The Good News According to the Tradition of Matthew (Version 0.5.2)

The Divine Feminine Version (DFV) of the New Testament is made publicly available through the Creative Commons License – Attribution, Noncommercial, Share Alike 3.0 United States. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us for full details.

When quotations fom the Divine Feminine Version are used, the initials (DFV) may be used at the end of each quotation.

Chapter One

This is the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of Bathsheba and David, the son of Sarah and Abraham.

 ²Sarah and Abraham became the parents of Isaac,
Rebekah and Isaac of Jacob,
Leah and Jacob of Judah and his sister and brothers,
³and Tamar and Judah of Perez and Zerah.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron of Ram,
⁴Ram of Amminadab,
Amminadab of Nahshon,
Nahshon of Salmon,
⁵and Rahab and Salmon became the parents of Boaz.
Ruth and Boaz became the parents of Obed.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
⁶and Jesse of King David.

 Bathsheba and David became the parents of Solomon,
⁷Naamah and Solomon of Rehoboam,
and Maacah and Rehoboam of Abijah.
Abijah became the father of Asa,
⁸and Azubah and Asa became the parents of Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat became the father of Joram,
And Athaliah and Joram became the ancestors of Uzziah.
⁹Jerusha and Uzziah became the parents of Jotham,
and Jotham became the father of Ahaz.
Abijah and Ahaz became the parents of Hezekiah,
¹⁰Hephzibah and Hezekiah of Manasseh,
Meshullmeth and Manasseh of Amon,
Jedidah and Amon of Josiah,
¹¹and Zebidah and Josiah of Jechoniah and his sisters and
          brothers, at the time of the exile toBabylon.

¹²After the exile to Babylon, Jechoniah became the father of
          Shealtiel,
and Shealtiel became the grandfather of Zerubbabel.
¹³Zerubbabel became the father of Abiud,
Abiud of Eliakim,
Eliakim of Azor,
¹⁴Azor of Zadoc,
Zadoc of Achim,
Achim of Eliud,
¹⁵Eliud of Eleazar,
Eleazar of Matthan,
Matthan of Jacob,
¹⁶and Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary,
          the mother of Jesus, who is the Christ.

          ¹⁷So all the generations from Sarah and Abraham to Bathsheba and David are fourteen generations; from Bathsheba and David to the exile to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations.
          ¹⁸This is how Jesus Christ was born: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found pregnant of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Joseph, her husband, being a just person and not willing to embarrass her publicly, intended to break their engagement secretly. ²⁰But when he thought about these things, an angel of the Lady appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, descendant of Bathsheba and David,” the angel said, “don’t be afraid to marry Mary, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will have a son. You will name him Jesus, because he will deliver his people from their sins.”
          ²²Now all this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lady through the prophet:

           ²³“The virgin will be with child,
                    and will have a son.
          They will call him Immanuel”;

which means, “Godde with us.”
          ²⁴Joseph woke up, did as the angel of the Lady said, and married Mary; ²⁵but he didn’t sleep with her until she had a son. He named him Jesus.

 Chapter Two

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea during the time of King Herod the Great, magi from the east came to Jerusalem. ²“Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?” they asked. “We saw his star in the east, and have come to bow to him.”
          ³When King Herod heard it, he was anxious, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴Gathering together all the chief priests and scholars of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born.
          ⁵“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said, “for it is written through the prophet:

          ⁶‘You Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
                    are in no way least among the rulers of Judah:
          for out of you will come a ruler,
                    who will shepherd my people, Israel.’”

           ⁷Then Herod secretly sent for the magi and found out exactly when the star appeared. ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions: “Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, let me know, so that I may come and bow to him too.”
          ⁹Having heard the king, they went on their way; and the star which they saw in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over where the young child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overcome with joy. ¹¹They entered the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and bowed to him. Opening their treasures, they offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹²Being warned in a dream that they shouldn’t return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.
          ¹³Now when they had left, an angel of the Lady appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Arise and take the young child and his mother,” the angel said. “Flee to Egypt and stay there until I tell you, because Herod will try to kill the young child.”
          ¹⁴He got up, took the young child and his mother by night, withdrew to Egypt, ¹⁵and stayed there until the death of Herod to fulfill what was spoken by the Lady through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
          ¹⁶Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he was very angry, and gave orders to kill all the male children in Bethlehem and all the surrounding countryside who were two years old and younger, according to the exact time which he had learned from the magi. ¹⁷Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

          ¹⁸“A voice was heard in Ramah,
                    lamentation, weeping and great mourning,
          Rachel weeping for her children;
                    she wouldn’t be comforted,
                    because they are no more.”

          ¹⁹But when Herod was dead, an angel of the Lady appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. ²⁰“Arise and take the young child and his mother to Israel,” the angel said, “because those who sought the young child’s life are dead.”
          ²¹He got up and took the young child and his mother to Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. Being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee ²³and moved to a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Chapter Three

In those days, John the Baptizer came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. ²“Change,” he said, “because the Reign of Heaven is near!” ³This is the one who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet: 

          “The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
                    ‘Make ready the way of the Lady!
                    Make her paths straight!’”

           ⁴Now John himself wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. ⁵Then people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan flocked to him. ⁶They were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
          ⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he said, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the fury to come? ⁸So bear fruit worthy of change! ⁹Don’t think to yourselves, ‘We have Sarah and Abraham for our parents,’ because I say that Godde is able to raise up children of Sarah and Abraham from these stones.
          ¹⁰“Even now the axe lies at the root of the trees! So every tree that doesn’t bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹I do baptize you in water for change, but the one who comes after me is greater than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with a fire that can’t be put out.”
          ¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴But John tried to stop him. “I need to be baptized by you,” he said, “and yet you come to me?”
          ¹⁵But Jesus said, “Allow it now, because this is the right thing to do.” Then John baptized him.
          ¹⁶When Jesus was baptized, he rose directly from the water, and heaven opened. He saw the Spirit of Godde coming down to him as a dove. ¹⁷A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son! I am very pleased with him.”

Chapter Four

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
          ³The tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of Godde, tell these stones to turn into bread.”
          ⁴But he answered, “It is written:

           ‘Do not live on bread alone,
                    but by every word that comes out of the mouth of
                              Godde.’”

          ⁵Then the devil took him into the holy city, set him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶and said, “If you are the Son of Godde, throw yourself down, because it is written, ‘She will put her angels in charge of you,’ and:

          ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
                    so that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’”

          ⁷Jesus answered, “Again, it is written, ‘Do not test the Lady, your Godde.’”
          ⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, showed him all the glorious empires of the world, ⁹and said, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and bow to me.”
          ¹⁰Then Jesus answered, “Go away, Satan! Because it is written:

                     ‘Bow to the Lady your Godde,
                              and serve her only.’”

¹¹Then the devil left, and angels came and ministered to him.
          ¹²Now when Jesus heard that John was arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³Leaving Nazareth, he went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

          ¹⁵“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
                    toward the sea, beyond the Jordan,
                              Galilee of the Gentiles,
          ¹⁶the people who sat in darkness saw a great light,
                              to those who sat in the region and shadow of
                                        death,
                              to them light has dawned.”

¹⁷From that time, Jesus began to preach. “Change,” he said, “because the Reign of Heaven is near!”
          ¹⁸Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, known as Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea – because they were fishermen. ¹⁹“Follow me,” he said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
          ²⁰They immediately left their nets and followed him. ²¹Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, mending their nets in the boat with their father Zebedee. ²²They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.
          ²³Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of Godde’s Reign, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. ²⁴Word about him spread all through Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, oppressed by demons, epilepsy, and paralysis, and he healed them. ²⁵Large crowds from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and beyond the Jordan followed him.

Chapter Five

Seeing the crowds, he went up the mountain. When he sat down, his disciples approached him. ²He began to teach them:

          ³“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
                    for theirs is the Reign of Heaven.
          ⁴Blessed are those who grieve,
                    for they will be comforted.
          ⁵Blessed are the gentle,
                    for they will inherit the earth.
          ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after justice,
                    for they will be full.
          ⁷Blessed are the merciful,
                    for they will obtain mercy.
          ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,          
                    for they will see Godde.
          ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,
                    for they will be known as children of Godde.
          ¹⁰Blessed are those who have been harassed for pursuing
                              justice,
                    for theirs is the Reign of Heaven.

          ¹¹“Blessed are you when people criticize you, harass you, and slander you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be very glad, because your heavenly reward is great; for that is how they harassed the prophets before you.
          ¹³“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, how can you get it back? It is good for nothing, but to be thrown out and walked on.
          ¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill can’t be hidden. ¹⁵Nor do you light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it shines for everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before everyone so that they may see your good deeds and praise your Mother who is in heaven.
          ¹⁷“Don’t think that I came to destroy the Torah or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to complete. ¹⁸Believe me when I say that as long as heaven and earth exist, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke will in any way disappear from the Torah, until everything is done. ¹⁹Consequently, whoever breaks one of the least important precepts and teaches others to do so will be regarded as unimportant in the Reign of Heaven; but whoever obeys and teaches them will be known as great in the Reign of Heaven. ²⁰Because I say that unless you’re more just than the scholars and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter the Reign of Heaven.
          ²¹“You know that long ago it was said, ‘Do not murder;’ and ‘Whoever murders will be in danger of judgment.’ ²²But I say that everyone who is angry with a sister or brother will be in danger of judgment. Whoever calls a sister or brother ‘Airhead!’ will be in danger before the court, and whoever says ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of being taken out with the trash and incinerated.
          ²³“So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and then remember that your sister or brother has anything against you, ²⁴leave your gift before the altar and hurry away. First make amends with your sister or brother, then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Agree with your adversary quickly while you are on the way to court, for fear that your adversary will deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶Believe me when I say that you will not get out of there by any means until you have paid the last penny.
          ²⁷“You know that it was said, ‘Do not be unfaithful;’ ²⁸but I say that everyone who gazes at someone in lust has already been unfaithful in their heart. ²⁹If your right eye trips you up, pluck it out and throw it away, because it is better for one of your body parts to die than for your whole body to be taken out with the trash and incinerated. ³⁰If your right hand trips you up, cut it off and throw it away, because it is better for one of your body parts to die than for your whole body to be taken out with the trash and incinerated.
          ³¹“It was also said, ‘Whoever wants out of a marriage should get a no-fault divorce,’ ³²but I say that whoever divorces someone (except for promiscuity) causes them to be a victim of unfaithfulness; and whoever marries them is unfaithful too.
          ³³“You also know that long ago it was said, ‘Do not break your promises, but keep all your promises to the Lady,’ ³⁴but I say don’t promise at all: not by heaven, because it is the throne of Godde; ³⁵nor by the earth, because it is the footstool of her feet; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great Queen. ³⁶Nor promise by your head, because you can’t make one hair white or black. ³⁷But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Anything beyond that is wicked.
          ³⁸“You know that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹But I say, don’t violently resist the one who is wicked; but if someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other one to them. ⁴⁰If anyone sues you to take away your shirt, give them your coat too. ⁴¹If someone makes you go one mile, go an extra mile. ⁴²Give to the one who asks you, and don’t refuse the one who wants to borrow from you.
          ⁴³“You know that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I say love your enemies and pray for those who harass you, ⁴⁵so that you may be children of your Mother who is in heaven; because she makes her sun rise on those who are wicked and on those who are good, and sends rain on those who are just and on those who are unjust. ⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what good is it? Don’t even toll collectors do that? ⁴⁷If you welcome only your sisters and brothers, what makes you any different than anybody else? Don’t even Gentiles do that? ⁴⁸So be inclusive, just as your Mother in heaven is inclusive.

