Lucas 19

¹ Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.

² Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.

³ And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.

⁴ So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.

⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, »Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.«

⁶ So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully.

⁷ And when they saw it they all murmured, »He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.«

⁸ And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, »Look, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.«

⁹ And Jesus said to him, »Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.

¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.«

¹¹ As they heard these things, he went on to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

¹² Therefore he said: »A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.

¹³ So he called ten of his servants, gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’

¹⁴ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’

¹⁵ And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading.

¹⁶ Then came the first, saying, ‘ Master, your mina has earned ten minas more.’

¹⁷ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, be in authority over ten cities.’

¹⁸ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’

¹⁹ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’

²⁰ Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept laid away in a handkerchief;

²¹ for I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.’

²² He said to him, ‘I will judge you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a hard man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?

²³ Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’

²⁴ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’

²⁵ And they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas already!’

²⁶ ‘I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

²⁷ But those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.’«

²⁸ When he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

²⁹ When he came near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,

³⁰ saying, »Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.

³¹ If any one asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say to him, ‘The Lord has need of it.’«

³² So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.

³³ And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, »Why are you untying the colt?«

³⁴ And they said, »The Lord has need of it.«

³⁵ And they brought it to Jesus, and they threw their garments on the colt and set Jesus on it.

³⁶ And as he went along, many spread their garments on the road.

³⁷ And, as he was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen,

³⁸ saying, »Blessed is the Kingwho comes in the name of the Lord!Peace in heavenand glory in the highest!«

³⁹ And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, »Teacher, rebuke your disciples.«

⁴⁰ He answered, »I tell you, if these keep silent, the stones would cry out.«

⁴¹ And when he drew near and saw the city he wept over it,

⁴² saying, »If you had known, even you, this day, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

⁴³ For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, and surround you and hem you in on every side,

⁴⁴ and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation.«

⁴⁵ Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold,

⁴⁶ saying to them, »It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’;but you have made it a den of robbers.«

⁴⁷ And he was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests the scribes and the leaders of the people sought to destroy him,

⁴⁸ but they could not find anything they could do, for all the people hung upon his words.