Woes to Scribes and Pharisees

¹Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples:

²“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.

³So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

⁴They tie up heavy, burdensome loadsand lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

⁵All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.

⁶They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,

⁷the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.

⁸But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.

⁹And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

¹⁰Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ.

¹¹The greatest among you shall be your servant.

¹²For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

¹³Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.

¹⁵Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hellas you are.

¹⁶Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’

¹⁷You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?

¹⁸And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’

¹⁹You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred?

²⁰So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

²¹And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the One who dwells in it.

²²And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the One who sits on it.

²³Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

²⁴You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

²⁵Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

²⁶Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish,so that the outside may become clean as well.

²⁷Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity.

²⁸In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

²⁹Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.

³⁰And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’

³¹So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.

³²Fill up, then,the measure of the sin of your fathers.

³³You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?

³⁴Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.

³⁵And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

³⁶Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

³⁷O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

³⁸Look, your house is left to you desolate.

³⁹For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

¹“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

³The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil.

⁴But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps.

⁵When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.

⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

⁹‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.

¹¹Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’

¹²But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’

¹³Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions.

¹⁵To one he gave five talents,to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.

¹⁶The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to workand gained five more.

¹⁷Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more.

¹⁸But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

²⁰The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

²¹His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

²²The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’

²³His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

²⁴Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

²⁵So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’

²⁶‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed.

²⁷Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.

²⁸Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents.

²⁹For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

³⁰And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.

³²All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

³³He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

³⁴Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

³⁵For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,

³⁶I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’

³⁷Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?

³⁸When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?

³⁹When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’

⁴⁰And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’

⁴¹Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

⁴²For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,

⁴³I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’

⁴⁴And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

⁴⁵Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’

⁴⁶And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Road to Damascus

¹Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached the high priest

²and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

³As Saul drew near to Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”

⁵“Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked.“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied.

⁶“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the voice but did not see anyone.

⁸Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could not see a thing.So they led him by the hand into Damascus.

⁹For three days he was without sight, and he did not eat or drink anything.

Ananias Baptizes Saul

¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!”“Here I am, Lord,” he answered.

¹¹“Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.

¹²In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

¹⁴And now he is here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”

¹⁵“Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel.

¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”

¹⁷So Ananias went to the house, and when he arrived, he placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸At that instant, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and was baptized,

¹⁹and after taking some food, he regained his strength. And he spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

Saul Preaches at Damascus

²⁰Saul promptly began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, declaring, “He is the Son of God.”

²¹All who heard him were astounded and asked, “Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem on those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”

²²But Saul was empowered all the more, and he confounded the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

The Escape from Damascus

²³After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him,

²⁴but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.

²⁵One night, however, his disciples took him and lowered him in a basket through a window in the wall.

Saul in Jerusalem

²⁶When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

²⁷Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus.

²⁸So Saul stayed with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.

²⁹He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews,but they tried to kill him.

³⁰When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

The Healing of Aeneas

³¹Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew in strength and numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

³²As Peter traveled throughout the area, he went to visit the saints in Lydda.

³³There he found a man named Aeneas who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years.

³⁴“Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and put away your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up,

³⁵and all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

The Raising of Tabitha

³⁶In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated as Dorcas),who was always occupied with works of kindness and charity.

³⁷At that time, however, she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upper room.

³⁸Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to urge him, “Come to us without delay.”

³⁹So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

⁴⁰Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.

⁴¹Peter took her by the hand and helped her up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her to them alive.

⁴²This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

⁴³And Peter stayed for several days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

The LORD Is on My Side

¹Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;His loving devotion endures forever.

²Let Israelsay,“His loving devotion endures forever.”

³Let the house of Aaron say,“His loving devotion endures forever.”

⁴Let those who fear the LORD say,“His loving devotion endures forever.”

⁵In my distress I called to the LORD,and He answered and set me free.

⁶The LORD is on my side;I will not be afraid.What can man do to me?

⁷The LORD is on my side; He is my helper.Therefore I will look in triumph on those who hate me.

⁸It is better to take refuge in the LORDthan to trust in man.

⁹It is better to take refuge in the LORDthan to trust in princes.

¹⁰All the nations surrounded me,but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

¹¹They surrounded me on every side,but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

¹²They swarmed around me like bees,but they were extinguished like burning thorns;in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

¹³I was pushed so hard I was falling,but the LORD helped me.

¹⁴The LORD is my strength and my song,and He has become my salvation.

¹⁵Shouts of joy and salvation resound in the tents of the righteous:“The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!

¹⁶The right hand of the LORD is exalted!The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!”

¹⁷I will not die, but I will liveand proclaim what the LORD has done.

¹⁸The LORD disciplined me severely,but He has not given me over to death.

¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness,that I may enter and give thanks to the LORD.

²⁰This is the gate of the LORD;the righteous shall enter through it.

²¹I will give You thanks, for You have answered me,and You have become my salvation.

²²The stone the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone.

²³This is from the LORD,and it is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴This is the day that the LORD has made;we will rejoice and be glad in it.

²⁵O LORD, save us, we pray.We beseech You, O LORD, cause us to prosper!

²⁶Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.From the house of the LORD we bless you.

²⁷The LORD is God;He has made His light to shine upon us.Bind the festal sacrifice with cordsto the horns of the altar.

²⁸You are my God, and I will give You thanks.You are my God, and I will exalt You.

²⁹Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;His loving devotion endures forever.