The King Enters Jerusalem^(A)

21 When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead and ² told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied up and a colt with it. Untie them, and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, tell him, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and that person will send them at once.”

⁴ Now this happened to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet when he said,

⁶ So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them, and he sat upon them. ⁸ Many people in the crowd spread their own coats on the road, while others began cutting down branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. ⁹ Both the crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed him kept shouting,

¹⁰ When he came into Jerusalem, the whole city was trembling with excitement. The people^[g] were asking, “Who is this?”

¹¹ The crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, the man from Nazareth in Galilee.”

The King Enters Jerusalem^(A)

11 When they came near Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus^[a] sent two of his disciples on ahead ² and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you go into it, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever ridden. Untie it, and bring it along. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?,’ say, ‘The Lord needs it,’ and he will send it back here at once.”

⁴ So they went and found the colt outside in the street tied up next to a doorway. While they were untying it, ⁵ some men standing there asked them, “What are you doing untying that colt?” ⁶ The disciples^[b] told them what Jesus had said, and the men^[c] let them go.

⁷ They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their coats on it, and he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their coats on the road, while others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed him were shouting,

¹¹ Then Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the Temple and looked around at everything. Since it was already late, he went out with the Twelve to Bethany.

The King Enters Jerusalem^(A)

²⁸ After Jesus^[a] had said this, he traveled on and went up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples on ahead. ³⁰ “Go into the village ahead of you,” he said. “As you enter, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever ridden.^[b] Untie it and bring it along. ³¹ If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say this: ‘The Lord needs it.’”

³² So those who were sent went off and found it as Jesus^[c] had told them. ³³ While they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

³⁴ The disciples^[d] answered, “The Lord needs it.” ³⁵ Then they brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and Jesus sat upon it.

³⁶ As he was riding along, people^[e] kept spreading their coats on the road. ³⁷ He was now approaching the descent from the Mount of Olives. The whole crowd of disciples began to rejoice and to praise God with a loud voice because of all the miracles they had seen. ³⁸ They said,

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd told Jesus,^[g] “Teacher, tell your disciples to be quiet.”

⁴⁰ He replied, “I tell you, if they were quiet, the stones would cry out!”