Mark 11 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
As they got close to Jerusalem, near Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his followers ahead.
"Go into the village ahead of you," he told them. "As soon as you enter it, you'll find a young donkey tied up that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here."
"If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing that?' say, 'The Master needs it and will send it back right away.'"
They went and found a young donkey tied up outside at a door, right on the street, and they untied it.
Some people standing there said, "Hey, what are you doing untying that donkey?"
They answered just as Jesus had told them, and the people let them go.
They brought the donkey to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, and he sat on it.
Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches they had cut from the fields.
The people walking ahead and those following behind kept shouting, "Hosanna! Life is good for the one who comes representing Yahweh!"
"Life is good for our father David's coming kingdom! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late in the day, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.
He noticed a fig tree in the distance that had leaves on it, so he went over to see if he could find any fruit on it. But when he got to it, he found nothing but leaves — it wasn't the season for figs.
He said to the tree, "No one will ever eat fruit from you again." And his followers heard him say it.
They came to Jerusalem, and Jesus went into the Temple and started driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of the people selling doves.
He wouldn't let anyone carry goods through the Temple courts.
And he taught them, saying, "Doesn't Scripture say, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you've turned it into a hideout for criminals."
The chief priests and the legal experts heard about this and started looking for a way to kill him. They were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was blown away by his teaching.
When evening came, Jesus and his followers left the city.
In the morning, as they walked by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you spoke against — it's completely dried up!"
Jesus answered them, "Have trust in God."
"I'm telling you the truth: if anyone says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and doesn't doubt in their heart but trusts that what they say is actually happening, it will be done for them."
"That's why I tell you: whatever you ask for in prayer, trust that you've received it, and it will be yours."
"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, let it go and forgive them, so that your Father in heaven will also let go of your failures."
"But if you don't forgive others, your Father in heaven won't let go of your failures either."
They came back to Jerusalem again. While Jesus was walking around in the Temple, the chief priests, the legal experts, and the elders came to him.
They demanded, "What gives you the right to do these things? Who gave you this authority?"
Jesus said to them, "Let me ask you one question. Answer me, and I'll tell you what gives me the right to do these things."
"Was John's submersion from heaven, or was it just a human thing? Answer me."
They debated among themselves: "If we say 'from heaven,' he'll say, 'Then why didn't you believe him?'"
"But if we say 'just a human thing' —" They were afraid of the crowd, because everyone considered John to be a genuine prophet.
So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." And Jesus said to them, "Then I'm not going to tell you what gives me the right to do these things either."