The King Comes to Jerusalem^(A)

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

⁴ This happened so that what the prophet had said came true:

⁶ The disciples did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ Most of the people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowd that went ahead of him and that followed him was shouting,

¹⁰ When Jesus came into Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar. People were asking, “Who is this?”

¹¹ The crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

The King Comes to Jerusalem^(A)

11 When they came near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead of him. ² He said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there. No one has ever sat on it. Untie it, and bring it. ³ If anyone asks you what you are doing, say that the Lord needs it. That person will send it here at once.”

⁴ The disciples found the young donkey in the street. It was tied to the door of a house. As they were untying it, ⁵ some men standing there asked them, “Why are you untying that donkey?” ⁶ The disciples answered them as Jesus had told them. So the men let them go.

⁷ They brought the donkey to Jesus, put their coats on it, and he sat on it. ⁸ Many spread their coats on the road. Others cut leafy branches in the fields and spread them on the road. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed him were shouting,

¹¹ Jesus came into Jerusalem and went into the temple courtyard, where he looked around at everything. Since it was already late, he went out with the twelve apostles to Bethany.

²⁹ When he came near Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives (as it was called), Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead of him. ³⁰ He said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter, you will find a young donkey tied there. No one has ever sat on it. Untie it, and bring it. ³¹ If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say that the Lord needs it.”

³² The men Jesus sent found it as he had told them. ³³ While they were untying the young donkey, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the donkey?”

³⁴ The disciples answered, “The Lord needs it.”

³⁵ They brought the donkey to Jesus, put their coats on it, and helped Jesus onto it. ³⁶ As he was riding along, people spread their coats on the road. ³⁷ By this time he was coming near the place where the road went down the Mount of Olives. Then the whole crowd of disciples began to praise God for all the miracles they had seen. ³⁸ They shouted joyfully,

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell your disciples to be quiet.”

⁴⁰ Jesus replied, “I can guarantee that if they are quiet, the stones will cry out.”

⁴¹ When he came closer and saw the city, he began to cry. ⁴² He said, “If you had only known today what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden, so you cannot see it. ⁴³ The time will come when enemy armies will build a wall to surround you and close you in on every side. ⁴⁴ They will level you to the ground and kill your people. One stone will not be left on top of another, because you didn’t recognize the time when God came to help you.”