Chapter Six

“Be careful not to publicize your pursuit of justice to be noticed, or you will have no reward from your Mother who is in heaven. ²So don’t blow your own horn when you make donations, like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that people might praise them. Believe me when I say that they have already received their reward. ³But when you make donations, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your donations may be made secretly; then your Mother who sees in secret will reward you.
          ⁵“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites, because they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will notice them. Believe me when I say that they have already received their reward. ⁶But when you pray, go into your closet, shut the door, and pray to your Mother secretly; then your Mother who sees in secret will reward you. ⁷When praying, don’t keep repeating yourselves like the Gentiles; they think that they will be heard because they keep talking. ⁸So don’t be like them, because your Mother knows what you need before you even ask her. ⁹This is how you should pray: 

          ‘Our Mother in heaven,
          we honor your holy name.         
          ¹⁰Let your Reign come.
          Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
          ¹¹Give us our daily bread today.
          ¹²Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
          ¹³Do not put us in harm’s way,
                    but rescue us from evil.
          [Yours is the Reign, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.]’

          ¹⁴“If you forgive people for their faults, your heavenly Mother will forgive you for your faults too. ¹⁵But if you don’t forgive people for their faults, your Mother won’t forgive you for your faults either.
          ¹⁶“Furthermore, when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites who put on sad faces. They twist their faces so that people might notice they are fasting. Believe me when I say that they have already received their reward. ¹⁷But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face ¹⁸so that people don’t notice you are fasting; but your Mother who is in secret will notice, and your Mother, who sees in secret, will reward you.
          ¹⁹“Don’t store treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moths and rust destroy it, and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰but store treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moths nor rust destroy, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. ²¹Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be too.
          ²²“Your eye is the lamp of your body. So if your eye is fine, your whole body will be full of light. ²³But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in the dark. If your light goes out, how dark it will be!
          ²⁴“No one can follow two leaders, because they will hate one and love the other; or they will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both Godde and Money.
          ²⁵”So I say don’t be anxious about your life, about what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶See how the birds of the sky don’t sow, reap, or gather into barns. Your heavenly Mother feeds them. Aren’t you much more valuable than they? ²⁷Which of you can add one moment to your life by being anxious? ²⁸Why are you anxious about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow. They don’t work or spin, ²⁹yet believe me when I say that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. ³⁰But if Godde clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, won’t she clothe you much more, you who have little trust? ³¹So don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³²The Gentiles look for all these things, and your heavenly Mother knows that you need them. ³³But look for Godde’s Reign and her justice first, and all these things will be given to you too. ³⁴So don’t be anxious about tomorrow, because tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day is taxing enough as it is.

Chapter Seven

“Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged; ²because you will be judged the way that you judge, and you will be measured the way that you measure. ³Why do you see the speck that is in your sister’s or brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? ⁴Or how will you tell your sister or brother, ‘Let me get that speck out of your eye’ when the beam is in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite! First get the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to get the speck out of your sister’s or brother’s eye.
          ⁶“Don’t give what is holy to the dogs or throw your pearls before the pigs, in case they trample them under their feet, turn around, and tear you to pieces.
          ⁷“Ask and you will receive. Look and you will find. Knock and it will be opened for you, ⁸because everyone who asks receives. The one who looks finds. To one who knocks it will be opened. ⁹Which of you parents, if their child asks for bread, will give them a stone? ¹⁰Or if they ask for a fish, who will give them a serpent? ¹¹If you, bad as you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Mother who is in heaven give good things to those who ask her! ¹²So do to other people whatever you want them to do to you; because this is the meaning of the Torah and the prophets.
          ¹³“Enter by the narrow gate, because wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter by it. ¹⁴How narrow is the gate, and how restricted is the way that leads to life! Those who find it are few.
          ¹⁵“Beware of dishonest teachers. They approach you dressed like sheep, but they’re really predatory wolves on the inside. ¹⁶You will know them by their fruits. Can you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷Every good tree bears good fruit, but the rotten tree bears spoiled fruit. ¹⁸A good tree can’t bear spoiled fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰By their fruits you will know them.
          ²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Reign of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Mother who is in heaven. ²²Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we speak in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty deeds?’ ²³Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Go away, you criminals!’
          ²⁴“Everyone who hears my words and acts on them is like a wise person who built their house on a rock. ²⁵The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house; but it didn’t fall, because it was built on the rock. ²⁶Everyone who hears my words and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish person who built their house on the sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house; and it fell. How great was its fall!”
          ²⁸When Jesus finished speaking, the crowds were amazed ²⁹because he taught them with authority – not like the scholars.

Chapter Eight

When he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. ²Someone with leprosy approached and bowed to him. “Lord,” he said, “if you want to, you can cure me.”
          ³Jesus reached out and touched him. “I want to,” he said. “Be cured.” His leprosy was healed immediately.
          ⁴“Be sure to tell no one,” Jesus said, “but go show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses said to, to witness to them.”
          ⁵When he came to Capernaum, a centurion approached. ⁶“Lord,” he said, “my servant lies in the house paralyzed, badly tormented.”
          ⁷“I will go heal him,” Jesus said.
          ⁸“Lord,” the centurion answered, “I’m not worthy for you to come under my roof. Just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹I am also in a chain of command, having soldiers under me. I tell one, ‘Go,’ and they go; I tell another, ‘Come,’ and they come; I tell my bondservant, ‘Do this,’ and they do it.”
          ¹⁰Jesus was amazed when he heard this. He said to his followers, “Believe me when I say that I haven’t found such great trust in anyone in Israel. ¹¹I say that many will come from the east and the west and will sit down with Sarah and Abraham, Rebekah and Isaac, and Leah, Rachel and Jacob in the Reign of Heaven, ¹²but the children of Godde’s Reign will be thrown into the outer darkness. They will weep and grind their teeth.”
          ¹³Jesus said to the centurion, “Go on. Let it be done for you according to your trust.” His servant was healed that very hour.
          ¹⁴Jesus entered Peter’s house and saw his mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever. ¹⁵He touched her hand and the fever left her. She got up and ministered to him.
          ¹⁶When evening came, they brought to him many people who were oppressed by demons. He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick ¹⁷to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He took our sickness and bore our diseases.”
          ¹⁸Now when Jesus saw large crowds around him, he gave the order to cross to the other side.
          ¹⁹A scholar approached him. “Teacher,” he said, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
          ²⁰“The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests,” Jesus answered, “but the Son of Woman has nowhere to rest.”
          ²¹Another disciple said to him, “Lord, let me go and bury my father first.”
          ²²But Jesus answered, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
          ²³When he got into a boat, his disciples followed. ²⁴A violent storm arose on the sea, so great that the waves overwhelmed the boat; but he was asleep. ²⁵They woke him up. “Rescue us, Lord!” they cried. “We are dying!”
          ²⁶He answered, “Why are you afraid, you who have little trust?” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and sea, and there was a great calm.
          ²⁷They were amazed. “What kind of person is this,” they asked, “whom even the wind and sea obey?”
          ²⁸When he arrived at the other side, in the country of the Gadarenes, two demonized people from among the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass.
          ²⁹“What do you want with us, Son of Godde?” they cried out. “Have you come to harass us before our time is up?”
          ³⁰Now a herd of many pigs was feeding in the distance. ³¹The demons begged him. “If you cast us out,” they said, “let us to go into the herd of pigs.”
          ³²“Go!” he said.
          They came out and went into the herd of pigs. The whole herd charged down the cliff into the sea and died in the water. ³³Those who fed them ran to town and told the whole story, including what had happened to those who were demonized. ³⁴The whole town came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Chapter Nine

He got into a boat, crossed over, and went to his own town. ²They brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a mat. Seeing their trust, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Son, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven.”
          ³“This is blasphemy!” some of the scholars said to themselves.
          ⁴Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus said, “Why are you thinking such wicked things? ⁵Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶But to show you that the Son of Woman has the right to forgive sins…” he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up! Take your mat and go home.”
          ⁷He got up and went home. ⁸When the crowds saw it, they were amazed and praised Godde who had given such authority to mortals.
          ⁹As Jesus was leaving, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the toll booth. “Follow me,” he said. He got up and followed him.
          ¹⁰As he sat in his house, many toll collectors and outsiders came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹When the Pharisees saw it, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with toll collectors and outsiders?”
          ¹²When Jesus heard them, he said, “Those who are healthy have no need for a doctor, but those who are sick do. ¹³Go figure out what this means: ‘I want compassion, not empty ritual.’ I didn’t come to summon those who are ‘just,’ but outsiders.”
          ¹⁴Then John’s disciples approached him. “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast regularly,” they asked, “but your disciples don’t fast at all?”
          ¹⁵Jesus answered, “How can the friends of the groom grieve while the groom is still with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.
          ¹⁶“No one sews a patch of new cloth on an old coat, because the patch would tear away from the garment and make the hole worse. ¹⁷Nor do people put new wine in old wineskins, because the skins would burst, the wine would spill, and the skins would be ruined. No, they put new wine in fresh wineskins so that both are preserved.”
          ¹⁸While he said these things, a leader of the synagogue came and bowed to him. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but if you come and touch her, she will live.”
          ¹⁹Jesus got up and followed him, along with his disciples. ²⁰A woman who had been hemorrhaging blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel of his coat. ²¹She said to herself, “If I just touch his coat, I will be healed.”
          ²²But Jesus turned around and saw her. “Daughter, cheer up!” he said. “Your trust has made you well.” The woman was healed that very hour.
          ²³Jesus came into the synagogue leader’s house. Seeing the flute players and the crowd in noisy disorder, ²⁴he said, “Make room, because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.”
          They laughed at him. ²⁵But when the crowd was sent away, he went in and took her by the hand. The girl arose. ²⁶Word of the event spread all through the land.
          ²⁷As Jesus passed by from there, two men who were blind followed him, calling out: “Have mercy on us, son of Bathsheba and David!”
          ²⁸When he had come into the house, the men who were blind approached him. Jesus asked, “Do you trust that I am able to do this?”
           “Yes, Lord,” they answered.
          ²⁹Then he touched their eyes. “It will be done for you according to your trust,” he said. ³⁰Their eyes were opened.
          “Make sure that no one finds out about this,” Jesus sternly warned them. ³¹But they left and spread the news all through the land.
          ³²As they were leaving, a man who was demon-oppressed and mute was brought to him. ³³When the demon was cast out, the man who was mute spoke. The crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!” they said. [³⁴But the Pharisees said, “The prince of the demons gives him the power to cast out demons.”]
          ³⁵Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of Godde’s Reign, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. ³⁶But he was moved with compassion when he saw the crowds, because they were harassed and scattered – like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest really is plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸So pray that the Lady of the harvest will send workers into her fields.”

Chapter Ten

He called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out corrupting spirits and heal every disease and sickness. ²Now the names of the twelve apostles are:

          Simon, known as Peter;
          Andrew, his brother;
          James the son of Zebedee;         
          John, his brother;
          ³Philip;
          Bartholomew;
          Thomas;
          Matthew the toll collector;
          James the son of Alphaeus;
          Thaddaeus;
          ⁴Simon the Cananean; and
          Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

          ⁵Jesus sent out these twelve with these instructions: “Don’t go among the Gentiles, and don’t enter any town of the Samaritans. ⁶Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷As you go, proclaim, ‘The Reign of Heaven is at hand!’ ⁸Heal those who are sick, raise those who are dead, cure those who have leprosy, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give. ⁹Don’t take any gold, silver, or copper in your money belts. ¹⁰Don’t take a bag for your journey, or two shirts, or shoes or a staff, because the worker is worthy of their food. ¹¹Find out who is trustworthy in whatever town or village you enter, and stay there until you leave. ¹²As you enter the house, greet them. ¹³If they’re trustworthy, bless them; but if they aren’t, take back your blessing. ¹⁴If anyone doesn’t welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or town. ¹⁵Believe me when I say that in the coming judgment, it will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town!
          ¹⁶“I send you out like sheep among wolves, so be wise as serpents but innocent as doves. ¹⁷Watch out, because people will turn you in to the courts and flog you in their synagogues. ¹⁸And you will even be dragged before governors and kings because of me, to witness to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹But when they turn you in, don’t be anxious about what to say or how to say it, because at that time the words will be given to you; ²⁰for it is not you talking, but the Spirit of your Mother talking through you.
          ²¹“Sisters and brothers will turn each other in to be executed, and parents will turn in their children. Children will turn against parents and cause them to be executed. ²²You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who endures to the end will be rescued. ²³But when they harass you in one town, flee to the next. Believe me when I say that you will not get through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Woman comes.
          ²⁴“A disciple is not greater than their teacher, nor a bondservant greater than their master. ²⁵It is good enough that the disciple be like their teacher and the bondservant like their master. If they have called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more those of his household!
          ²⁶“So don’t be afraid of them, because nothing is veiled that will not be unveiled, nor hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷Whatever I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and whatever is whispered in your ear, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the one who can take both soul and body out with the trash and incinerate them!
          ²⁹“Don’t two sparrows cost a penny? Not one of them falls to the ground without your Mother knowing about it. ³⁰The very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹So don’t be afraid, because you are more valuable than many sparrows.
          ³²“Whoever acknowledges me in front of others, I will acknowledge in front of my Mother who is in heaven. ³³But whoever denies me in front of others, I will deny in front of my Mother who is in heaven.
          ³⁴“Don’t think that I came to bring peace on earth. I didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword!

