Night Watch Devotion

A Song of Ascents.
¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
² O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
³ If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
⁵ I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
⁷ O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
⁸ And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (ESV)

Of David.
¹ Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!
² For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
³ Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵ Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.
⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
⁸ Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
⁹ For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
¹⁰ In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
¹² The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him,
¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.
¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright;
¹⁵ their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
¹⁶ Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.
¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
¹⁸ The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever;
¹⁹ they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance.
²⁰ But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
²¹ The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives;
²² for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
²³ The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way;
²⁴ though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.
²⁵ I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.
²⁶ He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.
²⁷ Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever.
²⁸ For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.
³⁰ The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
³¹ The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.
³² The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death.
³³ The LORD will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
³⁴ Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
³⁵ I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
³⁶ But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.
³⁷ Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.
³⁸ But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
³⁹ The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (ESV)

A Miktam of David.
¹ Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
² I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
³ As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
⁴ The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.
⁵ The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
⁶ The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
⁷ I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
⁸ I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
¹⁰ For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

A Prayer of David.
¹ Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
² From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!
³ You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
⁴ With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.
⁵ My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
⁶ I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.
⁷ Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.
⁸ Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,
⁹ from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me.
¹⁰ They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
¹¹ They have now surrounded our steps; they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
¹² He is like a lion eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush.
¹³ Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
¹⁴ from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.
¹⁵ As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
¹ I love you, O LORD, my strength.
² The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
³ I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
⁴ The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
⁵ the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
⁶ In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
⁷ Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
⁹ He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
¹⁰ He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
¹² Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
¹³ The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
¹⁴ And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
¹⁵ Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
¹⁶ He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
²⁰ The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
²¹ For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
²² For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.
²³ I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt.
²⁴ So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
²⁵ With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
²⁶ with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
²⁷ For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
²⁸ For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
²⁹ For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
³⁰ This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
³¹ For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?—
³² the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.
³³ He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
³⁴ He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵ You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.
³⁶ You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.
³⁷ I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed.
³⁸ I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet.
³⁹ For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
⁴⁰ You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
⁴² I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
⁴³ You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
⁴⁴ As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
⁴⁵ Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.
⁴⁶ The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation—
⁴⁷ the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me,
⁴⁸ who rescued me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from the man of violence.
⁴⁹ For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name.
⁵⁰ Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever. (ESV)

¹ “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
⁵ As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
⁷ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’
¹⁰ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
¹¹ Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
¹² But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
¹³ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (ESV)

¹¹ “Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire?
¹² Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?
¹³ For then I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,
¹⁴ with kings and counselors of the earth who rebuilt ruins for themselves,
¹⁵ or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.
¹⁶ Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child, as infants who never see the light?
¹⁷ There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.
¹⁸ There the prisoners are at ease together; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
¹⁹ The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master.
²⁰ “Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul,
²¹ who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,
²² who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they find the grave?
²³ Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?
²⁴ For my sighing comes instead of my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water.
²⁵ For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me.
²⁶ I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.” (ESV)

³⁵ The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,
³⁶ and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
³⁸ Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
³⁹ He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).
⁴² He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
⁴⁸ Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
⁴⁹ Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
⁵⁰ Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
⁵¹ And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (ESV)

¹ Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
² “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
³ Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.
⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.
⁵ Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
⁶ On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone,
⁷ when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
⁸ “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb,
⁹ when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band,
¹⁰ and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors,
¹¹ and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?
¹² “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place,
¹³ that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?
¹⁴ It is changed like clay under the seal, and its features stand out like a garment.
¹⁵ From the wicked their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken.
¹⁶ “Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?
¹⁷ Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
¹⁸ Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.
¹⁹ “Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness,
²⁰ that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home?
²¹ You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!
²² “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
²³ which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?
²⁴ What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
²⁵ “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt,
²⁶ to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man,
²⁷ to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass?
²⁸ “Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew?
²⁹ From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?
³⁰ The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
³¹ “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?
³² Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children?
³³ Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?
³⁴ “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you?
³⁵ Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
³⁶ Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?
³⁷ Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
³⁸ when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick fast together?
³⁹ “Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
⁴⁰ when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket?
⁴¹ Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food?

