Font Size
Matthew 21
1599 Geneva Bible
Matthew 21
1599 Geneva Bible
21 1 Christ rideth on an ass unto Jerusalem. 12 He casteth out the sellers. 13 The house of prayer. 19 The withered fig tree. 25 John’s baptism. 28 Who do the will of God. 30 Publicans, Harlots. 33 God’s vineyard. The Jews. 38 The son killed of the husbandmen. 42 The cornerstone.
1 And (A)[a]when they drew near to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of the Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
2 Saying to them, Go into the town that is over against you, and anon ye shall find an ass bound, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
3 And if any man say ought unto you, say ye, that the Lord hath need of them, and straightway [b]he will let them go.
4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Prophet, saying,
5 ¶ (B)Tell ye the [c]daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass used to the yoke.
6 So the disciples went, and did as Jesus had commanded them,
7 And brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their [d]clothes, and set him [e]thereon.
8 And a great multitude spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9 Moreover, the people that went before, and they also that followed, cried, saying, [f]Hosanna to the Son of David, [g]Blessed be he that cometh in the Name of the Lord, Hosanna thou which art in the highest heavens.
10 (C)And when he was come into Jerusalem, [h]all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
11 And the people said, This is Jesus that Prophet of Nazareth in Galilee.
12 ¶ And Jesus went into the Temple of God, and cast out all them (D)that sold and bought in the Temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 And said to them, It is written, (E)My house shall be called the house of prayer: but (F)ye have made it a den of thieves.
14 Then the blind, and the halt came to him, in the Temple, and he healed them.
15 [i]But when the chief Priests and Scribes saw the marvels that he did, and the children crying in the Temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, they disdained,
16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus said unto them, Yea: read ye never, (G)By the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast [j]made perfect the praise?
17 ¶ [k]So he left them, and went out of the city unto Bethany, and lodged there.
18 [l]And (H)in the morning, as he returned into the city, he was hungry.
19 And seeing a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said to it, Never fruit grow on thee henceforward. And anon the fig tree withered.
20 And when his disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered!
21 [m]And Jesus answered and said unto them, (I)Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith, and [n]doubt not, ye shall not only do that, which I have done to the fig tree, but also if ye say unto this mountain, Take thyself away, and cast thyself into the sea, it shall be done.
22 (J)And whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, if ye believe, ye shall receive it.
23 ¶ (K)[o]And when he was come into the Temple, the chief Priests, and the Elders of the people came unto him, as he was teaching, and said, By what [p]authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
24 Then Jesus answered, and said unto them, I also will ask of you [q]a certain thing, which if ye tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
25 The [r]baptism of John, whence was it? from [s]heaven, or of men? Then they [t]reasoned among themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven, he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
26 And if we say, Of men, we fear the multitude, (L)for all hold John as a Prophet.
27 Then they answered Jesus, and said, We can not tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
28 ¶ [u]But what think ye? A certain man had two sons, and came to the elder, and said, Son, go and work today in my vineyard.
29 But he answered, and said, I will not: yet afterward he repented himself, and went.
30 Then came he to the second, and said likewise. And he answered, and said, I will, Sir: yet he went not.
31 Whether of them twain did the will of the father? They said unto him, The first. Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that the Publicans and the harlots [v]go before you into the kingdom of God.
32 For John came unto you in the [w]way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the Publicans and the harlots believed him, and ye though ye saw it, were not moved with repentance afterward, that ye might believe him.
33 ¶ [x]Hear another parable, There was a certain householder, (M)which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and made a winepress therein, and [y]built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a strange country.
34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen to receive the fruits thereof.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first: and they did the like unto them.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his own son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, (N)This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and let us [z]take his inheritance.
39 So they took him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When therefore the Lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those husbandmen?
41 They said unto him, He will [aa]cruelly destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall deliver him the fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus said unto them, Read ye never in the Scriptures, (O)The stone which the [ab]builders refused, the same is [ac]made the [ad]head of the corner? [ae]This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation, which shall bring forth the [af]fruits thereof.
44 (P)And whosoever shall fall on this stone, he shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will [ag]dash him in pieces.
45 And when the chief Priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
46 [ah]And they seeking to lay hands on him, feared the people, because they took him as a Prophet.
Footnotes
- Matthew 21:1 Christ by his humility triumphing over the pride of this world, ascendeth to true glory by ignomy of the cross.
- Matthew 21:3 He that shall say anything to you, shall let them go, to wit, the ass and the colt.
- Matthew 21:5 The city of Zion. An Hebrew kind of speech, common in the lamentations of Jeremiah.
- Matthew 21:7 Their uppermost garments.
- Matthew 21:7 Upon their garments, not upon the ass and the colt.
