Luke 19
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.
And there was a man called Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector [a superintendent to whom others reported] , and he was rich.
Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, but he could not see [1]because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.
So he ran on ahead [of the crowd] and climbed up in a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.
When Jesus reached the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."
So Zaccheus hurried and came down, and welcomed Jesus with joy.
When the people saw it, they all began muttering [in discontent] , "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a [notorious] sinner."
Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "See, Lord, I am [now] giving half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will give back four times as much."
Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this household, because he, too, is a [[2]spiritual] son of Abraham;
While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they assumed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately [as soon as He reached the city] .
So He said, "A nobleman went to a distant country to obtain for himself a kingdom, and [then] to return.
After saying these things, Jesus went on ahead [of them] , going up to Jerusalem.
When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples,
saying, "Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a [donkey's] [3]colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.
So those who were sent left and found the colt just as He had told them.
As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"
They said, "The Lord needs it."
They brought it to Jesus, and [4]they threw their robes over the colt and put Jesus on it.
As He rode along, people were spreading their coats on the road [as an act of homage before a king] .
As soon as He was approaching [Jerusalem] , near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the entire multitude of the disciples [all those who were or claimed to be His followers] began praising God [adoring Him enthusiastically and] joyfully with loud voices for all the miracles and works of power that they had seen,
Some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples [for shouting these Messianic praises] ."
Jesus replied, "I tell you, if these [people] keep silent, the stones will cry out [in praise] !"
As He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it [and the spiritual ignorance of its people] ,
saying, "If [only] you had known on this day [of salvation] , even you, the things which make for peace [and on which peace depends] ! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.
Jesus went into the temple [enclosure] and began driving out those who were selling,
saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer '; but you have made it a robbers' den ."
He was teaching day after day in the temple [porches and courts] ; but the chief priests and scribes and the leading men among the people were seeking [a way] to put Him to death,
and they could not find anything that they could do, for all the people [stayed close to Him and] were hanging on to [5]every word He said.