid of the crowd because they considered Yohan to be a prophet.

6 However at Herod’s birthday celebration, Herodias’ daughter had danced in the middle of them all and had pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her anything that she requested.

8 The young woman was urged on by her mother to tell Herod that she wanted the head of Yohan-the-immerser on a plate.

9 The king was upset, but because of his oaths in front of the other guests, he commanded it to be so 10 and sent his soldiers to behead Yohan in prison. 11 So then his head was brought in on a plate and given to the young woman who then took it to her mother. 12 Hearing the news, Yohan’s followers went to the prison and collected his body and buried it. Then they went and told Yeshua.

13 When Yeshua heard what had happened to Yohan, he got a boat to take him to a quiet place by himself, but the crowds from the cities heard about it, and followed him around the shore of the lake on foot. 14 So when he got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd of people and he felt compassion towards them, and he healed the sick people that they had brought.

15 As evening was approaching, his followers came up and asked, “This place is quite isolated and it’s already late. Send the people back into the villages so they can buy themselves something to eat.”

16 “Oh, there’s no need to send them away,” Yeshua answered. “you all give them something to eat.”

17 “We don’t have anything here” they responded, “except for five buns and two cooked fish.”

18 “Bring them here to me,” Yeshua instructed, 19 then he told the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five buns and two fish and looking up to the sky, he blessed God/the food/the people???, broke the buns and gave the pieces to his apprentices to distribute to the crowds. 20 Everyone there ate enough to be full, and then the apprentices picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread. 21 There were about five thousand families there.

22 Straight after that, Yeshua instructed his apprentices to board the boat and to head back to the other side of the lake while he dismissed the crowds. 23 He sent them all back to their homes, then climbed up a hill by himself to pray. 24 By then the boat was in the middle of the lake, but it was being beaten by the waves because a strong wind had come up.

25 In the early hours of the morning, Yeshua went out to them on the lake, walking on the surface. 26 When his apprentices saw him coming over the lake, they were worried thinking it was a ghost and yelling out in fear.

27 But Yeshua answered them immediately saying, “Be brave, I’m here, don’t worry.”

28 “Master,” called Peter, “if it’s you, command me to come to you on the lake.”

29 “Come!” he said. So Peter climbed over the back of the boat and started walking across the lake towards Yeshua, 30 but when he looked around at the wind, he lost his nerve and started sinking and yelled out, “Master, save me!” 31 Immediately Yeshua stretched out his hand and took hold of Peter and said to him, “Your faith is weak because why did you doubt?”

32 Then as soon as the two of them climbed into the boat, the wind died down 33 and everyone in the boat knelt down in front of Yeshua saying, “You certainly must be God’s son!”

34 So then they finished crossing the lake and got out at Gennesaret. 35 The people there recognised Yeshua and sent news to all the surrounding region. So the people brought all their sick relatives to him 36 and begged him even to just let them touch the edge of his robe because everyone who did that was healed.

15 Then some from the Pharisees’ party and teachers of the law from Yerushalem arrived and asked Yeshua, 2 “Why do your followers break the traditions handed down by our elders? They’re not practicing the washing hands ceremony before eating.”

3 “Well why also do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?” Yeshua responded. 4 [ref]“God told us to honour our father and our mother, and also that anyone who speaks evil about their father or mother deserves the death penalty. 5 But you all say that anyone who tells their father or mother that whatever help they may have expected from you is now given as a gift, 6 then you say that they’re not actually dishonouring their parents. So by saying that, you’re overriding God’s message with your own tradition. 7 You hypocrites! The prophet Isayah was right about you all when he wrote:[ref]

8 ‘These people honour me with their lips,

But their hearts are far away from me.

9 Their worship of me is useless,

They teach human ideas as if they’re commandments.’ ”

10 Then Yeshua called out to the crowd, “Listen carefully so you can understand this: 11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you, but rather, it’s what comes out of your mouth.”

