ARKCODEX
Mark
Ch. 13–14
Jesus Speaks of the Destruction of the Temple
1As Jesus was leaving the Temple, one of his disciples said, “Look, Teacher! What wonderful stones and buildings!”
2Jesus answered, “You see these great buildings? Not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one of them will be thrown down.”
Troubles and Persecutions
3Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, across from the Temple, when Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him in private.
4“Tell us when this will be,” they said, “and tell us what will happen to show that the time has come for all these things to take place.”
5Jesus said to them, “Watch out, and don't let anyone fool you.
6Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will fool many people.
7And don't be troubled when you hear the noise of battles close by and news of battles far away. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come.
8Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be earthquakes everywhere, and there will be famines. These things are like the first pains of childbirth.
9“You yourselves must watch out. You will be arrested and taken to court. You will be beaten in the synagogues; you will stand before rulers and kings for my sake to tell them the Good News.
10But before the end comes, the gospel must be preached to all peoples.
11And when you are arrested and taken to court, do not worry ahead of time about what you are going to say; when the time comes, say whatever is then given to you. For the words you speak will not be yours; they will come from the Holy Spirit.
12Men will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children. Children will turn against their parents and have them put to death.
13Everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved.
The Awful Horror
14“You will see ‘The Awful Horror’ standing in the place where he should not be.” (Note to the reader: understand what this means!) “Then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills.
15Someone who is on the roof of a house must not lose time by going down into the house to get anything to take along.
16Someone who is in the field must not go back to the house for a cloak.
17How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies!
18Pray to God that these things will not happen in the winter!
19For the trouble of those days will be far worse than any the world has ever known from the very beginning when God created the world until the present time. Nor will there ever be anything like it again.
20But the Lord has reduced the number of those days; if he had not, nobody would survive. For the sake of his chosen people, however, he has reduced those days.
21“Then, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’—do not believe it.
22For false Messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will perform miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God's chosen people, if possible.
23Be on your guard! I have told you everything ahead of time.
The Coming of the Son of Man
24“In the days after that time of trouble the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine,
25the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers in space will be driven from their courses.
26Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27He will send the angels out to the four corners of the earth to gather God's chosen people from one end of the world to the other.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
28“Let the fig tree teach you a lesson. When its branches become green and tender and it starts putting out leaves, you know that summer is near.
29In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that the time is near, ready to begin.
30Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died.
31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
No One Knows the Day or Hour
32“No one knows, however, when that day or hour will come—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son; only the Father knows.
33Be on watch, be alert, for you do not know when the time will come.
34It will be like a man who goes away from home on a trip and leaves his servants in charge, after giving to each one his own work to do and after telling the doorkeeper to keep watch.
35Watch, then, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming—it might be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or at sunrise.
36If he comes suddenly, he must not find you asleep.
37What I say to you, then, I say to all: Watch!”
Mark 14
The Plot against Jesus
1It was now two days before the Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and put him to death.
2“We must not do it during the festival,” they said, “or the people might riot.”
Jesus Is Anointed at Bethany
3Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, a man who had suffered from a dreaded skin disease. While Jesus was eating, a woman came in with an alabaster jar full of a very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus' head.
4Some of the people there became angry and said to one another, “What was the use of wasting the perfume?
5It could have been sold for more than three hundred silver coins and the money given to the poor!” And they criticized her harshly.
6But Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has done a fine and beautiful thing for me.
7You will always have poor people with you, and any time you want to, you can help them. But you will not always have me.
8She did what she could; she poured perfume on my body to prepare it ahead of time for burial.
9Now, I assure you that wherever the gospel is preached all over the world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
10Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus to them.
11They were pleased to hear what he had to say, and promised to give him money. So Judas started looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them.
Jesus Eats the Passover Meal with His Disciples
12On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the day the lambs for the Passover meal were killed, Jesus' disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and get the Passover meal ready for you?”
13Then Jesus sent two of them with these instructions: “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him
14to the house he enters, and say to the owner of the house: ‘The Teacher says, Where is the room where my disciples and I will eat the Passover meal?’
15Then he will show you a large upstairs room, fixed up and furnished, where you will get everything ready for us.”
16The disciples left, went to the city, and found everything just as Jesus had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
17When it was evening, Jesus came with the twelve disciples.
18While they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you that one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”
19The disciples were upset and began to ask him, one after the other, “Surely you don't mean me, do you?”
20Jesus answered, “It will be one of you twelve, one who dips his bread in the dish with me.
21The Son of Man will die as the Scriptures say he will; but how terrible for that man who will betray the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born!”
The Lord's Supper
22While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. “Take it,” he said, “this is my body.”
23Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and handed it to them; and they all drank from it.
24Jesus said, “This is my blood which is poured out for many, my blood which seals God's covenant.
25I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God.”
26Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial
27Jesus said to them, “All of you will run away and leave me, for the scripture says, ‘God will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will all be scattered.’
28But after I am raised to life, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.”
29Peter answered, “I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!”
30Jesus said to Peter, “I tell you that before the rooster crows two times tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me.”
31Peter answered even more strongly, “I will never say that, even if I have to die with you!” And all the other disciples said the same thing.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
32They came to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”
33He took Peter, James, and John with him. Distress and anguish came over him,
34and he said to them, “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch.”
35He went a little farther on, threw himself on the ground, and prayed that, if possible, he might not have to go through that time of suffering.
36“Father,” he prayed, “my Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.”
37Then he returned and found the three disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Weren't you able to stay awake for even one hour?”
38And he said to them, “Keep watch, and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39He went away once more and prayed, saying the same words.
40Then he came back to the disciples and found them asleep; they could not keep their eyes open. And they did not know what to say to him.
