Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

John wore clothes made from camel's hair. He had a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey.


Then she took Esau's best clothes and dressed Jacob in them.


He said: Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and to have greetings in the marketplaces.

Peter went to them right a way. When he arrived they brought him into the upper chamber. All the widows stood by him weeping and showing the coats and garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.

You pay special attention to the one wearing the fine clothes, and say: Sit here in a good place. Then you say to the poor man: Stand there, or Sit under my footstool.


Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

John wore clothes made from camel's hair. He had a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey.


Then she took Esau's best clothes and dressed Jacob in them.


He said: Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and to have greetings in the marketplaces.

Peter went to them right a way. When he arrived they brought him into the upper chamber. All the widows stood by him weeping and showing the coats and garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.

You pay special attention to the one wearing the fine clothes, and say: Sit here in a good place. Then you say to the poor man: Stand there, or Sit under my footstool.


He said: Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and to have greetings in the marketplaces. They demand the front seats in the synagogues and prominent places at feasts. They devour widows' houses and for pretence make long prayers. These shall receive greater condemnation.

He spoke to the disciples while all the people listened: Beware of the scribes for they walk around in long robes. They love greetings in the marketplaces. They sit in the chief seats in the synagogues and the head tables at feasts. They devour widows' houses. They offer long prayers to show off in front of others. They shall receive great condemnation.


He said: Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and to have greetings in the marketplaces. They demand the front seats in the synagogues and prominent places at feasts.


He said: Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and to have greetings in the marketplaces.

They require recognition in public places and insist on being called Rabbi by men.


The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, he said. Obey everything they teach you, but do not follow their example. They say one thing and do something else. They chain heavy burdens on your shoulders. Yet they are unwilling to lift even a finger to carry these same burdens. read more.
They do everything to be seen by men. For example: they enlarge their scripture cases for their foreheads and lengthen the tassels on their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the prominent seats in the synagogues. They require recognition in public places and insist on being called Rabbi by men. Do not be called Rabbi (master) (teacher) (leader), for only one is your teacher. You are all brothers. Call no man your father on the earth, for only one is your Father in heaven. Do not be called master (teacher) (leader), for only one is your master, and he is Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. He who exalts himself will be humbled. He who humbles himself will be exalted. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You close the kingdom of heaven to people. You do not invite others to enter nor do you enter. [Verse not found in oldest manuscripts.] Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel on both sea and land to make one convert. When this happens, you make him twice as deserving of destruction in the trash fires of the valley of Hinnom (Greek: Gehenna). Woe to you, you blind guides! You say, 'When you swear by the temple, it is nothing.' Then you say, 'When you swear by the gold of the temple, you are obligated.' You fools! You blind men! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? When you swear by an altar, you owe nothing. When you swear by the gift left on the altar, you are obligated. You blind men! What is more important, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? He who swears by the altar, swears by it and everything on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him that dwells within it. Thus, he who swears by heaven also swears by the throne of God and him who sits on it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faith. You should do both and leave nothing undone. You blind guides! You strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, yet the inside is full of extortion and excess. You are blind. Clean the inside of the cup and platter first. Then clean the outside. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside. They are full of dead men's bones and uncleanness on the inside. You appear righteous to men. However, inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the tombs of the righteous. You claim that you would not have been involved with your fathers when they spilled the blood of the prophets. You witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up the (guilt) measure of your fathers. You serpents! You offspring of vipers! How will you escape from being destroyed in the ever-burning fires of the Valley of Hinnom? (Greek: Gehenna, the trash fires in the valley just outside of Jerusalem)

Pharisees and Herodians went to him that they might catch him in talk. Teacher, they said, we know that you are truthful, and not concerned about what other people think. You truthfully teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay or should we not pay? Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them: Why do you test me? Show me a denarius. read more.
And they brought it. He said to them: Whose is this image and superscription? They said: Caesar's. Jesus said: Pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. They greatly marveled at him. Sadducees say that there is no resurrection. They came to him to ask a question: Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man's brother die, and leave a wife behind him, and leave no child, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed for his brother. There were seven brothers the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. The second took her, and died, leaving no seed behind him. The third also died without leaving a seed. The seven left no seed. The woman also died. In the resurrection whose wife shall she be of them? For each of the seven had her as wife. Jesus replied: Is it not for this cause that you err? You do not know the scriptures or the power of God. For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as angels in heaven. It is a fact that the dead will be raised again. Have you not read the account of the burning bush in the book of Moses? Did you notice how God spoke to him, saying: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are greatly mistaken. One of the other scribes came to him with a question: What commandment is the first of all? Jesus answered: The first is, Hear, O Israel; Jehovah our God is one God (Jehovah). You should love Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your being (with every breath you take) (your life), with your entire mind and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4) The second is you should love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these. (Leviticus 19:18) The scribe said to him: It is true teacher you've said it well that he is one and there is no one else besides him. To love him with all the heart, and with all understanding, and with total strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is much more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. When Jesus saw that he answered intelligently he said to him: You are not far from the kingdom of God. No man dared ask any questions after that. Still teaching in the temple Jesus said: Do the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? Inspired by Holy Spirit David said: 'Jehovah said to my Lord sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' (Psalm 110:1) David called him Lord. How is it that he is his son? The people were pleased with what he said. He said: Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and to have greetings in the marketplaces. They demand the front seats in the synagogues and prominent places at feasts. They devour widows' houses and for pretence make long prayers. These shall receive greater condemnation.