          ³⁵I came to turn a son against his father,
                    and a daughter against her mother,
                    and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
          ³⁶Family members will be enemies.

³⁷Whoever loves mother or father more than me can’t follow me, and whoever loves daughter or son more than me can’t follow me. ³⁸Whoever doesn’t take their cross and join me can’t follow me. ³⁹Whoever tries to gain their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
          ⁴⁰“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will be regarded as a prophet. Whoever welcomes a just person in the name of a just person will be regarded as a just person. ⁴²Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple – believe me when I say that they will in no way lose their reward.”

Chapter Eleven

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he left that place to teach and preach in their towns.
          ²Now when John, who was in prison, heard about what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples ³to ask him, “Are you the coming one, or should we look for someone else?”
          ⁴“Go and tell John what you hear and see,” Jesus answered. ⁵“Those who:

                    are blind, receive their sight;
                    are lame, walk;
                    have leprosy, are cured;
                    are deaf, hear;
                    are dead, are raised up;
                    are poor, have good news preached to them.

⁶Blessed is the one who doesn’t resent me.”
          ⁷As they went away, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John. “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fancy clothes? Those who wear fancy clothes live in palaces. ⁹ Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say, and much more than a prophet, ¹⁰because it is written about him: 

          ‘I send my messenger ahead of you,
                    who will prepare your path for you.’

          ¹¹“Believe me when I say that John the Baptizer is greater than anyone who has been born, but whoever is least important in the Reign of Heaven is still greater than him. ¹²Since the time that John the Baptizer was arrested, the Reign of Heaven has been suffering violence, and violent people oppose it. ¹³All the prophets and the Torah witnessed up until John’s time. ¹⁴If you can believe it, he is the coming Elijah. ¹⁵If anyone has ears, listen up!
          ¹⁶“To what can I compare this generation? It can be compared to children sitting in the marketplace and calling to their friends:

          ¹⁷‘We played the flute for you,
                    and you didn’t dance.
          We mourned for you,
                    and you didn’t grieve.’ 

¹⁸John did not come eating or drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹The Son of Woman came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of toll collectors and outsiders!’ But Wisdom is vindicated by her actions.”
          ²⁰Then he began to condemn the towns in which he had done most of his mighty deeds, because they didn’t change. ²¹“How awful for you, Chorazin! How awful for you, Bethsaida! If the great deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed a long time ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²²But I say that it will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you in the coming judgment! ²³You, Capernaum, who have risen so high – you will fall down to the Grave! If the great deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would still be around today. ²⁴But I say that it will be better for the land of Sodom than for you in the coming judgment!”
          ²⁵Then Jesus prayed, “Thank you, Mother, Lady of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the wise and learned and revealing them to infants. ²⁶Yes, Mother, this was what you wanted. ²⁷My Mother has given me everything. No one knows the Son except the Mother. Nor does anyone know the Mother except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wants to reveal her.
          ²⁸“Come to me, all you overburdened workers, and I will let you relax. ²⁹Work for me and let me teach you, because I am gentle and humble. You will be refreshed, ³⁰because my work is easy and my workload is light.”

Chapter Twelve

Then Jesus walked through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began plucking heads of grain and eating them. ²But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Your disciples are doing what’s not permissible on the Sabbath.”
          ³He answered, “Haven’t you read what David and those with him did when they were hungry? ⁴How they entered Godde’s house and ate the show bread that they were not permitted to eat – only the priests were? ⁵Or haven’t you read in the Torah that on the Sabbath, the priests in the temple breach the Sabbath, and are innocent? ⁶I say that one greater than the temple is here. ⁷If you had known what this means: ‘I want compassion, not empty ritual,’ you would not have condemned the innocent, ⁸because the Son of Woman is Lord of the Sabbath.”
          ⁹He left and went to their synagogue. ¹⁰A man with a withered hand was there. In an attempt to incriminate him, they asked, “Is it permissible to heal on the Sabbath?”
          ¹¹He answered, “If your only sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath, who among you wouldn’t grab it and get it out? ¹²How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! So it is permissible to do good on the Sabbath.”
          ¹³Then he told the man, “Hold out your hand.” When he held it out, it was just as healthy as his other hand. ¹⁴Then the Pharisees left and started plotting to destroy him.
          ¹⁵Knowing that, Jesus withdrew. Large crowds followed him. He healed them all ¹⁶and warned them not to reveal him, ¹⁷to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

          ¹⁸“See the servant I have chosen!
                    I love him and am very  pleased with him.
          I will put my Spirit on him.
                    He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
          ¹⁹He will not struggle or shout,
                    nor will anyone hear him crying out in the streets.
          ²⁰He won’t break a bruised reed
                    or snuff out a smoldering wick
          until justice prevails.
                    ²¹The Gentiles will put their hope in him.”

           ²²Then someone who was demon-oppressed, who couldn’t see or speak, was brought to him. He healed him, so the man who couldn’t see or speak could do both. ²³All the crowds were amazed. “Can this be the son of Bathsheba and David?” they asked.
          ²⁴But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This man casts out demons only because Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, gives him the power.”
          ²⁵Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus said, “Every divided empire is devastated, and every divided city or house will fall. ²⁶If Satan casts itself out, it is divided. Then how will its empire endure? ²⁷If Beelzebul gives me power to cast out demons, who gives your people power to cast them out? So they prove you wrong. ²⁸But if the Spirit of Godde gives me the power to cast out demons, then the Reign of Godde has come to you! ²⁹How can one break into the house of the strong and loot it without first binding the strong? Then one can loot the house.
          ³⁰“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever doesn’t gather with me, scatters. ³¹So I say that every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³²Whoever speaks out against the Son of Woman will be forgiven, but whoever speaks out against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven in this age or in the age to come.
          ³³“If you make the tree good, its fruit will be good. If you make the tree rotten, its fruit will be rotten. You can tell whether the tree is good or rotten by its fruit. ³⁴You offspring of vipers, how can you who are wicked speak good things? The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ³⁵The person who is good brings good things out of their good treasure, and the person who is wicked brings wicked things out of their wicked treasure. ³⁶I say that everyone will be held accountable for every useless word they speak in the coming judgment. ³⁷You will be vindicated or condemned by your words.”
          ³⁸Then some of the scholars and Pharisees said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a sign from Godde.”
          ³⁹But he answered, “A wicked and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be provided except that of Jonah the prophet. ⁴⁰As Jonah spent three days and nights in the belly of the sea monster, so the Son of Woman will spend three days and nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹The people of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because they changed when Jonah preached; and someone greater than Jonah is here. ⁴²The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom; and something greater than Solomon is here.
          ⁴³”When the corrupting spirit leaves, it journeys through arid places looking for rest, but doesn’t find it. ⁴⁴Then it says, ‘I will return to the place I left’; and when it comes back, it finds it empty, swept, and organized. ⁴⁵Then it goes out and brings along seven other spirits that are even worse, and they enter and live there. That person ends up even worse off than before. That’s how it will be with this wicked generation.”
          ⁴⁶While he was still addressing the crowds, his mother and his brothers stood outside, trying to talk to him. [⁴⁷Someone said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, trying to talk to you.”]
          ⁴⁸But he answered, “Who is my mother? Who are my sisters and brothers?”
          ⁴⁹He motioned towards his disciples. “My mother, my sisters, brothers!” he said. ⁵⁰“Whoever does the will of my Mother who is in heaven is my sister, my brother, my mother.”

Chapter Thirteen

That day Jesus left the house and sat by the seaside. ²Large crowds gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat. The crowd stood on the beach. ³He taught them many things through stories.
          “A farmer went out to sow,” he said. ⁴“As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside. The birds came and devoured them.
          ⁵“Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn’t have much soil. They sprouted immediately because the soil was so shallow. ⁶When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no roots, they withered.
          ⁷“Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them.
          ⁸“Others fell on good soil and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.
          ⁹“If anyone has ears, listen up!”
          ¹⁰The disciples approached him and asked, “Why do you teach people through stories?”
          ¹¹He answered, “The mysteries of the Reign of Heaven have been revealed to you, but not to them. ¹²Whoever has will be given more, and then some; but whoever doesn’t have will lose even what little they do have. ¹³So I teach them through stories, because although they see they don’t perceive, and although they hear they don’t understand. ¹⁴They fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: 

          ‘By hearing you will hear,
                    and will in no way understand;
          Seeing you will see,
                    and will in no way perceive:
          ¹⁵for this people’s heart has grown callous,
                    their ears are hard of hearing,
                    they have closed their eyes;
          or else perhaps they may see, even if they don’t perceive;
                    and they may hear, even if they don’t understand,
          because they don’t want to change their ways and be forgiven.’

          ¹⁶“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. ¹⁷Believe me when I say that many prophets and just people wanted to see what you see, but didn’t see them; and to hear what you hear, but didn’t hear them.
          ¹⁸“So hear the story of the farmer. ¹⁹When anyone hears the message of Godde’s Reign and doesn’t understand it, the enemy comes and steals what has been sown in her heart. This is what was sown by the roadside.
          ²⁰“What was sown on rocky ground represents the one who hears the message and joyfully accepts it right away; ²¹but it doesn’t sink in and they don’t last very long. When they are oppressed or harassed because of the message, they’re tripped up right away.
          ²²“What was sown among thorns represents the one who hears the message, but the concerns of this age and the trap of money choke the message and they become unfruitful.
          ²³“What was sown on good soil represents the one who hears the message, understands it, and really bears fruit; some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.”
          ²⁴He shared another story with them. “The Reign of Heaven can be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,” he said. ²⁵“While people slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds also among the wheat, then left. ²⁶When the crop sprang up and bore fruit, the weeds appeared too. ²⁷The bondservants of the manager came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did these weeds come from?’
          ²⁸“ ‘An enemy has done this,’ he answered.
          “The bondservants asked, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
          ²⁹“He said, ‘No, because you might accidentally pull up the wheat with the weeds. ³⁰Let them grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, pull up the weeds and tie them in bundles to burn; but put the wheat in my barn.”’”
          ³¹He shared another story with them. “The Reign of Heaven can be compared to a mustard seed which a man sowed in his field,” he said. ³²“It’s really smaller than all the seeds. But when it’s grown, it’s greater than any of the plants. It becomes a tree so that the birds can come and nest in its branches.”
          ³³He shared another story with them. “The Reign of Heaven can be compared to yeast which a woman hid in fifty pounds of flour until it was all leavened.”
          ³⁴Jesus taught all these things to the crowds through stories; he didn’t teach them anything without a story, ³⁵to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

           “I will speak through stories;
                      I will talk about things that have been hidden since the 
                                 beginning of the world.”