12 His followers then came up to him and told him, “You know that the Pharisees were offended by what you just said?”

13 “Every plant,” Yeshua answered, “that wasn’t planted by my heavenly father will get pulled out. 14 [ref]Just ignore them. They are blind guides, and if blind people are leading the blind, both of them will stumble into a pit.”

15 But Peter asked him, “So interpret the parable for us.”

16 “Can’t you all figure it out yet?” Yeshua replied. 17 Can’t you all see that everything that goes into your mouth, goes down into your stomach and then eventually ends up in the toilet? 18 [ref]But the things that come out of your mouth are coming from your mind and that’s what defiles a person. 19 Because lust, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, stealing, falsely accusing and slander, these all come of the mind. 20 It’s those things that defile a person, not eating without ceremonially washing your hands.”

21 Then Yeshua left Galilee and went out to the districts of Tyre and Tsidon. 22 Then, look, a woman from that area and of Caananite ancestry came to hum and called out, “Master, David’s descendant, my daughter is suffering from demon possession.”

23 But Yeshua didn’t even answer her. So his apprentices came up and suggested, “Send her away because she’s still yelling out back there.”

24 Yeshua answered, “I was only sent to the lost sheep that descended from Israel.”

25 But she came and knelt down in front of him, begging, “Master, help me.”

26 “It’s not good,”, Yeshua responded, “to take the children’s food off them and throw it out to the puppies.”

27 “True, master,” she said, “but even the puppies eat the little crumbs that fall off their masters’ table.”

28 “Oh, woman” Yeshua answered, “you have lots of faith, so what you asked for will become reality.” And so her daughter was healed that very hour.

29 Then Yeshua left that place and after walking along Lake Galilee, he climbed up a hill and sat down. 30 Big crowds came up to him, bringing those who were lame, maimed, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down in front of him and he healed them. 31 The crowds marvelled, seeing people speaking that had been mute, and maimed people now healthy, and lame people walking and the blind now seeing, and they praised Israel’s God.

32 Then Yeshua called his apprentices and told them, “I feel sorry for this crowd because they’ve been out here with me for three days and haven’t had anything to eat, but I’m not happy to just send them away hungry in case they collapse on the way home.”

33 “Out here in the wilderness,” replied his apprentices, “where could we possibly get enough bread to feed a crowd this size?”

34 “How many buns do you have?” asked Yeshua.

“Seven,”, they replied, “and a few small fish.”

35 Then instructing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven buns and the fish, and gave thanks. Then he broke them and gave the pieces to his apprentices to distribute to the crowds. 37 Everyone ate and when they were full, they collected seven baskets full of the leftover food. 38 There were about four thousand families there.

39 After sending the crowds home, Yeshua got into the boat and they went to the regions of Magadan.

16 [ref]Some from the Pharisee party and some from the Sadducee sect approached Yeshua, and trying to tempt him they asked him to make a sign in the sky to show his power to them. 2 But in answer he said to them, 3 ◘ 4 [ref]“This is an evil and adulterous generation that’s wanting a sign, and no sign will be given to it except for the sign of Yonah.” Then he left them and went away.

5 Now Yeshua’s apprentices had crossed the lake, but they forgot to take any yeast 6 [ref]and Yeshua told them, “Watch out for the yeast from the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

7 This caused a discussion among them trying to figure out if he was scolding them for not bringing any bread.

8 But Yeshua knew what they were saying, and asked them, “You all with little faith. Why are you discussing among yourselves about not having bread? 9 [ref]Haven’t you understood what’s going on here yet? Don’t you remember that there were twelve baskets of leftovers when five buns were used to feed 5,000 families? 10 [ref]And then seven baskets of leftovers when seven buns were used to feed 4,000 families? 11 How can you fail to understand that I wasn’t talking to you about bread? Watch out for the yeast from the Pharisees and Sadducees.

