12 The next day a large crowd of people who had come for the celebrations and had heard that Yeshua was coming to Yerushalem 13 [ref]took long branches from palm trees and brought them out as they went to meet him. They called out, “Honoured saviour! The one coming in the authority of the master has been blessed by God. This is Israel’s king.”

14 Now Yeshua had found a young donkey and rode it into the city just like it was written in the scriptures,

15 [ref]“Don’t be worried you children of Tsiyyon/Zion. Your king is coming mounted on a donkey’s foal.”

16 (Yeshua’s apprentices didn’t realise all these things at the time, but it was later after Yeshua was lifted up to heaven that they were reminded that these things had been written about him, and that they had indeed happened to him.)

17 People in the crowd were telling each other about how they’d been with Yeshua when he’d called Lazarus out from the burial chamber and brought him back to life, 18 So because of this, others also wanted to met Yeshua because they’d heard that he’d done that miracle. 19 So the Pharisees discussed this together, “We’re getting nowhere with this. Look, it seems like the whole world wants to follow 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 Tsiyyon/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!”

11 As they got close to Yerushalem and were passing Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, Yeshua sent two of his apprentices ahead, telling them, 2 “Go on to the next village and as you enter it, you’ll see a young donkey that hasn’t ever been ridden yet. Untie it and bring it back here. 3 If anyone asks what you’re doing, tell them that the master needs it and he’ll return it later.”

4 So they went ahead and found a donkey tied up on the path just outside the door of a house, and so they went to untie it. 5 But some of the people standing around there said, “Hoy! What do you think you’re doing untying that donkey?”

6 So they responded just as Yeshua had told them, and the people allowed them to proceed. 7 They brought the young donkey to Yeshua, placing their coats over it before Yeshua mounted it. 8 As Yeshua rode it into Yerushalem, many people laid their coats on the road, while others lay down leafy branches cut from trees in nearby fields. 9 [ref]Some went ahead and others came along behind, shouting, “This is the saviour who comes with the authority and blessing from God— 10 the promised ancestor of King David who is blessed as he ushers in his kingdom—the blessed saviour from heaven.”

11 And so Yeshua arrived in Yerushalem and went into the temple and looked all around, but because it was now evening, he went back out to Bethania village with his twelve apprentices.

28 After he’d said that, Yeshua continued on towards Yerushalem 29 and as he got near to Bethfage and Bethany going towards the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his followers ahead, 30 telling them, “Go on to the next village, and when you enter it, you’ll see a colt that’s never been ridden tied up there. Untie it and bring it here. 31 But if anyone asks you why you’re untying it, tell them that the master needs it.”

32 So they went off and found it just like he’d told them, 33 and when they were untying the colt, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 “The master needs it,” they answered. 35 So they led it back to Yeshua, and after throwing some of their clothes over it, they mounted him on it. 36 Then as the colt moved along, they spread more of their clothes on the road.

37 As he was about to descend down the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of followers started celebrating and loudly praising God for all the miracles that they had seen, 38 [ref]saying, “The coming king has been blessed in the name of the master. May there be peace in heaven and brilliant splendour up high there.”

39 There were some members of the Pharisee party in the crowd and they suggested to him, “Teacher, tell your followers to stop!”

40 “I’m telling you,” Yeshua answered, “that if all of these people stayed silent then the stones would start shouting.”