           ³⁶Then Jesus sent the crowds away and went in the house. His disciples approached him. “Explain to us the story about the weeds of the field,” they said.
           ³⁷He answered, “The one who sows the good seed represents the Son of Woman. ³⁸The field represents the world. The good seed represents the children of Godde’s Reign. The weeds represent the children of the enemy. ³⁹The enemy who sowed them represents the devil. The harvest represents the end of the age, and the reapers represent angels.
           ⁴⁰“As the weeds are bundled and burned, that’s what it will be like at the end of this age. ⁴¹The Son of Woman will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his Reign everything that causes problems and those who do wrong, ⁴²and will throw them in the fiery furnace. They will weep and grind their teeth. ⁴³Then those who are just will shine like the sun in their Mother’s Reign. If anyone has ears, listen up!
          ⁴⁴“The Reign of Heaven can also be compared to a treasure hidden in a field. A man found it and hid it. In his joy, he goes and sells everything that he owns and buys that field.
          ⁴⁵“The Reign of Heaven can also be compared to a merchant seeking fine pearls. ⁴⁶Having found one very valuable pearl, he went and sold everything that he owned and bought it.
          ⁴⁷“The Reign of Heaven can also be compared to a dragnet that was cast into the sea. It gathered every kind of fish. ⁴⁸When it was filled, they dragged it onto the beach. They sat down and put the good fish in baskets, but threw away the bad fish.
          ⁴⁹“That’s what it will be like at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate those who are wicked from among those who are just ⁵⁰and will throw them into the fiery furnace. They will weep and grind their teeth.”
          ⁵¹“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.
          “Yes,” they answered.
          ⁵²He said, “So every scholar who has become a disciple in the Reign of Heaven can be compared to a manager who brings out of their treasure both new and old things.”
          ⁵³When Jesus finished these stories, he left that place. ⁵⁴Coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue. They were amazed. “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?” they asked. ⁵⁵“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother known as Mary and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? ⁵⁶Aren’t all of his sisters around? Then where did this man get all of these things?” ⁵⁷They resented him.
          But Jesus said, “A prophet is respected, except in their own country and in their own house.” ⁵⁸He didn’t do many mighty deeds there because they didn’t believe.

 Chapter Fourteen

Then King Herod Antipas heard about Jesus. ²“This is John the Baptizer,” he said to his servants. “He has risen from the dead. That is why he has these powers.”
          ³Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip; ⁴for John had told Herod, “It is not right for you to marry her.” ⁵He would have executed John, but he was afraid of the crowd because they regarded him as a prophet. ⁶But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod. ⁷Then he promised to give her whatever she wanted. ⁸Being prompted by her mother, she said, “Bring me the head of John the Baptizer on a platter.”
          ⁹The king was sorry, but because of his promise and his guests, he ordered it to be given to her ¹⁰and had John beheaded in the prison. ¹¹His head was brought on a platter and given to the young lady, and she brought it to her mother. ¹²His disciples came, took the body, and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
          ¹³Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew and sailed to a remote place. When the crowds heard about it, they left the towns and followed him on foot.
          ¹⁴He went out and saw a large crowd. He had compassion on them and healed those who were sick. ¹⁵When evening came, his disciples approached him. “This place is remote,” they said,  “and it’s already late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”
          ¹⁶But Jesus answered, “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
          ¹⁷They told him, “All we have are five loaves and two fish.”
          ¹⁸“Bring them to me,” Jesus said. ¹⁹He ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven, he prayed. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰They all ate until they were satisfied. They picked up twelve baskets full of what was left over from the broken pieces. ²¹About five thousand families ate.
          ²²Immediately Jesus told the disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side while he sent the crowds away. ²³After he had sent the crowds away, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was alone.
          ²⁴By now the boat was far from land, tossed by the waves, because the wind was difficult. ²⁵At three in the morning, Jesus approached them, walking on the sea. ²⁶When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were worried. “It’s a ghost!” They cried out in fear.
          ²⁷But immediately Jesus spoke. “Cheer up!” he said. “It’s me! Don’t be afraid.”
          ²⁸“Lord,” Peter answered, “if it is you, order me to come to you on the water.”
          ²⁹“Come!” he said.
          Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water to come to Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid. Beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, rescue me!”
          ³¹Immediately Jesus reached out and grabbed him. “You who have little trust,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
          ³²When they got into the boat, the wind died down. ³³Those who were in the boat bowed to him. “You really are the Son of Godde!” they said.
          ³⁴When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. ³⁵When the people there recognized him, they sent into all the surrounding area, brought to him all who were sick, ³⁶and begged him to let them just touch the tassel of his garment. All who touched it were healed.

Chapter Fifteen

Then Pharisees and scholars came to Jesus from Jerusalem. ²“Why do your disciples disregard the tradition of the elders?” they asked. “They don’t wash their hands before they eat bread.”
          ³He answered, “Why does your tradition disregard the precept of Godde? ⁴Godde said, ‘Honor your mother and father,’ and ‘Whoever badmouths mother or father, let them be executed.’ ⁵But you say, ‘Whoever tells their mother or father, “Whatever I might have given to support you is a gift devoted to Godde,” ⁶need not honor mother or father.’ Your tradition has voided the word of Godde. ⁷You hypocrites! Isaiah accurately described you: 

          ⁸‘These people honor me with their lips,
                    but their heart is far from me.
          ⁹And they worship me pointlessly,
                    teaching rules made up by mortals as doctrine.’”

          ¹⁰He called the crowd. “Listen up!” he said. ¹¹“What goes into the mouth doesn’t defile a person, but what comes out of the mouth does.”
          ¹²Then the disciples approached him. “Do you know that the Pharisees were insulted when they heard this?” they asked.
          ¹³But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Mother didn’t plant will be pulled up. ¹⁴Leave them alone. They are ignorant guides. If one person who can’t see guides another person who can’t see, both will fall into a pit.”
          ¹⁵“Explain the story to us,” Peter answered.
          ¹⁶So Jesus said, “Are you still ignorant too? ¹⁷Don’t you know that whatever goes into the mouth passes through the stomach and then out into the sewer? ¹⁸But the things that come out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the person. ¹⁹Because out of the heart come wicked thoughts: murders, unfaithfulness, promiscuity, stealing, lying, and blasphemy. ²⁰These are what defile the person; eating without washing your hands doesn’t defile the person.”
          ²¹Jesus left that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²²A Canaanite woman came out. “Have mercy on me, Lord, son of Bathsheba and David!” she cried. “My daughter is severely oppressed by a demon!”
          ²³But he didn’t say a thing.
          His disciples came and begged him. “Send her away,” they said, “because she bothers us.”
          ²⁴He answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of Israel.”
          ²⁵But she approached and bowed to him. “Lord, help me,” she said.
          ²⁶“It is not right to throw the children’s bread to the dogs,” he answered.
          ²⁷“Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
          ²⁸Then Jesus answered, “Woman, your trust is great! What you want will be done for you.” Her daughter was healed that very hour.
          ²⁹Jesus left that place and approached the sea of Galilee. He went up the mountain and sat down. ³⁰Large crowds flocked to him, including those who were lame, blind, maimed, mute, and many others; and they laid them down at his feet. He healed them, ³¹so the crowd was amazed when they saw those who were mute speaking, maimed whole, lame walking, and blind seeing — and they praised the Godde of Israel.
          ³²Jesus called his disciples. “I have compassion on the crowd,” he said, “because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, because they might faint on the way.”
          ³³The disciples asked, “Where would we get enough bread in such a remote place to satisfy so great a crowd?”
          ³⁴“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
          “Seven,” they answered, “and a few small fish.”
          ³⁵He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, ³⁶and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them. He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ³⁷They all ate until they were satisfied. They picked up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸Four thousand families ate. ³⁹Then he sent away the crowds, got into the boat, and went into Magadan.

Chapter Sixteen

The Pharisees and Sadducees approached and tested him, asking him to show them a sign from heaven. ²But he answered, “[When it is evening, you say, ‘There will be good weather, because the sky is red.’ ³In the morning, ‘There will be bad weather today, because the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to read the face of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times!] ⁴A wicked and unfaithful generation looks for a sign, but no sign will be provided except that of the prophet Jonah.”
          He left them and went away. ⁵When the disciples got to the other side, they realized they had forgotten to take bread. ⁶Jesus said, “Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
          ⁷They talked among themselves. “It’s because we brought no bread,” they said.
          ⁸Knowing what they were saying, Jesus said, “Why do you talk among yourselves, you who have little trust, ‘because you have no bread?’ ⁹Don’t you perceive yet, or remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you picked up? ¹⁰Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you picked up? ¹¹Why don’t you perceive that I wasn’t speaking to you about bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹²Then they understood that he wasn’t telling them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
          ¹³Now when Jesus came into the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people think that the Son of Woman is?”
          ¹⁴ “Some think John the Baptizer,” they said. “Some think Elijah, and others think Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
          ¹⁵“But who do you think I am?” he asked.
          ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living Godde.”
          ¹⁷Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because mortals have not revealed this to you, but my Mother who is in heaven. ¹⁸I also say that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build my community; and the Gates of the Grave will not overcome it. ¹⁹I will give to you the keys of the Reign of Heaven. Whatever you prevent on earth will have been prevented in heaven; whatever you allow on earth will have been allowed in heaven.” ²⁰Then he instructed the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
          ²¹From that time on, Jesus began to reveal to his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scholars, be killed, and on the third day be raised up.
          ²²Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Far be it from you, Lord!” he said. “This will never be done to you!”
          ²³But he turned and said to Peter, “Get out of my way, Satan! You are a roadblock to me, because you are not thinking about the things of Godde, but about the things of mortals.”
          ²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to follow me, let them deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me; ²⁵because whoever wants to save their life will lose it, and whoever will lose their life for my sake will find it. ²⁶What good will it do someone if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? What will someone give in exchange for their life? ²⁷The Son of Woman will come in the glory of his Mother with his angels, and then he will judge everyone according to their deeds. ²⁸Believe me when I say that some people standing here will not die before they see the Son of Woman coming in his Reign.”

Chapter Seventeen

Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John up a high mountain by themselves. ²He was transformed right in front of them. His face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. ³Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with him.
          ⁴Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s a good thing we’re here. If you want, I’ll put up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
          ⁵While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them. A voice came out of the cloud and said, “This is my beloved Son! I am very pleased with him. Listen to him!”
          ⁶When the disciples heard this, they were so afraid that they fell on their faces. ⁷Jesus approached and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” ⁸Looking up, they saw no one except Jesus.
          ⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you saw until the Son of Woman has risen from the dead.”
          ¹⁰His disciples asked, “Why do the scholars say that Elijah must come first?”
          ¹¹Jesus answered, “Elijah does comes first, to restore everything; ¹²but I say that Elijah has come already and they didn’t recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In the same way, the Son of Woman will suffer by them too.” ¹³Then the disciples understood that he was talking about John the Baptizer.
          ¹⁴When they came to the crowd, a man approached him and knelt down. ¹⁵“Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has epilepsy and suffers greatly. He often falls into fire and water. ¹⁶So I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
          ¹⁷Jesus answered, “You distrustful and stubborn generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you? Bring him here.” ¹⁸Jesus rebuked the demon. It left him and the boy was cured that very hour.
          ¹⁹Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and asked, “Why weren’t we able to cast it out?”
          ²⁰“Because of your little trust,” he said. “Believe me when I say that if you have trust as big as a mustard seed, you can tell this mountain, ‘Move over there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you. [²¹But this kind doesn’t leave except by prayer and fasting.]”
          ²²While they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said, “The Son of Woman is about to be handed over to people ²³who will kill him, but on the third day he will be raised.” They were very sad.
          ²⁴When they had come to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
          ²⁵“Yes,” he answered.
          When he came in the house, Jesus anticipated him. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “Who pays tolls or tributes to earthly rulers? Their children, or strangers?”
          ²⁶“Strangers,” Peter answered.
          “Then children are exempt,” Jesus said. ²⁷“But so that we don’t offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a coin. Take it and give it to them for both of us.”