12 Then they understood that he wasn’t talking about yeast that’s used to make bread, but about the teaching of the Pharisee party and of the Sadducee sect.

13 When Yeshua arrived in the outskirts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his apprentices, “Who are people saying that humanity’s child is?”

14 [ref]“Some say Yohan-the-immerser come back to life,” they answered, “but others say the promised prophet Eliyah, and others, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

15 “But you yourselves,” he asked, “Who do you say I am?”

16 [ref]“You are the promised messiah,” Simon Peter answered, “the son of the living God.”

17 Then Yeshua answered, “You are blessed, Simon BarYonah, because it wasn’t any person that revealed that to you, but rather, my father who is in the heavens. 18 And I can add that you are Peter (meaning ‘rock’) and I will build my assembly on this rock and the gates of hell won’t be able to hold it back. 19 [ref]I’ve give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you restrain on the earth will be restrained in the heavens, and whatever you free on the earth, will be freed in the heavens.”

20 Then he instructed his apprentices not to tell anyone that he is the messiah.

21 From that time onwards, Yeshua began showing his apprentices that he needed to go to Yerushalem and to suffer at the hands of the elders and chief priests and teachers of the law there, before being executed and then coming back to life on the third day.

22 But Peter took him aside and started telling him off, saying, “Goodness gracious, master, this certainly won’t happen to you.”

23 Yeshua turned towards Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You’re tempting me because you not thinking in a godly way, but only in human terms.”

24 [ref]Then Yeshua told his apprentices, “If anyone wants to be my follower, they need to suppress their own desires and be ready to sacrifice and to suffer, and then follow me. 25 [ref]Because anyone who wants to save their life will lose it, but anyone who loses their life on my account, will be finding it. 26 What help would it be to a person if they gain everything in the world, and yet lose their soul? Or put another way, what could a person give in exchange for their soul? 27 [ref]Because humanity’s child is going to return displaying the splendour of his father and accompanied by his messengers, and then he’ll reward each individual according to their behaviour. 28 I can assure you that some people standing here won’t experience death until they first see humanity’s child coming in his kingdom.”

17 After six days, Yeshua took Peter, and Yacob and his brother Yohan, and they went up a high hill by themselves, 2 and Yeshua was changed in front of them so that his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Then look, Mosheh and Eliyah appeared and they could see them talking with Yeshua. 4 Then Peter spoke up and said to Yeshua, “Master, it’s good that we’re here. If you want, I could make three shelters here: one for you and one for Mosheh and one for Eliyah.”

5 [ref]While he was still speaking, a bright cloud came over the top of them and wow, a voice came out of the cloud saying, “This is my dear son that I get great pleasure from. Just listen to him.”

6 When the three apprentices heard the voice, they lay face down and were extremely scared. 7 But Yeshua went across to them, and touching them he said, “Get up now and don’t be afraid,” 8 and when they looked around, they didn’t see anyone other than Yeshua himself.

9 As they started heading down the hill, Yeshua instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you saw until after humanity’s child comes back to life.”

10 [ref]So his apprentices asked him, “Why do the religious teachers say that Eliyah has to come before the messiah?”

11 “In a way, Eliyah is coming” he said, “and he will restore everything. 12 [ref]But I’m also telling you that in another way, Eliyah already came and they didn’t recognise him, but they mistreated him just however they wanted, and humanity’s child will suffer from their actions like that too.”

13 Then the apprentices realised that he was talking to them about Yohan-the-immerser.

14 When they got back to the crowd, a man approached Yeshua and knelt down before him 15 saying, “Master, show mercy to my son, because he has seizures and isn’t well, often falling into the fire or the water. 16 I brought him to your apprentices, but they weren’t able to heal him.”

17 “Oh you unbelieving and depraved generation,” Yeshua answered, “how much longer will I have to be with you all? How much longer can I tolerate you all? Bring your son here to me.” 18 Then Yeshua rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed that very hour.

