^21:1Now¹ when they approached Jerusalem² and came to Bethphage,³ at the Mount of Olives,⁴ Jesus sent two disciples, ^21:2telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you.⁵ Right away you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ^21:3If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’⁶ and he will send them at once.” ^21:4This⁷ took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:⁸

^21:5“Tell the people of Zion,⁹

‘Look, your king is coming to you,

unassuming and seated on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”¹⁰

^21:6So¹¹ the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.

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Footnotes

1 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
2 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
3 The exact location of the village of Bethphage is not known. Most put it on the southeast side of the Mount of Olives and northwest of Bethany, about 1.5 miles (3 km) east of Jerusalem.
4 “Mountain” in English generally denotes a higher elevation than it often does in reference to places in Palestine. The Mount of Olives is really a ridge running north to south about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) long, east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. Its central elevation is about 30 meters (100 ft) higher than Jerusalem. It was named for the large number of olive trees which grew on it.
5 Grk “the village lying before you” ( κατέναντι 2.b).
6 The custom called angaria allowed the impressment of animals for service to a significant figure.
7 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
8 Grk “what was spoken by the prophet, saying.” The present participle λέγοντος (legontos) is redundant and has not been translated.
9 Grk “Tell the daughter of Zion” (the phrase “daughter of Zion” is an idiom for the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “people of Zion”). The idiom “daughter of Zion” has been translated as “people of Zion” because the original idiom, while firmly embedded in the Christian tradition, is not understandable to most modern English readers.
10 Grk “the foal of an animal under the yoke,” i.e., a hard-working animal. This is a quotation from Zech 9:9.
11 Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ instructions in vv. 2–3.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

“Say to the daughter of Zion,

‘Behold, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion,

‘See, your king comes to you,

gentle and riding on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

When they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, telling them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.”

This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

Tell Daughter Zion,

“See, your King is coming to you,

gentle, and mounted on a donkey,

and on a colt,

the foal of a donkey.”

The disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them.

NLTNew Living Translation

As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”

This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,

“Tell the people of Jerusalem,

‘Look, your King is coming to you.

He is humble, riding on a donkey—

riding on a donkey’s colt.’ ”

The two disciples did as Jesus commanded.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village before you, and right away you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you will say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” Now this took place so that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying,

“Say to the daughter of Zion,

‘Behold, your king is coming to you,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a pack animal.’ ”

So the disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them,

KJV 1900King James Version

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

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