And as he approached and looked at the city he wept over it, saying: If you only knew on this day, even you, what leads to peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come when your enemies will run an entrenchment around you and encircle you and crush you from every side, and they will level you to the ground, and your children in you, and they will not leave stone upon stone in you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.
And he went into the temple and began to drive out those who sold there, saying to them: It is written: And my house shall be a house of prayer. But you have made it into a den of robbers.
And he was teaching day by day in the temple. But the high priests and the scribes looked for a way to destroy him, and so also did the leading men among the people, but they could not think of what to do, for all the populace hung on his words.
t| And it happened on one of those days when he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the high priests and the scribes came up to him, along with the elders, and they said to him: Tell us by what authority you do this, or who it is who gave you this authority. He answered and said to them: I too will ask you a question, and you tell me. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? They discussed this among themselves, saying: If we say: From heaven, he will say: Why did you not believe him? But if we say: From men, the whole populace will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet. And they answered that they did not know whence it came. And Jesus said to them: Neither will I tell you by what authority I do this.
And he began to tell the people this parable: A man planted a vineyard, and let it out to farmers, and left the country for some time. And when the time came he sent his slave to the farmers so that they could give him some of the fruits of the vineyard. But the farmers lashed him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another slave in addition and they lashed him too and outraged him and sent him away empty-handed. He added still a third and sent him, and they wounded him and threw him out. Then the lord of the vineyard said to himself: What shall I do? I will send them my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him. But when they saw him the facers discussed it with each other, and they said: This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours. And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What will the lord of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those farmers and give the vineyard to others. When they heard it, they said: May it never happen! But he looked at them and said: What then is this that is written? The stone that the builders rejected has come to be at the head of the corner. And anyone who falls on that stone shall be broken; and he on whom it falls shall be crushed by it. And the scribes and the high priests were looking for a way to lay their hands on him at that very time, and they were afraid of the people, for they knew that he had spoken that parable against them. And they watched their opportunity and sent spies who pretended to be righteous men, so that they could seize on something he said and be able to turn him over to the government and the authority of the governor. And they questioned him, saying: Master, we know that you speak and teach straight, and do not take account of persons, but truthfully teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay the tax to Caesar or not? But he knew their knavery and said to them: Show me a denarius. Whose is the image and whose name is inscribed? They said: Caesar's. And he said to them: Then give Caesar what is Caesar's and God what is God's. And they could not get a hold on this saying before the people, and they wondered at this answer and were silent.
Then there came to him certain of the Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, and they questioned him, saying: Master, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, married but without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up issue for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers; and the first one took a wife and died without children; and the second took her, and the third, and in the same way all seven left no children, and died; and finally the woman died. So in the resurrection, whose wife will the woman be? For all seven had her as wife. Jesus said to them: The sons of this life marry and are given in marriage, but those who have been called worthy to attain that other life, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage. For they can no longer die, for they are like angels, and being sons of the resurrection they are sons of God. But that the dead waken Moses bore witness, at the bush, when he says: The Lord God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob; for he is not God of the dead but of the living, for all live in him. Then some of the scribes answered and said: Master, you have spoken well; for they no longer dared question him on anything. But he said to them: How do they say that the Christ is the son of David? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit on my right, so that I may put your enemies beneath your feet. So David calls him Lord, and how can he be his son?
And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples: Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in their robes, who love the salutations in the marketplaces and the first seats in the synagogues and the foremost couches at the dinners, who eat up the houses of the widows and pray long as an excuse. The greater the condemnation these will receive.
t Then he looked out and saw the people throwing their gifts into the treasury, rich people; and he saw a poor widow tossing in two little coins. And he said: Truly I tell you, this widow who is poor has put in more than all. For they all put in their gifts out of their surplus, but she put in out of her deficit, her whole livelihood.
And when some said concerning the temple that it was made beautiful with fine stones and dedications, he said: There will come days when of all this that you see there will be no stone set on stone that will escape falling to ruin. But they questioned him, saying: Master, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to happen? He said: See to it that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name saying: I am he, and: The time is near. Do not follow them. But when you hear of wars and dissensions, do not be frightened. For all this must come first, but the end will not be soon. Then he said to them: Nation shall rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, there will be great earthquakes, and in places there will be pestilences and famines, and horrors and great signs from the sky. But before all these things they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, turning you over to the synagogues and prisons, as you are brought before kings and chiefs because of my name. This will be your time to testify. Then store it in your hearts that you must not study beforehand how you will defend yourselves, for I will give you such lips and such skill that all your antagonists will be unable to stand against you or speak against you. But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of my name. But not one hair of your head shall be destroyed. Through your endurance you will possess your own souls. But when you see Jerusalem encircled by encampments, then know that her desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judaea flee to the mountains, and those who are in the middle of the city go out, and those who are in the provinces not go into her, because these are the days of her retribution, for all the scriptures to be fulfilled. Woe to the women who are with child in those days and the women who are nursing in those days. For there will be great stress upon the land and anger against this people, and they will fall to the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the nations until the times of the nations are fulfilled. And there will be portents in the sun and the moon and stars, and on earth distress of nations in bewilderment of the sound of the sea and its surf, as people faint from fear and expectation of what is advancing upon the world, for the powers of the skies will be shaken. And then they will see the son of man coming upon the cloud with power and great glory. As these things begin to happen, look up and raise your hands, because the time of your deliverance is near.