19 Later the apprentices went by themselves to Yeshua and asked him how come they hadn’t been able to drive away the demon.

20 [ref]“It’s because your faith is so small,” he told them, “because I can assure you that if your faith was a big as a mustard seed, you’d be able to command a mountain to move and it would move, and then there’d be nothing that you all couldn’t do.”

21 ◘ 22 Another time when they were all together in Galilee, Yeshua told them, “Humanity’s child is going to be handed over to the people, 23 and they’re going to kill him and then he’ll come back to life on the third day.” Those listening were very upset.

24 [ref]Then when they got to Capernaum, the tax-collectors collecting the poll tax approached Peter and asked him, “Isn’t your teacher going to pay the tax?”

25 “Yes, he will.” replied Peter.

Then when he went inside the house, before he could say anything Yeshua asked him, “What do you think, Simon? Do earthly kings extract taxes from their own children, or from strangers?”

26 “From strangers,” answered Peter.

“So surely the children are exempt?”, Yeshua responded, 27 “but so that we don’t offend them, go down to the lake and throw in a line. Pull out the first fish that you hook, and when you open its mouth, you’ll find a coin that’ll be enough to pay the tax for both of us.”

18 [ref]Around that time his apprentices approached Yeshua and asked him, “So who will be the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens?”

2 Yeshua called in a small child and stood the child in the middle of the room 3 [ref]and said, “I can assure you all that if you don’t turn and become like a small child, you all certainly won’t enter the kingdom of the heavens, 4 so anyone who humbles themself like this small child is greater in the kingdom of the heavens. 5 Anyone who receives a small child like this in my name, is receiving me,

6 “But anyone who causes one of these small ones who believe in me to stumble, it would have been better for that person if a heavy stone had been hung around their neck and if they’d been sunk in the deep lake. 7 The world suffers due to temptations, because it’s necessary for temptations to come, but it won’t be good for the person who brings the temptation.

8 [ref]“If your hand or foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away because it’s better for you to enter eternal life maimed or lame than to be thrown into the eternal fire with two hands and feet. 9 [ref]Also if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away because it’s better for you to enter eternal life with only one eye than to be thrown into the pit of fire with two eyes.

10 “Make sure that you all don’t despise any of these small ones, because I’m telling you all that their messengers in the heavens are always in front of my father who is in the heavens.

11 ◘[fn] 12 “What do you think about this: a man had a hundred sheep and one of them strayed away. Won’t he leave the ninety-nine there in the hills and go and look for the sheep that was missing? 13 And if he happens to find it, I can assure you that he’ll be happier about that one than about the ninety-nine who never strayed away. 14 In the same way, your father in the heavens doesn’t want even one of these small ones to perish.

15 [ref]“If a fellow believer sins, go where there’s just the two of you and rebuke that person privately. If they listen to you, you have gained back a fellow believer. 16 [ref]But if they don’t listen to you, take one or two others with you, so that there’ll be two or three witnesses to verify the message. 17 Then if that person still refuses to listen, tell the whole assembly. If they still refuse to hear from the assembly, treat them like a non-believer or a tax-collector.[fn]

18 [ref]“I can assure you that whatever you restrain on the earth will be restrained in heaven, and what ever you set free on the earth will be set free in heaven.

19 “Again, I can assure you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they request in prayer, then my father who is in the heavens will action it, 20 because any place where two or three people have gathered together in my name and authority, I will be there right among them.”

21 [ref]Then Peter approached Yeshua and asked, “Master, how often can someone sin against me and I’ll still have to forgive them?”

22 [ref]“I won’t say seven times,” Yeshua answered, “but seventy times seven times!

