THE GOSPEL
ACCORDING TO
MATTHEW.
>, The genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of
Abraham.
ABRAHAM begat Isaak, and Isaak begat Jacob, and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren, and Judas had Phares and Zara by Thamar, and Phares begat Esrom, and Esrom begat Aram, and Aram begat Aminadab, and Aminadab begat Naasson, and Naasson begat Salmon, and Salmon had Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz had Obed by Ruth, and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David the king, and David the king had Solomon by her who had been the wife of Urias, and Solomon begat Roboam, and Roboam begat Abia, and Abia begat Asa, and Asa begat Josaphat, and Josaphat begat Joram, and Jo- ram begat Ozias, and Ozias begat Jotham, and Jotham begat Achaz,and Achaz begat Hezekias,and Hezekias begat Manas- ses, and Manasses begat Amon, and Amon begat Josias, and J osias begat Jechonias and thosebrothers of his at th^ removal to Babylon, and after the removal to Babylon Jechonias begat Sa- athiel, and Salathiel begat Zorobabel, and Zorobabel begat Abiud, and Abiud begat Eliakim, and Eliakim begat Azo:-, and Azor begat Sadok, and Sadok begat Achim, and Achim begat Kliucl, and Eliud begat Eliazar, and Eliazar begat Matthan, and Matthan begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Joseph the hus-
VOL. IV. .A
i*
band of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called the Christ: all the generations therefore from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the removal to Babylon there were fourteen generations, and from the ne- moval to Babylon till the Christ fourteen generations, and the genealogy of Jesus Christ was thus; for his mother Mary having been espoused to Joseph was, before they came together, found to be with child by the holy Spirit, and Joseph her husband, being a just man and not willing to expose her, determined to divorce her privately; but while he was thinking of this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said to him, ” Joseph, son of David, fear not to take home Mary thy wife; for her pregnancy is from the Holy Spirit and she will bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this was done, so that there was a fulfilment of what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ” The virgin shall conceive and bear a son and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel,*” the meaning of which is, Godivith us: so when Joseph awoke from his sleep he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took home his wife, but knew her not until she brought forth this her son, The First BORNjf and he called his name Jesus.
- After the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold there came magians from the east
2 to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who is bom to be king of the Jews? For we have seen his star at its rise, and are come
3 to pay hifn homage. Upon hearing this, Herod the king was
4 alarmed and all Jerusalem with him. And having assembled all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of
5 them, where the Christ should be born. And they told him. At Bethlehem of Judea. For thus it is written by the prophet,
6 ” And thou Bethlehem in the land of Judea art by no means the least among the leaders of Juda; for ontofthee shall come
7 a leader, who shall tend my people Israel4″ Then Herod, having privately called the magians, got exact information from them concerning the time of the star’s appearing; and
* Es. 7. 14. f Micah 5. 2. t Ps. 89. 27.
3 sending them to Bethlehem, he said, Go aud make exact inquiry about the child. And when you have found him bring
9 me word, that I also may go and pay him homage. So in obedience to the king they departed; and lo ! the star which they had seen at hs rise moved on before them, till it came and
10 stood over the place \vhere the child was. Wlien they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly : and having entered the house
11 they found the child with Mary his mother. Whereupon, pros.-
12 trating themselves, they did him homage. Then opening their treasures they presented him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
13 they went to their own country by another way. And when they were gone, behold an angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there till I order thee; for He-
14 rod will seek the child to destroy him. Accordingly he arose and took the child and his mother by night and went to Egypt,
15 where he continued till the death of Herod, so that there was a fulfilment of what the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying, “Out
16 of Egypt I called my son.*” When Herod saw that he was treated with contempt by the magians, he was highly incensed, and he sent and slew all the male children in Bethlehem and all the territory belonging thereto, from those who had entered the second year and under, according to the time, of which he had.
17 gotexact information from the magians. Then was fulfilled what
18 was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying, “A cry was heard at Rama—lamentation and weeping and great mourning; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted, be- cause they are no more.f”
19 Now when Herod was dead, behold an angel of the Lord
20 appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise and take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for
21 they who sought the child’s life, are dead. Accordingly he arose and took the child and his mother and came to the land
22 of Israel: but hearing that Archelaus reigned over Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither. And bc-
* Hos. 11. 1. t Jer. 31.15.
ing warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district- of Galilee, 23 and went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth; so that what was
spoken by the prophets was fulfilled: that he should be called
a Nazarene. III. In those days cometh John the baptist, proclaiming in the
wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Reform; for the reign of the
2 heavens is at hand.” For this is the person spoken of by the
3 prophet Esaias, saying, “A voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord: make the roads for him
4 straight.*” Now John had his raiment made of camel’s hah-, and a leathern girdle about his waist: and his food was locusts
5 and wild honey: then went out to him Jerusalem and all Ju-
6 dea and all the country along the Jordan, and by him they were
7 baptized in the Jordan, confessing their sins. And seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! who hath prompted you to flee
8 from the impending wrath. Produce therefore fruits worthy of
9 this reformation, and presume not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father! For I say to you, God is
10 able out of these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Now the axe is at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore which doth not produce good fruit is to be cut do^vn and cast
11 into the fire. I indeed baptize you in water for a reformation; but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in a holy
12 spirit and fire. His winnowing instrument is in his hand. He will thoroughly clean his floor, and gather his wheat for the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee, along the Jordan, to John, to be baptized by him: but John earnestly opposed him, say-
14 ing, “I have need to be baptized by thee. And thou comest to
15 me!” And Jesus in reply said to him, “Permit this at present: for thus it becometh us to confirm all righteousness.” Then
16 John permitteth him; and Jesusf being baptized was just coming up from the water, when lo! the heavens were opened for
* Es. 40. 3, 4, 5.
f I have for the sake of perspicuity written John and Jesus: in the text it is he and him.
him, and John saw the spirit of God descending like a dove 17 and coming upon Jesus; and lo! a voice from heaven said,
“This is my son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased.” [V. Then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness
2 to be tempted by the devil. And having fasted forty days and
3 forty nights, he was at last hungry. Whereupon the tempt-
4 er coming to him, said, If thou art Son of God, command these stones to become loaves. In reply to which, Jesus said, It is written, “Man can live not by bread only, but by any
5 thing which God is pleased to appoint.*” Then the devil taketh him along to the holy city and placeth him on the battlement
6 of the temple, and saith to him, If thou art Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, “He will give his angels a charge concerning thee, and with their hands they will bear thee up shouldst thou perchance strike thy foot against a
7 stone.|” Jesus said to him, It is also written, “Thou shall not
8 try the Lord thy God.f” Again the devil taketh him along with him to a very high mountain and pointeth out to him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and saith to
9 him, All these I will give thee if thou wilt prostrate thyself and
10 worship me. Whereupon Jesus said to him, Begone, Satan: for it is written, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and
11 serve him alone. V’ Then the devil leaveth him, and lo! angels came and ministered to him.
12 Now when Jesus heard that John was committed to prison
13 he withdrew into Galilee ; and having left Nazareth he went and dwelt at Capernaum, a sea port at the confines of Zabu-
14 Ion and Nephthaleim; so that there was an accomplishment of
15 what was spoken by the prophet Esaias saying, ” The land of Zabulon and the land of Nephthaleim, the sea coast, the banks of the Jordan, Galilee of the nations—the people who
16 sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them who sat in the
17 region and shadow of death, light is sprung up.[|” From that time Jesus began to make proclamation and say, ” Reform ; for the reign of the heavens is at hand.”
* Deut. 8. 3. f Ps. 91. 11, 12. 1 Dent. 6. 16. $ Dem. 6.13. Es. 9. 1.
18 Now as Jesus was walking along the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a drag net into the sea; for they were fishermen ; and
19 he said to them, Follow me and I will make you fishers of
20 men. Thereupon they immediately left their nets and followed
21 him. And passing on he saw other two brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the vessel with their
22 father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Whereupon they immediately left the vessel and their father, and* followed him.
23 Then Jesus went through all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the reign and curing every disease, and every malady among the people.
24 And the fame of him spread through all Syria; and they brought to him all their sick, seized and tormented with various distempers—demoniacs, and lunatics and paralytics, and
25 he cured them. And great multitudes followed him from Galilee, and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea, and from the banks of the Jordan.
- On seeing these multitudes he went up to the mount and sat down, and his disciples came to him, and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying,
3 Happy the poor in spirit; for the kingdom of the heavens is theirs.
4 Happy they who mourn ; for they shall be comforted.
5 Happy the meek; for they shall inherit the land.
6 Happy they who hunger and thirst for righteousness ; for they shall be satisfied.
7 Happy the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Happy the pure in heart; for they shall see God.
9 Happy the peace makers; for they shall be called children of God.
10 Happy they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake ; for the kingdom of the heavens is theirs.
11 Happy are ye when men will revile and persecute you, and accuse you falsely of every evil thing on my account.
12 Rejoice and exult triumphantly; for great will be your reward in heaven : for thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
IS You are the salt of the earth. Now if the salt become iii- sipid, with what can it be made salt ? It is no longer fit for any thing, but to be thrown out of doors, and trampled under foot by men.
14 You are the light of the world. A city situate on a moun-
15 tain cannot be hid. A lamp is not lighted and put under the corn measure, but on the stand, that it may give light to all
16 the family. Thus let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in
heaven.
17 Do not imagine that I am come to annul the law and the
18 prophets. I am not come to annul, but to confirm them. For verily I say to you, Until that heaven and this earth shall have passed away, not one jot nor a tittle of the law shall be
19 annulled till all be accomplished. Therefore whosoever shall weaken the force of one of the commandments, were it even the least, and teach men accordingly, he shall be the least esteemed in the reign of the heavens; but whoever shall practise and teach them, he shall be highly esteemed in the reign of
20 the heavens. For I say to you, Unless your righteousness exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you can in no wise enter the kingdom of the heavens.
21 You have heard that it was said to them of old, ” Thou shalt not commit murder.” And, “Whosoever shall commit
22 murder shall be liable to the sentence of the judges.” But 1 say to you, Whosoever is angry with his brother without cause, shall be liable to the sentence of the judges: and whoever shall say to his brother, Jtaca, [a contemptuous word] shall be liable to the sentence of the Sanhedrim; and whoever shall say, Moreh, [a reproachful word] shall be liable (to be
23 sentenced) to the vale of fire.* If therefore thou bring thy gift to the altar and recollect there that thy brother hath ground of complaint against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar and
24 go away. First of all be reconciled with thy brother, and then
* Literally, to the Gehenna offfe. Gehenna, or the valley of Hin- nom, was a place near Jerusalem, where children were formerly sacrificed by fire to Moloch, and where a fire was kept continually burning to consume the filth of the city.
25 come and offer thy gift. Come speedily to a friendly agreement with thine adversary, whilst thou art on the road with him; lest the adversary deliver thee up to the judge; and the judgt consign thee to the officer, and thou be thrown into prison.
26 Verily I say to thee, thou shalt not be released until thou hast discharged the last farthing.
27 You haveheard that ithath been said to the ancients, “Thou
28 shalt not commit adultery.” But I say to’you, whoever look eth on a married woman so as to lust after her, hath already
29 committed adultery with her in his heart. Therefore if thy right eye cause thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is better for thee to lose one of thy members, than that thy whole body be cast into a vale of fire.*
30 And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off and cast it from thee; for it is better for thee to lose one of thy members, than that thy whole body be cast into a vale of fire.*
31 It hath also been said, Whosoever would put away his wife,
32 let him give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for whoredom, causeth her to commit adultery: and whoever shall marry her who is put away, committeth adultery.
33 Again you have heard that it hath been said to the ancients, Thou shalt not forswear thyself; but shalt perform thine oaths
34 to the Lord. But I say to you, Swear not at all: neither by hea-
35 ven, for it is God’s throne: nor by the earth, for it is his foot-
36 stool; nor by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great king, neither shalt thou swear by thy head; for thou canst not make
37 one hair white or black. But let your word yes, be yes; and your no, no; for whatever exceedeth these, proceedeth from that which is evil.
