Gen 22:2-4, Mat 21, Mat 26-27 | ESV | STEP | He said , Take your son , your only son Isaac , whom you love , and go to the land of Moriah , and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.

2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to ^athe land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.

Matthew 21

The Triumphal Entry

1 ^bNow when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to ^cthe Mount of Olives, then Jesus ^dsent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place ^eto fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5 ^f“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
^ghumble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, ^{▼▼Or donkey, and on a colt,} the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd ⁱspread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ^j“Hosanna to ^kthe Son of David! ^lBlessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna ^min the highest!” 10 And ⁿwhen he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is ^othe prophet Jesus, ^pfrom Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12 ^qAnd Jesus entered the temple ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add of God} and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of ^sthe money-changers and the seats of those who sold ^tpigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ^u‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but ^vyou make it a den of robbers.”

14 ^wAnd the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 ^xBut when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, ^y“Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; ^zhave you never read,

^aa“‘Out of the mouth of ^abinfants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise’?”
17 And ^acleaving them, he ^adwent out of the city to ^aeBethany and lodged there.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

18 ^afIn the morning, as he was returning to the city, ^aghe became hungry. 19 ^ahAnd seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, ^ai“Truly, I say to you, ^ajif you have faith and ^akdo not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ^al‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And ^amwhatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, ^anif you have faith.”

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

23 ^aoAnd when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him ^apas he was teaching, and said, ^aq“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, ^arfrom where did it come? ^asFrom heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ^at‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ ^auwe are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was ^ava prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 ^aw“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in ^axthe vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he ^aychanged his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, ^azthe tax collectors and ^bathe prostitutes go into ^bbthe kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you ^bcin the way of righteousness, and ^bdyou did not believe him, but ^bethe tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward ^bfchange your minds and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

33 ^bg“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted ^bha vineyard ^biand put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and ^bjleased it to tenants, and ^bkwent into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants ^{▼▼Greek bondservants; also verses 35, 36} to the tenants ^bmto get his fruit. 35 ^bnAnd the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and ^bostoned another. 36 ^bpAgain he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ^bq‘This is the heir. Come, ^brlet us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and ^bsthrew him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 ^btWhen therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, ^bu“He will put those wretches to a miserable death and ^bvlet out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

42 Jesus said to them, ^bw“Have you never read in the Scriptures:

^bx“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone; ^{▼▼Greek the head of the corner}
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God ^bzwill be taken away from you and given to a people ^caproducing its fruits. 44 And ^cbthe one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and ^ccwhen it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” ^{▼▼Some manuscripts omit verse 44}

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And ^cealthough they were seeking to arrest him, ^cfthey feared the crowds, because they held him to be ^cga prophet.

Matthew 26

The Plot to Kill Jesus

1 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 ^ch“You know that after two days ^cithe Passover is coming, and ^cjthe Son of Man ^ckwill be delivered up to be crucified.”

3 ^clThen the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in ^cmthe palace of the high priest, whose name was ^cnCaiaphas, 4 ^coand plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, ^cplest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6 ^cqNow when Jesus was at ^crBethany in the house of Simon the leper, ^{▼▼Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13} 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and ^ctgiven to the poor.” 10 But ^cuJesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For ^cvyou always have the poor with you, but ^cwyou will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it ^cxto prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever ^cythis gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told ^czin memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

14 ^daThen one of the twelve, whose name was ^dbJudas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they ^dcpaid him ^ddthirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity ^deto betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

17 ^dfNow on ^dgthe first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ^dh‘The Teacher says, ^diMy time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

20 ^djWhen it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add disciples} 21 And as they were eating, ^dlhe said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, ^dm“He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes ^dnas it is written of him, but ^dowoe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^dpIt would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, ^dqRabbi?” He said to him, ^dr“You have said so.”

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

26 ^dsNow as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and ^dtafter blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; ^duthis is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he ^dvhad given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for ^dwthis is my ^dxblood of the ^{▼▼Some manuscripts insert new} covenant, which is poured out for ^dzmany ^eafor the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you ^ebin my Father’s kingdom.”

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

30 ^ecAnd when they had sung a hymn, ^edthey went out to ^eethe Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will ^efstrike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, ^egI will go before you to Galilee.” 33 ^ehPeter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 ^eiJesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, ^ejbefore the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 ^ekPeter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

36 ^elThen Jesus went with them ^emto a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him ^enPeter and ^eothe two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, ^ep“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and ^eqwatch ^{▼▼Or keep awake; also verses 40, 41} with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face ^esand prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let ^etthis cup pass from me; ^eunevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 ^evWatch and ^ewpray that you ^exmay not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, ^eyyour will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for ^eztheir eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for ^fathe third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. ^{▼▼Or Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?} See, ^fcthe hour is at hand, and ^fdthe Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 ^feWhile he was still speaking, ^ffJudas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, ^fgRabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, ^fh“Friend, ^fido what you came to do.” ^{▼▼Or Friend, why are you here?} Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his ^fksword and struck the servant ^{▼▼Greek bondservant} of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For ^fmall who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 ^fnDo you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me ^fomore than twelve ^fplegions of angels? 54 ^fqBut how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day ^frI sat in the temple ^fsteaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But ^ftall this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” ^fuThen all the disciples left him and fled.