- Matthew 21:9 This was an ancient kind of crying which they used in the feast of Tabernacles, when they carried boughs according as God commanded, Lev. 23:40. And the word is corruptly made of two, for we should say, Hoshiangna, which is as much to say, as Save I pray thee.
- Matthew 21:9 Well be it to him that cometh in the name of the Lord, that is to say, whom the Lord hath given us for our king.
- Matthew 21:10 That is, all the men of Jerusalem were moved.
- Matthew 21:15 Such as should be masters of godliness, are they that do most envy the glory of Christ: but in vain.
- Matthew 21:16 Thou hast made most perfect. We read in David, Thou hast established or grounded, and if the matter be considered well, it is all one that the Evangelist saith, for that is stable and sure, which is most perfect.
- Matthew 21:17 Christ doth so forsake the wicked, that yet he hath a consideration and regard of his Church.
- Matthew 21:18 Hypocrites shall at length have their masks discovered, and their vizards plucked from their faces.
- Matthew 21:21 How great the force of faith is.
- Matthew 21:21 The Greek word signifieth a sticking or wavering of mind, so that we cannot tell which way to take.
- Matthew 21:23 Against them which overstepping the doctrine, blind the calling and vocation to an ordinary succession going about by that false pretext, to stop Christ’s mouth.
- Matthew 21:23 Or, by what power.
- Matthew 21:24 One word, that is to say, I will ask you in one word.
- Matthew 21:25 John his preaching is called by a figure, Baptism, because he preached the baptism of repentance, etc., Mark 1:4; Acts 19:3.
- Matthew 21:25 From God, and so it is plainly seen how these are set one against another.
- Matthew 21:25 Beat their heads about it and mused, or laid their heads together.
- Matthew 21:28 It is no new thing to see them to be the worst of all men, which ought to show the way of godliness to others.
- Matthew 21:31 They make haste to the kingdom of God, and you slack so that at least wise you should have followed their example. Mark then that this word (go before) is improperly taken in this place, whereas no man followeth.
- Matthew 21:32 Living uprightly, being of a good and honest conversation: For the Hebrews use this word, Way, for life and manners.
- Matthew 21:33 Those men oftentimes are the cruelest enemies of the Church, to whose fidelity it is committed: But the vocation of God, is neither tied to time, place, nor person.
- Matthew 21:33 Made the place strong: For a tower is the strongest place of a wall.
- Matthew 21:38 Word for word, let us hold it fast.
- Matthew 21:41 A kind of proverb, showing what end the wicked are worthy of.
- Matthew 21:42 Master builders, which are chief builders of the house, that is, of the Church.
- Matthew 21:42 Began to be.
- Matthew 21:42 The chiefest stone in the corner is called the head of the corner, which beareth up the couplings or joints of the whole building.
- Matthew 21:42 That matter (in that the stone which was cast away, is made the head) is the Lord’s doing, which we behold and greatly marvel at.
- Matthew 21:43 They bring forth the fruits of the kingdom of God, which bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, and not of the flesh, Gal. 5.
- Matthew 21:44 As chaff used to be scattered with the wind, for he useth a word which signifieth properly, to separate the chaff from the corn with winnowing, to scatter it abroad.
- Matthew 21:46 The wicked can do nothing, but what God will.
Matthew 21
New International Version
Matthew 21
New International Version
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King(A)(B)
21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,(C) Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill(D) what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a](E)
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks(F) on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet(J) from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus at the Temple(K)
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying(L) and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers(M) and the benches of those selling doves.(N) 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[e](O) but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]”(P)
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.(Q) 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,”(R) they were indignant.(S)
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany,(U) where he spent the night.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree(V)
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.(W)
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt,(X) not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for(Y) in prayer.”
The Authority of Jesus Questioned(Z)
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority(AA) are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”(AB)
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’(AC)
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors(AD) and the prostitutes(AE) are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness,(AF) and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors(AG) and the prostitutes(AH) did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent(AI) and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants(AJ)
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted(AK) a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower.(AL) Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.(AM) 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants(AN) to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.(AO) 36 Then he sent other servants(AP) to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir.(AQ) Come, let’s kill him(AR) and take his inheritance.’(AS) 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,”(AT) they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,(AU) who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’[h]?(AV)
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you(AW) and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”[i](AX)
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.(AY)
Footnotes
- Matthew 21:5 Zech. 9:9
- Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
- Matthew 21:9 Psalm 118:25,26
- Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
- Matthew 21:13 Isaiah 56:7
- Matthew 21:13 Jer. 7:11
- Matthew 21:16 Psalm 8:2 (see Septuagint)
- Matthew 21:42 Psalm 118:22,23
- Matthew 21:44 Some manuscripts do not have verse 44.
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.