38 You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye: and
39 a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Contend not with the injurious: but if one smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him
40 the other also. And if any determine to sue thee at law for thy vest, give it up to hjm, nay were it even thy mantle.
41 And if one press thee to go one mile, go with him two. Give
* Literally, into Gehenna.
42 to him who asketh thee. And from him who would borrow of thee, turn not thou away.
43 You have heard that it was said, ” Thou shalt love thy
44 neighbour and hate thine enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies. Bless them who curse you. Do good to them who hate you : and pray for them who spitefully use you and persecute you; that you may be the children of your Father in
45 heaven : for he causeth the sun to rise on bad and good, and
46 sendeth the rain on just and unjust. For if you love them who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans the same? And if you salute your brethren only, wherein do ye excel? Do not even the publicans do the same? You therefore are to be perfect, as your Father, who is in heaven, is perfect.
- Take heed not to practise your righteousness before men in order to be observed by them; otherwise you have no re-
2 ward from your father who is in heaven. Therefore when thou dost an act of charity, sound not a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they
3 may be extolled by men. Verily I say to you, they have their reward. But when thou art doing an act of charity, let
4 not thy left hand know what thy right hand is doing; that thine act of charity may be in secret; and thy father who seeth in secret will himself reward thee openly.
5 And when thou prayest, be not like the hypocrites. Because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and at the
6 corners of the streets that men may observe them; verily I say to you, They have their reward. But as for thee, when thou wouldst pray, retire to thy closet, and having shut the door pray to thy father M’ho is in secret, and thy father who seeth in
7 secret will reward thee openly. And when you pray, use not a vain multiplicity of words as the heathen do. For they think
8 they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like them; for your father knoweth what things you have
9 need of, before you ask him. In this manner therefore pray ye,
10 “Our Father, who art in the heavens, hallowed be thy name;
11 thy reign come ; thy will be done on the earth, as it is in
12 heaven ; give us to day our daily bread; and forgive us our
13 debts, as we do forgive our debtors; and bring us not into
VOL. IV. B
temptation, but deliver us from evil [for thine is the kingdom
14 and the power and the glory for the ages, amen.*] For if you forgive men their offences, your heavenly father will also for-
15 give you; but if you do not forgive men their offences, neither will your father forgive your offences.
16 And when you fast, be not like the hypocrites, of a dismal countenance; for they disfigure their faces, that men may
17 observe that they are fasting. Verily I say to you, They have their reward. But when thou keepest a fast, anoint thy
18 head and wash thy face, that thy fasting may not appear to men, but to thy father who is in secret, and thy father who seeth in secret will reward thee openly.
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and
20 steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumeth; and where thieves do not
21 break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart also be.
22 The eye is the lamp of the body. If therefore thine eye
23 be sound thy whole body will be enlightened : but if thine eye be distempered, thy whole body will be dark. If then the light which is in thee be darkness, how great will the darkness be!
24 No man can serve two masters : for he will either hate one and love the other ; or he will attend to one and neglect the
25 other. You cannot serve God and a worldly temper.t Therefore I say to you, Be not anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; nor about your body,
26 what you shall wear. Is not life a greater gift than food; and the body, than raiment? Observe those birds of the air : they neither sow nor reap, nor lay up in granaries; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are not you much more valua-
27 ble than they? Besides, which of you can by his anxiety pro-
28 long his life one hour? And with respect to raiment, why arc
*The words thus inclosed are not in many ancient manuscripts.
f A worldly temper, ^y.-^uiS. a mind bent upon the things of this world and wholly engaged in forecasting how to obtain riches, honour or pleasurable enjoyment in this state of being.
39 you anxious? Consider those lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin: yet I affirm, that even Solomon in all
JO his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God thus arrayeth the herbage which is to-day in the field, and to-morrow to be cast into a furnace, will he not much more clothe
31 you, O ye mistrustful? Therefore be not anxious, saying, What shall we eat; or, what shall we drink; or, with what shall
32 we be clothed? For about all such things the nations are solicitous : for your heavenly father knoweth that you have
33 need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God, and the righteousness required by him, and all those things
34 will be superadded to you. Wherefore be not anxious about the morrow; for the morrow will be anxious about its own concerns. Sufficient for every day is its own trouble.
VII. Judge not, that you may not be judged; for as you
2 judge, you shall be judged: and the measure which you mete,
3 shall be measured to you again. Now why art thou observant of the mote in thy brother’s eye, and insensible to the
4 splinter in thine own eye ? Or, how canst thou say to thy brother, Hold ! let me take the mote out of thine eye, when lo !
5 there is a splinter in thine own eye ? Hypocrite, first take the splinter out of thine own eye ; and then thou wilt see clearly to remove the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
6 Give not that which is holy to dogs ; nor cast your pearls before swine ; lest they trample them under foot, and turning tear you.
7 Ask, an€ ye shall obtain ; seek and ye shall find ; knock,
8 and the door will be opened to you. For every one who asketh, obtaineth; and he who seeketh, findeth; and to him who
9 knocketh the door will be opened. Is there any man among
10 you, who, when his son asketh bread, will give him a stone;
11 or if he ask for a fish will give him a serpent? If you therefore, bad as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father who is in heaven give good things to them who ask him ?
12 Whatsoever therefore you would that men should dp to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets.
13 Enter in at the strait gate. Because the gate is wide and the way broad which leadeth to destruction, therefore many
14 there are who go in through it: because the gate is strait and the way narrow, which leadeth to life, therefore there are few who find it.
15 Now beware of false teachers, who come to you in sheep’s
16 clothing, but are inwardly ravenous wolves. By their fruits you may know them. Are grapes gathered from thorns ? Or
17 figs from thistles? So every good tree beareth good fruit;
18 and every bad tree beareth bad fruit. A good tree cannot
19 bear bad fruit; nor a bad tree, good fruit. Every tree which
20 beareth not good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. So then by their fruits you will know them.
21 Not every one who saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who doeth the will of
22 my father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy
23 name cast out demons, and in thy name done many miracles, to whom I will then declare, I never acknowledged you ; De-
24 part from me ye who work iniquity. Therefore whoever hear- eth these words of mine and putteth them in practice, him I will compare to a prudent man, who built his house upon the
25 rock. When the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, it did not fall, because
26 it was founded on the rock. But whoever heareth these words of mine, and doth not put them in practice, may be compared
27 to a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. When the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house ; it fell, and great was the ruin thereof.
28 When Jesus finished this discourse, the crouds were asto-
29 nished at his manner of teaching; for in teaching them he was VIII. like one having authority, and not like the scribes. And
as he was going down from the mount great multitudes fol-
2 lowed him. And lo! a leper came and prostrated himself before him, and said, Sir, if thou wilt, thou canst cleanse me.
3 Whereupon Jesus stretched forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will: Be thou cleansed. And immediately he was
4 cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus saith to him, Sec thou tell
t
no one ; but go and shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses prescribed, for a testimony to them.
5 And as Jesus was entering Capernaum, a centurion met him and in treated him, saying, Sir, my servant lieth at home
6 struck widi a palsy, hi great torture. Thereupon Jesus saith
7 to him, I was coming; I will cure him. In reply to which the
8 centurion said, Sir, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof; but only speak a word and my servant will
9 be cured. For even I, who am myself under command, having soldiers under me, say to one, Go; and he goeth: and to another, Come ; and he cometh : and to my slave, Do
10 this; and he doth it. Upon hearing this Jesus expressed admiration, saying to them who followed him, Verily I say to
11 you, I have not found even in Israel such a belief. Now I say to you that many will come from the east and west, and will be placed at table with Abraham and Isaak and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens, and the children of the kingdom will
t2 be cast out into the outer darkness. Weeping and gnashing of
13 teeth will be there. Then Jesus said to the centurion, Go thy way and be it done for thee as thou hast believed. And that very instant his servant was cured.
14 Jesus also having gone to Peter’s house, saw his wife’s
15 mother confined to her bed and sick of a fever, and he touched her hand; thereupon the fever left her and she arose and
16 entertained them. And in the evening there were brought to him many demoniacs. And he expelled the spirits with a word,
17 and cured all that were sick, so that there was an accomplishment of that which was spoken by the prophet Esaias, saying, “He took our infirmities and bore away our diseases.*”
13 When Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave or-
19 ders to go over to the opposite shore ; whereupon a certain scribe accosting him, said, Teacher, I will follow thee whi-
20 thersoever thou goest. Jesus saith to him, the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have roosts; but the son of man hath
21 not where to lay his head. Another of his disciples said to
22 him, Master, permit me to go first and bury my father. And
*Es. 53. 4.
to him Jesus said, Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.
23 Then having gone aboard the vessel, his disciples followed
24 him. And behold there came on a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the vessel was covered with the waves, and he was
25 asleep. Thereupon his disciples came and awoke him, saying,
26 Master, save us! we are perishing. And he said to them, Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and re-
27 buked the winds and the sea, and a great calm ensued. And the men in amaze, said, What sort of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?
28 And when he arrived at the opposite shore in the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two demoniacs coming out of the tombs, so furious that nobody durst pass that way.
29 And instantly they screamed, saying, What hast thou to do with us, Jesus son of God ! Art thou come hither before the
30 time to torment us. Now there was at some distance from
31 them a herd of many swine, feeding: and the demons besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, permit us to go into that
32 herd of swine. And he said to them, Go. Thereupon they went out and entered into the herd of swine. And instantly the whole herd ran violently down a precipice into the sea,
33 and perished in the waters. And they who fed them fled; and having gone to the city, they told all the circumstances, including the case of the demoniacs. And presently all the city came out to meet Jesus, and having seen him they intreated him to
- withdraw out of their territory. So having gone on
board the vessel, he crossed over, and came to his own city.
2 And lo! they brought to him a paralytic laid on a bed : and Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, Take courage,
3 my son; thy sins are forgiven thee. Thereupon some of the
4 Scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. But Jesus knowing their thoughts, said, Why do ye harbour evil
5 thoughts in your hearts? For which is easier? To say, Thy
6 sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk? But that you may know that the son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, Arise (saith he then to the paralytic) take up thy bed and
7 go home. Accordingly he arose and departed to his house.
8 And when the multitude saw this they expressed their admi-
ration and glorified God who had given such power to men. 9 When Jesus was going thence he saw a man, named Mat-
10 thew, sitting at the custom-house; and he saith to him, Follow me. Whereupon he arose and followed him. And when he was at table in the house, behold many publicans and sinners came and placed themselves at the table with Jesus and his
11 disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, Why doth your teacher eat with these publicans and sin-
12 ners? And Jesus hearing this, said to them, They who are well
13 have no need of a physician, but they who are sick. Go then and learn what this meaneth, ” I desire mercy rather than sacrifice;*” for I did not come to call righteous men, but sinners to reformation.
14 Then John’s disciples, accostinghim, said, Why do weandthe
15 Pharisees fast frequently, but thy disciples never fast? And to them Jesus said, Can bridemen mourn, while the bridegroom is with them? The days indeed will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them and then they will fast.
16 No one mendeth an old garment with a patch of undressed cloth; for such a patch teareth the garment and maketh agreat-
17 er rent. Neither do men put new wine into old leathern bottles, otherwise the bottles burst, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles are lost. But new wine is put into new bottles, so both are preserved.
18 While he was thus speaking to them, behold a chief came and, making obeisance to him, said, My daughter is at the point of death, but come and lay thy hand on her and she will
19 live. Thereupon Jesus arose and with his disciples followed
20 him. And lo! a woman who had been twelve years afflicted with an efflux of blood, came behind and touched the tuft of
21 his mantle. For she said within herself, If I can only touch his
22 mantle, I shall be cured. And Jesus turned about and when he saw her, said, Daughter, take courage; thy faith hath cured
23 thee. And from that instant the woman was cured. And when Jesus came to the house of the chief and saw the minstrels and the crowd in a bustle, he saith to them, withdraw, for the
25 damsel is not dead but asleep. Whereupon they derided him.
*Hosea 6. 6.
But when the crowd was turned out, he went in and took her
26 by the hand, and the damsel arose. And the fame of this spread over all that country.