¹ “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the does?
² Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do you know the time when they give birth,
³ when they crouch, bring forth their offspring, and are delivered of their young?
⁴ Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open; they go out and do not return to them.
⁵ “Who has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
⁶ to whom I have given the arid plain for his home and the salt land for his dwelling place?
⁷ He scorns the tumult of the city; he hears not the shouts of the driver.
⁸ He ranges the mountains as his pasture, and he searches after every green thing.
⁹ “Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will he spend the night at your manger?
¹⁰ Can you bind him in the furrow with ropes, or will he harrow the valleys after you?
¹¹ Will you depend on him because his strength is great, and will you leave to him your labor?
¹² Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?
¹³ “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love?
¹⁴ For she leaves her eggs to the earth and lets them be warmed on the ground,
¹⁵ forgetting that a foot may crush them and that the wild beast may trample them.
¹⁶ She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers; though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,
¹⁷ because God has made her forget wisdom and given her no share in understanding.
¹⁸ When she rouses herself to flee, she laughs at the horse and his rider.
¹⁹ “Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
²⁰ Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrifying.
²¹ He paws in the valley and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons.
²² He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the sword.
²³ Upon him rattle the quiver, the flashing spear, and the javelin.
²⁴ With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground; he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
²⁵ When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
²⁶ “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south?
²⁷ Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high?
²⁸ On the rock he dwells and makes his home, on the rocky crag and stronghold.
²⁹ From there he spies out the prey; his eyes behold it from far away.
³⁰ His young ones suck up blood, and where the slain are, there is he.”

¹ And the LORD said to Job:
² “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.” (ESV)

³² “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
³³ So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.
³⁴ Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
³⁶ “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
³⁷ For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,
³⁹ and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.
⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.
⁴² Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.
⁴⁴ Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
⁴⁷ Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’
⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards,
⁵⁰ the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know
⁵¹ and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

¹ “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
⁵ As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
⁷ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’
¹⁰ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
¹¹ Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
¹² But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
¹³ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (ESV)

³⁷ I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed.
³⁸ I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet.
³⁹ For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
⁴⁰ You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
⁴² I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets. (ESV)

¹ Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
² saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.
³ If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”
⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
⁵ “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.
⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.
⁸ Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
⁹ And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
¹⁰ And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
¹¹ And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
¹² And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.
¹³ He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
¹⁴ And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.
¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant,
¹⁶ and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”
¹⁷ And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
¹⁸ In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry.
¹⁹ And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.
²⁰ When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?”
²¹ And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.
²² And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
²³ And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
²⁴ Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.
²⁵ The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’
²⁶ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
²⁸ “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’
²⁹ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went.
³⁰ And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go.
³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.
³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
³³ “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country.
³⁴ When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit.
³⁵ And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
³⁶ Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.
³⁷ Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
³⁸ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’
³⁹ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
⁴⁰ When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
⁴¹ They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
⁴³ Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.
⁴⁴ And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.
⁴⁶ And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

¹ And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,
² “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,
³ and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.
⁴ Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’
⁵ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,
⁶ while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.
⁷ The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
⁸ Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.
⁹ Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’
¹⁰ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
¹¹ “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.
¹² And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.
¹³ Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words.
¹⁶ And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.
¹⁷ Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
¹⁸ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?
¹⁹ Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.
²⁰ And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
²¹ They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
²² When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
²³ The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question,
²⁴ saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’
²⁵ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.
²⁶ So too the second and third, down to the seventh.
²⁷ After them all, the woman died.
²⁸ In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”
²⁹ But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.
³⁰ For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
³¹ And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God:
³² ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”
³³ And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
³⁴ But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.
³⁵ And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.
³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
³⁸ This is the great and first commandment.
³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
⁴¹ Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,
⁴² saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”
⁴³ He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
⁴⁴ “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
⁴⁵ If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”
⁴⁶ And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

¹ Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
² “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat,
³ so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
⁴ They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
⁵ They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
⁶ and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
⁷ and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
⁸ But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.
⁹ And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
¹⁰ Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
¹¹ The greatest among you shall be your servant.
¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
¹³ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
¹⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
¹⁷ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?
¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’
¹⁹ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
²¹ And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.
²² And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
²⁴ You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
²⁸ So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
²⁹ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
³⁰ saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
³¹ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
³³ You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?
³⁴ Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,
³⁵ so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
³⁶ Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
³⁷ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
³⁸ See, your house is left to you desolate.
³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

¹ Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.
² But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
³ As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
⁴ And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.
⁵ For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.
⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.
⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
⁸ All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.
¹⁰ And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.
¹¹ And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
¹² And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
¹⁵ “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
¹⁷ Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house,
¹⁸ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.
¹⁹ And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!
²⁰ Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.
²² And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
²³ Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
²⁴ For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
²⁵ See, I have told you beforehand.
²⁶ So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
²⁷ For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
²⁸ Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
³⁰ Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
³¹ And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
³² “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
³³ So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.
³⁴ Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
³⁶ “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
³⁷ For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark,
³⁹ and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.
⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.
⁴² Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.
⁴⁴ Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
⁴⁵ “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
⁴⁷ Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’
⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards,
⁵⁰ the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know
⁵¹ and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (ESV)