October 29

Mark 12:1 — 14:31
(words in gray are deemed interpolations)

12 Also, he started to speak to them with illustrations: “A man planted a vineyard, and put a fence around it, and dug a vat for the winepress and erected a tower, and let it out to cultivators, and traveled abroad. 2 Now in due season he sent forth a slave to the cultivators, that he might get some of the fruits of the vineyard from the cultivators. 3 But they took him, beat him up and sent him away empty. 4 And again he sent forth another slave to them; and that one they struck on the head and dishonored. 5 And he sent forth another, and that one they killed; and many others, some of whom they beat up and some of whom they killed. 6 One more he had, a beloved son. He sent him forth last to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those cultivators said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him outside the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the cultivators, and will give the vineyard to others. 10 Did YOU never read this scripture, ‘The stone that the builders rejected, this has become the chief cornerstone. 11 From Jehovah this has come to be, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

12 At that they began seeking how to seize him, but they feared the crowd, for they took note that he spoke the illustration with them in mind. So they left him and went away.

13 Next they sent forth to him some of the Pharisees and of the party followers of Herod, to catch him in his speech. 14 On arrival these said to him: “Teacher, we know you are truthful and you do not care for anybody, for you do not look upon men’s outward appearance, but you teach the way of God in line with truth: Is it lawful to pay head tax to Caesar or not? 15 Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?” Detecting their hypocrisy, he said to them: “Why do YOU put me to the test? Bring me a denarius to look at.” 16 They brought one. And he said to them: “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to him: “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus then said: “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.” And they began to marvel at him.

18 Now Sadducees came to him, who say there is no resurrection, and they put the question to him: 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote us that if someone’s brother dies and leaves a wife behind but does not leave a child, his brother should take the wife and raise up offspring from her for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, but when he died he left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, but died without leaving offspring; and the third the same way. 22 And the seven did not leave any offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection to which of them will she be wife? For the seven got her as wife.” 24 Jesus said to them: “Is not this why YOU are mistaken, YOUR not knowing either the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, neither do men marry nor are women given in marriage, but are as angels in the heavens. 26 But concerning the dead, that they are raised up, did YOU not read in the book of Moses, in the account about the thornbush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob’? 27 He is a God, not of the dead, but of the living. YOU are much mistaken.”

28 Now one of the scribes that had come up and heard them disputing, knowing that he had answered them in a fine way, asked him: “Which commandment is first of all?” 29 Jesus answered: “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah, 30 and you must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The scribe said to him: “Teacher, you well said in line with truth, ‘He is One, and there is no other than He’; 33 and this loving him with one’s whole heart and with one’s whole understanding and with one’s whole strength and this loving one’s neighbor as oneself is worth far more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 At this Jesus, discerning he had answered intelligently, said to him: “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But nobody had the courage anymore to question him.

35 However, when making a reply, Jesus began to say as he taught in the temple: “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is David’s son? 36 By the holy spirit David himself said, ‘Jehovah said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies beneath your feet.”’ 37 David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ but how does it come that he is his son?”

And the great crowd was listening to him with pleasure. 38 And in his teaching he went on to say: “Look out for the scribes that want to walk around in robes and want greetings in the marketplaces 39 and front seats in the synagogues and most prominent places at evening meals. 40 They are the ones devouring the houses of the widows and for a pretext making long prayers; these will receive a heavier judgment.”

41 And he sat down with the treasury chests in view and began observing how the crowd was dropping money into the treasury chests; and many rich people were dropping in many coins. 42 Now a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins, which have very little value. 43 So he called his disciples to him and said to them: “Truly I say to YOU that this poor widow dropped in more than all those dropping money into the treasury chests; 44 for they all dropped in out of their surplus, but she, out of her want, dropped in all of what she had, her whole living.”


13 As he was going out of the temple one of his disciples said to him: “Teacher, see! what sort of stones and what sort of buildings!” 2 However, Jesus said to him: “Do you behold these great buildings? By no means will a stone be left here upon a stone and not be thrown down.”

3 And as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives with the temple in view, Peter and James and John and Andrew began to ask him privately: 4 “Tell us, When will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are destined to come to a conclusion?” 5 So Jesus started to say to them: “Look out that nobody misleads YOU. 6 Many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and will mislead many. 7 Moreover, when YOU hear of wars and reports of wars, do not be terrified; [these things] must take place, but the end is not yet.

8 “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, there will be earthquakes in one place after another, there will be food shortages. These are a beginning of pangs of distress.

9 “As for YOU, look out for yourselves; people will deliver YOU up to local courts, and YOU will be beaten in synagogues and be put on the stand before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them. 10 Also, in all the nations the good news has to be preached first. 11 But when they are leading YOU along to deliver YOU up, do not be anxious beforehand about what to speak; but whatever is given YOU in that hour, speak this, for YOU are not the ones speaking, but the holy spirit is. 12 Furthermore, brother will deliver brother over to death, and a father a child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death; 13 and YOU will be objects of hatred by all people on account of my name. But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved.

