New Testament · Gospels and Acts

Luke chapter 19

Jesus entered and was passing through the city.There was a man there named . He was a and very wealthy.He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he couldn’t because of the crowd — he was too short.So he ran ahead and climbed a to see him, since Jesus was about to pass that way.When Jesus reached that spot, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down right now. at your house today.”Zacchaeus hurried down and .When the crowd saw this, they all started . “He’s gone to be the guest of ,” they said.But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord — I’m giving half of everything I own to right now. And if I’ve cheated anyone out of anything, I’m paying them back .”Jesus said to him, “Today has come to this household, because this man too is a .”Because the came to find and rescue people who are .”While they were listening to this, Jesus told them a , because he was near Jerusalem and they assumed was about to appear at any moment.So he said, “A man from traveled to a distant country to be appointed king and then return.He called ten of his and gave them each — about four months’ wages. ‘Put this money to work until I come back,’ he told them.But his hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be king over us.’But he was appointed king and returned. Then he summoned the servants he had given the money to, so he could find out what they had earned with it.The first one came forward and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more minas.’‘Well done!’ the king said. ‘You’ve been with something small, so take charge of ten cities.’The second one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has made five more minas.’The king told him, ‘You take charge of five cities.’Then another one came and said, ‘Sir, here’s your mina. I kept it .I was afraid of you because you’re a . You take out what you didn’t put in, and you harvest what you didn’t plant.’The king replied, ‘I’ll judge you by your own words, you . So you knew I was a hard man, taking out what I didn’t put in and harvesting what I didn’t plant?Then why didn’t you at least put my money in ? That way I could have collected it with interest when I got back.’Then he said to those standing nearby, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten minas!’‘I’m telling you,’ he replied, ‘everyone who has something will be given more. But the one who has nothing — even what they have will be taken away.And as for those enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be king — bring them here and in front of me.’”After saying this, Jesus went on ahead, .As he approached and at the hill called the , he sent two of his ahead.“Go into the village ahead of you,” he told them. “As you enter it, you’ll find tied up that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say, ‘ needs it.’”The two he sent went and found everything exactly as he had told them.As they were untying the young donkey, its owners asked, “Why are you untying the donkey?”They answered, “The Lord needs it.”They brought it to Jesus, threw their on the donkey, and helped Jesus onto it.As he rode along, people spread their cloaks on the road.As he came near the downhill path from the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of his students began to celebrate and praise God with loud voices for all the they had seen.They were shouting, “ — he is the one to be praised! Peace in heaven and in the highest places!”Some of the in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell your students to be quiet!”He answered, “I’m telling you — if they kept quiet, .”As he got close and saw the city, he over it.“If only you had recognized today what would bring you ! But now it’s hidden from your eyes.The days are coming when your enemies will build around you, surround you, and close in on you from every side.They’ll — you and your children within your walls. They won’t leave one stone on top of another, because you didn’t recognize .”Then Jesus entered and began driving out the people who were selling things there.“The Scriptures say, ‘My house will be ,’” he told them. “But you’ve turned it into .”He was teaching in the temple every day. The , the , and the leading citizens were trying to kill him,but they couldn’t figure out how to do it, because all the people .