23 “It’s because of this that the kingdom of the heavens can be likened to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 So when he began the process, a man was brought in who owed him millions, 25 but since he had no way of repaying it, the master commanded for him and his wife and children and all their possessions to be sold to help pay off the debt. 26 Then that slave dropped to the ground and prostrated himself to the master, saying, ‘Master, give me a little more time and then I’ll be able to repay it all to you.’ 27 So the master felt sorry for that slave and sent him away and forgave his loan.

28 “But when the slave got outside, he found one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a few thousand. He grabbed him and was strangling him with his hands saying, ‘Give back what you owe!’ 29 The fellow slave dropped to the ground and begged him, ‘Give me a little more time and I’ll repay you.’ 30 But the other wasn’t willing, and he went and had the man thrown into prison until he repaid what he owed. 31 The other slaves who had observed all this were very upset, so they went and informed the master about what had happened. 32 So then the master called in the slave that he had forgiven and told him, ‘You evil slave! I forgave you all that obligation because you pleaded with me. 33 Wouldn’t it have been reasonable for you also to have shown mercy to your fellow-slave just like I was merciful to you?’ 34 Now the master who was now quite angry, handed him over to the torturers until he could repay everything that he owed.

35 “So that’s how my heavenly father will treat you if you don’t genuinely forgive others around you.”

19 When Yeshua had finished these messages, he left Galilee and went to the Yudean regions on the other side of the Yordan River 2 and large crowds followed him, and he healed them.

3 Some from the Pharisees’ party approached him to test him by asking, “Is there any cause for which a man can dismiss his wife?”

4 [ref]“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that God made them male and female from the beginning? 5 [ref]And then how he said, ‘A man will leave his parents and be joined together with his wife, and then the two of them will be a single body’? 6 So then, they’re no longer two but are now one body, therefore don’t let any person separate what God has joined together.”

7 [ref]“So why did Mosheh allow us to give her a letter of divorce and then to send her away?” they asked him.

8 “It was because of your hard hearts that Mosheh allowed you to send away your wife,” Yeshua answered, “but it wasn’t like that at the beginning. 9 [ref]Now I’m telling you that anyone who sends away his wife because of sexual immorality and then remarries, is also causing adultery. Also the woman who was sent away if she remarries, she causes adultery.

10 His followers made the point, “If that’s the case for husband and wife, it’s better not to get married.”

11 “Not everyone can accept this,” Yeshua responded, “but only those with a special gift. 12 Because there are some men who are born from their mother’s womb without testicles, there are some who’ve been castrated by others, and there are some who castrate themselves because of the kingdom of the heavens. Anyone who is able to accept this can accept it.”

13 Then some small children were brought to Yeshua hoping that he would place his hands on them and pray for them, but the apprentices scolded them. 14 But Yeshua intervened, “Be patient with the children and don’t stop them from coming to me, because it’s ones like these that make up the kingdom of the heavens.”

15 Then after placing his hands on them, he left that place.

16 And look, a man approached Yeshua and asked him, “Teacher, what good thing do I need to do in order to have eternal life?”

17 “Why are you asking me about what’s good?” Yeshua responded. “Only one is good. But if you’re wanting to enter into life, you should obey the commandments.”

18 [ref]“Which ones?” he asked.

“Don’t murder,” Yeshua answered, “don’t mess with another person’s spouse, don’t steal, don’t lie in court, 19 [ref]honour your parents, and love your neighbour like yourself.”

20 “I’ve kept all of those,” the young man said, “so what else do I need to do?”

21 “If you want to be perfect,” answered Yeshua, “go and sell what you own and give to the poor, and then you’ll have treasure in the heavens. Then come and follow me.”

22 But when the young man heard that, he went away despondent because he owned many properties.

23 So Yeshua said to his apprentices, “I can assure you that it’s more difficult for a wealthy person to enter the kingdom of the heavens. 24 In fact, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to enter God’s kingdom.”

25 When his apprentices heard that, they were very surprised and asked, “Well, who can be saved then?”

26 Yeshua looked them in the eyes and answered, “It’s impossible for humans, but with God, everything is possible.”

27 “Hey,” Peter reacted, “we left everything to follow you, so what will happen to us?”