27 As Jesus was departing thence, two blind men followed him, with loud outcries, saying, Son of David, take pity on us.
28 And when he went into the house, the blind men came to him. And Jesus saith to them, Do you believe that I can do this?
i 29 They say to him, Yes, master. Then he touched their eyes,
30 saying, According to your belief, be it to you. Whereupon their eyes were opened. Then Jesus restrained them, saying,
31 See that none know this. But when they went out, they spread his fame through all that country.
32 At their going out, behold a dumb man, a demoniac, was
33 brought to him; and the demon being expelled, the dumb man spake, and the crowds expressed their amazement, saying, No-
34 thing like this was ever seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, By the prince of the demons he cxpelleth die demons.
35 Then Jesus took a circuit through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the reign, and healing every disease and every malady
36 among the people. And seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them) because they were fainty and forlorn, like
37 sheep without a shepherd. Then he saith to his disciples, The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the labourers are few.
38 Supplicate therefore the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers for his harvest.
- Then having called to him his twelve disciples, he gave them power over unclean spirits, so as to cast them out; and
2 to cure diseases and maladies of every kind. Now the names of the twelve disciples were these. First, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, and John
3 his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, James the son of Alpheus and Lebbeus called
4 Thaddeus, Simon the Chananite and Judas Iscariot, even he
5 who delivered him up. These twelve Jesus sent forth, having given them a charge, saying, Go not away to the Gentiles, nor enter a city of the Samaritans; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel: and as you go proclaim, saying, The
3 reign of the heavens is at hand. Heal the sick; cleanse lepers; raise the dead; cast out demons; freely you have received;
9 give freely. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass for
your purses; nor a scrip for the journey; nor two coats; nor
pairs of sandals; nor a staff: for the workman is worthy of his
11 sustenance. Therefore into whatever city or village you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and continue there till you leave
12 the place. And when you enter the house, salute the family.
13 And if the family be worthy, the peace you wish them will come upon them; but if they be not worthy, the peace you
14 wish will rebound upon yourselves. And whosoever will not receive you, nor hear your words, when you leave that
15 house or that city shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Go. morra in a day of judgment, than for that city.
16 Behold I send you forth like sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise as the serpents and harmless as the doves.
17 And be upon your guard against these men, for they will de- liver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues;
18 and you will be brought before governors and kings for my
19 sake, for a testimony to them and the nations. But when they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what you shall speak:
20 for what you are to speak will be suggested to you at the very instant. For it is not you who speak, but the spirit of your fa-
21 ther that speaketh in you. Now brother will deliver up brother to death; and a father, a son; and children will rise up
22 against parents and cause them to be put to’death. And you will be hated by all men on the account of my name. But he who persevereth to the end shall be saved.
23 Now when they persecute you in one city, flee to another. For, verily I say to you, before you shall have gone through
24 all the cities qf Israel, the son of man will come. The scholar is not greater than the teacher; nor the servant, than the master.
25 It is enough for the scholar to be as his teacher; and the ser, vant, as his master. If they have called the master of the family
26 Beelzebub, how much more, his domestics. Therefore be not afraid of them; for there is nothing hid, which shall not be re-
’27 vealed; nor anything secret, which shall not be known. What I say to you in darkness, speak ye in the light; and what is 28 whispered ‘ i youj: ear, proclaim on the house tops. And b? Vol. iv. c
not afraid of them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him, who can destroy both soul and
29 body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for an assar,* yet nei-
30 ther of them falleth to the ground without your father. Nay,
31 the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not there-
32 fore; for you are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore will acknowledge me before men, him I will
33 acknowledge before my father, who is in heaven: but whosoever shall disown me before men, him I will disown before my father who is in heaven.
34 Do not imagine that I am come to send peace on the earth.
35 I am not come to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a tnan at variance with his father; and a daughter with her
36 mother; and a daughter in law with her mother in law. Even the man’s own domestics will be his enemies.
37 He who loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me. And he who loveth son or daughter more than me,
38 is not worthy of me. And he who doth not take up his cross
39 and follow me, is not worthy of me. He who hath found his life shall lose it. But he, who shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it.
40 He who receiveth you, receiveth me; and he who receiveth -41 me, receiveth him who sent me. He who receiveth a prophet
on the account of his being a prophet, shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receiveth a righteous man on the account of his being a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man’s
42 reward. And whoever shall give any one of these little ones, were it only a cup of cold water to drink, on the account of his being a disciple, verily I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.
- And when Jesus had finished his instructions to these his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and make proclamation Ln their cities.
2 Now John, having heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
3 sent two of his disciples with this message to him—Thou art 4 the one coming.* May we expect another? In reply to which,
* A copper coin, worth about a cent.
5 Jesus said to them, Go and tell John what you hear and see. Blind men see, and lame walk. Lepers are cleansed and deaf hear. Dead are raised and poor have glad tidings proclaimed
6 to them. And happy is he to whom I shall not prove a stum-
7 bling block. And as they were going away, Jesus began this discourse to the people concerning John, What did you go out
8 to the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? A man clothed with soft raiment? Behold they, who wear delicate apparel, frequent the palaces
9 of kings. But what went ye out to see? A prophet? Yes I tell you, and something more than a prophet; for this is he of
10 whom it is written, “Behold I send my messenger before thy .1 face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.t” Verily I say to
you, Among them who are born of women, there hath not arisen a greater than John the baptist: but the least in the kingdom 2 of heaven is a greater than he. Now ever since the days of John the baptist, the kingdom of the heavens is invaded and inva-
13 ders are forcibly taking possession of it. For till the appearance of John, all the prophets and the law were the public in-
14 structors. Indeed, if you will bear to be told it, he is Elias who
15 was to come. Whoever hath ears to hear let him hear.
L6 Now to what shall I compare this generation? It is like boys in the market place who call to their playfellows, saying, “We
17 have played to you on the pipe, but you have not danced; We
18 have sung to you songs of woe, and you have not lamented.”
19 For John came, abstaining from meat and drink, and they say he hath a demon. The son of man came eating and drinking; and they say, Behold a gluttonous man and a wine drinker; a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified by her children.
JO Then he began to upbraid the cities in which the most of his miracles had been done, because they had not reformed.
11 Alas for thee Chorazin! Alas for thee Bethsaida! For had the miracles, which have been performed in you, been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sack-
* Or the coming one, or he who is coming, o tpxq*<>» a phrase used to denote the Messiah. See Ps. 118. 26. Hab. 2. 3. Zach. 9. 9. f Malachi, 3. 1.
22 cloth and ashes. But I say to you, the condition of Tyre and Sidon willj in a day of judgment, be more tolerable than
23 yours. And thou Capernaum, which hast been exalted to heaven, shalt be brought down to the mansion of the dead; for if the miracles, which have been done in thee, had been done in
24 Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I say to you, that the condition of the land of Sodom will, in a day of judgment, be more tolerable than thine.
25 At that time Jesus took occasion to say, I thank thee, O father, Lord of heaven and earth ; that thou having hid these things from the wise and prudent, hast revealed them to babes.
26 Yesj O father, because it thus seemed good in thy sight. All
27 things are delivered up to me by my father; and none but the father knoweth the son ; nor doth any know the father, but only the son, and he to whom the son is pleased to reveal
28 him. Come to me all ye who labour and are heavily burden-
29 ed and I will give you rest. Take upon you my yoke and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
XII. About this time, as Jesus was walking through corn fields on the sabbath days, his disciples were hungry and be-
2 gan to pluck some ears, and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this they said to him, See t Thy disciples are doing that
3 which it is not lawful to do on a sabbath. Whereupon he said to them, Have you not read, what David did when he was
4 hungry, and they who were with him ? How he went to the house of God and ate the presence loaves, which it was not lawful for him or his company to eat, but only for the priests?
5 Or have you not read in the law, that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple break the sabbath and are blame-
6 less ? Now I say to you, There is one here greater than the
7 temple. And if you had known the meaning of this, ” I desire mercy rather than sacrifice,” you would not have condemn-
8 ed the innocent. For the son of man is lord even of the sabbath.
9 Having departed thence, he went into their synagogue and it) lo! there was a man there who had his hand withered. And they asked him with a design to accuse him; Is it lawful to
11 heal on the sabbath days? And he said to them, What man is there among you, who having one sheep, if it fall into a pit on the sabbath days, will not take hold of it and lift it up ?
12 Of how much greater value then is a man than a sheep ?
13 Therefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbaths. Then he said to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it
14 out. And his hand was restored sound as the odier. Thereupon the Pharisees went out and conspired against him that
15 they might destroy him. But Jesus, knowing this, withdrew from that place ; and great multitudes followed him, and he
16 healed them all ; and strictly charged them not to make him
17 known; so that there was a full confirmation of what was
18 spoken by the prophet Esaias saying, ” Behold my servant whom I have chosen! My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased ! I will put my spirit upon him ; and he will publish
19 judgment to the nations. He will not contend nor raise a cla-
20 mour; nor shall any one hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, nor extinguish a dimly burning ta-
21 per, until he render his judgment victorious. In his name therefore let the nations trust.*”
22 Then there was brought to him a demoniac, blind and dumb, and he healed him, so that he who was blind and dumb
23 ‘both spake and saw. And all the people were astonished and
24 said, Is this the son of David? But the Pharisees, hearing them said, This man expelleth the demons, only by Beelzebub, the
25 chief of the demons. Thereupon Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. And no city or family divided against itself can
26 subsist. Now if Satan expelleth Satan, he is at variance with
27 himself, how then can his kingdom subsist? Besides if I expel demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons expel them ?
28 Let them therefore be your judges. But if I expel the {lemons by the Spirit of God, then indeed the reign of God over you
29 is come. How can any one enter the house of the strong and
*Es» 42. 1. &c.—This quotation from Esaias is not from the Septuagint, as we now have it. In substance, thejr agree, but are very different in phraseology.—*
plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong one, in which
30 case he may then plunder his house. He who is not for me is against me; and he who gathereth not with me, scattereth.
31 Therefore I say to you, All manner of sin and slander may be forgiven men; but this slanderous speaking against the spirit is
32 not to be forgiven men—Even though one speak against the son of man, it may be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the holy Spirit is not to be forgiven, either in the present age,
33 or in that to come.* Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad. For the tree is
34 known by its fruit*. Brood of vipers! how can you who are evil speak good things ? For out of the abundance of the heart the
35 mouth speaketh. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produceth good things ; and the bad man, out of his bad
36 treasure produceth bad things. Now I assure you in respect to every idle word which men shall utter, they shall give an ac-
37 count thereof in a day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shall be condemned.
38 Then some of the Scribes and Pharisees interposed, say-
39 ing, Teacher, we desire to see a sign from thee. In reply to which he said to them, An evil, and an adulterous generation demand a sign, but no sign shall be given them, save the sign of
40 the prophet Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the son of man will be
41 three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Ninive will be raised up at the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it; because they repented at the proclamation of Jonas; and behold something greater than Jo-
42 nas is here. The queen of the south will be raised up at the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, because she came from the extremities of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold something greater than Solomon is here,
43 When the unclean spirit hath gone out of the man, it walk-
44 cth through dry places seeking rest, but doth not find it. Then
*Neither in the present age (that is the age under the Mosaic law) nor in that to come (i. e. the age under the Messiah.)
it saith I will return to my habitation from which I came out. And when it is come, it findeth it unoccupied, swept and fur-
45 nished. Then it goeth and bringeth with it seven other spirits worse than itself, and they enter and dwell there. So the last state of that man is worse than the first. Thus also will it be with this wicked generation.
46 Now, while he was speaking to the people, lo! his mother and his brethren were standing without, desiring to speak with
47 him. And one said to him, lo! thy mother and thy brethren
48 are standing without, desiring to speak with thee. In reply to which he said to him who told him, Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? Then, stretching out his hand towards his disciples, he said, Behold my mother, and my brethren! for whoever will do the will of my father who is in heaven, the same is my brother and sister and mother.