14 “However, when YOU catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation standing where it ought not (let the reader use discernment), then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains. 15 Let the man on the housetop not come down, nor go inside to take anything out of his house; 16 and let the man in the field not return to the things behind to pick up his outer garment. 17 Woe to the pregnant women and those suckling a baby in those days! 18 Keep praying that it may not occur in wintertime; 19 for those days will be [days of] a tribulation such as has not occurred from [the] beginning of the creation which God created until that time, and will not occur again. 20 In fact, unless Jehovah had cut short the days, no flesh would be saved. But on account of the chosen ones whom he has chosen he has cut short the days.

21 “Then, too, if anyone says to YOU, ‘See! Here is the Christ,’ ‘See! There he is,’ do not believe [it]. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the chosen ones. 23 YOU, then, watch out; I have told YOU all things beforehand.

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling out of heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send forth the angels and will gather his chosen ones together from the four winds, from earth’s extremity to heaven’s extremity.

28 “Now from the fig tree learn the illustration: Just as soon as its young branch grows tender and puts forth its leaves, YOU know that summer is near. 29 Likewise also YOU, when YOU see these things happening, know that he is near, at the doors. 30 Truly I say to YOU that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things happen. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

32 “Concerning that day or the hour nobody knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but the Father. 33 Keep looking, keep awake, for YOU do not know when the appointed time is. 34 It is like a man traveling abroad that left his house and gave the authority to his slaves, to each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to keep on the watch. 35 Therefore keep on the watch, for YOU do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether late in the day or at midnight or at cockcrowing or early in the morning; 36 in order that when he arrives suddenly, he does not find YOU sleeping. 37 But what I say to YOU I say to all, Keep on the watch.”

14 Now the passover and the [festival of] unfermented cakes was two days later. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize him by crafty device and kill him; 2 for they repeatedly said: “Not at the festival; perhaps there might be an uproar of the people.”

3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the meal, a woman came with an alabaster case of perfumed oil, genuine nard, very expensive. Breaking open the alabaster case she began to pour it upon his head. 4 At this there were some expressing indignation among themselves: “Why has this waste of the perfumed oil taken place? 5 For this perfumed oil could have been sold for upward of three hundred denarii and been given to the poor!” And they were feeling great displeasure at her. 6 But Jesus said: “Let her alone. Why do YOU try to make trouble for her? She did a fine deed toward me. 7 For YOU always have the poor with YOU, and whenever YOU want to YOU can always do them good, but me YOU do not have always. 8 She did what she could; she undertook beforehand to put perfumed oil on my body in view of the burial. 9 Truly I say to YOU, Wherever the good news is preached in all the world, what this woman did shall also be told as a remembrance of her.”

10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 When they heard it, they rejoiced and promised to give him silver money. So he began seeking how to betray him conveniently.

12 Now on the first day of unfermented cakes, when they customarily sacrificed the passover [victim], his disciples said to him: “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the passover?” 13 With that he sent forth two of his disciples and said to them: “Go into the city, and a man carrying an earthenware vessel of water will encounter YOU. Follow him, 14 and wherever he goes inside say to the householder, ‘The Teacher says: “Where is the guest room for me where I may eat the passover with my disciples?”’ 15 And he will show YOU a large upper room, furnished in preparation; and there prepare for us.” 16 So the disciples went out, and they entered the city and found it just as he said to them; and they prepared for the passover.

17 After evening had fallen he came with the twelve. 18 And as they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said: “Truly I say to YOU, One of YOU, who is eating with me, will betray me.” 19 They started to be grieved and to say to him one by one: “It is not I, is it?” 20 He said to them: “It is one of the twelve, who is dipping with me into the common bowl. 21 True, the Son of man is going away, just as it is written concerning him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been finer for that man if he had not been born.”

22 And as they continued eating, he took a loaf, said a blessing, broke it and gave it to them, and said: “Take it, this means my body.” 23 And taking a cup, he offered thanks and gave it to them, and they all drank out of it. 24 And he said to them: “This means my ‘blood of the covenant,’ which is to be poured out in behalf of many. 25 Truly I say to YOU, I shall by no means drink anymore of the product of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26 Finally, after singing praises, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

27 And Jesus said to them: “YOU will all be stumbled, because it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered about.’ 28 But after I have been raised up I will go ahead of YOU into Galilee.” 29 But Peter said to him: “Even if all the others are stumbled, yet I will not be.” 30 At that Jesus said to him: “Truly I say to you, You today, yes, this night, before a cock crows twice, even you will disown me three times.” 31 But he began to say profusely: “If I have to die with you, I will by no means disown you.” Also, all the others began saying the same thing.