28 [ref]“I can assure you all,” Yeshua responded. “that after the world is remade and I sit down on his splendid throne, all of you who followed me will also sit on twelve thrones ruling over the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who left their houses, or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or wife or children, or farms on account of my name and commission, will be repaid a hundred times over and will inherit eternal life.

30 [ref]“But many who are first will end up last, and the last will be first 20 because the kingdom of the heavens is like a landowner who came out in the morning to hire labourers to work in his vineyard. 2 They all agreed on the rate for the day and then he sent them off to work in his vineyard. 3 Then around 9am he noticed some others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and he told them, ‘You can go and work in the vineyard and I’ll pay you all a fair day’s wage at the end.’ 5 So they went off. Then he came out around midday and again at 3pm and did the same. 6 When he came out around 5pm and there were still people just standing around, he asked them, ‘Why have you been idly standing here all day?’ 7 ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they said. So he also sent them off to work in the vineyard.

8 [ref]“In the evening, the landowner instructed his manager, ‘Call the workers and give them their wages, going from the last to start until the first.’ 9 The ones who’d started late afternoon each received the day’s wage that the first workers had been promised, 10 so those first ones expected they’d receive more, but they all got the same day’s wage. 11 When they got theirs, the first workers started grumbling about the landowner 12 and complained, ‘These last ones only worked an hour, and yet you paid them the same as us who worked the entire day right through the scorching heat!’ 13 ‘Buddy,’ he said to one of them, ‘I’m not cheating you. Didn’t you agree to work for me for the daily wage? 14 Take what we agreed on and go, but I wanted to give these last workers the same amount. 15 Or aren’t I permitted to do what I want with my own money? Or is your eye evil just because I am generous?’

16 [ref]“So the last will be first like that, and the first will be last.”

17 As Yeshua started on the walk to Yerushalem, he took the twelve apprentices aside by themselves on the way, and told them, 18 “Listen, we’re going to Yerushalem and humanity’s child will be handed over to the chief priests and the religious teachers, and they will condemn him to death 19 and hand him over to the non-Jews to be mocked and flogged and executed on a stake, and then on the third day he will come back to life.”

20 Then Zebedee’s wife approached Yeshua with her two sons, Yacob and Yohan. She knelt in front of him, obviously wanting to ask for something.

21 “What is it that you’re wanting?” Yeshua asked.

“Promise that my two sons will be able to sit beside you in the kingdom,” she said, “one on the right and one on the left.”

22 But Yeshua answered, “You all don’t realise what you’re asking. Do you think you’ll be able to bear the suffering that I will have to suffer?”

“Yes,” they replied, “we can.”

23 “Well, you will indeed share the suffering with me,” Yeshua responded. “But on the other hand, sitting on my right and my left is not my decision to make, because my father will have prepared those places.”

24 Now the other ten who’d heard all this, took offence at the two brothers 25 [ref]but Yeshua called them over and said, “You all know that the rulers of other nations practice total control over their people, as do other powerful people. 26 [ref]But among all of you, it shouldn’t be like that. Instead anyone who wants to become great should be your servant, 27 and anyone who wants to be first, should be your slave, 28 in the same way that humanity’s child didn’t come to be served, but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

29 When the all left Jericho, a large crowd followed after him. 30 Then, look, two blind men heard that Yeshua was passing by, so they yelled out, “Show mercy to us, master, David’s descendant!”

31 The crowd warned them to be quiet, but they just yelled out even louder, “Master, David’s descendant, show mercy to us!”

32 At that point, Yeshua stopped and called them over and asked, “What is it that you’re wanting me to do for you?”

33 “Master,” they said, “open our eyes so we can see.”

34 Yeshua felt compassionate towards them and touched their eyes with his fingers and then straight away they were able to see, and they followed after him.

