“The one who had received one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a harsh and demanding man, reaping [the harvest] where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed.

When Jesus had finished this discourse, He said to His disciples,

[Accordingly] the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

The Son of Man is to go [to the cross], just as it is written [in Scripture] of Him; but woe (judgment is coming) to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”

Now as they were eating Jesus took bread, and after blessing it, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you;

After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.”

Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) had gathered [illegally] together.

And when he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”

And Peter remembered the [prophetic] words of Jesus, when He had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly [in repentance].

Then the words spoken by Jeremiah the prophet were fulfilled: “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him on whom a price had been set by the sons of Israel;

And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner [guilty of insurrection and murder], called Barabbas.

So when they had assembled [for this purpose], Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to set free for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”

For Pilate knew that it was because of jealousy that the chief priests and elders had handed Jesus over to him.

While he was seated on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous and innocent Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”

So he set Barabbas free for them; but after having Jesus severely whipped (scourged), he handed Him over to be crucified.

And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among them by casting lots.

The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints (God’s people) who had fallen asleep [in death] were raised [to life];

There were also many women there looking on from a distance, who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him.

and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock; and he rolled a large stone over the entrance of the tomb and went away.

While they were on their way, some of the [Roman] guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.

And when the chief priests had gathered with the elders and had consulted together [to develop a plan of deception], they gave a sufficient sum of money [as a bribe] to the soldiers,

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.

John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a [wide] leather band around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they told Him about her.

Now when evening came, after the sun had set [and the Sabbath Day had ended, in a steady stream] they were bringing to Him all who were sick and those who were under the power of demons,

Then they came, bringing to Him a paralyzed man, who was being carried by four men.

When they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Jesus; and when they had dug out an opening, they let down the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying.

Again Jesus went into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered.

He said to the man whose hand was withered, “Get up and come forward!”

for He had healed many, and as a result all who had diseases pressed around Him to touch Him.

Other seed fell on rocks where there was not much soil; and immediately a plant sprang up because the soil had no depth.

And when the sun came up, the plant was scorched; and because it had no root, it dried up and withered away.

And other seed fell into good soil, and as the plants grew and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred times [as much as had been sown].”

On that [same] day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee].”

For he had often been bound with shackles [for the feet] and with chains, and he tore apart the chains and broke the shackles into pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue and tame him.

The herdsmen [tending the pigs] ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what had happened.

They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had [previously] had the “legion” [of demons]; and they were frightened.

Those who had seen it described [in detail] to the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man, and [told them all] about the pigs.

As He was stepping into the boat, the [Gentile] man who had been demon-possessed was begging with Him [asking] that he might go with Him [as a disciple].

Jesus did not let him [come], but [instead] He said to him, “Go home to your family and tell them all the great things that the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.”

So he [obeyed and] went away and began to publicly proclaim in Decapolis [the region of the ten Hellenistic cities] all the great things that Jesus had done for him; and all the people were astonished.

When Jesus had again crossed over in the boat to the other side [of the sea], a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore.

A woman [in the crowd] had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years,

and had endured much [suffering] at the hands of many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but instead had become worse.

She had heard [reports] about Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His outer robe.

Immediately Jesus, recognizing in Himself that power had gone out from Him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched My clothes?”

Still He kept looking around to see the woman who had done it.

And the woman, though she was afraid and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

When He had gone in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is sleeping.”

King Herod [Antipas] heard about this, for Jesus’ name and reputation had become well known. People were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.”

For Herod himself had sent [guards] and had John arrested and shackled in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his [half-] brother Philip, because he (Herod) had married her.

For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful [under Mosaic Law] for you to have your brother’s wife.”

because Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he continually kept him safe. When he heard John [speak], he was very perplexed; but he enjoyed listening to him.

The apostles [who had been sent out on a mission] gathered together with Jesus and told Him everything that they had done and taught.

He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while”—for there were many [people who were continually] coming and going, and they could not even find time to eat.

He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five [loaves], and two fish.”

And after He said goodbye to them, He went to the mountain to pray.

Now when evening had come, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on the land.

because they had not understood [the miracle of] the loaves [how it revealed the power and deity of Jesus]; but [in fact] their heart was hardened [being oblivious and indifferent to His amazing works].

When they had crossed over [the sea], they reached the land of Gennesaret and anchored at the shore.

Now the Pharisees and some of the scribes came from Jerusalem and gathered around Him,

and they had seen that some of His disciples ate their bread with [ceremonially] impure hands, that is, unwashed [and defiled according to Jewish religious ritual].

When Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples asked Him about the parable.

Instead, after hearing about Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet.

They brought to Him a man who was deaf and had difficulty speaking, and they begged Jesus to place His hand on him.

In those days, when there was again a large crowd [gathered before Him] and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and told them,

They also had a few small fish; and when Jesus had blessed them [and given thanks], He ordered these [fish] to be set before them as well.

Now the disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.

Taking the blind man by the hand, He led him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?”

As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus expressly ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he answered, “Since childhood.

When He had gone indoors, His disciples began asking Him privately, “Why were we unable to drive it out?”

But they kept quiet, because on the road they had discussed and debated with one another which one [of them] was the greatest.

They replied to them just as Jesus had directed, and they allowed them to go.

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].

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].

On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He was hungry.

Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if He would find anything on it. But He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

He still had one man left to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

For they all contributed from their surplus, but she, from her poverty, put in all she had, all she had to live on.”

And if the Lord had not shortened the days, no human life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose [for Himself], He shortened the days.

The disciples left and went to the city and found everything just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

For the Son of Man goes [to the cross] just as it is written [in Scripture] of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

And when He had taken a cup [of wine] and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

After they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Now the betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away safely [under guard].”

Early in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the whole Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), immediately consulted together; and they bound Jesus, they took Him away [violently] and handed Him over to Pilate.

The man called Barabbas was imprisoned with the insurrectionists (revolutionaries) who had committed murder in the civil rebellion.

For he was aware that the chief priests had turned Jesus over to him because of envy and resentment.

After they had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out [of the city] to crucify Him.

When the sixth hour (noon) came, darkness covered the whole land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).

When Jesus was in Galilee, they used to accompany him and minister to Him; and there were also many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.

When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

So Joseph purchased a [fine] linen cloth [for wrapping the body], and after taking Jesus down [from the cross], he wrapped Him in the linen cloth and placed Him in a tomb which had been cut out of rock. Then he rolled a [large, wheel-shaped] stone against the entrance of the tomb.

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome purchased [sweet-smelling] spices, so that they might go and anoint Him.

Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

They went out and fled from the tomb, for they were seized with trembling and astonishment; and they said nothing [about it] to anyone, because they were afraid.

[Now Jesus, having risen [from death] early on the first day of the week, appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.