Mark 11 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Jesus and his followers were coming closer to Jerusalem. They came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. {\cf2\super [138]} There Jesus sent two of his followers to do something.

² Jesus said to the followers, “Go to the town you can see there. When you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there. No person has ever ridden this donkey. Untie the donkey and bring it here to me.

³ If any person asks you why you are taking the donkey, tell that person, ‘The Master needs this donkey. He will send it back soon.’”

⁴ The followers went into the town. They found a young donkey tied in the street near the door of a house. The followers untied the donkey.

⁵ Some people were standing there and saw this. The people asked, “What are you doing? Why are you untying that donkey?”

⁶ The followers answered the way Jesus told them to answer. The people let the followers take the donkey.

⁷ The followers brought the donkey to Jesus. The followers put their coats on the donkey, and Jesus sat on it.

⁸ Many people spread their coats on the road for Jesus. Other people cut branches in the fields and spread the branches on the road.

⁹ Some of the people were walking ahead of Jesus. Other people were walking behind him. All the people shouted,

¹⁰ God bless the kingdom of our father David. {\cf2\super [140]} \par That kingdom is coming!\par Praise {\cf2\super [141]} to God in heaven!”\par

¹¹ Jesus went into Jerusalem and went to the temple. {\cf2\super [142]} Jesus looked at everything in the temple area. But it was already late. So Jesus went to Bethany with the twelve apostles. {\cf2\super [143]}

¹² The next day, Jesus was leaving Bethany. He was hungry.

¹³ Jesus saw a fig tree with leaves. So Jesus went to the tree to see if it had any figs growing on it. But Jesus found no figs on the tree. There were only leaves. It was not the right time for figs to grow.

¹⁴ So Jesus said to the tree, “People will never eat fruit from you again.” Jesus’ followers heard him say this.

¹⁵ Jesus went to Jerusalem. He went into the temple {\cf2\super [144]} area. Jesus began to throw out the people that were buying and selling things there. Jesus turned over the tables that belonged to the people that were exchanging different kinds of money. And Jesus turned over the benches of those people that were selling doves.

¹⁶ Jesus refused to allow any person to carry things through the temple area.

¹⁷ Then Jesus taught the people. He said, “It is written in the Scriptures, {\cf2\super [145]} ‘My house will be called a house for prayer for all people.’ {\cf2\super [146]} But you are changing God’s house into a ‘hiding place for thieves.’ {\cf2\super [147]} ”

¹⁸ The leading priests and the teachers of the law heard these things. They began trying to find a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of Jesus because all the people were amazed at his teaching.

¹⁹ That night, Jesus and his followers left the city.

²⁰ The next morning, Jesus was walking with his followers. They saw the fig tree \{that Jesus spoke to the day before\}. The fig tree was dry and dead, even the roots.

²¹ Peter remembered the tree and said to Jesus, “Teacher, look! Yesterday, you told that fig tree to die. Now it is dry and dead!”

²² Jesus answered, “Have faith in God.

²³ I tell you the truth. You can say to this mountain, ‘Go, mountain, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that the thing you say will happen, then God will do it for you.

²⁴ So I tell you to ask for things in prayer. And if you believe that you have received those things, then they will be yours.

²⁵ When you are praying, and you remember that you are angry with another person about something, then forgive that person. Forgive them so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins.”

²⁶ {\cf2\super [148]}

²⁷ Jesus and his followers went again to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking in the temple {\cf2\super [149]} area. The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders came to Jesus.

²⁸ They said to Jesus, “Tell us! What authority (power) do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “I will ask you a question. You answer my question. Then I will tell you whose authority I use to do these things.

³⁰ Tell me: When John baptized {\cf2\super [150]} people, did that come from God or was it only from other people? Answer me!”

³¹ These Jewish leaders talked about Jesus’ question. They said to each other, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ then Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe John?’

³² But we can’t say that John’s baptism was from someone else.” (These leaders were afraid of the people, because the people believed that John was a prophet. {\cf2\super [151]})

³³ So the leaders answered Jesus, “We don’t know the answer.”