Matthew 21:12-17 - The Cleansing Of The Temple

¹² Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all who were buying and selling inside the temple; he upset the tables of the money-changers and the stalls of those who sold doves, ¹³ and told them, "It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers."

¹⁴ Blind and lame people came up to him in the temple and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the high priests and scribes saw his wonderful deeds and saw the children who shouted in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant; ¹⁶ they said to him, "Do you hear what they are saying?" "Yes," said Jesus, "have you never read Thou hast brought praise to perfection from the mouth of babes and sucklings?"

¹⁷ Then he left them and went outside the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

¹⁵ Then they came to Jerusalem, and entering the temple he proceeded to drive out those who were buying and selling inside the temple; he upset the tables of the money-changers and the stalls of those who sold doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry a vessel through the temple;

¹⁷ also he taught them. "Is it not written," he asked, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations? You have made it a den of robbers." ¹⁸ This came to the ears of the scribes and high priests, and they tried to get him put to death, for they were afraid of him. But the multitude were all astounded at his teaching.

¹⁹ And when evening came he went outside the city.

⁴⁵ Then he went into the temple and proceeded to drive out those who were selling. ⁴⁶ "It is written," he told them, "my house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers."

⁴⁷ Day after day he taught within the temple. The high priests and scribes tried to have him put to death, and so did the leaders of the people, ⁴⁸ but they could not discover what was to be done, for the whole of the people hung upon his lips.

¹⁴ There he found, seated inside the temple, dealers in cattle, sheep and pigeons, also money-changers. ¹⁵ Making a scourge of cords, he drove them all, sheep and cattle together, out of the temple, scattered the coins of the brokers and upset their tables, ¹⁶ and told the pigeon-dealers, "Away with these! My Father's house is not to be turned into a shop!"

¹⁷ (His disciples recalled the scripture saying, I am consumed with zeal for thy house.)

¹⁸ Then the Jews accosted him with the words, "What sign of authority have you to show us, for acting in this way?"

¹⁹ Jesus replied, "Destroy this sanctuary and I will raise it up in three days."

²⁰ "This sanctuary took forty-six years to build," the Jews retorted, "and you are going to raise it up in three days!"

²¹ He meant the sanctuary of his body, however, ²² and when the disciples recalled what he had said, after he had been raised from the dead, they believed the scripture and the word of Jesus.