THE BARREN FIG TREE IS CURSED

12 Theaw next day when they went out from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a figax tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruitay from you again!”az And his disciplesba heard it.

CLEANSING THE TEMPLE

15 They came to Jerusalem,bb and he went into the templebc and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changersbd and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. 17 He was teaching them: “Is it not written,be My housebf will be called a house of prayerbg for all nations?E But you have made it a den of thieves!”F,bh

18 The chief priests and the scribesa heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraidb of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching.

19 Whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.

THE BARREN FIG TREE IS WITHERED

20 Earlyc in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Then Peterd remembered and said to him, “Rabbi,e look! The fig tree that you cursedf has withered.”

22 Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God.g 23 Truly I tell you,h if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubti in his heart, but believesj that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.k 24 Therefore I tell you, everything you prayl and ask form—believe that you have receivedA,n it and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stando praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgivep him, so that your Fatherq in heavenr will also forgives you your wrongdoing.”*