XIII. And on the same day, Jesus having gone out of the
2 house, sat down by the sea side; but such great multitudes
3 flocked to him that he went on board the vessel and sat down, and all the multitude stood on the shore, and he spake many
4 things to them in parables, saying, Behold the sower went out to sow; and as he was sowing, some grains fell on the high-
5 way and the birds came and devoured them. And others fell on rocky ground, where they had little earth; these sprang up immediately, because they had no depth of soil; but soon as
6 the sun arose they were scorched; and for want of root wither-
7 ed away: and some fell among the thorns, and the thorns S sprang up and choaked them. And some fell on good ground
and yielded increase; some an hundred; some, sixty; and 9 some, thirty fold. Whoever hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 Then the disciples accosted him, saying, Why speakest
11 thou to them in parables? And he in reply said to them, To you it hath been granted to know the secrets of the reign of
12 the heavens; but to them it hath not been granted. For to him who improveth, more shall be given and he shall abound: but from him who improveth not, even that which he hath shall
13 be taken. To them I speak in parables for this reason, be. cause they overlook what they see, and are inattentive to what they hear;* and they do not understand, and in them is fulfilled
14 this prophesy of Esaias, which saith, “Hearing you shall hear, though you may not understand, and seeing you shall see,
15 though you may not perceive; for the heart of this people is callous, and their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, that for a while they may not see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and
16 return that I may heal them.t” But blessed are your eyes, be-
17 cause they see, and your ears, because they hear. For verily I say to you, “Many prophets and righteous men have ear- nestly desired to see what you see, and have not seen them;
18 and to hear what you hear and have not heard them. Hear
19 then the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the doctrine of the kingdom and doth not mind it, the evil one com- eth and snatcheth away what was sown in his heart. This is
20 the meaning of that sown on the highway. And that sown on rocky ground denoteth him, who, upon hearing the word, re-
21 ceiveth it at first with joy, but not having it rooted in him, it is only temporary; and when tribulation and persecution com- eth on account of the word, he is immediately stumbled.
22 And that sown among thorns denoteth him, who heareth the word, but worldly care and the delusion of riches choak
23 the word and it becometh unfruitful. But that sown on good ground denoteth him who heareth and mindeth the word, and who beareth fruit and bringeth forth, one a hundred, and another sixty, and another thirty fold.
24 Anotlier parable he stated to them, saying, The reign of the heavens may be compared to a man sowing good seed in
25 his field. But when the men were asleep; his enemy came and
26 sowed darnel among the wheat, and went away. And when the blade sprang up and put forth the ear, then the darnel appear-
27 ed. Whereupon the servants of the householder came and said to him, Master, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field-
23 Whence then hath it darnel? And he said to them, An enemy hath done this. Then the servants said to him, Is it thy plw-
* Literally, because, seeing they see not; and, hearing, they hear not. f F.s. 6. 9.
29 sure then that we go and weed it out? And he said, No. Per. haps in weeding out the darnel you may pull up the wheat
30 with it. Let them both grow together till the harvest. And at the season for reaping I will say to the reapers, Gather the darnel first and bind it in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.
31 Another parable he stated to them, saying, The reign of the heavens is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field, which is indeed the smallest of all seeds,
32 but which, when grown, is the largest of the herbs and be- cometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and take shelter among the branches.
33 Another parable he stated to them, saying, The reign of the heavens is like leaven which a woman took and covered up in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
34 All these things Jesus spake to them in parables, and did
35 not speak to them without a parable, so that there was a full accomplishment of that which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth with parables, I will utter things kept hid from the foundation of the world.*
36 Then Jesus dismissed the multitude and went into the house, and his disciples came to him and said, Explain to us
37 the parable of the darnel in the field. And he answering, said
38 to them, He who soweth the good seed is the son of man. The field is the world. The good seed are the children of the
39 kingdom, and the darnel are the children of the evil one. The enemy who sowed it is the devil. The harvest is the conclusion
40 of the age, and angels are the reapers. As the darnel therefore is gathered and burned with fire, so shall it be at the conclusion
41 of this age. The son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all the stumbling blocks, and the workers of iniquity, and cast them into the fiery furnace.
42 Weeping and gnashing of teeth will be there. Then shall the
43 righteous shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father. Whoever hath ears to hear, let him hear.
44 Again the kingdom of the heavens is like treasure hid in
*Ps. 78. 2.
VOL. IV. ‘ D
the field, which, when a man found, he concealed, and for joy thereof goeth away and sclleth all that he hath, and pur- chaseth that field.
45 Again the kingdom of the heavens is like a merchant in
46 quest of fine pearls, who, having met with one of great value, went and sold all that he had and purchased it.
47 Again the kingdom of the heavens is like a sweep net cast
48 into the sea, which enclosed fishes of every kind, which, when it was full, they dragged to the shore; and then sitting down,
49 gathered the good into vessels and threw the bad away. So shall it be at the conclusion of this age. The angels will go forth and sever the wicked from among the righteous and cast
50 them into the fiery furnace. Weeping and gnashing of teeth will be there.
51 Jesus saith to them, Have you understood all these? They 55 say to him, Yes, Master. Then he said to them, Every Scribe
then who is instructed for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a family who bringeth out of his treasury things new and old.
53 Now when Jesus had finished these parables he departed thence; and being come into his own country, he taught them
54 in their synagogues, so that they were astonished, and said. Whence hath this man this wisdom and these miraculous
55 powers? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mar)-, and his brethren, James and Joses and Simon
56 and Judas ? And his sisters, are they not all among us”? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were
57 stumbled at him. Thereupon Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honour save in his own country and in his own family. So he did not perform many miracles there because of their unbelief.
XIV. At that time Herod the tetrarch* hearing of the fame
2 of Jesus, said to his servants, This is John the Baptist. He is
3 raised from the dead, and therefore miracles are performed by
*Tetrarch, the governor of a fourth part of a country. Thr kingdom of Herod the great being divided into four parts, this son, called Herod Antipas, had one ef those parts.
him. (For Herod had apprehended John and bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his bro-
4 ther Philip : for John hgd said to him, It is not lawful for thee
5 to have her. Upon which Herod would have put him to death, but he was afraid of the people, because they looked upon
0 him as a prophet. But when Herod’s birth day was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased
7 Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her
8 whatever she would ask. And she at the instigation of her mother, said, Give me here in a basin the head of John the Bap-
9 tist. Though the king was sorry, yet from a regard to the
10 oath and the guests, he ordered it to be given her. So he sent
11 and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought ki a basin and given to the damsel, who carried it to her mo-
12 ther. And his disciples went and took up the body, and
13 buried it, and came and told Jesus.) When Jesus heard this he departed thence, in a vessel, privately, to a desert place; and the people, being informed, followed him by land out of the
14 cities. And when Jesus landed he saw a great multitude, and
15 had compassion on them, and healed their sick. And towards evening his disciples accosted him, saying, This is a desert place and the hour* is now past, dismiss the multitude that
16 they may go to the villages and buy themselves victuals. And Jesus said to them, They need not go. Give them, ye your-
17 selves, something to eat. And they said, We have here only
18 five loaves and two fishes. Whereupon he said, Bring them hither to me. Then he ordered the multitude to arrange them-
19 selves, as at table, on the grass. And having taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven and pronounced a blessing. Then he brake and gave the loaves to the disciples and the disciples [distributed] them to the mul-
20 titudes. And they all ate and were satisfied. And there were carried away twelve panniers full of the fragments which rc-
21 mained. Now they who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
*Meaning the ninth hour answering to our three o’clock in the afternoon, the time of offering the evening sacrifice.
22 Then Jesus immediately constrained his disciples to em- bark, and cross over to the other side before him, while he
23 dismissed the multitudes. And when he had dismissed the multitudes he went up, by himself, to the mountain, to pray.
24 And in the course of the eve, he was there alone, and the vessel was now in the midst of the sea tossed by the waves, for
25 the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch* of the night,
26 Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said it
27 is an apparition, and cried out for fear. Thereupon Jesus immediately spake to them, saying, Take courage : it is I; be
28 not afraid. In reply to which Peter said, Master, if it be them,
29 bid me come to thee on the water. And Jesus said, Come. So Peter having gone down from the vessel, walked on the
30 waves to go to Jesus. But perceiving the wind strong, he was afraid, and, beginning to sink,he cried out, saying, Master,save
31 me. And Jesus immediately stretched forth his hand and took hold of him, saying, Distrustful man, why didst thou doubt?
32 And when they were come into the vessel the wind ceased.
33 And they who were in the vessel came and bowed down to
34 him, saying, Thou art indeed Son of God. And when they had crossed over, they landed in the territory of Gennesaret.
35 And the men of that place, knowing him, sent to all the country around, and they brought to him all that were sick, and intreated him that they might only touch the tuft of his mantle. And as many as touched were perfectly cured.
- Then some Scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem ac-
2 costed Jesus, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the doctrine of the elders ? For they do not wash their hands when
3 they eat bread. In reply to which he said to them, Why do you transgress the commandment of God, from a regard to
4 your doctrines ? For God commanded saying, ” Honour thy father and thy mother.-” and “whosoever revileth father or
5 mother let him be put to death:” but you say, ” Whoever shall say to his father or to his mother, Let that by which thou mightest be benefited by me, be dedicated,” must not honour either his
* The day from sun rise to sun set, was divided into twelve hours, and the night into four watches.
6 father or his mother. ” Thus you have annulled the command’
7 ment of God from a regard to your doctrines. Hypocrites!
8 well did Esaias prophesy concerning you, saying, This people draw near to me with their mouth ; and with their lips they
9 honour me, but their heart is far from me; and, in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines, the commands of men.*”
10 Then having called the multitude to him, he said to them,
11 Hear and understand; It is not that which goeth into the mouth which defileth the man ; but it is that which cometh out of the mouth, which defileth the man.
12 Then his disciples coming to him said, Dost thou know that the Pharisees, when they heard that saying, were offended?
13 In reply to which he said, Every plant which my heavenly
14 father hath not planted, is to be rooted up. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of blind. Now if the blind lead the blind, they will both fall into a ditch.
15 Then Peter addressing him said, Explain to us this para-
16 ble. Whereupon Jesus said, Are you also yet without under-
17 standing? Do you not yet perceive, that whatever entereth in at the mouth, goeth into the belly, and is thrown out into
18 the sink ? And that what proceed from the mouth come from
19 the heart, and that these defile the man ? For out of the heart come malicious surmises, murders, adulteries, fornications,
20 thefts, false testimonies, calumnies. These are the things which defile the man : but to eat with unwashen hands doth not defile the man.
21 Then Jesus having left that place, withdrew into the con-
22 fines of Tyre and Sidon. And lo! a Chananitish woman from those quarters came out and cried with a loud voice, saying to him, Have pity on me, O my lord, Son of David; my
23 daughter is grievously afflicted by a demon. But he made her no answer. Then his disciples came near and intreated him,
24 saying, Dismiss thrs woman, for she crieth after us. And he in reply said, My mission is only to the lost sheep of the house
25 of Israel. She nevertheless advanced, and prostrating herself -6 before him, said, O my lord, help me. Whereupon he in reply
said, It is not seemly to take the chtldrcns’ bread and cast
* Eg. 29. 13.
27 it to the dogs. And she said, True, Sir. Yet even the dogs eat
28 of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table. Thereupon Jesus in reply said to her, O woman, great is thy faith; Be it to thee as thou desirest. And from that instant her daughter was healed.
29 When Jesus left that place he came nigh to the sea of Galilee, and having ascended the mountain, he sat down there,
30 and great multitudes flocked to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the dumb, the cripple and many others, whom
31 they laid at the feet of Jesus, and he healed them ; insomuch that the people beheld with amaze the dumb speaking, the cripple sound, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel.
32 Then Jesus called his disciples and said, I have compassion on-thc multitude, because they have attended me now three days, and have nothing to eat. I will not send them away
33 fasting. Perhaps they may faint on the road. Thereupon his disciples say to him, Whence can we get loaves enough, in a
34 wilderness, to satisfy so great a multitude? And Jesus saith to them, How many loaves have you? And they said, Seven,
35 and a few small fishes. Then commanding the multitude to
36 recline on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and having given thanks, he broke and gave to his disciples;
37 and the disciples [distributed] to the people. And when they had all eaten and were satisfied, there were carried off seven
38 baskets full of the fragments left. Now they who had eaten- were about four thousand men, besides women and children.
