because some men are celibate from birth, while some are celibate because they have been made that way by others. Still others are celibate because they have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom from heaven. Let anyone accept this who can."

But He said, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

And behold, someone came up to him [and] said, "Teacher, what good [thing] must I do so that I will have eternal life?"

And he said to him, 'Why me dost thou call good? no one is good except One -- God; but if thou dost will to enter into the life, keep the commands.'

The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

Jesus said to him, 'If thou dost will to be perfect, go away, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.'

Jesus said to His disciples, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, it is difficult for a rich man [who clings to possessions and status as security] to enter the kingdom of heaven.

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

Jesus said to them, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, in the renewal [that is, the Messianic restoration and regeneration of all things] when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you [who have followed Me, becoming My disciples] will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.

But many who are first [in this world] will be last [in the world to come]; and the last, first.

When he had agreed with the workers [on wages] for the usual farm laborer's pay for a day's work, he [then] sent them to work in his vineyard. [Note: The coin mentioned here would amount to $60-$84 in 1994, based on $5-$7 an hour for a twelve hour day. This coin also forms the basis for calculating all other monetary references in the New Testament].

And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

They answered him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He told them, ‘You go into the vineyard also.’

"When the first came, they thought they would receive more, but each received a denarius as well.

"'These who came last have done only one hour's work, and you have put them on a level with us who have worked the whole day and have borne the scorching heat.'

Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

So those who are last [in this world] shall be first [in the world to come], and those who are first, last.”

While going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the 12 disciples aside privately and said to them on the way:

Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be delivered up to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death;

and they will deliver him up to the nations to mock and to scourge and to crucify, and the third day he shall rise again.

He asked her, "What do you want?" She told him, "Promise that in your kingdom these two sons of mine will sit on your right and on your left."

He said to them, “You will drink My cup [of suffering]; but to sit on My right and on My left this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”

Then Jesus called all the apostles to Him and said, "You are aware that rulers among the [unconverted] Gentiles lord it over their own people and their important men domineer over them [as well].

But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

as the son of man came not to be ministred unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for all.

The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David (Messiah) have mercy on us!”

And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?

saying to them, Go into the village over against you, and immediately ye will find an ass tied, and a colt with it; loose them and lead them to me.

And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

[Zech. 9:9], 'You should tell the daughter of Zion [i.e., the people of Jerusalem], look, your King is coming to you. He is gentle and [will be] riding on a donkey, [even] on a colt, the offspring of the donkey.'"

and most of the crowd kept spreading their garments along the road, while others cut branches from the trees and carpeted the road with them,

The crowds that led the way, as well as those that followed behind, kept shouting: "God save the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! God save him from on high!"

And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

And he said to them, "It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a cave of robbers!"

And the blind and the broken in body came to him in the Temple, and he made them well.

and said to him, do you hear what they say? yes, said Jesus; have ye never read, "out of the mouth of babes and sucklings I will make a consort of praise?"

Now early while returning to the city, he was hungry.

After noticing a fig tree by the road he went to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, "Never again will there be fruit from you!" And the fig tree withered at once.

When the disciples saw it, they were astonished and asked, “How is it that the fig tree has withered away all at once?”

Jesus replied to them, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have faith [personal trust and confidence in Me] and do not doubt or allow yourself to be drawn in two directions, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen [if God wills it].

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

And [after] he arrived at the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him [while he] was teaching, saying, "By what authority are you doing these [things]? And who gave you this authority?"

And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.

The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?

But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.

So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what [kind of] authority I do these things.”

He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

Then the man came to the second son and said the same thing; and he replied, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go.

Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

For John came to you observing all sorts of ritual, and you put no faith in him: the tax-gatherers and the notorious sinners did put faith in him, and you, though you saw this example set you, were not even afterwards sorry so as to believe him.

Give ear to another story. A master of a house made a vine garden, and put a wall round it, and made a place for crushing out the wine, and made a tower, and let it out to field-workers, and went into another country.

But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

But when the workmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is he who will one day be the owner of the property; come, let us put him to death and take his heritage.

When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?

They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to [another] people who will produce the fruit of it.

And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

And, while seeking to lay hold on Him, they feared the multitudes, since they were holding Him as a prophet.

Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

And the rest, laying hold of his bondmen, ill-treated and slew them.

Then he said to his servants, 'The marriage-banquet is all ready, but the invited guests did not deserve it.

Go then to the cross-roads, and get all those whom you see to come to the bride-feast.

So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the darkness outside; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].’

For out of all to whom the good news has come, only a small number will get salvation.

So, they sent their disciples, [along] with the Herodians to Him [Note: These were members of a political party favoring King Herod], saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and that you teach the truth about God's way. You do not care for [i.e., do not fear or give in to] anyone or allow the position of any person to influence you.

The same happened to the second also, and the third, and so to all seven.

And last of all the woman died also.

Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.

For in the resurrected state men do not get married, nor are women given away in marriage, but [all] are like angels in heaven.

All the crowd heard this, and were filled with amazement at His teaching.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

The Lord said to my Lord, Be seated at my right hand, till I put under your feet all those who are against you?

No one was able to answer Him at all, and from that day no one dared to question Him anymore.

All things therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, observe and do;

All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

They love to recline at the head place at dinner tables [Note: This referred to the practice of lying down on their left side on a couch next to the dinner table, and leaning on their left elbow, while eating with their right hand], and to occupy the principal seats in the synagogues.

But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

Nor must you allow yourselves to be called 'Leaders,' for you have only one Leader, the Christ.

And the greatest among you will be your servant.

And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

“But woe (judgment is coming) to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are [in the process of] entering to do so.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows houses, even while for a pretence ye make long prayers: therefore ye shall receive greater condemnation.

"How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make a single convert, and when this happens you make him twice as fit for hell as you are.

"How terrible it will be for you, blind guides! You say, "Whoever swears an oath by the sanctuary is excused, but whoever swears an oath by the gold of the sanctuary must keep his oath.'

Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

while a man, swearing by Heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you pay a tenth of mint and dill and cumin, and neglect the more important [matters] of the law--justice and mercy and faithfulness! It was necessary to do these [things] {while not neglecting those}.

You blind guides, straining out the gnat while you gulp down the camel!