Matthew 21:1-11 - The Triumphal Entry

¹ When they approached Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples [ahead], ² saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and at once you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you should say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and without delay the owner will send them [with you].”

⁴ This happened so that what was spoken by the prophet would be fulfilled, saying:

⁵
“Tell the daughter of Zion (the people of Jerusalem),
‘Behold, your King is coming to you,
Gentle and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

⁶ Then the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them, ⁷ and they brought the donkey and the colt, and placed their coats on them; and Jesus sat on the coats. ⁸ Most of the crowd spread their coats on the road [as before a king], while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of Him, and those that followed Him, were shouting [in praise and adoration],

“Hosanna to the Son of David (Messiah);
Blessed [praised, glorified] is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest [heaven]!”

¹⁰ When He entered Jerusalem, all the city was trembling [with excitement], saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹ And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

¹ When they were nearing Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a [donkey’s] colt tied, which has never been ridden by anyone; untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it’; and immediately he will send it here.”

⁴ So they went away [to the village] and found a colt tied outside at a gate in the street, and they untied it. ⁵ Some of the people who were standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶ They replied to them just as Jesus had directed, and they allowed them to go. ⁷ They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and He sat on it.

⁸ And many [of the people] spread their coats on the road [as an act of tribute and homage before a new king], and others [scattered a layer of] leafy branches which they had cut from the fields [honoring Him as Messiah]. ⁹ Those who went in front and those who were following [Him] were shouting [in joy and praise],

“Hosanna (Save, I pray)!
Blessed (praised, glorified) is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
¹⁰
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!
Hosanna in the highest [heaven]!”

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple [enclosure]; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve [disciples], because it was already late [in the day].

²⁸ After saying these things, Jesus went on ahead [of them], going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a [donkey’s] colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anybody asks you, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ you will say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

³² So those who were sent left and found the colt just as He had told them. ³³ As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

³⁴ They said, “The Lord needs it.” ³⁵ They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their robes over the colt and put Jesus on it. ³⁶ As He rode along, people were spreading their coats on the road [as an act of homage before a king]. ³⁷ As soon as He was approaching [Jerusalem], near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the entire multitude of the disciples [all those who were or claimed to be His followers] began praising God [adoring Him enthusiastically and] joyfully with loud voices for all the miracles and works of power that they had seen,

³⁸ shouting,

“Blessed (celebrated, praised) is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory (majesty, splendor) in the highest [heaven]!”

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples [for shouting these Messianic praises].”

⁴⁰ Jesus replied, “I tell you, if these [people] keep silent, the stones will cry out [in praise]!”

¹² The next day, when the large crowd who had come to the Passover feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, ¹³ they took branches of palm trees [in homage to Him as King] and went out to meet Him, and they began shouting and kept shouting “Hosanna! Blessed (celebrated, praised) is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

¹⁴ And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; just as it is written [in Scripture], ¹⁵ “Do not fear, Daughter of Zion; Behold, Your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

¹⁶ His disciples did not understand [the meaning of] these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified and exalted, they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him. ¹⁷ So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to tell others about Him. ¹⁸ For this reason the crowd went to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this [miraculous] sign.

¹⁹ Then the Pharisees [argued and] said to one another, “You see that your efforts are futile. Look! The whole world has gone [running] after Him!”