Matthew 21:1-17

1Now when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,

2telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Right away you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.

3If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”

4This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:

5“Tell the people of Zion, ‘Look, your king is coming to you, unassuming and seated on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

6So the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.

7They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.

8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9The crowds that went ahead of him and those following kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

10As he entered Jerusalem the whole city was thrown into an uproar, saying, “Who is this?”

11And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

12Then Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple courts, and turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.

13And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are turning it into a den of robbers!”

14The blind and lame came to him in the temple courts, and he healed them.

15But when the chief priests and the experts in the law saw the wonderful things he did and heard the children crying out in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant

16and said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of children and nursing infants you have prepared praise for yourself’?”

17And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.