39 Then having dismissed the multitude, he embarked and XVI. came to the coast of Magdala. And the Pharisees and the
Sadducees having come thither with a view to try him, desir-
2 ed that he would show them a sign from heaven. Whereupon he in reply said to them, When it is evening you say, It will
3 be fair weather, for the sky is red: and in the morning, there will be a storm to day, for the sky is red and lowering. Hypocrites! you know how to distinguish the appearance of the sky,
4 and can you not discern the signs of the times? An evil and adulterous generation dcfnand a sign, but no sign shall be given them, save that of the prophet Jonas. So leaving them he departed.
5 Now his disciples, going to the other side, had forgotten to
6 bring with them loaves of bread. And Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the
7 Sadducees. Whereupon they reasoned among themselves,
8 saying, It is because we have not brought loaves with us. And Jesus knowing this, said to them, Why do ye reason among yourselves, O ye of little faith, because you have not brought
9 loaves? Have you yet no reflection? Or do ye not remember the five loaves among the five thousand, and how many pan-
10 niers you carried off; nor the seven loaves among the four
11 thousand, and how many baskets you carried off? How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you of bread, when I cautioned you to beware of the leaven of the
12 Pharisees and the Sadducees? Then they understood that he did not caution them against the leaven of the bread, but against the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 When Jesus was going to Caesarea-philippi, he asked his
14 disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the son of man, am? And they said, Some say, John the baptist; and some, Elias;
15 and some Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith to them,
16 And who do ye say that I am? Upon this Peter, in reply, said,
17 Thou art The Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him, Happy art thou, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed this to thee, but my father
18 who is in heaven. Now I say to thee, Thou art named Peter, [a rock,*] and upon this very rock I will build my church, and
19 the gates of Hadesf shall not prevail against it. And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens; and whatsoever thou shall bind on the earth, will be bound in the heavens; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on the earth, will be
20 loosed in the heavens. Then he charged his disciples not to tell any one that he, Jesus, is the Christ.
21 From that time Jesus began to point out to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders, and chief priests and scribes, and be put to death, and
22 raised again on the third day. Upon which Peter, taking him aside, began to check him, saying, Mercy on thee, O my
*This is the meaning of his name translated from die Greek. f Hades, the place, mansion or habitation qf departed spirltsr
23 Lord! This cannot befal thee. But he, turning, said to Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan. Thou art an obstacle in my way. For thou hast not thy mind bent on the things of God; but on
24 the things of those men. Then Jesus said to his disciple–. If any one wisheth to follow me, let him deny himself, and take
25 up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wisheth to save his life shall lose it; and whoever shall lose his life for my sake,
26 shall find it. For what will a man be profited, if he should gain the whole world, and be punished with the forfeit of his life?
27 Or, what will not a man give as a ransom for his life? For the son of man will come.in the glory of his father, with his angels, and will then render to every one according to his actions.
28 Verily I say to you, There are some of them standing here who shall not taste death until they see the son of man coming in his kingdom.
XVII. And after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, and James, and John, his brother, and bringeth them up privately to a high
2 mountain, and was transfigured before them. His face shone
3 like the sun: and his raiment became white as the light. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias, conversing
4 with him. Whereupon Peter, addressing Jesus, said, Master, it is well that we are here. If thou pleasest let us make here
5 three booths, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he was yet speaking, behold! a bright cloud overshadowed them; and lo! from the cloud, a voice, saying, This is
6 my Son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. Upon hearing this the disciples fell on their face and were great-
7 ly affrighted. But Jesus came and touched them, and said,
8 Arise, Be not afraid. And having lifted up their eyes they saw
9 none but Jesus only. And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell no one what you have seen, until the son of man shall have risen from the dead.
10 Then his disciples asked him, saying, Why then do the Scribes
11 say, that Elias must come first? In reply to which, Jesus said to them, Elias indeed cometh first and is to finish and begin all
12 anew. Now I say to you, Elias is already come and they did not know him, but have treated him as they pleased. In the same
13 manner also the son of man will soon suffer by them. Then
the disciples understood that he spake to them of John the baptist.
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a man, who falling on his knees, said, O sir, have pity on my son; for he is afflicted with an epilepsy, and suffereth
15 grievously. For he often falleth into the fire and often into the
16 water. I brought him- to thy disciples, but they could not
17 cure him. And Jesus answering, said, O faithless and perverse generation! How long shall I be with you”? How long
18 shall I endure you? Bring him hither to me. Then Jesus rebuked the demon and it went out of him, and from that hour the child was cured.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private, and said, Why could not we cast it out? And Jesus said to them, Because of
20 your unbelief. For verily I say to you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say to that mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it would remove; and no-
21 thing would be impossible to you: but this kind [of power] goeth not forth, unless by prayer and fasting.
22 Now while they remained in Galilee Jesus said to them, The son of man will soon be delivered into the hands of men,
23 and they will put him to death; and on the third day he will be raised up. And they were exceedingly grieved.
24 And when they were come to Capernaum, the receivers of the assessments for the Temple came to Peter, and said, Doth
25 your teacher pay the didrachm?* He saith, Yes. And when he
26 came into the house, before he spake, Jesus said to him, What thinkest thou Simon? Of whom do the kings of the earth re-
27 ceive assessments? Of their own sons or of others? Peter saith to him, Of others. Jesus saith to him, The sons then surely are free. However, that we may not offend them, go to the sea, and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that cometh
i ,
* That is two drachmas. The drachma was a piece of money, in value nearly equal to a quarter of a dollar; two drachmas make a didrachm, and two didrachms make a stater, nearly equal to.a dol- lanihis was, as Josephus tells us, assessed and collected for repairing the temple.
VOL. IV. E
Up; and having opened its mouth thou wilt find a stater: take that and give it to them for me and thee. XVIII. At that time the disciples came to Jesus, say-
2 ing, Who is to be greatest in the kingdom of the heavens? Whereupon Jesus, having called to him a little child, placed
3 it in the midst of them and said, Verily I say to you, Unless you be changed, and be like children you shall never enter
4 the kingdom of the heavens. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is of higher dignity in the
5 kingdom of the heavens. And whoever shall receive one such . 6 child in niy name, receiveth me. But whoever shall occasion
the stumbling of one of such little ones who believe in me, better were it for him that an upper millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were whelmed in the depth of the
7 sea. Alas, for the world because of these stumbling blocks, for these stumbling blocks must needs come : but alas for the
8 man by whom the stumbling block cometh. If then thy hand or thy foot occasioneth thy stumbling, cut them off and cast them from thee. It is better for thee to enter lame or maimed into life, than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the
9 fire which is everlasting. And if thine eye occasioneth thy stumbling, pluck it out and cast it from thee; it is better for thee to enter into life with but one eye, than having two eyes
10 to be cast into the vale of that fire. Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say to you, Their angels in
11 heaven do continually behold the face of my father who is.in heaven. For the son of man is come to save that which was lost.
12 What think you? If any man hath an hundred sheep, and one of them go astray, doth he not leave die ninety nine
13 on the mountains, and go in quest of the stray? And if he happen to find it, verily I say to you, he rejoiceth over it more
14.than over the ninety nine whjch went not astray. Thus it is not the will of your father who is in heaven that one of these
15 little ones should be lost. Wherefore if thy brother trespass against thee, go and expostulate with him when thou and he are alone. If he hearken to thee thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hearken to thee, then take with tlux- one or two, that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every
17 thing may be ascertained; And if he disregard them, tell the congregation; and if he disregard the congregation, let him be
18 to thee as the heathen and the publican. Verily I say to you, whatsoever ye shall bind on the earth will be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on the earth will be loosed in
19 heaven. Again I say to you, If two of you agree on the earth touching any thing which they may ask, it will be done for
20 them by my father who is in heaven. For where two or three are assembled for my name I am there in the midst of them.
21 Then Peter accosting him, said, Master, how often is my brother to trespass against me and I to forgive him? Till seven
22 times? Jesus saith to him, I do not say to thee seven times,
23 bat seventy times seven. In this respect the reign of the heavens may be compared to a certain king who determined
24 to settle accounts with his servants. And having begun to settle; there was one brought to him, who owed him ten thousand
25 talents.* And as he had not wherewithal to pay; his lord or- dered him and his wife and all that he had, to be sold and pay-
26 ment to be made. The servant therefore falling prostrate before him, saith, Have patience with me, my lord, and I will
27 pay thee all. And the lord of that servant, being moved with
28 compassion, dismissed him and forgave him the debt. And as that servant was going out, he met one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred deniarsjf and seizing him by the
‘J throat, he said, Pay me what thou owest. His fellow servant therefore falling at his feet, besought him, saying, Have pa-
50 tience with me and I will pay thee all. And he would not; but went and cast him into prison until he should pay the debt.
51 When his fellow servants saw this they were deeply affected i2 and went and told their lord all that was done. Thereupon his JJ lord having called him in, saith to him, Thou wicked slave, I
forgave thee all that debt at thy entreaty; shouldst thou not
then have had compassion on thy fellow servant as I had on
‘4 thee? So his lord, being incensed, delivered him to the exe-
*A talent was equal to three thousand didrachms or fifteen hundred dollars.
fA deniar was a piece of money equal to about orfe eighth of a dollar.
cutioners of justice until he should pay all that was due to 35 him, Thus also will my heavenly father deal with you, if you
do not from your hearts forgive, every one the trespasses of
his brother. XIX. When Jesus had finished these discourses he departed
from Galilee and came to the borders of Judea, on the bank
2 of the Jordan. And great multitudes followed him, and he
3 healed them there. And the Pharisees came to him, and try* ing him said, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for
4 every fault ? In reply to which he said to them, ” Have you not read that the Creator at the beginning made them a male
5 and a female?” Moreover he said, ” For this cause a man is to leave his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife, and
6 they two shall be one flesh ; so that they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God hath conjoined, let not
7 man separate.” They say to him, Why then did Moses cotn-
8 mand to give a bill of divorce and dismiss her? He saith to them, Because of your intractable disposition Moses permitted you to put away your wives; but it was not so from the
9 beginning. Now I say to you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for whoredom and shall marry another, committeth adultery : and he who marrieth her who was put
10 away committeth adultery. His disciples say to him, If such be the case between the husband and wife, it is not expedient to
11 marry. Whereupon he said to them, All men cannot admit
12 this inference. But with respect to them to whom it is granted (for there are some who have been eunuchs from their birth, and some have been made eunuchs by men, and there are some who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven) let him admit it, who can admit it.
13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray for them ; and his disciples rebuked
14 them. Whereupon Jesus said, Let the children alone, and do not hinder them to come to me; for of such is the kingdom
15 of the heavens. And when he had laid his hands on them he departed thence.
16 And behold there came one who said to him, Good teacher, what grod thing shall I do, that I may have an everlasting
17 life ? In reply to which Jesus said to him, Why caflest thou me good ? There is none good but God only. But if thou
18 dcsirest to enter into that life, keep the commandments. He saith to him, Which ? And Jesus said, These—Thou shalt not commit murder—Thou shalt not commit adultery—Thou
19 shalt not steal—Thou shall not bear false witness—Honour
20 thy father and thy mother—and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The youth said to him, All these I have kept
21 from my childhood. What do I yet lack ? Jesus said to him, If thou wishest to be perfect, go, sell thy estate, and give to
22 the poor; and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me. Upon hearing this word, the youth went away
23 sorrowful; for he had great possessions. Thereupon Jesus said to his disciples, Verily I say to you, With difficulty will
24 a rich man enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
25 than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard this they were greatly astonished and said, Who
20 then can be saved ? Thereupon Jesus looking earnestly at them said, With men this is impossible ; but with God all
27 things are possible. Then Peter addressing him said, Behold we have left all and followed thee, what then shall we have ?
