Luke 19

¹And having entered Jericho, he was passing through it. ²And look—a man called by the name Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was wealthy. ³He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he could not because of the crowd, since he was short in stature. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore-fig tree to see him, because Jesus was about to pass that way. ⁵And when Jesus came to that spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." ⁶And he hurried down and welcomed him with joy.

⁷When they saw this, everyone began grumbling, saying, "He has gone in to be the guest of a sinful man." ⁸But Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord—half of my possessions I am giving to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I am paying back four times as much." ⁹And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

¹¹While they were listening to these things, he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and they supposed that the kingdom of God was about to appear immediately. ¹²So he said: "A certain man of noble birth traveled to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself and then return. ¹³He called ten of his slaves and gave them ten minas, and told them, 'Do business with this until I come back.' ¹⁴But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.'

¹⁵"When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these slaves to whom he had given the money to be summoned to him, so that he might learn what they had gained by trading. ¹⁶The first came forward and said, 'Master, your mina has earned ten more minas.' ¹⁷And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave! Because you proved faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.' ¹⁸And the second came, saying, 'Your mina, master, has made five minas.' ¹⁹And he said to this one also, 'You shall be over five cities.'

²⁰"Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a cloth. ²¹For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man—you withdraw what you did not deposit and harvest what you did not sow.' ²²He said to him, 'By your own words I will judge you, wicked slave. You knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and harvesting what I did not sow? ²³Then why did you not put my money in the bank? And when I came I would have collected it with interest.' ²⁴And to those standing by he said, 'Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.' ²⁵And they said to him, 'Master, he already has ten minas!' ²⁶'I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given; but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them—bring them here and slaughter them in front of me.'"

²⁸After saying these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹And when he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, ³⁰saying, "Go into the village opposite you, and as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no human being has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: 'The Lord has need of it.'"

³²Those who were sent went off and found it just as he had told them. ³³As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?" ³⁴And they said, "The Lord has need of it." ³⁵And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus upon it. ³⁶As he went along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road.

³⁷As he was now approaching the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, ³⁸saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

³⁹And some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." ⁴⁰And he answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out."

⁴¹And as he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it, ⁴²saying, "If you had known on this day—even you—the things that make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. ⁴³For days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a siege wall around you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴They will dash you to the ground—you and your children within you—and they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."

⁴⁵And entering the temple, he began to drive out those who were selling, ⁴⁶saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of bandits."

⁴⁷And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the leading men of the people were seeking to destroy him, ⁴⁸but they could not find a way to do it, for all the people hung on his every word.