Chapter Eighteen

That very hour the disciples approached Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Reign of Heaven?”
          ²He called a child whom he set among them ³and said, “Believe me when I say that unless you change and become like children, there is no way you will ever enter the Reign of Heaven. ⁴So whoever is as humble as this child is the greatest in the Reign of Heaven. ⁵Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, ⁶but whoever trips up one of these little ones who trust in me, it would be better for them if a huge millstone were hung around their neck and they were sunk in the deep sea!
          ⁷“How awful that the world trips up people! It’s inevitable that people will be tripped up, but how awful it will be for the person who causes it! ⁸If your hand or foot trips you up, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be taken out with the trash and incinerated. ⁹If your eye trips you up, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be taken out with the trash and incinerated. ¹⁰Make sure that you don’t put down one of these little ones, because I say that in heaven their angels always face my Mother who is in heaven. [¹¹For the Son of Woman came to find what was lost.]
          ¹²“What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, don’t they leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and look for the one that has gotten lost? ¹³If they find it, believe me when I say that they rejoice more over the one than the ninety-nine that have not gotten lost. ¹⁴In the same way, your Mother who is in heaven does not want one of these little ones to die.
          ¹⁵“If your sister or brother sins [against you], go and discuss the problem just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won back your sister or brother. ¹⁶But if they don’t listen, take one or two more people with you so that ‘everything can be confirmed by two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷If they refuse to listen to them, bring the issue to the community. If they refuse to listen to the community too, treat them like a Gentile or a toll collector. ¹⁸Believe me when I say that whatever you prevent on earth will have been prevented in heaven, and whatever you allow on earth will have been allowed in heaven. ¹⁹Again, believe me when I say that if two of you on earth agree on anything that they ask, my Mother who is in heaven will do it for them. ²⁰Because where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
          ²¹Then Peter approached him. “Lord,” he said, “if a sister or brother keeps sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive them? Seven times?”
          ²²Jesus answered, “I say not seven times, but seventy times seven. ²³The Reign of Heaven can be compared to a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his bondservants. ²⁴When he began, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought before him. ²⁵But because he couldn’t pay, his lord ordered him to be sold along with his wife, his children, and all that he had in order to make the payment.
          ²⁶“So the bondservant fell down, bowed to him, and said, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay everything to you!’ ²⁷Feeling sorry for him, the lord released that bondservant and forgave the debt.
          ²⁸“But that bondservant went out and found one of his fellow bondservants who owed him one hundred denarii. He grabbed him by the throat and said, ‘Pay me what you owe!’
          ²⁹“So his fellow bondservant fell down at his feet and begged him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he said, ‘and I will repay you!’ ³⁰He would not, but instead threw him in prison until he could pay back what was due.
          ³¹“When his fellow bondservants saw what was done, they were very sorry. They told their lord the whole story.
          ³²“Then his lord summoned him and said, ‘You wicked bondservant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. ³³Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow bondservant, just as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴His lord was so angry that he handed him over to the jailers until he could repay everything that he owed him.
          ³⁵“Similarly, my heavenly Mother will hold you accountable if you do not forgive your sisters and brothers from your hearts.”

Chapter Nineteen

When Jesus finished speaking, he left Galilee and entered Judea beyond the Jordan. ²Large crowds followed him and he healed them there.
          ³Pharisees approached to test him and asked, “Is it okay for a husband to divorce his wife for any reason?”
          ⁴He answered, “Haven’t you read that in the beginning the Maker made them female and male, ⁵and said,

          ‘This is why a man will leave his mother and father, and will 
                    join his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?

 ⁶They are no longer two, but one. So don’t let mortals tear apart what Godde has joined together.”
          ⁷They asked, “Then why did Moses instruct us to divorce our wives?”
          ⁸He answered, “Because you are stubborn, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it has not been that way from the beginning. ⁹I say that whoever divorces someone (except for promiscuity) and remarries is unfaithful.”
          ¹⁰His disciples said, “If that’s the case, it’s better not to marry!”
          ¹¹But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching except those to whom it is given. ¹²Some people cannot marry because they were born that way, some people cannot marry because they were made that way, and some people don’t marry for the sake of the Reign of Heaven. Whoever is able to accept it, let them accept it.”
          ¹³Then children were brought to him so he could lay his hands on them and pray, but the disciples scolded them. ¹⁴Jesus said, “Welcome the children, and don’t stop them from coming to me, because the Reign of Heaven belongs to ones like these.” ¹⁵He laid his hands on them and then went away.
          ¹⁶Someone approached him and asked, “Teacher, what good thing can I do to have eternal life?”
          ¹⁷He answered, “Why do you ask me what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the precepts.”
          ¹⁸“Which ones?” he asked.
          Jesus said, “‘Do not murder.’ ‘Do not be unfaithful.’ ‘Do not steal.’ ‘Do not lie.’ ¹⁹‘Honor your mother and father.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
          ²⁰“I have done all these things,” the young man said. “What more do I need?”
          ²¹Jesus answered, “If you want to go all the way, then go, sell what you have and give to those who are poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me.”
          ²²But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had many things.
          ²³Jesus said to his disciples, “Believe me when I say that it will be difficult for a rich person to enter the Reign of Heaven. ²⁴Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich person to enter the Reign of Godde.”
          ²⁵When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished. “Then who can be delivered?” they asked.
          ²⁶Looking at them, Jesus said, “With mortals this is impossible, but with Godde all things are possible.”
          ²⁷Then Peter answered, “We have left everything and followed you. So what will we have?”
          ²⁸Jesus said, “Believe me when I say that in the Renewal, when the Son of Woman will sit on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹Everyone who has left houses, sisters, brothers, or mother, father, children, or property for my sake will receive one hundred times more and will inherit eternal life.
          ³⁰“But many who are first will be last, and last who are first.

 Chapter Twenty

“The Reign of Heaven can be compared to the master of a household who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ²When he had agreed to pay the workers a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
          ³“He went out at about nine o’clock and saw others standing around in the marketplace. ⁴He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and I will pay you whatever is just.’ So they went on their way.
          ⁵“He went out again at about twelve o’clock and at three o’clock, and did the same thing.
          ⁶“At about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around. He said to them, ‘Why are you standing around here all day?’
          ⁷“They said, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
          “He said, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
          ⁸“When evening came, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’
          ⁹“When those who were hired at about five o’clock came, they received a denarius apiece. ¹⁰When the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but they too received a denarius apiece. ¹¹When they received it, they complained about the master of the household. ¹² ‘The last ones have worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have paid them the same thing you have paid us, who have worked all day in the scorching heat!’
          ¹³“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴Take what is yours and go away. I want to give to this last person just as much as I gave you. ¹⁵Aren’t I allowed to do what I want with what I own? Or are you jealous that I am good?’
          ¹⁶“So the last will be first, and the first last.”
          ¹⁷As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, ¹⁸“We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Woman will be handed over to the chief priests and scholars. They will condemn him to death ¹⁹and hand him over to the Gentiles to mock, flog, and crucify; but on the third day he will be raised up.”
          ²⁰Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached him with her sons, bowing to him and asking him for something.
          ²¹“What do you want?” he asked.
          She said, “Order that my two sons may sit on either side of you in your Reign.”
          ²²But Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”
          “We are able,” they said.
          ²³“You will indeed drink my cup,” he said, “but sitting on either side of me is not mine to grant; that belongs to those for whom it has been reserved by my Mother.”
          ²⁴When the ten heard that, they got angry at the two brothers.
          ²⁵But Jesus called them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great leaders exercise authority over them. ²⁶It will not be that way among you, but whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant. ²⁷Whoever desires to be first among you will be your bondservant, ²⁸even as the Son of Woman came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life to liberate many.”
          ²⁹As they went out from Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰Two men who were blind were sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Have mercy on us, son of Bathsheba and David!” ³¹The crowd scolded them, telling them to be quiet, but they cried out even more, “Lord, have mercy on us, son of Bathsheba and David!”
          ³²Jesus stopped, called them, and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
          ³³They told him, “Lord, open our eyes.”
          ³⁴Being moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately their eyes saw and they followed him.

Chapter Twenty-One

When they came close to Jerusalem and reached Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples ²with these instructions: “Go to the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey and a colt tied. Untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone says anything to you, say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and they will immediately send them.”
          ⁴This was done to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

          ⁵“Tell the daughter of Zion,
                    your King comes to you,
          humble, and riding on a donkey,
                    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

          ⁶The disciples went and did what Jesus instructed them to do. ⁷They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their clothes on them, and he sat on them. ⁸A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹The crowds around him kept shouting, 

          “Praise the son of Bathsheba and David!
                    Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lady!
          Praise to the highest!”

          ¹⁰When he arrived at Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up. “Who is this?” they asked.
          ¹¹The crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
          ¹²Jesus entered the temple and threw out everyone who did business there. He overturned the money changers’ tables and the seats of those who were selling doves.
          ¹³He said, “It is written,

           ‘My house is to be known as a house of prayer,’
                    but you have made it a den of robbers!”

          ¹⁴Those who were blind and lame approached him in the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵But the chief priests and scholars got angry when they saw the wonderful things that he did and heard the children crying in the temple, “Praise the son of Bathsheba and David!” ¹⁶So they said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?”
          Jesus answered, “Yes. Didn’t you ever read,

           ‘From the mouths of babes and nursing babies
                    you have produced praise for yourself’?”

¹⁷He left, went out of the city to Bethany, and stayed there overnight.
          ¹⁸As he returned to the city the next morning, he was hungry. ¹⁹Seeing a fig tree by the road, he approached it, but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” he said.
          Immediately the fig tree withered away. ²⁰When the disciples saw it, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree immediately wither away?” they asked.
          ²¹Jesus answered, “Believe me when I say that if you have trust and don’t doubt, not only can you do that to the fig tree; you can even tell this mountain, ‘Get up and throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will happen. ²²Whatever you ask for in prayer and trust, you will receive.”
          ²³When he entered the temple and began teaching, the chief priests and elders of the people approached him and asked, “On whose authority do you do these things? Who gave you this authority?”
          ²⁴Jesus answered, “I will ask you one question too. If you answer me, I will tell you on whose authority I do these things. ²⁵Where did John get authority to baptize? From heaven or from mortals?”
          They talked among themselves. “If we say ‘From heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Then why did you not trust him?’ ²⁶But if we say ‘From mortals’ – we’re afraid of the crowd, because they all regard John as a prophet.” ²⁷They answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
          He said, “Nor will I tell you on whose authority I do these things. ²⁸But what do you think? A man had two sons. He approached the first one and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’ ²⁹He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰He approached the second one and said the same thing. He answered, ‘Yes, sir,’ but he didn’t go. ³¹Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
          “The first one,” they answered.
          Jesus said, “Believe me when I say that the toll collectors and sex workers are entering the Reign of Godde before you. ³²John came teaching justice, and you didn’t trust him, but the toll collectors and sex workers did. When you saw it, you didn’t even repent afterward so that you might trust him.
          ³³“Listen to another story. The master of a household planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, leased it out to sharecroppers, and left for another country.
          ³⁴“When the season for the fruit approached, he sent his bondservants to the sharecroppers to receive his fruit. ³⁵The sharecroppers took his bondservants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
          ³⁶“So he sent more bondservants, but they treated them the same way.
          ³⁷“Then he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸But when the sharecroppers saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him and seize his inheritance.’ ³⁹So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
          ⁴⁰“So when the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those sharecroppers?”
          ⁴¹They said, “He will destroy those awful people and lease out the vineyard to others who will give him the fruit in its season.”
          ⁴²Jesus said, “Didn’t you ever read in the Scriptures,

          ‘The stone which the builders rejected
                    was made the cornerstone.
          This was from the Lady.
                    It is marvelous in our eyes’?