21 When they were getting close to Yerushalem and arrived at Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Yeshua sent two of his apprentices ahead, 2 telling them, “Go ahead to the next village and in front of you you’ll see a donkey tied up and her colt near her. Untie the donkey and bring them back here to me. 3 But if anyone says anything to you, just tell them that the master needs them, and they’ll let you take them.”

4 “All this is happening so that the message that was written by the prophet will come to pass:

5 [ref]‘Tell the daughter of Zion:

“Look, your king is coming,

gentle and riding a donkey,

and on a colt, a donkey’s offspring.” ’ ”

6 So the two apprentices left and did what Yeshua had instructed them. 7 They brought back the donkey and the colt, and they put their coats on them and he sat on them. 8 Then the huge crowd spread their coats on the road, while others cut branches off trees and spread them on the road. 9 [ref]The crowd that walked ahead of him and the crowd that followed along behind all yelled out, “David’s descendant, honoured saviour! Blessed one who comes in the name of the master! Honoured saviour in the highest!”

10 As they entered Yerushalem, everyone in the city was stunned, asking, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds responded, “It’s the prophet Yeshua—the prophet from Nazareth in the Galilee!”

12 Then Yeshua dismounted and entered the temple. He drove out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves, 13 [ref]telling them, “It was written that my house will be called a house of prayer, but you all are making it a hideout of robbers.”

14 Those in the temple who were blind or lame approached Yeshua and he healed them. 15 But the chief priests and religious teachers, having seen him do miracles and heard the children in the temple yelling out ‘David’s descendant, honoured saviour!’ became angry 16 [ref]and accused him, “Can’t you hear what they’re saying?”

“Yes, I can,” Yeshua responded. “Didn’t you ever read where it says ‘You caused praises to come from the lips of infants and babies’?”

17 Then he left the temple and Yerushalem and went and stayed overnight out at Bethany.

18 In the morning as he headed back into the city, Yeshua was hungry. 19 He saw a single fig tree near the road, but when he got close, it only had leaves on it, so he spoke to it, “You will never again bear fruit,” and immediately the fig tree withered up.

20 His followers who saw this happen were amazed and asked each other, “How did that tree instantly wither up?”

21 [ref]“I can assure you all,” Yeshua answered, “if you have faith and don’t doubt, not only could you do that to a fig tree, you could tell this hill to move away and go into the sea, and it would happen. 22 You’d be able to do everything—anything that you request in prayer and believe.”

23 When Yeshua went back into the temple and started teaching the people, the chief priests and the Jewish elders came and challenged him, “What authority do you have to do these things?”

24 “Well, I have one question for you first,” Yeshua answered. “If you answer it, then I’ll tell you all about my authority to do these things. 25 So, where did Yohan’s practice of immersion come from?”

They discussed this among themselves, saying, “If we say from heaven, he’ll ask us why we didn’t believe Yohan. 26 But if we say it was a human idea, then the crowd might revolt against us because they consider Yohan to be a prophet.” 27 So they answered, “We don’t know.”

“Well then, nor will I tell you about my authority to do these things,” Yeshua answered.

28 “But what does it matter to you all, anyway? There was a man who had two children and he went up to the first one and instructed, ‘Son, go and work in my vineyard today.’ 29 ‘I can’t,’ he answered, but later he regretted what he’d said and went and did the work. 30 The father also approached the other child with the same instruction. ‘I will, master’ this one answered, but he never went. 31 Which of the two did what the father wanted?”

“The first one,” the hearers answered.

“I can assure you all,” Yeshua continued, “that tax collectors and prostitutes will enter God’s kingdom ahead of you lot, 32 [ref]because Yohan came to you all teaching the road to becoming right with God, but you didn’t believe that he was sent by God. Yet the tax collectors and prostitutes believed in him, and still, even when you saw that, you didn’t later regret and change your minds and believe.