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they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as soon as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly’.”
4 So they went away and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they were untying it 5 some people standing there asked them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them, and the people let them go. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and He sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
10 “Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming!”
“Hosanna in the highest!”
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. When He had looked around at everything, since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to find out if there was any fruit on it. But when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And His disciples heard Him say it.
15 Then they came to Jerusalem. Jesus entered the temple area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying in the temple. He overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.
17 As He taught, He said, “Is it not written:
‘My house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations’?
But you have made it a den of robbers.”
18 The chief priests and the scribes heard this and begin to search for a way to destroy Him, for they feared Him, because all the people were amazed at His teaching.
19 When evening came, Jesus and His disciples went out of the city.
20 In the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”
22 Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever things you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received them, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your wrongdoing.”
27 They came again to Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him, 28 and they asked, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?”
29 Jesus replied, “I will also ask of you one question. Answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven or from men? Tell Me.”
31 They began to argue among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven’, He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the crowd, for everyone held that John was a real prophet.
33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.”
And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”