          ⁴³“So I say the Reign of Godde will be taken away from you and given to a people who bring out its fruit. [⁴⁴Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on.]”
          ⁴⁵When the chief priests and Pharisees heard his stories, they understood that he was speaking about them. ⁴⁶They thought about seizing him but they were afraid of the crowds, because they considered him to be a prophet.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jesus spoke to them again in stories. ²He said, “The Reign of Heaven can be compared to a certain king who organized a wedding feast for his son ³and sent his bondservants to summon the invited guests to the feast. But they would not come.
          ⁴“He sent other bondservants with these instructions: ‘Tell those who are invited, “I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fat calves have been killed and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!”’ ⁵But they made light of it and went their own ways; one to their farm, another to their business; ⁶and the rest grabbed his bondservants, humiliated them, and killed them.
          ⁷“When the king heard about it, he was angry. He sent his armies, destroyed the murderers, and burned their city.
          ⁸“Then he said to his bondservants, ‘The wedding is ready, but the invited guests weren’t worth it. ⁹So go to the crossroads of the highways and invite as many people as you can find to the wedding feast.’
          ¹⁰“Those bondservants went to the highways and rounded up as many people as they could, both wicked and good. The wedding was filled with guests.
          ¹¹“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man who didn’t have wedding clothes. ¹²He said to him, ‘Friend, why did you come in here without wearing wedding clothes?’ He was speechless. ¹³The king said to the servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where he will weep and grind his teeth. ¹⁴Because many are summoned, but few are chosen.’”
          ¹⁵Then the Pharisees left and started plotting to trap him in his speech. ¹⁶They sent their disciples along with the Herodians to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are honest and teach the way of Godde in truth, no matter whom you teach, because you aren’t partial to anyone. ¹⁷So tell us, what do you think? Is it okay to pay tribute to Caesar, or not?”
          ¹⁸But Jesus knew their bad intentions. He said, “Why do you test me, hypocrites? ¹⁹Show me the money.”
          They showed him a denarius.
          ²⁰“Whose image and inscription is that?” he asked.
          ²¹“Caesar’s,” they answered.
          He said, “So give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to Godde what belongs to Godde.”
          ²²When they heard it, they were amazed. They left and went away.
          ²³That day Sadducees (who do not believe in resurrection) approached him. They asked, ²⁴“Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without children, his brother will marry his wife and raise children for his brother.’ ²⁵Now, there were seven brothers. The first married and died without children, so his brother married his widow. ²⁶In the same way, the second one also died without children, and the third one, all the way to the seventh one. ²⁷After they all died, the woman died too. ²⁸So in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For they were all married to her.”
          ²⁹But Jesus answered, “You are in error, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of Godde. ³⁰In the resurrection people aren’t married or given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ³¹Concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by Godde, ³²‘I am the Godde of Sarah and Abraham, the Godde of Rebekah and Isaac, and the Godde of Leah, Rachel and Jacob?’ Godde is not the Godde of the dead, but of the living.”
          ³³When the crowds heard his teaching, they were astonished. ³⁴But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they got together. ³⁵One of them asked a question to test him.
          ³⁶“Teacher, what’s the greatest precept in the Torah?”
          ³⁷Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lady your Godde with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest precept. ³⁹The second is, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰All the Torah and the prophets depend on these two precepts.”
          ⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question. ⁴²“What do you think of the Christ?” he asked. “Whose son is he?”
          “Of Bathsheba and David,” they said.
          ⁴³He said, “Then why did the Spirit inspire David to call him Lord:

           ⁴⁴‘The Lady said to my Lord,
                    sit on my right hand
                    until I make your enemies a footrest for your feet?’

          ⁴⁵“If David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
          ⁴⁶No one was able to answer a word, nor did anyone dare to ask him any more questions from that day on.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. ²“The scholars and Pharisees sit in Moses’ place,” he said. ³“So pay attention to whatever they tell you and do it, but don’t do what they do because they don’t do what they say. ⁴They tie up heavy burdens that are hard to bear and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them. ⁵They do everything to be noticed. They make their prayer boxes broad and lengthen the tassels of their cloaks. ⁶They love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷the greetings in the marketplaces, and being called ‘Rabbi.’ ⁸But don’t let yourself be called ‘Rabbi,’ because you have one teacher, and all of you are sisters and brothers. ⁹Call no one on earth your ‘mother,’ because you have one Mother, who is in heaven. ¹⁰Nor let yourselves be called ‘Masters,’ because you have one Master, the Christ. ¹¹But whoever is greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²Whoever is exalted will be humbled, and whoever is humbled will be exalted.
          ¹³“How awful for you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you close the Reign of Heaven to people; you don’t enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to enter. [¹⁴How awful for you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and then show off with long prayers. So you will receive greater condemnation!]
          ¹⁵“How awful for you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel around by sea and land to make one convert, and when they become one, you make them twice as deserving of being taken out with the trash and incinerated as yourselves.
          ¹⁶“How awful for you, you ignorant guides! You say, ‘If someone promises by the temple, it means nothing; but if someone promises by the gold in the temple, they are obligated to keep their promise.’ ¹⁷You ignorant fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple which makes the gold holy? ¹⁸‘If someone promises by the altar, it means nothing; but if someone promises by the gift on the altar, they are obligated to keep their promise’? ¹⁹You ignorant fools! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? ²⁰So whoever promises by the altar, promises by it and by everything on it. ²¹Whoever promises by the temple, promises by it and by the one who lives in it. ²²Whoever promises by heaven, promises by the throne of Godde and by the one who sits on it.
          ²³“How awful for you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You set aside ten percent of your mint, dill, and cumin, but have ignored the weightier matters of the Torah: justice, mercy, and trust. You should have done these without ignoring the others. ²⁴You ignorant guides, you strain a gnat out of your drink but swallow a camel!
          ²⁵“How awful for you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of your cup and plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶You ignorant Pharisee, first clean the inside of your cup and plate, so the outside may be clean too.
          ²⁷“How awful for you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs which appear beautiful on the outside, but on the inside they are dirty and full of dead people’s bones. ²⁸In the same way, on the outside you appear just, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wrongdoing.
          ²⁹“How awful for you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the just ³⁰and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we wouldn’t have participated with them in killing the prophets.’ ³¹So you prove to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets. ³²So finish what your ancestors started. ³³You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you avoid being taken out with the trash and incinerated? ³⁴I send prophets to you, wise women and men and scholars. Some of them you will kill and crucify; some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and harass from town to town, ³⁵so that you may be guilty of all the just blood shed on earth, from the blood of just Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶Believe me when I say that all these things will happen to this generation.
          ³⁷“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not! ³⁸Your house is left [deserted]. ³⁹For I say that you will not see me from now on, until you say ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lady!’”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Jesus left the temple and was going on his way. His disciples approached him to show him the buildings of the temple. ²But he answered, “You see all of these things, don’t you? Believe me when I say that not one stone will be left on another without being thrown down.”
          ³As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately. “Tell us when these things will happen,” they said. “What is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
          ⁴Jesus answered, “Be careful that no one misleads you. ⁵Because many people will come in my name and say, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. ⁶You will hear about wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren’t anxious, for all this must happen, but it’s not the end yet. ⁷Peoples will rise against each other and empire against empire, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸But all these things are just the beginning of birth pains. ⁹Then they will hand you over to oppression and will kill you. You will be hated by all peoples because of me. ¹⁰Then many people will be tripped up, and will hand over each other, and will hate each other. ¹¹Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹²Because wrongdoing will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³But the one who endures to the end will be rescued. ¹⁴This Good News of Godde’s Reign will be preached throughout the whole world as a witness to all peoples, and then the end will come.
          ¹⁵“So when you see the despicable outrage standing in the temple as described by Daniel the prophet (let the reader understand), ¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains! ¹⁷Don’t let the person on their housetop go down to get the things in their house. ¹⁸Don’t let the person in the field go back to get their clothes. ¹⁹How awful for those mothers who are pregnant and nursing in those days! ²⁰Pray that your escape will not happen in the winter or on a Sabbath, ²¹because then there will be great oppression, the likes of which have not happened since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. ²²No one will be rescued if those days are not cut short, but for the sake of the chosen ones those days will be cut short.
          ²³“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There,’ don’t trust them. ²⁴Because false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders to mislead even the chosen ones if possible. ²⁵I have warned you beforehand.
          ²⁶“So if they tell you, ‘He is in the wilderness,’ don’t go out; ‘He is in here,’ don’t trust them. ²⁷Because as lightning flashes in the east and is seen in the west, so will the Son of Woman come. ²⁸Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures gather. ²⁹But immediately after the oppression of those days:

           the sun will go dark,
                    the moon will not give its light,
          the stars will fall from heaven,
                    and the powers of heaven be shaken;

³⁰and then the sign of the Son of Woman will appear in heaven. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Woman coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four corners of the earth, from one end of heaven to the other.
          ³²“Now learn from this story of the fig tree. When its branch has become tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³In the same way, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, even at the doors. ³⁴Believe me when I say that all these things will happen before the end of this generation. ³⁵(My words will last longer than heaven and earth.) ³⁶But no one knows when, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but only the Mother.
          ³⁷“The coming of the Son of Woman will be like the days of Noah. ³⁸In those days, before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ship. ³⁹They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. The coming of the Son of Woman will be like that. ⁴⁰Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴²So watch, because you don’t know when your Lord comes. ⁴³But know this: if the master of the house had known when the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴So be ready, because the Son of Woman will come when you don’t expect it.
          ⁴⁵“Then who is the trustworthy and wise bondservant whose lord has set them over the household to give their food when it’s time? ⁴⁶Blessed is that bondservant if their lord finds them doing so when he comes. ⁴⁷Believe me when I say that he will set them over all that he owns. ⁴⁸But if that bad bondservant says in their heart, ‘My lord’s coming is delayed,’ ⁴⁹and begins to beat their fellow bondservants and eats and drinks too much, ⁵⁰the lord of that bondservant will come when they don’t expect it, at a time that they don’t know, ⁵¹and will rip them to shreds and throw them out with the hypocrites. They will weep and grind their teeth.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Then the Reign of Heaven will be compared to ten attendants who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. ²Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³Those who were foolish took no oil with them, ⁴but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
          ⁵“Now while the groom delayed, they all got tired and fell asleep. ⁶But at midnight there was a cry: ‘The groom is coming! Come out to meet him!’
          ⁷“Then all the attendants got up and readied their lamps. ⁸The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’
          ⁹“But the wise answered, ‘What if there isn’t enough for us and you? Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy it for yourselves.’
          ¹⁰“While they went away to buy oil, the groom came. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.
          ¹¹“Afterward the other attendants came too and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door!’
          ¹²“But he answered, ‘Believe me when I say that I don’t know you.’
          ¹³“So watch, because you don’t know when I’m coming.
          ¹⁴“It can be compared to a man going into another country. He summoned his own bondservants and entrusted his goods to them. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, according to what they each could manage. Then he went on his journey.
          ¹⁶“Immediately the one who received five talents traded with them and made another five talents. ¹⁷In the same way, the one who got two gained another two. ¹⁸But the one who received one buried it and hid his lord’s money.
          ¹⁹“Now after a long time the lord of those bondservants returned to settle accounts with them. ²⁰The one who received five talents brought another five talents and said, ‘Lord, you gave me five talents. I have gained another five talents besides them.’
          ²¹“His lord said, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy bondservant. You have been trustworthy over a few things, so I will set you over many things. Enter the joy of your lord.’
          ²²“The one who got two talents said, ‘Lord, you gave me two talents. I have gained another two talents besides them.’
          ²³“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy bondservant. You have been trustworthy over a few things, so I will set you over many things. Enter the joy of your lord.’
          ²⁴“The one who had received one talent said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and collecting where you did not invest. ²⁵I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. You have what is yours.’
          ²⁶“But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and lazy bondservant! You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow and collect where I didn’t invest. ²⁷So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and upon my return I should have received back my own money with interest. ²⁸So take away the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. ²⁹ Whoever has will be given more, and then some; but whoever doesn’t have will lose even what little they do have.³⁰Throw the unprofitable bondservant into the outer darkness, where he will weep and grind his teeth.’
          ³¹“But when the Son of Woman comes in his glory with all his angels, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. ³²All the peoples will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will set the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. ³⁴Then the Christ will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Mother, inherit the Reign prepared for you since the foundation of the world, ³⁵because I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. ³⁶I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you visited me.’
          ³⁷“Then those who are just will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? ³⁸When did we see you as a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’
          ⁴⁰“The Christ will answer them, ‘Believe me when I say that whatever you did for one of the least of my sisters and brothers, you did for me.’
          ⁴¹“Then he will say to those on his left hand, ‘You who are cursed, you will be taken out with the trash and incinerated along with the devil and its angels; ⁴²because I was hungry and you didn’t give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. ⁴³I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in. I was naked and you didn’t clothe me. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
          ⁴⁴“Then they will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’
          ⁴⁵“Then he will answer them, ‘Believe me when I say that whatever you didn’t do for one of the least of these, you didn’t do for me.’ ⁴⁶They will be taken out with the trash and incinerated, but those who are just will enter eternal life.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

