“As for all these things which you see, the time will come when there will not be one stone left on another that will not be torn down.”

They asked Him, “Teacher, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to happen?”

He said, “Be careful and see to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name [appropriating for themselves the name Messiah which belongs to Me alone], saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not follow them.

So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;

At that time, those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are inside the city (Jerusalem) must get out, and those who are [out] in the country must not enter the city;

“There will be signs (attesting miracles) in the sun and moon and stars; and on the earth [there will be] distress and anguish among nations, in perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea and the waves,

Then He told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees;

as soon as they put out leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is near.

So you too, when you see these things happening, know [without any doubt] that the kingdom of God is near.

I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [those living at that definite period of time preceding the second coming] will not pass away until everything takes place.

for it will come upon all those who live on the face of all the earth.

But keep alert at all times [be attentive and ready], praying that you may have the strength and ability [to be found worthy and] to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man [at His coming].”

Now in the daytime Jesus was teaching in [the porches and courts of] the temple, but at night He would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called Olivet.

So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us, so that we may eat it.”

They asked Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?”

And say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’

They left and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

When the hour [for the meal] had come, Jesus reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.

He said to them, “I have earnestly wanted to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

for I say to you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves;

for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.”

And when He had taken bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant [ratified] in My blood.

For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe (judgment is coming) to that man by whom He is betrayed and handed over!”

And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this.

For who is the greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you [the privilege]

that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

“Simon, Simon (Peter), listen! Satan has demanded permission to sift [all of] you like grain;

And He said to them, “When I sent you out without a money belt and [provision] bag and [extra] sandals, did you lack anything?” They answered, “Nothing.”

Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money belt is to take it along, and also his [provision] bag, and he who has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.

For I tell you that this [Scripture] which is written must be completed and fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was counted with the criminals’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment [and is settled].”

They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

And He came out and went, as was His habit, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed Him.

When He arrived at the place [called Gethsemane], He said to them, “Pray continually that you may not fall into temptation.”

saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup [of divine wrath] from Me; yet not My will, but [always] Yours be done.”

and He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not fall into temptation.”

When those who were around Him saw what was about to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?”

Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders [of the Sanhedrin] who had come out against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber?

Then they seized Him, and led Him away and brought Him to the [elegant] house of the [Jewish] high priest. And Peter was following at a [safe] distance.

And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.”

But Peter denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him!”

After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, “This man was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.”

But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”

And he went out and wept bitterly [deeply grieved and distressed].

Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking and ridiculing Him [and treating Him with contempt] and beating Him.

They blindfolded Him and asked, “Prophesy, who is it that struck You?”

When day came, the Council of the elders of the people (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) assembled, both chief priests and scribes; and they led Jesus away to the council chamber, saying,

“If You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe [what I say],

But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”

And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” He replied, “It is just as you say.”

Then they asked, “What further need of testimony do we have? For we ourselves have heard it from His own mouth.”

So Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is just as you say.”

And when he learned that He belonged to the jurisdiction of Herod [Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee], he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

When Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly pleased. He had wanted to see Him for a long time because of what he had heard about Him, and was hoping to see some [miraculous] sign [even something spectacular] done by Him.

And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking and ridiculing Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.

Now that very day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other—before this they had been enemies.

[Now he was obligated to release to them one prisoner at the Feast.]

but they kept shouting out, “Crucify, crucify Him!”

A third time he said to them, “Why, what wrong has He done? I have found no guilt [no crime, no offense] in Him demanding death; therefore I will punish Him [to teach Him a lesson] and release Him.”

Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted.

When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in [to the city] from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

And Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing His clothes among themselves.

Now the people stood by, watching; but even the rulers ridiculed and sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others [from death]; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) of God, His Chosen One.”

One of the criminals who had been hanged [on a cross beside Him] kept hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us [from death]!”

We are suffering justly, because we are getting what we deserve for what we have done; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”

It was now about the sixth hour (noon), and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.),

And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!” Having said this, He breathed His last.

Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he began praising and honoring God, saying, “Certainly this Man was innocent.”

All the crowds who had gathered for this spectacle, when they saw what had happened, began to return [to their homes], beating their breasts [as a sign of mourning or repentance].

And all His acquaintances and the women who had accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, watching these things.

And [after receiving permission] he took it down and wrapped it in a linen [burial] cloth and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had yet been laid.

It was the day of preparation [for the Sabbath], and the Sabbath was dawning.

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared [to finish anointing the body].

While they were perplexed and wondering about this, suddenly, two men in dazzling clothing stood near them;

Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna [the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward] and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping [at the small entrance] and looking in, he saw only the linen wrappings; and he went away, wondering about what had happened.

Then Jesus asked them, “What are you discussing with one another as you walk along?” And they stood still, looking brokenhearted.

He asked, “What things?” And they replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people,

But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel and set our nation free. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.

And also some of the women among us shocked us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,

Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women had said, but they did not see Him.”

Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and [only then to] enter His glory?”

But they urged Him [not to go on], saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening, and the day has just about ended.” So He went inside to stay with them.

And it happened that as He reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them.

They began describing in detail what had happened on the road, and how Jesus was recognized by them when He broke the bread.

Look at [the marks in] My hands and My feet, [and see] that it is I Myself. Touch Me and see; a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.”

While they still did not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”

and He took it and ate it in front of them.

Then He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you, everything which has been written about Me in the Law of Moses and the [writings of the] Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

and said, “And so it is written, that the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,

Listen carefully: I am sending the Promise of My Father [the Holy Spirit] upon you; but you are to remain in the city [of Jerusalem] until you are clothed (fully equipped) with power from on high.”

Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifted up His hands and blessed them.

While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven.

and they were continually in the temple blessing and praising God.