28 Thereupon Jesus said to him,Verily I say to you, With respect to you who have followed me, at the renovation, when the son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, you also shall sit on
3 twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every
one who hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father,
or modier, or wife, or children, or fields for the sake of my
name, shall receive an hundred fold compensation.—He shall
jO indeed inherit an everlasting life. But many will be first who
- are last; and last, who are first. For the reign of the
heavens is like a householder who went out early in the morn-
2 bg to hire labourers for his vineyard. And having agreed with some labourers for a deniar* a day, he sent them to his vine-
3 yard. And going out about the third hour j- he saw some standing in the market place, unemployed, and said to them, 4 Go ye also to the vineyard and I will give you what is i c.ison –
* A Roman silver coin. See ch. 18. 28.
fThc third hour about nine o’clotk, A. M. The sixth noon. The ninth three, and the eleventh about five, P. M.
5 able-r-So they went. Again about the sixth and ninth hour he
6 went out and did the same. And having gone out about the eleventh hour, he found others standing unemployed, and saith to them, Why have you stood here all the day unemployed ?
7 They say to him, Because no one hath hired us. He saith to them, Go ye also to the vineyard and you shall receive what
8 is reasonable. And in the evening the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the labourers and pay them their
9 wages, beginning with the last and ending with the first. So they who had been hired at the eleventh hour, came and re-
10 ceived even’ one a deniar. And when the first hired came, they expected to receive more ; but they also received every
11 one a deniar. And when they received it, they murmured
12 against the householder, saying, These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equaltous, who have borne
13 the burden, and the heat of the day. But he in reply said to one of them, Companion! I do thee no wrong. Didst thou
14 not agree with me for a deniar: take what is thine and go thy
15 way. It is my will to give this last as much as to thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I please with mine own ? Is thine
16 eye evil because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last. For there are many called, but few chosen.
17′ As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve
18 disciples apart on the road and said to them, Behold we are going up to Jerusalem, and the son of man will be delivered up
19 to the chief priests and Scribes; an’d they will condemn him to death, and deliver him up to the Gentiles to be mocked, and scourged, and crucified, and on the third day he will rise again.
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s children came to him with her sons, and, prostrating herself, asked a favour of him.
21 Whereupon he said to her, What is thy desire’? She said to him, Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on thy
22 right hand and the other on thy left in thy kingdom. In reply to which Jesus said, You do not know what you ask. Can you drink the cup which I shall soon drinkj and be baptized with
23 the baptism, with which I am baptized? They say to him, We can. Then Jesus saith to them, You will indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized : but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, unless to them for whom it is prepared by my
24 father. When the ten heard, they were moved with indigna-
25 tion against the two brothers. Whereupon Jesus having called them to him, said, You know that the chiefs of the nations exercise dominion over them; and they who are grandees exercise authority over them : but it shall not be so among you.
26 But whoever among you would wish to be great, let him be
27 your attendant. And whoever among you would wish to be
28 first, let him be your servant; even as the son of man came not to be waited on, but to wait, and to give his life a ransom for many.
29 Now when they were going from Jericho a great multi- 50 tude followed him. And lo! two blind men who sat by die
way side, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried, saying, U Have pity on us, O master, son of David. And when the people reprimanded them that they might hold their peace, they
32 cried the louder, saying, Have pity on us, O master, son of David. Whereupon, Jesus, stopping, called them and said, What do you desire me to do for you? They say to him,
33 Sir! that our eyes may be opened. And Jesus had compas-
34 sion and touched their eyes; and instantly they received sight. And they followed him.
XXI. » And when they approached Jerusalem and were come
2 to Bethphage, near to the mount of olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, Go to that village which is over against you, and straightway you will find an ass tied and a colt
3 with her. Loose her and bring them to me. And if any one say any thing to you; say, The Lord hath need of them and
4 will quickly send them back. Now all this was done, so that there was an accomplishment of what was spoken by the pro-
5 phet, saying, ” Say to the daughter of Sion, Behold thy king cometh to thee, meek and mounted on an ass; even on a
6 young colt the foal of an ass.*” So the disciples went, and having done as Jesus commanded them, they brought the ass and the colt and threw their mantles on them, and set him thereon.
*Zach. 9. 9.
8 And the greater part of the multitude threw their mantles on the way, and some cut branches from the trees and strewed
9 them in the way. And the crowds that went before, and they who followed, shouted, saying, Hosannah to the son of David ! Blessed he, who is coming in the name of the Lord!
10 Hosannah in the highest! And as he entered Jerusalem, all
11 the city was in commotion, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet, who is of Nazareth
12 in Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the stalls of
13 them who sold doves, and said to them, It is written, ” My house shall be called a house of prayer,*” but you have made
14 it a den of robbers. Then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple and he healed them.
15 When the chief priests and the Scribes saw the wonders which he did, and the children shouting in the temple, and say-
16 ing, Hosannah to the son of David, they were filled with indignation, and said to him, Hearest thou what these say? Jesus saith to them, Yes. Have you never read, ” From the mouth
17 of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?t” Then leaving them he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
18 In the morning, when he was coming to the city, he was
19 hungry, and seeing a fig tree near the way, he went to it and found nothing thereon but leaves. Whereupon he saith to it,
20 Henceforward let no fruit ever grow on thee. And immediately the fig tree withered. When the disciples saw this they expressed astonishment, saying, How suddenly the fig tree is
21 withered! And Jesus answering, said to them, Verily I say to you, if you have faith, without wavering, you may do not only as much as is done to this fig tree; but if you should even say to that mountain, Be thou lifted up and thrown into the sea, it
22 shall be done. And whatever you ask in prayer, with feith, you shall obtain.
23 And when he was come to the temple, the chief priests and
*Esaias 56. 7. fPs. 8.
the ciders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority dost thou these things? And, Who
24 gave thee this authority? In reply to which, Jesus saith to them, Let me also ask you a question, which if you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Whence was
25 the baptism of John? From heaven, or of men? Upon this they reasoned among themselves, saying, if we say, From heaven,
26 he will say, Why then did you not believe him: and if we say, Of men, we fear the people; for they all hold John as a
27 prophet. So in answer to Jesus, they said, We cannot tell. Thereupon Jesus said, Neither do I tell you by what authority
28 I do these things. But what think you? A man had two sons. And coming to the first, he said, Son, go work to day in my
29 vineyard. And he in reply said, I will not. But afterwards he
30 repented and went. And coming to the second, he ordered him in like manner; and he in reply said, I will, sir; but did not go.
31 Which of the two did the will of his father? They say to him, The first. Jesus saith to them, Verily I say to you, The publicans and the harlots lead the way for you to the kingdom of
32 God. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him. And though you saw this, you did not afterwards repent and believe him.
33 Hear another parable. There was a certain landlord who planted a vineyard and hedged it around, and dug therein a wine lake, and built a tower, and let it to tenants and went to
34 a distant country. And when the fruit season approached, he
35 sent his servants to the tenants to receive the fruits of it. But the tenants seizing his servants, beat one and killed another,
36 and stoned another. Again he sent other servants in greater number than the first, and they treated them in the same man-
37 ner. At last he sent to them his son, saying, They will reve-
38 rence my son. But when the tenants saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir. Come let us kill him and
39 keep possession of his inheritance. So, seizing him, they turn-
40 ed him out of the vineyard and slew him. Now when the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to these tenants?
41 They say to him, “Wretches! he will put them to a wretched death: and his vineyard he will let to others; who will render
Vol. vi. r
42 him the fruits in their seasons’.” Jesus saithtothem, Have you never read in the scriptures, “The stone which the builders rejected was the very one for the head of the corner. This [salvation] was from the Lord, and it is wonderful hi our
43 eyes.*” Therefore I say to you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation producing the fruits
44 thereof. And he who falleth on that stone will be bruised, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
45 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees, when they heard his parables, knew that he spake of them: but when they sought to seize him, they were afraid of the multitude, because they
XXII. regarded him as a prophet. So Jesus, continuing hib
2 discourse, addressed them again in parables, saying, The reign of the heavens may be compared to a temporal king, who
3 made a marriage feast for his son. And he sent his senrants to call them who were invited to the wedding, but they would
4 not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, Tell them who have been invited, Behold I have prepared my dinner. My bullocks and my failings are killed and all things are rea
5 dy. Come to the wedding feast. But they turned away \vitl indifference, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise
6 and the rest seized his servants, insulted, and slew them.
7 When the king heard this he was incensed, and sent forth hi^ armies, and destroyed the murderers, and burned their city.
8 Then he saith to his servants, The wedding is indeed readv.
9 but they who have been invited arc unworthy; Go ye therefor, to the highways, and invite to the wedding as many as you
10 meet with. Accordingly the servants went out to the highway ^ and assembled all that they met, bad and good. And the wedding
11 was plentifully supplied with guests. And when the king canu in to see the guests, he saw there a man who had not on a wed-
12 ding garment, and saith to him, Companion, how earnest
13 thou hither without having on a wedding garment. And ht was struck speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, Bind his hands and feet and carry him out and cast him into 4 the outer darkness. Weeping and gnashing of teeth will be
* Ps. 118. 22.
there. For there are many called, but fe\v chosen. . .
J Then die Pharisees went out and consulted how they mighti >”> ensnare him by a discourse. So they send to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, We know that thou art true and teachest the way of God truly, and carest for no i one. For thou respcctest not the persons of men. Tell us therefore what thou thinkest. Is it lawful to pay tribute to Cae- i sar, or not? But Jesus, knowing their malice, said, Hypo-. 1 crites! Why do ye try me? Shew me the tribute money. So ) they brought him a deniar,* then he saith to them, Whose I image and inscription is this? They say to him, Caesar’s. Then he saith to them, Render then to Caisar the things which 1 are Cssar’s; and to God, the things which are God’s. Upon hearing this they were struck with surprise, and left him and went away.
‘ On the same day there came to him Sadducees, who say, I There is no future state. And they asked him, saying, Teacher, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. And the first married a wife and died; and having no children, he left his wife for his bro- ‘ ther. In like manner also the second and the third, even to the seventh. And last of all, the woman also died: in the future state > therefore, whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all 1 married her. In reply to which, Jesus said to them, Ye err, 1 not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the future state, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But in respect to the revival of the dead. Have you not read what was spoken to you : by God, saying, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of – Isaak, and the God of Jacob, t” God is not the God of the dead; but of the living. When the people heard this they were astonished at his manner of teaching.
Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the
* See ch. 2O. 2. . Ex. 3. G.
Sadducees, they flocked about him for the same purpose. 35 And one of them, an expounder of the law, with a view to 36^lry him, asked him this question, Teacher, which is the great
commandment in the law? Thereupon Jesus said to him,
37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and
38 with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and
39 great commandment. And the second is like it, Thou shalt
40 love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang the whole law and the prophets.
41 Now while the Pharisees were together, Jesus asked them,
42 saying, What think ye concerning the Christ ? Whose Son
43 is he ? They say to him, David’s. He saith to them, How
44 then doth David by the spirit call him Lord ; saying, ” The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make
45 thine enemies thy footstool.*” If then David calleth him Lord: how is he his son ? And none could answer him a
46 word. Nor did any one presume from that day forward to ask him any more questions.
XXIII. Then Jesus spake to the multitude and to his disci-
2 pies, saying, The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’
3 chair. Observe then and do whatever they enjoin you: but do
4 not act as they do. For they say and do not practise. For they bind up heavy and insupportable burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders: but they themselves will not move them
5 with their finger. But all their works they do to be seen by
6 men. For this they make their phylacteriesf broad, and enlarge the tuftsj of their mantles, and love the uppermost places
7 at entertainments ; and the first seats in the synagogues ; and
8 salutations in places of public resort; and to be called by men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But as for you, be ye not called Rabbi; for
9 one is your teacher, namely the Christ. Now as for you all, ye are brethren, and should call no one on earth your father, for
10 one is your father, namely, he who is in heaven. Neither be ye called leaders ; for one is your leader, namely the Christ.
11 Let then the greatest among you be your attendant. For who-
* Ps. 110. 1. f Phylacteries, scrips of parchment containing sentences of the law. \ See Numb. 15. 37. Deut. 22. 12.
12 soever exalteth himself, shall be humbled, but he who hum- bleth himself, shall be exalted.
13 Now alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut up the kingdom of the heavens against men. For you neither enter in yourselves, nor suffer them who are going in, to enter.
14 Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! because you devour the houses of the widows; and for a pretext make long prayers. For this you shall be punished with greater severity.