41When he came back the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come! Look, the Son of Man is now being handed over to the power of sinners.
42Get up, let us go. Look, here is the man who is betraying me!”
The Arrest of Jesus
43Jesus was still speaking when Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs and sent by the chief priests, the teachers of the Law, and the elders.
44The traitor had given the crowd a signal: “The man I kiss is the one you want. Arrest him and take him away under guard.”
45As soon as Judas arrived, he went up to Jesus and said, “Teacher!” and kissed him.
46So they arrested Jesus and held him tight.
47But one of those standing there drew his sword and struck at the High Priest's slave, cutting off his ear.
48Then Jesus spoke up and said to them, “Did you have to come with swords and clubs to capture me, as though I were an outlaw?
49Day after day I was with you teaching in the Temple, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must come true.”
50Then all the disciples left him and ran away.
51A certain young man, dressed only in a linen cloth, was following Jesus. They tried to arrest him,
52but he ran away naked, leaving the cloth behind.
Jesus before the Council
53Then Jesus was taken to the High Priest's house, where all the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the Law were gathering.
54Peter followed from a distance and went into the courtyard of the High Priest's house. There he sat down with the guards, keeping himself warm by the fire.
55The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some evidence against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they could not find any.
56Many witnesses told lies against Jesus, but their stories did not agree.
57Then some men stood up and told this lie against Jesus:
58“We heard him say, ‘I will tear down this Temple which men have made, and after three days I will build one that is not made by men.’”
59Not even they, however, could make their stories agree.
60The High Priest stood up in front of them all and questioned Jesus, “Have you no answer to the accusation they bring against you?”
61But Jesus kept quiet and would not say a word. Again the High Priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed God?”
62“I am,” answered Jesus, “and you will all see the Son of Man seated at the right side of the Almighty and coming with the clouds of heaven!”
63The High Priest tore his robes and said, “We don't need any more witnesses!
64You heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” They all voted against him: he was guilty and should be put to death.
65Some of them began to spit on Jesus, and they blindfolded him and hit him. “Guess who hit you!” they said. And the guards took him and slapped him.
Peter Denies Jesus
66Peter was still down in the courtyard when one of the High Priest's servant women came by.
67When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked straight at him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus of Nazareth.”
68But he denied it. “I don't know … I don't understand what you are talking about,” he answered, and went out into the passageway. Just then a rooster crowed.
69The servant woman saw him there and began to repeat to the bystanders, “He is one of them!”
70But Peter denied it again. A little while later the bystanders accused Peter again, “You can't deny that you are one of them, because you, too, are from Galilee.”
71Then Peter said, “I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know the man you are talking about!”
72Just then a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows two times, you will say three times that you do not know me.” And he broke down and cried.
Psalms
Ch. 68
A National Song of Triumph
1God rises up and scatters his enemies. Those who hate him run away in defeat.
2As smoke is blown away, so he drives them off; as wax melts in front of the fire, so do the wicked perish in God's presence.
3But the righteous are glad and rejoice in his presence; they are happy and shout for joy.
4Sing to God, sing praises to his name; prepare a way for him who rides on the clouds. His name is the Lord—be glad in his presence!
5God, who lives in his sacred Temple, cares for orphans and protects widows.
6He gives the lonely a home to live in and leads prisoners out into happy freedom, but rebels will have to live in a desolate land.
7O God, when you led your people, when you marched across the desert,
8the earth shook, and the sky poured down rain, because of the coming of the God of Sinai, the coming of the God of Israel.
9You caused abundant rain to fall and restored your worn-out land;
10your people made their home there; in your goodness you provided for the poor.
11The Lord gave the command, and many women carried the news:
12“Kings and their armies are running away!” The women at home divided what was captured:
13figures of doves covered with silver, whose wings glittered with fine gold. (Why did some of you stay among the sheep pens on the day of battle?)
14When Almighty God scattered the kings on Mount Zalmon, he caused snow to fall there.
15What a mighty mountain is Bashan, a mountain of many peaks!
16Why from your mighty peaks do you look with scorn on the mountain on which God chose to live? The Lord will live there forever!
17With his many thousands of mighty chariots the Lord comes from Sinai into the holy place.
18He goes up to the heights, taking many captives with him; he receives gifts from rebellious people. The Lord God will live there.
19Praise the Lord, who carries our burdens day after day; he is the God who saves us.
20Our God is a God who saves; he is the Lord, our Lord, who rescues us from death.
21God will surely break the heads of his enemies, of those who persist in their sinful ways.
22The Lord has said, “I will bring your enemies back from Bashan; I will bring them back from the depths of the ocean,
23so that you may wade in their blood, and your dogs may lap up as much as they want.”
24O God, your march of triumph is seen by all, the procession of God, my king, into his sanctuary.
25The singers are in front, the musicians are behind, in between are the young women beating the tambourines.
26“Praise God in the meeting of his people; praise the Lord, all you descendants of Jacob!”
27First comes Benjamin, the smallest tribe, then the leaders of Judah with their group, followed by the leaders of Zebulun and Naphtali.
28Show your power, O God, the power you have used on our behalf
29from your Temple in Jerusalem, where kings bring gifts to you.
30Rebuke Egypt, that wild animal in the reeds; rebuke the nations, that herd of bulls with their calves, until they all bow down and offer you their silver. Scatter those people who love to make war!
31Ambassadors will come from Egypt; the Ethiopians will raise their hands in prayer to God.
32Sing to God, kingdoms of the world, sing praise to the Lord,
33to him who rides in the sky, the ancient sky. Listen to him shout with a mighty roar.
34Proclaim God's power; his majesty is over Israel, his might is in the skies.
35How awesome is God as he comes from his sanctuary— the God of Israel! He gives strength and power to his people. Praise God!