28 For wheresoever the carcass4 is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29 T Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken :

44 Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

46 Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing.

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and 47 Verily I say unto you, That he then shall all the tribes of the earth shall make him ruler over all his mourn, and they shall see the Son of goods. man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 T Now, learn a parable of the fig-tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh.

48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

49 And shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

51 And shall cut him asunder, and 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall appoint him his portion with the hyposee all these things, know that it is crites; there shall be weeping and near, even at the doors. gnashing of teeth.

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till all these things

be fulfilled.

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36 T But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

1

Questions. Where was the mount of Olives?
Who shall be saved?

CHAP. XXV.

The parable of the ten virgins, 14 and of the talents. 31 Also the description of the last judgment.

THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 While the bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and slept.

6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

42 T Watch, therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 9 But the wise answered, saying, 43 But know this, that if the good Not so; lest there be not enough for man of the house had known in what us and you; but go ye rather to them watch the thief would come he would that sell, and buy for yourselves. have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the mar

4 Carcass, the Jewish nation dead in tres-riage; and the door was shut.

passes and sins.

5 Eagles, the Roman armies, on whose banners was displayed the eagle.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

I say unto you, I know you not.

12 But he answered, and said, Verily put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.2

13 Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

14 T For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two,

18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

28 Take, therefore, the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath.

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

31 ¶ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

20 And so he that had received five talents came, and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents; behold, I have 35 For I was an hungered, and ye gained besides them five talents more. gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye 21 His lord said unto him, Well gave me drink; I was a stranger, and done, thou good and faithful servant; ye took me in:

thou hast been faithful over a few 36 Naked, and ye clothed me; I was things, I will make thee ruler over sick, and ye visited me; I was in primany things; enter thou into the joy son, and ye came unto me. of thy lord.

22 He also that had received two talents came, and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents; behold, I have gained two other talents besides them.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or, when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; 40 And the King shall answer and enter thou into the joy of thy lord. say unto them, Verily I say unto you, 24 Then he which had received the In as much as ye have done it unto one talent came, and said, Lord, I one of the least of these my brethren, knew thee that thou art an hard man, ye have done it unto me. reaping where thou hast not sown, 41 Then shall he say also unto them and gathering where thou hast not strewed:

25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth; lo, there thou hast that is thine.

26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed;

27 Thou oughtest, therefore, to have

1 Talent. A talent is thought to be worth, 830 dollars.

on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

42 for I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink :

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick and in prison, and ye visited me

not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an

2 Usury, interest.

hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister3 unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, In as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal.

Questions. Repeat the parable of the ten virgins.

By what parable does our Lord teach our obligation to improve in his service all the blessings that we receive?

What will the Lord say at the day of judgment to those on his right hand?

What to those on his left?
Where shall the wicked go?
Where the righteous?

CHAP. XXVI.

1 The rulers conspire against Jesus; 14 Judas selleth him. 17 Jesus eateth the passover.

AND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings he said unto his disciples,

2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover,1 and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Cai'aphas,

4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.

5 But they said, Not on the feastday, lest there be an uproar among the people.

6 Now when Jesus was in Beth'any, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster-box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head as he sat at meat.

8 But when his disciples saw it they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?

9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

10 When Jesus understood it he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.

11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.

3 Minister, to wait on, to serve, assist. 1 The Passover was a feast of the Jews, instituted in commemoration of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. See Exod. xii. Numb. ix. and xxviii. 16. Deut. xvi.

2 Elders, Senators. The seventy who composed the Sanhedrim, or chief council of the Jews.

12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.

13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

14 ¶ Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,

15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted3 with him for thirty pieces of silver.4

16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

17 T Now, the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?

18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; 1 will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.

19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.

20 Now, when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.

21 And as they did eat he said, Verily I say unto you, That one of you shall betray me.

22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?

23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.

24 The Son of man goeth, as it is written of him; but wo unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

25 Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.

