Lord said: Hear what this judge of injustice says. Will God not accomplish the vindication of his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? Will he be patient in their case? I tell you that he will accomplish their vindication with speed. But when the son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?
And he told this parable against those who were confident that they were righteous and despised all others: Two men went out to the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. And the Pharisee stood and prayed thus within himself: О God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of mankind-rapacious, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I pay a tithe on all I have. But the tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even raise his eyes to the sky, but beat his breast and said: О God, have mercy upon sinful me. I tell you, this man went back to his house justified as compared with the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
They brought him even their babies for him to touch. And seeing this the disciples scolded them. But Jesus called them to him and said: Let the children come to me and do not prevent them: for of such is the Kingdom of God. Truly I tell you, he who does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child may not enter into it.
And an official questioned him, saying: Good master, what must I do to inherit life everlasting: Jesus said to him: Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother. But he said: I have kept all these from my youth. Hearing this Jesus said to him: You have one thing missing. Sell all you have and give it to the poor, and you shall have a treasury in heaven; and come and follow me. He was greatly pained when he heard this, for he was very rich. Watching him, Jesus said: How hard it is for those with money to enter the Kingdom of God. For it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. But his listeners said: And who can be saved? He said: What is impossible for men is possible for God. But Peter said: See, we have given up all that was our own and followed you. But he said to them: Truly I tell you, there is no one who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the Kingdom of God who will not receive many times as much in this time, and in the age to come life everlasting.
Then taking the twelve aside he said to them: Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all that has been written by the prophets about the son of man will be fulfilled. He will be given over to the Gentiles, and he will be mocked and outraged and spit upon, and they will flog him and kill him, and on the third day he will rise. And they understood nothing of all this, and this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know what was being said.
And it happened as he drew near Jericho there was a blind man sitting by the road, begging. And when he heard the crowd going through he asked what was going on; and they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying: Jesus, son of David, have pity on me. Those who were escorting him scolded the man, to silence him, but he screamed all the harder: Son of David, have pity on me. Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought before him. And as he approached he asked him: What do you want me to do for you? He said: Lord, let me see again. And Jesus said to him: See again; your faith has saved you. And immediately he could see again, and he followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, seeing this, gave praise to God.
Ц And he entered Jericho and was passing through it. And behold, there was a man called Zacchaeus, and he was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he was trying to see which one was Jesus and could not see him from the crowd, because he was short of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed a sycamore tree so that he could see him, because he was going to pass by it. And as he came to the place Jesus looked up and said to him: Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay in your house today. And he hastened and came down, and welcomed him with joy. And when they saw this everybody muttered, saying: He has gone in to stay with a sinful man. But Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said: See, Lord, I am giving half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have made anything dishonestly at someone's expense, I give it back fourfold. Jesus said to him: Salvation has come to this house today, because this man also is a son of Abraham; for the son of man came to seek out and save the lost.
As they were listening to him, he told an additional parable because he was close to Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God would appear very soon. So he said: A certain highborn man went on a journey to a far country to get a kingdom for himself and then return. And he summoned ten slaves who belonged to him and gave them ten minas and told them: Engage in business until I come. But his citizens hated him, and they sent an embassy after him, saying: We do not want this man to be king over us. And it happened on his return, after he had got the kingdom, he ordered those slaves to whom he had given the money to be summoned, so that he might learn what business they had got done. And the first appeared, and said: Master, your mina has earned ten more minas. And he said: Well done. Good slave, because in the least matter you were trustworthy, know that you now have power over ten cities. And the second one came and said: Master, your mina has made five minas. And to this one also he said: Know that you are set over five cities. And the other one came and said: Master, here is your mina which I kept hidden away in a napkin. For I was afraid of you because you are a severe man, who pick up what you did not put down and harvest what you did not sow. He said to him: Out of your own mouth I judge you, bad slave. You knew that I am a severe man, who pick up what I did not put down and harvest what I did not sow? Then why did you not put out my money to the bankers? Then when I returned I could have taken it out with interest. And to those who were standing by he said: Take his mina away and give it to the one who has ten minas-and they said to him: Master, he has ten minas— I tell you that to everyone who has it shall be given, and from him who does not have even what he has shall be taken away. But those enemies of mine, who did not want me to be king over them, bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.
And when Jesus had said this he went on with his journey up to Jerusalem.
And it happened that when he came near Bethphage and Bethany, near the hill which is called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples ahead, saying to them:
Go into the village that lies before you, and as you go in you will find a colt tethered, on which no man has ever ridden. And when you have untied him bring him. And if anybody asks you: Why are you untying him? answer thus: His master needs him. And those whom he had sent on this errand went and found it as he had said they would. And as they were untying the colt his masters said to them: Why are you untying the colt? And they said: His master needs him. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothing upon him and mounted Jesus on him; and as he went on they strewed their clothing in the road. And as he approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, all the multitude of his disciples, rejoicing, began to praise God in a great voice for all the powers they had seen displayed, saying: Blessed is he who comes, the King, in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him: Master, reprove your disciples. And he answered and said: I tell you, if these are silent, the stones will cry out.