When Jesus finished teaching, he said to his disciples, ²“You know that after two days the Passover is coming and the Son of Woman will be handed over to be crucified.”
          ³Then the chief priests, scholars, and elders of the people gathered in the court of the high priest, who was known as Caiaphas. ⁴They started plotting to trick Jesus so they could capture him and kill him. ⁵But they said, “Not during the feast, or else the people might riot.”
          ⁶Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon who had leprosy, ⁷a woman approached him with an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment and poured it on his head as he reclined at the table. ⁸But when his disciples saw this, they got angry. “Why this waste?” they asked. ⁹“This ointment could have been sold for a lot of money and given to those who are poor.”
          ¹⁰However, knowing what they were saying, Jesus said, “Why are you bugging this woman? She has done a good deed for me. ¹¹You will always have people who are poor with you, but you won’t always have me. ¹²She poured this ointment on my body to prepare me for burial. ¹³Believe me when I say that wherever the Good News is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be talked about in memory of her.”
          ¹⁴Then one of the twelve, who was known as Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵and said, “What are you willing to give me if I set him up?” They gave him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶From that time on he looked for an opportunity to betray him.
          ¹⁷Now on the first day of the Unleavened Bread Feast, the disciples approached Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
          ¹⁸He said, “Go into the city to a certain person, and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near. I will eat the Passover meal at your house with my disciples.”’”
          ¹⁹The disciples did as Jesus instructed and prepared the Passover. ²⁰Now when evening came, he was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. ²¹As they were eating, he said, “Believe me when I say that one of you will betray me.”
          ²²They were very sad and began to ask, “It isn’t me, is it, Lord?”
          ²³He answered, “The one who dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray me. ²⁴The Son of Woman will die as the Scriptures say he will, but how awful for that man who betrays the Son of Woman! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
          ²⁵Judas, who betrayed him, asked, “It isn’t me, is it, Rabbi?”
          “You said it,” he answered.
          ²⁶As they were eating, Jesus took bread, prayed over it, and broke it. He gave it to the disciples and said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” ²⁷He took the cup, gave thanks, gave it to them, and said, “All of you drink it, ²⁸because this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹But I say that I will not drink of this wine from now on, until I drink it anew with you in my Mother’s Reign.” ³⁰When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
          ³¹Then Jesus said, “All of you will be tripped up because of me tonight, because it is written:

          ‘I will strike the shepherd,
                    and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

 ³²But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.”
          ³³But Peter answered, “Even if everyone else will be tripped up because of you, I will never be tripped up.”
          ³⁴Jesus said, “Believe me when I say that before the rooster crows tonight, you will disown me three times.”
          ³⁵Peter answered, “Even if I have to die with you, I will not disown you.” All of the disciples said the same thing.
          ³⁶Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. He began to feel sad and very anxious. ³⁸Then he said, “I’m so sad it’s killing me. Stay here and watch with me.”
          ³⁹He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, “My Mother, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Yet not what I want, but what you want.”
          ⁴⁰He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “What, couldn’t you watch with me for one hour? ⁴¹Watch and pray that you aren’t tempted. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
          ⁴²He went away a second time and prayed, “My Mother, if this cup can’t pass me by without me drinking it, may your will be done.” ⁴³He came again and found them sleeping, because they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
          ⁴⁴He left them again and prayed a third time, saying the same prayer. ⁴⁵Then he came to his disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? The time has come, and the Son of Woman is being handed over to wrongdoers. ⁴⁶Get up; let’s go. The one who betrays me is near!”
          ⁴⁷While he was still talking, Judas, one of the twelve, approached. He was with a large crowd armed with swords and clubs. They were from the chief priests and elders of the people. ⁴⁸The betrayer had given them a sign: “Whoever I kiss is the one. Seize him.”
          ⁴⁹Immediately he approached Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
          ⁵⁰Jesus asked, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they grabbed Jesus and took him. ⁵¹One of those who were with Jesus reached out, drew his sword, and lunged at the bondservant of the high priest, cutting his ear off.
          ⁵²Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword away, because everyone who uses the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³Or do you think that I couldn’t ask my Mother to send me more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled?”
          ⁵⁵At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come with swords and clubs to capture me like a rebel? I sat teaching in the temple every day, and you didn’t arrest me. ⁵⁶But all this has happened to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.”
          Then all the disciples left him and fled. ⁵⁷Those who had taken Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scholars and the elders were gathered. ⁵⁸But Peter followed from a distance to the court of the high priest. He entered and sat with the officers to see the end.
          ⁵⁹Now the chief priests and the whole court looked for false testimony against Jesus so they could put him to death. ⁶⁰Even though many perjurers came forward, they didn’t find any evidence. But at last two came forward ⁶¹and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of Godde and rebuild it in three days.’”
          ⁶²The high priest stood up and asked him, “Don’t you have an answer? What is it they’re saying about you?”
          ⁶³But Jesus held his peace.
          The high priest answered, “I order you to tell us under oath before the living Godde whether you are the Christ, the Son of Godde.”
          ⁶⁴“Whatever you say,” Jesus said. “But I tell you that after this you will see the Son of Woman sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
          ⁶⁵Then the high priest tore his clothes. “Blasphemy!” he cried. “Why do we need any more witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy. ⁶⁶What do you think?”
          “He deserves death!” they answered. ⁶⁷Then they spit in his face and beat him with their fists. Some slapped him ⁶⁸and said, “Prophesy, Christ! Who hit you?”
          ⁶⁹Now Peter was sitting outside in the court. A maid approached him and said, “You too were with Jesus, the Galilean!”
          ⁷⁰But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” he said.
          ⁷¹When he went out onto the porch, someone else saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth too.”
          ⁷²Again he denied it with an oath: “I don’t know the man.”
          ⁷³After a little while those who stood by approached and said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them too, because you have the same accent.”
          ⁷⁴Then he began to curse and swear. “I don’t know the man!”
          Immediately the rooster crowed. ⁷⁵Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” He left and wept bitterly.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Now when morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people started plotting against Jesus to put him to death. ²They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor. ³Then Judas, who betrayed him, felt remorse when he saw that Jesus was condemned. He brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. ⁴“I have done wrong because I betrayed an innocent person,” he said.
          But they said, “Why should we care? You deal with it.”
          ⁵He threw down the pieces of silver in the sanctuary and withdrew, then left and hanged himself. ⁶The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It’s not appropriate to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷They discussed it among themselves, then used them to buy the potter’s field to bury strangers in. ⁸So that field has been known as “The Field of Blood” to this day. ⁹Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

          “They took the thirty pieces of silver,
                    the price of the one for whom a price had been set,
                    whom some of the children of Israel priced,
          ¹⁰and they gave them for the potter’s field,
                    as the Lady instructed me.”

          ¹¹Now Jesus stood before the governor. The governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
           “Whatever you say,” Jesus answered.
          ¹²When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he didn’t answer. ¹³Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear all the things they’re saying about you?”
          ¹⁴He didn’t answer, not even one word; so the governor was greatly amazed.
          ¹⁵Now at the Feast the governor regularly released to the crowd one prisoner, whomever they wanted. ¹⁶At that time they held a notable prisoner known as Jesus Barabbas. ¹⁷So when they were gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is known as Christ?” ¹⁸Because he knew that Jesus had been handed over because of envy.
          ¹⁹While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message to him: “Have nothing to do with that just man, because I have been bothered all day by a dream I had about him.”
          ²⁰Now the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. ²¹But the governor answered, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
          “Barabbas!” they said.
          ²²Pilate asked, “Then what should I do to Jesus, who is known as Christ?”
          “Crucify him!” they said.
          ²³But he said, “Why? What crime has he committed?”
          But they cried out all the more, “Crucify him!”
          ²⁴So when Pilate saw that there was no point in dragging it out any longer and that a riot was about to erupt, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this blood,” he said. “You deal with it.”
          ²⁵All the people answered, “We will be held accountable for his blood!”
          ²⁶Then he released Barabbas to them, but he had Jesus flogged and handed over to be crucified. ²⁷Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison together against him. ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. ²⁹They wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. They kneeled down before him and mocked him. “Hail, King of the Jews!” they said. ³⁰They spat on him, took the reed, and struck him on the head. ³¹When they had mocked him, they took off his robe, put his clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.
          ³²As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene known as Simon and forced him to go with them to carry his cross. ³³They came to a place called “Golgotha,” which means “Place of the Skull.” ³⁴They gave him sour wine mixed with something bitter to drink. When he tasted it, he would not drink. ³⁵When they crucified him, they cast lots and divided his clothes among themselves. ³⁶They sat and watched him there. ³⁷They set an inscription over his head with the accusation, “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
          ³⁸Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right hand and one on his left. ³⁹Those who passed by ridiculed him, shaking their heads. ⁴⁰“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, rescue yourself!” they said. “If you are the Son of Godde, come down from the cross!”
          ⁴¹In the same way, the chief priests, scholars, and elders also mocked him. ⁴²“He rescued others,” they said, “but he can’t free himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now and we will trust in him. ⁴³He trusts in Godde. Let Godde deliver him now if she wants him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of Godde.’” ⁴⁴The rebels who were crucified with him leveled the same criticism.
          ⁴⁵Now there was darkness all over the land from noon until three o’clock. ⁴⁶At about three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice: “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” Which means, “My Godde, my Godde, why have you abandoned me?”
          ⁴⁷When they heard it, some of them who stood there said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
          ⁴⁸Immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave him a drink. ⁴⁹The rest said, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to rescue him.”
          ⁵⁰Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. ⁵¹The veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth shook and the rocks were split. ⁵²The tombs opened and many of the holy people who had fallen asleep were raised. ⁵³After Jesus’ resurrection they came out of the tombs, entered the holy city and appeared to many people. ⁵⁴Now when the centurion and those who were watching Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the things that happened, they were very afraid. “Truly this was the Son of Godde!” they said.
          ⁵⁵Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and ministered to him were watching from a distance. ⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
          ⁵⁷That evening, a rich man from Arimathea arrived. His name was Joseph, and he was also a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate ordered that the body be handed over. ⁵⁹Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock. He rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and left. ⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
          ⁶²Now on the next day (the day after the Preparation Day), the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate. ⁶³“Sir,” they said, “we remember what that charlatan said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴So order that the tomb be secured until the third day, in case his disciples come at night, steal his body, and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ That fraud would be even worse.”
          ⁶⁵Pilate said, “You have a guard. Go and secure it as best you can.” ⁶⁶So they went with the guard and secured the tomb, sealing the stone.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. ²There was a great earthquake. An angel of the Lady descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. ³He looked like lightning and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid they fainted. ⁵The angel answered the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know that you’re looking for Jesus, who has been crucified. ⁶He is not here! He has risen, just as he said. Come and see where he was lying. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead, and he has gone before you into Galilee; you will see him there.’ I have told you so.”
          ⁸They quickly left the tomb with fear and great joy, running to tell his disciples. ⁹On the way Jesus met them and said, “Rejoice!”
          They approached him, grabbed his feet, and bowed to him.
          ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go tell my sisters and brothers that they should go into Galilee, and they will see me there.”
          ¹¹Now while they were going, some of the guards entered the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹²When they had met with the elders and discussed it, they gave a large amount of silver to the soldiers. ¹³“Claim that his disciples came by night and stole his body while we slept,” they said. ¹⁴“If this comes to the governor’s attention, we will protect you so you will have nothing to fear.” ¹⁵So they took the money and did as they were told. This rumor was spread throughout Judea and continues even to this day.
          ¹⁶But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had sent them. ¹⁷When they saw him, they bowed to him, but some doubted. ¹⁸Jesus approached them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹So go and make disciples of all peoples, baptizing them in the name of the Mother and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to do everything that I told you. I am with you always, even to the end of time.”