15 Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! because you traverse sea and land to make one proselyte; and when h£ is gained, you make him doubly more a child of hell, than yourselves.
16 Alas for you, blind guides, who say, To swear by the temple is not binding; but to swear by the gold of the temple is
17 binding. Foolish and blind! which is greater? The gold?
18 Or the temple which halloweth the gold ? And, to swear by the altar doth not bind ; but to swear by the gift thereon is
19 binding. Foolish and blind! which is greater? The gift?
20 Or the altar which halloweth the gift ? He therefore who
21 sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it and by all on it. And he who sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it and by him who
22 dwelleth therein. And he who sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him who sitteth upon it.
23 Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! because you pay tithe of mint, and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law—justice, mercy and fidelity. These you ought to have practised without omitting
24 those. Blind guides, you are skimming off the gnat, and swal- lowing the camel.
25 Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! because you cleanse the outside of the cup and the plate ; but on the
26 inside they are full of rapine, and intemperance. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first what is within the cup, and the plate ; so the outside will be clean.
27 Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! because you are like whitened sepulchres. These indeed appear beautiful on the outside ; but within they are full of dead men’s
28 bones, and of all Corruption. In like manner you also appear outwardly to men to be righteous; but you are inwardly full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you build the sepulchres of the prophets and adorn the monu-
30 ments of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers we would not have been their accomplices in
31 the blood of the prophets. So you testify against yourselves
32 that you are the sons of them who killed the prophets. As for
33 you then, fill up the measure of your fathers. Serpents! brood
34 of vipers! how can you escape the punishment of hell ? For this, behold I am about to send you prophets, wise men and Scribes : and some of them you will kill and crucify ; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and per-
35 secute from city to city; that upon you may come ajl the righteous blood shed upon the earth; from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom
36 ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say to you, All these things will come upon this generation.
37 O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! thou that killest the prophets and stonest them who are sent to thee ! how often have I desired to gather thy children even as a hen gathereth her chickens under
38 her wings; but you would not! behold this house of yours is left desolate for you. For I say to you, Henceforth you shall not see me until you say, Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord.
XXIV. Then Jesus went out, and as he was going from the temple, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of
2 the temple. Whereupon he said to them, See ye not all these? Verily I say to you, There shall not be left here one stone upon
3 another, which shall not be pulled down. And as he was sitting on the mount of olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, Tell us, when will these things happen; and what will be the sign of thy coming and of the conclusion of this age?
4 Thereupon Jesus answering, said to them, Take heed that no
5 one seduce you. For many will come in my name, saying, I
6 am the Christ and will seduce many. As you will soon hear of wars and rumours of wars, see that you be not troubled. For all these things must happen, but the end is not yet. For natioti will rise against nation; and kingdom against king-
7 dom. And there will be famines and pestilences and earth-
8 quakes in divers places. Now all these are the beginning of
9 sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to affliction and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations on the ac-
10 count of my name. And many will then be stumbled and will
11 deliver up one another and hate one another. And many false
12 prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because iniquity
13 will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who
14 persevereth to the end shall be saved. The good news of the kingdom shall indeed be proclaimed throughout the whole
15 world for a testimony to all the nations. And then will come the end. Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in
16 a holy place, (reader attend!) then let them who are in Judea
17 flee to the mountains : and let not him who is on the house top
18 go down, to cany away any thing out of the house, nor him who
19 is in the field turn back to take up his clothes. But alas for the women with child and for them who give suck in those days.
20 Pray yc therefore that your flight may not be in the winter,
21 nor on a sabbath day. For there will then be great affliction, such as hath not happened from the beginning of the world
22 till now: no, nor ever shall be. Indeed if those days were not shortened, no flesh could escape. But for the sake of the cho-
23 sen, those days will be shortened. At that time if any say
24 to you, Lo 1 the Christ is here! or there 1 believe it not. For false Christs and false prophets will rise up and give out* great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if it were possible,
25 even the chosen. Behold I have forewarned you. Therefore if
26 they say to you, Behold he is in the desert, go not out. Or, be-
27 hold he is in the secret apartments ! do not believe them. For as the lightning, which breaketh forth from the east, shineth
28 even to the west, so will the coming of the son of man be. For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be assembled.
29 Now immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give her splendour; and the stars will fall from heaven, and the heavenly powers will
*That is promise or propose, in this sense the Greek word is used by the Sep. Deut. 13. 1.
30 be shaken. And then will appear the sign of the son of man in heaven. And then, all the tribes of the land will mourn : and they shall see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven,
31 with power and great glory. And he will send out his messengers with a loud sounding trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four winds—from one extremity of heaven to the other.
32 Now learn this parable from that fig tree. When its branches become tender and put forth leaves, you know that the
33 summer is near. So when you see all these things, know as-
34 suredly that he is near—at the door. Verily I say to you, This generation shall not pass until all these things shall happen.
35 The heaven and the earth shall fail; but my words shall not
36 fail. But with respect to the day and the season, that none knoweth, not even the angels of the heavens—none but my
37 father only. For as the days of Noe were, so also will thiscoming
38 of the son of man be. For as in those days, before the deluge, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in mar-
39 riage, till Noe entered the ark; and they did not know till the flood came and swept them all away; so will this coming of
40 the son of man be. Two men will then be in the field; the one
41 is taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at
42 the mill, the one is taken and the other left. Watch therefore,
43 because you know not at what season your lord cometh. But this you know, that if the master of a family knew at what watch the thief would come, he would be upon guard and not
44 suffer him to break into his house. Be ye therefore ready prepared, because the son of man cometh at an hour you least ex-
45 pcct. Who is indeed the faithful and prudent servant, whom his lord hath set over his household to give them their food in
46 due season. Happy that servant, whom his lord when he com-
47 eth shall find thus employed. Verily I say to you, he will set
48 him over all his estate. But if that servant being wicked should
49 say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and begin to
50 beat his fellow sen-ants, and to eat and to drink with drunk-
51 ards; the lord of that servant will come on a day he least ex- pecteth, and at an hour of which he is not aware and will
scourge him in the severest manner* and assign him his por- 51 tion with the hypocrites. Weeping and gnashing of teeth will
be there. XXV.. Now with respect to this, the reign of the heavens may
be compared to ten virgins who took their lamps and went
2 out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were prudent
3 and five foolish. They who were foolish took their lamps, but
4 did not take oil with them. But the prudent took oil in their
5 vessels with their lamps. And while the bridegroom tarried
6 they all became drowsy and fell asleep. And at midnight there
7 was a cry, Behold the bridegroom is coming; Go out and meet him. Then all the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said to the prudent, Give us some of your
9 oil, for our lamps are going out. In reply to which the prudent said, Perhaps there will not be enough for us and you. There-
10 fore go rather to them who sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and they who were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door
11 was shut. And after that the other virgins came, saying, Mas-
12 ter, master, Open to us. But he in reply, said, Verily I say to
13 you, I do not know you. Watch therefore, because you do not knowthe day, nor the hour, when the son of man comcth.
14 For he is like a man who, intending to travel, called his servants
15 and committed to them his effects, and toone gave five talents,t and to another two, and to another one—to every one accord-
16 ing to his respective ability, and straightway set out on his
17 journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made five other talents; and in like man*
18 ner he who had received the two gained also other two; but he who received the one went and digged a hole in the ground
19 and hid his master’s money : and after a long time the master
20 of these servants cometh and reckoncth with them: whereupon he who had received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Sir, thou deliveredst to me five talents, here are besides them five other talents, which I have
*Scourge him in the severest manner: cut him as it were asunder by scourging.
fSee Matt. 18. 24. Vol. IV. c
21 gained: and his master said to him; ” Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful in a small trust, I will give thee a much greater; enter into the joy of thy master:
22 then he who had received the two talents came and said, Sir, thou deliveredst to me two talents, here are, besides them, two
23 other talents, which I have gained : his master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful in a small trust, I will give thee a much greater, enter thou
24 into the joy of thy master : then he, who had received the one talent, came and said, Sir, I knew that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou
25 didst not scatter; so, being afraid, I went and hid thy talent in the earth. Here it is. Thou hast what is thine own. Thereupon
26 his master said to him in reply, Malignant and slothful servant ! Thou knowest that I reap where I did not sow, and
27 gather where I did not scatter! Thou shouldst therefore have lodged my money with the bankers, that at my return I might
28 have received mine own with interest. Take therefore the ta-
29 lent from him; and give it to him who hath the ten talents. For to every one who improveth more shall be given, and he shall abound; but from him who improveth not, even what he hath
30 shall be taken away : and turn out this unprofitable servant into outer darkness; weeping and gnashing of teeth will be
31 there. So when the son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him; he will then sit on the throne of
32 his glory. And before him shall be assembled all the nations. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd
33 separateth the sheep from the goats. And he will place the
34 sheep on the right hand and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to them on his right, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom which hath been prepared for you
35 from the formation of the world: for I was hungry, and you
36 gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you lodged me; naked, and you clothed me; sick, and you took care of me; I was in prison, and you visited
37 me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and feed thee; or thirsty, and give 38 thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and lodged thee;
39 or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in
40 prison, and came to thee? And the king in reply will say to them, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done this to one of these my brethren, even the least, you have done it
41 tome. Then he will say to them on his left, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the fire which is everlasting—that prepared for
42 the devil and his angels! For I was hungry, and you gave me
43 no food; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; 1 was a stranger, and you did not lodge me; naked, and you did not
44 clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then they also will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in
45 prison, and did not minister to thee? And he will answer them, saying, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as you have not done this to any, the least of these, you have not done it to me. So these shall go to everlasting punishment and the righteous to an everlasting life.
XXVI. When Jesus had finished all these discourses, he said
2 to his disciples, You know that two days hence is the pass- over, when the son of man is to be delivered up to be cruci-
3 fied. At that time the chief priests, and the Scribes, and the elders of the people, were convened to the court of the high
4 priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and were consulting how
5 they might take Jesus by surprise and kill him. And they said, Not at the festival, that there may not be a tumult among the people.
6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came to him a woman, having an alabaster
7 box of precious balsam, which she poured on his head while
8 he was at table. At seeing this, his disciples expressed indig-
9 nation, saying, Why this profusion! For this balsam might
10 have been sold for a great sum, and given to the poor. Jesus, knowing it, said to them, Why trouble ye the woman? For
11 she hath done a good office for me. For you have the poor al-
12 ways with you; but me you have not always. For in pouring
13 this balsam on my body, she hath done it to embalm me. Verily I say to you, In what part soever of the world these glad
tidings shall be proclaimed, mention will also be made of what she hath done, for a memorial of her.
14 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests, and said, What will you give me, and I will de-
15 liver him up to you. And they weighed to him thirty shekels*
16 of silver : And from that time he watched an opportunity to deliver him up.
17 Now, on the first day of unleavened bread, his disciples came to Jesus, and said to him, Where wilt thou have us
18 make preparation for thee to eat the passover? And he said, Go to the city, to such a person, and say to him, The teacher saith, My time is near. At thy house I am about to celebrate
19 the passover with my disciples. Accordingly the disciples did
20 as Jesus commanded them, and prepared the passover. And when the evening was come he placed himself at the table,
21 with the twelve. And while they were eating, he said, Verily
22 I say to you, One of you is to deliver me up. And they being very sorrowful, began every one of them to say to him, Master,
23 am I? Whereupon he answering, said, One who hath dipped his
24 hand in the dish with me is to deliver me up. The son of man goeth indeed as it is written of him. But alas for that man by whom the son of man is delivered up. Good were it for that
25 man if he had never been born. Even Judas who was about to deliver him up, having taken occasion, said, Am I, Rab-
26 bi? He saith to him, As thou hast said. Now as they were eating, Jesus having taken the loaf and pronounced a blessing,
27 broke and gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; This is my body. Then having taken the cup and given thanks, he
28 gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it. For this is my blood—that of the new covenant—that shed for many, for the
29 remission of sins. Now I say to you, “I will not henceforth drink of the product of the vine; until the day when I shall
30 drink it new with you in my father’s kingdom. And after the
31 hymn they went out to the mount of olives. Then Jesus saith to them, You will all be stumbled at me this night; for it is written, I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock
32 will be dispersed-! But after I am risen, I will go before you to Galilee. Thereupon Peter addressing him, said, Though
*Shekel equal in weight nearly to half a dollar. f Zach. 13. 1..
all should be stumbled at thee; as for me, I will never be
. stumbled. Jesus said to him, Verily I say to thee, This very
night, before cock crowing, thou wilt three times deny me.
