Chapter XVIII

CHRIST CURING TWO BLIND MEN.--ENTERING JERUSALEM IN TRIUMPH, AND CURSING THE FIG TREE.

1 [20:29]AND as they proceeded from Jericho a great multitude followed him. [20:30]And behold two blind men who sat by the way, hearing that Jesus was passing by cried, saying, Have mercy on us Lord, Son of David! [20:31]And the multitude charged them to be still; but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us Lord, Son of David! [20:32]And Jesus stopped, and called them and said, What do you wish me to do for you? [20:33]They said to him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. [20:34]And Jesus having compassion on them, touched their eyes; and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

2 [21:1]And when they approached Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, [21:2]and said to them, Go into the village opposite to you, and you will immediately find an ass tied, and a colt with her; untie them, and lead them to me: [21:3]and if any one asks you why, say that the Lord has need of them, and he will immediately send them. [21:4] But all this was done that the words spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled, who says; [21:5]Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king comes to you, meek, seated on an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

3 [21:6]And the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them, [21:7]and brought the ass and the colt, and put garments on them, and he sat on them. [21:8]And a vast multitude spread their garments in the way, and others cut branches from the trees and scattered them in the way; [21:9]and the multitudes that went before, and those that followed, cried saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest [heavens]!

4 [21:10]And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was moved, saying, Who is this? [21:11]And the multitude said, This is Jesus, the prophet who is from Nazareth of Galilee. [21:12]And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all that sold and bought in the temple, and overturned the tables of the brokers, and the seats of those that sold doves, [21:13]and said to them, It is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer; but you make it a den of robbers.

5 [21:14]And the blind and crippled came to him in the temple, and he cured them. [21:15]And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful works which he performed, and the children crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! they were displeased, [21:16]and said to him, Do you hear what these say? And Jesus said to them, Yes. Have you never read, that out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants, you have perfected praise? [21:17]And he left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there.

6 [21:18]And returning into the city in the morning he was hungry; [21:19]and seeing a fig tree by the way he went to it, and found nothing on it, except leaves only, and he said to it, Let there be no fruit on you forever. And the fig tree immediately withered, [21:20]and the disciples seeing it, wondered and said, How soon is this fig tree withered! [21:21]Jesus answered and said to them, I tell you truly, that if you have faith and doubt not, you shall not only do this of the fig tree, but if you should say to this mountain, Be taken up and be cast into the sea, it would be done; [21:22]and all things whatever which you ask in prayer believing, you shall receive.