The Divine Feminine Version Study Bible Version 0.3 is made available through the Creative Commons License – Attribution, Noncommercial, No Derivative Works 3.0 United States. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us for full details.

5:22: “Will be in danger of being taken out with the trash and incinerated.” Literally, “will be guilty to (deserving of) the fire of Gehenna.” The “Valley of the Sons of Hinnom” (Greek, geenna) was a ravine outside ofJerusalem where human sacrifices had been performed in Israel’s ancient history (cf. Jer. 7:31). By Jesus’ day Gehenna had become a garbage dump, a place of perpetually burning trash. The unburied bodies of executed criminals were also dumped into Gehenna. Many Bible translations translate “Gehenna” loosely as “hell,” interpreting it as a metaphor for eternal torment.

5:29,30: “Taken out with the trash and incinerated.” Literally, “thrown into Gehenna.” Cf. note on 5:22.

8:2: “Cure.” Literally, “cleanse.” The word implies not just healing but full restoration to the life of the community.

8:3: Cf. note on 8:2.

10:28: “Take … out with the trash and incinerate them!” Literally, “destroy in Gehenna.” Cf. note on 5:22.

11:19: “But Wisdom is vindicated by her actions.” Jesus is explicitly identified as the incarnation of Lady Wisdom (cf. Prov. 8; John 1:1-18; 1 Cor. 1:24,30; Col. 1:15ff).

12:42: “The queen of the south.” The queen of Sheba (cf. 1 Kings 10:1; 2 Chron. 9:1), a Gentile like the people of Ninevah (v. 41). The fact that Jesus would describe a woman as a witness in a law court is significant (cf. Levine, “Matthew,” p. 257).

13:13: “Although they see they don’t perceive, and although they hear they don’t understand.” This text and the citation that follows are often interpreted to mean that Jesus told parables to obscure his teachings, but that theory ignores the context of the prophetic passage being cited, Isaiah 6:9,10. In fact the opposite is true: Jesus teaches through stories in order to be better understood (cf. Schottroff, Parables, p. 71).

13:31: “The Reign of Heaven can be compared to a mustard seed.” The mustard plant was a nuisance shrub which would threaten to take over the whole garden, violating the purity codes which required different seeds to be kept separate (cf. Lev. 19:19). The story may imply that Jesus’ movement similarly threatened the established order of society (cf. Herzog, Justice, p. 206).

13:33: “The Reign of Heaven can be compared to yeast which a woman hid.” Yeast was considered an impure ingredient. The fact that it was “hidden” in the flour suggests an element of subversion (cf. Herzog, pp. 207,208). Significantly, the story also suggests a favorable comparison between Godde and a woman.

14:16: “You give them something to eat.” Cf. note on 15:32.

14:19: “He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.” Assuming these disciples include the twelve men named in 10:2-4, serving food is not necessarily “women’s work.”

15:28: “Woman, your faith is great!” With humility and wit, the Gentile woman teaches Jesus a critical truth.

15:32: “I don’t want to send them away hungry, because they might faint on the way.” Like a responsible mother, Jesus is concerned about the most basic and practical of human needs, including the need for daily bread.

15:36: “He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.” Cf. note on 14:19.

17:26: “Then children are exempt.” Such a challenge to the Temple tax could hardly have gone unnoticed or unpunished; it undermined the entire Temple economy.

18:8: “Taken out with the trash and incinerated.” Literally, “thrown into the eternal fire”; roughly synonymous with the phrase in v. 9.

18:9: “Taken out with the trash and incinerated.” Literally, “thrown into the fire of Gehenna.” Cf. note on 5:22.

18:23: “The Reign of Heaven can be compared to a certain king.” Despite the limited analogy implied in v. 35, the fact that the king forgives only once instead of “seventy times seven” (cf. v. 22) suggests that he is not to be understood allegorically as Godde (Cf. Schottroff, Parables, pp. 200, 201).

19:17: “Keep the precepts.” The passage which follows illustrates two very different ways of interpreting the Law of Moses: The aristocrat interprets the Law in terms of the purity codes, Jesus in terms of the debt codes which emphasized justice (cf. Herzog, Justice, pp. 158ff).

20:13: “Friend, I am doing you no wrong.” The patronizing tone of the unjust master may suggest that his role in the story is not to represent Godde but rather to contrast Godde’s genuine goodness with that of people like the “good” aristocrat described in 19:16ff. (Cf. Schottroff, Parables, p. 216).

21:13: “But you have made it a den of robbers!” Another challenge to the Temple economy.

21:33: “The master of a household.” The fact that the master is a land-grabbing absentee landlord suggests that he is not to be understood allegorically as Godde (cf. Schottroff, Parables, p. 17).

21:41: “They said, ‘He will destroy those awful people.’” The affluent authorities (cf. 21:23ff) naturally identify with the landlord; by contrast, the crowds naturally identify with the oppressed sharecroppers (cf. Luke 20:16).

21:43: “So I say the Reign of Godde will be taken away from you.” Taken away from the ruling elites (v. 45). That the sharecroppers are not allegorical ciphers for the elites is suggested by the fact that the elites do not identify with the sharecroppers (see note on v. 41). Rather, they exacerbate the economic crisis that feeds the escalating spiral of violence (cf. Schottroff, Parables, p. 24).

22:2: “The Reign of Heaven can be compared to a certain king.” The comparison suggests a negative contrast (cf. Schottroff, Parables, pp. 38-48). Like the story of the absentee landlord (21:33ff), this story graphically portrays an escalating spiral of violence.

22:9: “So go to the crossroads of the highways and invite as many people as you can.” Unlike Godde, the king invites a certain class of guests only as a last resort.

22:13: “Tie his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness.” The conclusion of the story suggests a stark contrast between the vengeful, petty king and the loving, accepting Mother Godde.

22:17: “Tribute to Caesar.” When Caesar deposed the client-ruler Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great (cf. Matt. 2:22), Judea was turned into a subprovince of Rome and required to provide tribute directly to Caesar. Revolutionaries who directly questioned Rome’s authority naturally challenged the tribute. The Temple authorities attempt to trap Jesus by forcing him to publicly challenge Rome (inviting immediate arrest) or risk losing the support of the people by appearing to be a collaborator.

22:19: “Show me the money.” The fact that Jesus’ challengers could produce a denarius suggests that they, not he, have already identified with the Roman occupation (cf. James W. Douglass, The Non-Violent Cross: A Theology of Revolution and Peace [New York, New York: The Macmillan Company], 1969, p. 190).

22:20: “Whose image and inscription is that?” The word “image” (eikōn) implies that it is an idol. The inscription of the denarii of Jesus’ day literally read, “Tiberius Caesar, Augustus, son of the divine Augustus” (cf. Herzog, Justice, pp. 238, 239).

22:21: “So give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to Godde what belongs to Godde.” This does not imply the separation of politics and religion. The saying more likely presupposes that all things belong to Godde (cf. Psa. 50:10) and suggests that all minted idols be returned to Caesar. Jesus therefore challenges the tribute but in a veiled way, staving off the threat of immediate arrest to the surprise of his opponents (cf. Herzog, Justice, p. 232). However, Jesus’ criticism of tribute to Caesar did not go entirely unnoticed, as it was reported at his trial before Pilate (cf. Luke 23:2).

23:15: “Taken out with the trash and incinerated.” Literally, “doubly a son of Gehenna.” Cf. note on 5:22.

23:33: “Taken out with the trash and incinerated.” Literally, “the judgment of Gehenna.” Cf. note on 5:22. Together with vv. 36ff, the reference appears to be to the destruction ofJerusalem. Cf. note on 27:25.

23:37: “Like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.” Scripture often uses maternal imagery for the divine. Cf. also Deut. 32:18; Isa. 66:13; 1 Pet. 2:2,3.

25:14: “A man going into another country.” Several clues in the story suggest that the ruler may not be intended as an allegorical figure for Godde. First, the ruler acknowledges that he is a “hard” man, reaping what he did not sow and collecting what he did not invest; hardly a flattering portrait of a loving Godde. Second, he castigates the whistleblower for not investing his money and collecting interest in violation of the Law (cf. Exod. 22:25). Third, the ruler described is clearly Archelaus, the cruel son of Herod the Great (cf. Luke 19:12,14,27; cf. Josephus, Antiquities XVII.IX.3; Wars II.VI.1). Finally, the fate of the whistleblower is more similar to the fate of Jesus when he confronts the authorities in Jerusalem.

25:41: “Taken out with the trash and incinerated.” Literally, “go into the eternal fire.” Cf. note on 18:8.

25:46: “Taken out with the trash and incinerated.” Literally, “go into eternal punishment.” Cf. note on 18:8.

26:11: “You will always have people who are poor with you.” Not to be taken as an excuse for complacency, as Mark adds: “and whenever you want to, you can do them good” (14:7); cp. Deut. 15:4-11.

26:13: “In memory of her.” Despite the similarity of these words to Luke 22:19, “Do this in memory of me,” this woman’s story has barely been remembered and told “wherever the Good News is preached in the whole world” (cf. Jann Aldredge-Clanton, In Search of the Christ-Sophia: An Inclusive Christology for Liberating Christians [Austin, TX: Eakin Press], 2004, p. 47). Ironically, her name isn’t even recorded in the text.

26:64: “Whatever you say.” Literally, “you say.”

27:11: “Whatever you say.” See note on 26:64.

27:24: “You deal with it.” The similarity of this phrase to the one in v. 4 may imply a cynical blame-shifting tactic on the part of Pilate.

27:25: “We will be held accountable for his blood!” Literally, “His blood upon us, and upon our children!” This verse has historically been used to justify the anti-Semitic charge of “deicide” against the Jews. If the author of Matthew was a Jew, however, it is unlikely that this text was intended to authorize Christendom’s subsequent pogroms against the Jews. On the other hand, it is likely of a piece with Matt. 23:29-39, which interprets the destruction of Jerusalem as a punishment for killing good prophets (cf. also Miller, et al., The Complete Gospels,  p. 111; Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, p. 546, n. 26).

27:56: “Mary Magdalene.” Literally, “Mary from Magdala.” See also v. 61; 28:1; Mark 15:40,47; Luke 8:2; 24:10; John 19:25; 20:1,2,11-18. The fact that she isn’t identified as someone’s wife or mother (like the other women in this verse) suggests that she wasn’t married with children and therefore had some means of self-support — perhaps an inheritance from parents or a deceased husband. Kathleen E. Corley, “Mary Magdalene, the Woman Who Knew Too Much,” public lecture presented at the seminar Peter, Paul, and Mary: Three Early Christian Voices, Georgetown United Methodist Church, October 14, 2011.

28:9: “On the way Jesus met them.” Women were the first witnesses of the risen Jesus.

The Comments feature has been disabled on this page. In order to comment on any part of the Divine Feminine Version (DFV) of the New Testament, please visit either our Positive (Constructive) Feedback page or our Rebuttals page.