Peter saith to him, Though I should die with thee, I will not
deny thee. And so said all the disciples.
> Then Jesus goeth with them to a place called Gethsemane, and saith to the disciples, Stay here while I go yonder to pray. 7 And having taken with him Peter, and the two sons of Zebe- 3 dee, he began to be in an agony of grief and distress. Whereupon he saith to them, My soul is overwhelmed with anguish 9 even to death. Stay here and watch with me. Then, advancing a little further, he fell prostrate on his face, and prayed, saying, O my father, if it be possible, let this cup be removed from me. Nevertheless not as I would, but as thou wiliest. 0 Then he cometh to the disciples, and finding them asleep, he saith to Peter, So, could you not watch one hour with me ? U Watch and pray, that you may not come to a trial. The spi- L2 rit indeed is willing; but the flesh is weak. Again he went away the second time, and prayed, saying, O my father! If this cup cannot be removed from me, without my drinking
13 it; thy will be done. Then coming, he findeth them again
14 sleeping; for their eyes were weighed down. So, leaving them he withdrew again, and prayed a third time, to the same pur-
15 pose. Then he cometh to these disciples of his, and saith to them, Are you still sleeping and taking repose ? Behold the hour is come, and the son of man is delivered up into the
46 hands of sinners. Arise ; let us go. Behold he who deliver- eth me up is at hand.
47 Aad while he was yet speaking, lo! Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, and the elders of the people.
48 Now his betrayer had given them a sign, saying, The person I
49 shall kiss is he; Secure him. So coming directly up to Jesus, he
50 said, Hail, Rabbi! and kissed him. And Jesus said to him, Companion ! for what purpose art thou come ? Then others, ad-
51 vancing, laid hands on Jcsns, and held him. Upon which one of them who were with Jesus, stretching forth his hand, drew his sword, and smote the servant of the high priest, and cu:
52 off his ear. Thereupon Jesus saith to him, Return thy sword
53 to its place. For are all who have taken a sword to perish by a sword ? Or dost thou think that I cannot now address ray father, who can send to my assistance, more than twelve legi-
54 ons of angels ? How then would the scriptures be fulfilled,
55 that thus it must be? At that instant Jesus was saying to the multitudes, Are you come out as against a rubber with swords and clubs, to take me ? Day after day I sat before you teach-
56 ing in the temple, and you did not lay hold on me. But all this is done that the writings of the prophets may be confirm-
57 ed. Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. And they who had hold of Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the Scribes and the elders of the people were assembled.
58 Now Peter followed him at a distance, even to the court of
59 the high priest. And having gone in, he sat down with the attendants, to see the issue. And the chief priests and the elders, even the whole Sanhedrim, sought false testimony against Je-
60 sus that they might put him to death, but found it not.
61 Though many false witnesses came forward, they did not find it. At last two false witnesses came, who said, This man said,
62 I can destroy the temple of God and in three days rebuild it. Then the chief priest, standing up, said to him, Answerest thou
63 nothing to what these testify against thee? But Jesus was silent. Then the chief priest addressing him, said, I adjure thee
64 by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou art the Christ, the son of God. Jesus saith to him, It is as thou hast spoken. Moreover I say to you, Hereafter you shall see the son of man sitting at the right hand of that Power, and coming on the
65 clouds of heaven. Upon this the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath blasphemed. What further need have we of witnesses? Behold you have now heard his blasphemy. What
66 think ye? Thereupon they, answering, said, He is guilty of
67 death. Then they spat in his face and struck him with their
68 fists, and smote him with staves, saying, Prophesy to us Christ. Who is he that smote thee?
69 Now when Peter was sitting without, in the court, a servant maid came up to him and said, Thou also wast with Jesus the Ga70 likan. And he denied before them all, saying, I do not know
71 u-hat thou sayest And as he was going out into the porch another maid saw him, and saith to them there, That man also
“2 was with Jesus the Nazarene. And he again denied, with an “3 oath, I do not know the man. And a little after, some bye- slanders came up and said to Peter, Thou also art certainly 11 one of them, for thy speech discovereth thee. Then he began i5 to curse and to swear, I do not know the man. And immediately a cock crowed. Whereupon Peter recollected the word which Jesus said to him, ” Before cockcrowing thou wilt three times deny me;” and going out, he wept bitterly. XXVII. Now early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to have
2 him put to death. So, having bound him, they led him away
3 and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate the governor. Then Judas, who had delivered him up, finding that he was condemned, repented and carried back the thirty shekels of silver to die chief priests and the elders, saying, I have sinned in having be-
4 trayed innocent blood* To which they replied, What is that to i us? Look thou to that. Thereupon he threw down the money
in the temple, and withdrew, and went and strangled himself.
6 And the chief priests, taking the money, said; It is not lawful to put it into the holy treasury, seeing it is the price of blood.
7 So, having consulted together, they bought with it the pot-
8 tor’s field for the burial of strangers. Therefore that field is
9 ever since called the field of blood. Then was fulfilled that, which was spoken by the prophet Jeremias,* saying, “So I took the thirty pieces of silver, as the Lord commanded
0 me.f These being the price of him who was valued, whom some of the Israelites valued; these they gave for the potter’s field.
1 Now when Jesus stood before the governor, the governor asked him, saying, Thou art the king of the Jews? And Jesus
2 said to him, as thou hast said, [I am.] But when he was accused
3 by the chief priests and the elders, he made no reply. Then
4 Pilate sa’rth to him, Dost thou not hear what they testify against
* See the note on Zach. 9.1. at the close of the preceding volume. Zach. 11. 13.
ihee? But he made no reply to any charge; so tliat the gover nor was greatly surprised.
15 Now at a festival it was customary for the governor to re-
16 lease to the people any one prisoner whom they desired. And
17 they had then a noted prisoner named Barabbas. So when they were assembled, Pilate said to them, Whom do you desire me to release to you? Barabbas; or Jesus who is called Christ?
18 For he knew that out of envy they ha.d delivered him up. And
19 while he was sitting on the tribunal, his wife had sent to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that righteous person; for I
20 have this day suffered much in a dream on his account. But the chief priests and the elders had prevailed on the people that
21 they should demand Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. So when the governor, addressing them, said, Which of the two do you
22 desire me to release to you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith to them, What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?
23 They all say to him, Let him be crucified. Thereupon the go vernor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they with
24 more vehemence cried, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could not in the least prevail, but that a tumult rather was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am clear from the blood of this innocent
25 person. Look ye to it. Upon which all the people, answering,
26 said, His blood be upon us and upon our children. Then he released to them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him up to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus to the pre- 28 torium,* and assembled about him the whole cohort.t And having stripped him, they threw around him a scarlet military
29 robe: and having platted a crown of thorns, they put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and falling on their knees before him, they mocked him, saying, Hail king of the Jews.
30 Then, having spit in his face, they took the reed and struck
31 him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they took
* Pretorium, the judgment hall, or hall of audience, where the Roman magistrates used to sit lor the dispatch of public business. f Cohort, a body of soldiers—ten Cohorts make a legion,
off the robe, and put his own raiment on him, and led him out 32 to be crucified. And as they were going out, they met a man of
Cyrene, named Simon, and compelled him to carry the cross. 83 And having come to a place called Golgotha, (the meaning of temple was rent in two from top to bottom; and the earth quak-
34 which is the place of a skull) they gave him to drink vinegar mingled with a bitter drug, which, when he tasted, he would not
35 drink. Then, having crucified him, they parted his garments by lot, thus verifying what was spoken by the prophet, “They parted my garments among them; and for my vesture they
36 cast lots.*” And, sitting down, they guarded him there.
37 Now over his head they had placed this inscription, denoting the charge against him, This is Jesus the king of the Jews.
38 At the same time two robbers were crucified with him,
39 one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And they who
40 passed by reviled him, shaking their heads, and saying, Thou the demolisher of the temple and the rebuilder of it in three
41 days, save thyself. If thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross. In like manner also the chief priests, and the Scribes, and the elders, deriding him, said, He saved others;
42 cannot he save himself? If he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and We will believe him.
43 He trusted in God; let him now deliver him, if he delighteth in
44 him:for, he said, I am the Son of God. Nay, even the robbers, who were crucified with him, upbraided him in the same manner.
45 Now from the sixth hourf there was darkness over the
46 whole land till the ninth hour: And about the ninth hour Jesus cried, with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, Lama, Sabachthani,
47 that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Where- upon some of them who stood there, hearing this, said, He
48 calleth Elias. And immediately one of them ran, and having taken a spunge, soaked it with vinegar, and having fixed it to
49 a reed, gave him to drink. But the rest said, Forbear, let us
50 see, whether Elias will come to save him. And Jesus, having
51 cried again with a loud voice, expired. And lo! the veil of the
* Ps. 22. 18. f Sixth hour, twelve o’clock. \. Ninth hour, three in the afternoon.
VOL. IV. H
52 ed; and the rocks were rent; and the tombs were opened. And many bodies of saints, composed to rest, were awakened.
53 And, having come out of their tombs, after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to.many.
54 When the centurion, and they who were with him guarding Jesus, observed the earthquake, and what had happened, they were greatly terrified, and said, This was certainly a son of a God.
55 Now many women were there, looking on at a distance, who
56 had accompanied Jesus from Galilee to wait upon him. Among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James
57 and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. And in the evening there came a rich man of Arimathea, whose name
58 was Joseph, and who himself was a disciple of Jesus. This man having gone to Pilate had begged the body of Jesus;
59 and Pilate had ordered the body to be given to him. So Joseph, having taken the body, wrapped it up in a clean sindon* and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the
60 rock. And having rolled a great stone to the entrance of the
61 tomb, he went away. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary continued sitting there over against the tomb.
62 At the close of the dayf succeeding the preparation, the
63 chief priests and the Pharisees went in a body to Pilate, and said, Sir, we have recollected that this impostor, when alive,
64 said, After three days I shall be raised up. Give orders therefore that the sepulchre be secured till the third day. Perhaps his disciples may come by night, and steal him away, and tell
65 the people, he is risen from the dead. So this last imposture will be worse than the first. Thereupon Pilate said to them, You have a guard. Go and secure it as you can. So they went and secured the sepulchre, sealing the stone and posting the guard.
, the name of a robe, supposed to come from India, and to resemble what we call a shawl.
f At the close of the day, that is after sun set on Saturday; at which time their sabbath ended and their first day began.
XXVIII. Now the sabbath being over, at the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went
2 to see the sepulchre; and behold there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord, having descended from heaven, came and rolled away the stone from the entrance, and sat
3 upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment
4 white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled, and
5 became as dead men. And the angel accosting the women, said, Be not ye terrified. For I know that you are seeking
6 Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For he is risen as
7 he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. And lo he goeth before you to Galilee. There you shall see
8 him. Behold, I have told you. Accordingly, having come out quickly from the tomb, with fear and great joy they ran
9 to tell his disciples. And as they were going to tell his disciples, lo! Jesus met them and said, Peace be to you.. Where-
10 upon, they coming near, took hold of his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus saith to them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they may go to Galilee; there they shall see me.
11 Now while they were going, behold some of the guard, having come to the city, told the chief priests all that had hap-
12 pened. Whereupon they, with the elders, assembled and
13 having held a council, they gave a large sum of money to the
14 soldiers, with this injunction, Say, His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep. And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will appease him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they-were taught. And this is the
15 current report among the Jews even at this day.
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain
17 whither Jesus ordered them. And some seeing him prostrated
18 themselves before him, and some doubted. Then Jesus came near and spoke to them, saying, All power in heaven and on
19 earth is given to me. Go therefore and make all the nations disciples, baptizing them to the Name of the Father and the
20 Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And lo! I am with you all the days to the conclusion of’this age. Amen.