The Lord said: You Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter. Yet your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. You foolish ones. Did he that made the outside also make the inside? Give that which is within as charity. Then all things are clean for you. read more.
Woe to you Pharisees! You tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over justice and the love of God. You should have done these but you leave them undone. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the prominent seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! You are as the tombs that do not appear and men walk over them and do not know it. One of the lawyers said to him: Teacher, you also insult us by saying this. Jesus said: Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with burdens that are difficult to bear. And you will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Therefore you are witnesses and consent to the works of your fathers. They killed them and you build their tombs. It is for this reason the wisdom of God said, 'I send to them prophets and apostles and they will persecute and kill some of them.' The blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation. This includes the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. I tell you it will be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers, for you took away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves and you hindered those entering. When he left there the scribes and the Pharisees became hostile with him. They tried to quarrel with him about many things. They plotted against him and tried to catch him in something he might say.


He said: Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and to have greetings in the marketplaces. They demand the front seats in the synagogues and prominent places at feasts.


Jesus answered him: I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues, and in the temple where all the Jews gathered. I spoke nothing in secret.

Chief priests and scribes approached him at the Temple in Jerusalem. They said to him: By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you authority to do these things? Jesus said: I will ask you one question. Give me an answer, and I will say by what authority I do these things. read more.
The baptism of John was it from heaven or from men? Give me an answer. They thought about it among themselves saying: If we say from heaven he will say why did you not have faith in him? They feared the people. If we say from men the people would not like it because they all thought John was a true prophet. They told Jesus We have no idea. Jesus said to them: I should not say to you by what authority I do these things.

Still teaching in the temple Jesus said: Do the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? Inspired by Holy Spirit David said: 'Jehovah said to my Lord sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' (Psalm 110:1) David called him Lord. How is it that he is his son? The people were pleased with what he said. read more.
He said: Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and to have greetings in the marketplaces. They demand the front seats in the synagogues and prominent places at feasts. They devour widows' houses and for pretence make long prayers. These shall receive greater condemnation. He sat down near the collection boxes and observed how the crowd dropped money into the boxes. Many that were rich dropped in much. A poor widow came along and dropped in two mites. He told his disciples: Truly I tell you this poor widow gave more then all the others who gave to the collection box. They all gave out of their surplus. She gave out of her poverty. She gave all that she owned, all her living.

I was with you every day in the Temple teaching and you did not take me. This is done so that the scriptures will be fulfilled.

Later Jesus found him in the temple and told him: Now that you are healed do not sin anymore and avoid worse things happening to you. The man went away and told the Jews Jesus made him whole. The Jews persecuted Jesus because he did these things on the Sabbath. read more.
Jesus responded to them: My Father works until now and I work.

Midway through the feast Jesus went to the temple and taught. The Jews wondered saying: How does this man know letters? He has had no formal education. Jesus replied: My teaching is not my own. It is his who sent me. read more.
If any man does his will he shall know the teachings. He will know if it is from God, or whether I speak from myself. He who speaks from his own authority seeks his own glory. He who seeks glory for the one who sent him is true. Unrighteousness is not found in him. Did Moses give you the law? Yet none of you obey the law! Why do you seek to kill me? The crowd answered: You have a demon! Who seeks to kill you? Jesus responded: I did one work and you all marveled because of it. Moses gave you circumcision. Not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers. And you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. A man receives circumcision on the Sabbath. That way the Law of Moses may not be broken. Are you angry with me, because I made an entire man whole on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance! Judge a righteous judgment. Some in Jerusalem asked: Is this he whom they seek to kill? He spoke openly and they said nothing to him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is the Christ? How is it we know where this man is from but when the Christ comes no one will know where he is from? Jesus shouted in the temple: You know me and from where I came. I did not come on my own. He who sent me is true and you do not know him.

It was wintertime. Jesus was walking in the temple on Solomon's porch (the Colonnade of Solomon). The Jews came to him and asked: How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus replied: I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness of me. read more.
You do not believe because you are not my sheep! My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life. They will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father has given them to me. He is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one (united in purpose). The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied to them: I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of those works do you stone me? The Jews answered him: We do not stone you for good work but for blasphemy. You are a man and you make yourself like God. (John 1:1) Jesus said: Is it not written in your law, I said, you are 'god-like ones'? So if he called them 'god-like ones,' those to whom the word of God came, and the Scriptures may not be annulled, do you say to the one whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, you blaspheme? And this because I said, I am the Son of God. (Psalm 82:1, 6) (John 1:34; 5:18) (Luke 1:35) If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do them and you do not believe me, believe the works! That way you may know and understand that the Father is with me, and I am with the Father.