26 T And, as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and

3 Covenanted, agreed.

4 A piece of silver, about 66 2-3 cents; so that our Saviour was betrayed for about 20 dollars.

5 The feast of unleavened bread was an appendage to the Passover, or it was a feast, which in connexion was immediately to succeed it. It continued seven days, during which po leavened or fermented bread was to be eaten, to commemorate the Hebrews' hasty departure from Egypt, before their dough could be leavened. See Exod. xii. and xxiii. Lev. xxiii. 6-14. Numb. ix. 9-14. and xxviii. 17, 25.

6 Thou hast said, which means, It is.

brake it, and gave it to the disciples, from me except I drink it, thy will be and said, Take, eat; this is my body.done.

27 And he took the cup, and gave 43 And he came and found them thanks, and gave it to them, saying, asleep again; for their eyes were Drink ye all of it :7

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

30 And when they had sung an hymn they went out into the mount of Olives.

heavy.

44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest?? behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

46 Rise, let us be going; behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

47 And while he yet spake, lo,

with him a great multitude with swords and staves from the chief priests and elders of the people.

31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All Judas, one of the twelve, came, and ye shall be offended because of me this night; for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 32 But after I am risen again I will go before you into Galilee.

33 Peter answered, and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.

34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

36 ¶ Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsem'ane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful, and very heavy.

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here, and watch with

me.

48 Now, he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; hold him fast.

49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Master; and kissed him.

50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

51 And behold one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest, and smote off his ear.

52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels ?10

54 But how then shall the scrip39 And he went a little farther, and tures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O 55 In that same hour said Jesus to my Father, if it be possible, let this the multitudes, Are ye come out, as cup pass from me; nevertheless, not against a thief, with swords and staves as I will, but as thou wilt. for to take me? I sat daily with you 40 And he cometh unto the disci-teaching in the temple, and ye laid no ples, and findeth them asleep, and saith hold on me. unto Peter, What! could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away

7 Drink ye all of it; All ye, drink of it. 8 Let this cup pass from me. Take this cup of bitterness away from me; that is, my excruciating sufferings on the cross, which now await me.

56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.

57 ¶ And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the

9 Sleep on now, &c. In most of our bibles these words have a wrong punctuation. They should be marked as a question. Do ye sleep on now, and take your rest?

10 Legion. A Roman legion consisted of about 6000 men; sometimes more, sometimes less.

high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.

58 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants to see the end.

59 Now, the chief priests and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death:

they that stood by, and said to Peter, surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.

74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

75 And Peter remembered the words of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept

60 But found none; yea, though bitterly. many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,

61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee?

63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.

time our Lord was persecuted and crucified?
Questions. Who was the high priest at the
Who betrayed his Lord?

For what sum did he betray him?
What did Peter promise?
How did Judas betray Jesus?
Did Peter break his promise?

CHAP. XXVII.

1 Jesus delivered to Pilate. 5 Judas hangeth himself. 35 Jesus is crucified.

WHEN the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.

64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said; nevertheless, I say unto you, 2 And when they had bound him Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man they led him away, and delivered him sitting on the right hand of power, to Pontius Pilate the governor. and coming in the clouds of hea- 3 ¶ Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was 65 Then the high priest rent his condemned, repented himself, and clothes,12 saying, He hath spoken blas- brought again the thirty pieces of silphemy; what further need have we ver to the chief priests and elders, of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.

ven.

66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.

67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,

68 Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ; Who is he that smote thee? 69 Now Peter sat without in the palace; and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.

4 Saying, I have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

6 And the chief priests took the pieces and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.

7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.

70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. 8 Wherefore that field was called 71 And when he was gone out into the field of blood, unto this day. the porch, another maid saw him, and 9 (Then was fulfilled that which said unto them that were there, This was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, fellow was also with Jesus of Naza-saying, And they took the thirty pieces

reth.

72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.

73 And after a while came unto him

11 Thou hast said; that is, What I am, thou hast said; I am the Christ, the Son of God.

12 Rending or tearing the clothes implies great grief, horror, or indignation; the high priest, however, was expressly forbidden to rend his clothes. Lev. xxi. 10.

of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value,

10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.)

11 ¶ And Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the king of the Jews?

1 Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea. 43