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

57 ^fvThen ^fwthose who had seized Jesus led him to ^fxCaiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And ^fyPeter was following him at a distance, as far as ^fzthe courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with ^gathe guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council ^{▼▼Greek Sanhedrin} ^gcwere seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, ^gdthough many false witnesses came forward. At last ^getwo came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ^gf‘I am able to ^ggdestroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” ^{▼▼Or Have you no answer to what these men testify against you?} 63 ^giBut Jesus remained silent. ^gjAnd the high priest said to him, ^gk“I adjure you by ^glthe living God, ^gmtell us if you are ^gnthe Christ, ^gothe Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, ^gp“You have said so. But I tell you, from now on ^gqyou will see the Son of Man ^grseated at the right hand of Power and ^gscoming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest ^gttore his robes and said, ^gu“He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, ^gv“He deserves death.” 67 Then ^gwthey spit in his face ^gxand ^gystruck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you ^gzChrist! Who is it that struck you?”

Peter Denies Jesus

69 ^haNow Peter was sitting outside ^hbin the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus ^hcof Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for ^hdyour accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, ^he“Before the rooster crows, you will ^hfdeny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Matthew 27

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

1 ^hgWhen morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people ^hhtook counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and ^hiled him away and ^hjdelivered him over to ^hkPilate the governor.

Judas Hangs Himself

3 Then when ^hlJudas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus ^{▼▼Greek he} was condemned, ^hnhe changed his mind and brought back ^hothe thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? ^hpSee to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, ^hqhe departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into ^hrthe treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore ^hsthat field has been called the Field of Blood ^htto this day. 9 ^huThen was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, ^hv“And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”

Jesus Before Pilate

11 ^hwNow Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you ^hxthe King of the Jews?” Jesus said, ^hy“You have said so.” 12 ^hzBut when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, ^ia“Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

15 ^ibNow at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or ^icJesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out ^idof envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on ^iethe judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with ^ifthat righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today ^igin a dream.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ^ihask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” ⁱⁱThey all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? ^ijWhat evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that ^ika riot was beginning, he took water and ^ilwashed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^imthis man’s blood; ^{▼▼Some manuscripts this righteous blood, or this righteous man’s blood} ^iosee to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, ^ip“His blood be on us and ^iqon our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having ^irscourged ^{▼▼A Roman judicial penalty, consisting of a severe beating with a multi-lashed whip containing imbedded pieces of bone and metal} Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

27 ^itThen the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the ^iugovernor’s headquarters, ^{▼▼Greek the praetorium} and they gathered the whole ^iwbattalion ^{▼▼Greek cohort; a tenth of a Roman legion, usually about 600 men} before him. 28 And they stripped him and put ^iya scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they ^izmocked him, saying, “Hail, ^jaKing of the Jews!” 30 And ^jbthey spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and ^jcled him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

32 ^jd, ^jeAs they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to ^jfcarry his cross. 33 ^jgAnd when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 ^jhthey offered him wine to drink, mixed with ^jigall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, ^jjthey divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and ^jkkept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, ^jlthe King of the Jews.” 38 Then two ^jmrobbers were crucified with him, ^jnone on the right and one on the left. 39 And ^jothose who passed by ^jpderided him, ^jqwagging their heads 40 and saying, ^jr“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! ^jsIf you are ^jtthe Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 ^ju“He saved others; ^jvhe cannot save himself. ^jwHe is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 ^jxHe trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 ^jyAnd the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

The Death of Jesus

45 Now from the sixth hour ^{▼▼That is, noon} there was darkness over all the land ^{▼▼Or earth} until the ninth hour. ^{▼▼That is, 3 p.m.} 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus ^kccried out with a loud voice, saying, ^kd“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with ^kesour wine, and put it on a reed and ^kfgave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus ^kgcried out again with a loud voice and ^khyielded up his spirit.

51 And behold, ^kithe curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And ^kjthe earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of ^kkthe saints ^klwho had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into ^kmthe holy city and appeared to many. 54 ^knWhen the centurion and those who were with him, ^kokeeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ^kp“Truly this was the Son ^{▼▼Or a son} of God!”

55 There were also ^krmany women there, looking on ^ksfrom a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ^ktministering to him, 56 among whom were ^kuMary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and ^kvthe mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus Is Buried

57 ^kwWhen it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and ^kxlaid it in his own new tomb, ^kywhich he had cut in the rock. And he rolled ^kza great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and ^lathe other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

62 The next day, that is, after the day of ^lbPreparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how ^lcthat impostor said, while he was still alive, ^ld‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, ^lelest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have ^lfa guard ^{▼▼Or Take a guard} of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by ^lhsealing the stone and setting a guard.