[1, 2] And Jesus came to Bethany, and found him already four days in the grave. And Bethany was beside Jerusalem, and its distance from it was a sum of fifteen furlongs; and many of the Jews came unto Mary and Martha, to comfort their heart because of their brother. And Martha, when she heard that Jesus had come, went out to meet him: but Mary was sitting in the house. Martha then said unto Jesus, My Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know now that, whatever thou shalt ask of God, he will give thee. Jesus said unto her, Thy brother shall rise. Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: whosoever believeth in [Arabic, p. 144] me, even though he die, he shall live: and every living one that believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She said unto him, Yea, my Lord: I believe that thou art the Messiah, the Son of God, that cometh into the world. And when she had said that, she went and called Mary her sister secretly, and said unto her, Our Master hath come, and summoneth thee. And Mary, when she heard, rose in haste, and came unto him. (And Jesus then had not come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him.) And the Jews also that were with her in the house, to comfort her, when they saw that Mary rose up and went out in haste, went after her, because they supposed that she was going to the tomb to weep. And Mary, when she came to where Jesus was, and saw him, fell at his feet, and said unto him, If thou hadst been here, my Lord, my brother had not died. And Jesus came; and when he saw her weeping, and the Jews that were with her weeping, he was troubled in himself, and sighed; and he said, In what place have ye laid him? And they said unto him, Our Lord, come and see. And the tears of Jesus came. The Jews therefore said, See the greatness of his love for him! But some of them said, Could not this man, who opened the eyes of that blind man, have caused that this man also should not die? And Jesus came to the place of burial, being troubled within himself. And the place of burial was a cave, and a stone was placed at its door. Jesus therefore said, Take these stones away. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, said unto him, My Lord, he hath come to stink for some time: he hath been four days dead. Jesus said unto her, Did not I say [Arabic, p. 145] unto thee, If thou believest, thou shalt see the glory of God? And they removed those stones. And Jesus lifted his eyes on high, and said, My Father, I thank thee since thou didst hear me. And I know that thou at all times hearest me: but I say this unto thee because of this multitude that is standing, that they may believe that thou didst send me. And when he had said that, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And that dead man came out, having his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped in a scarf. Jesus said unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
And many of the Jews which came unto Mary, when they saw the deed of Jesus, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees, and informed them of all that Jesus did.
And the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered, and said, What shall we do? for lo, this man doeth many signs. And if we leave him thus, all men will believe in him: and the Romans will come and take our country and people. And one of them, who was called Caiaphas, the chief priest he was in that year, said unto them, Ye know not anything, nor consider that it is more advantageous for us that one man should die instead of the people, and not that the whole people perish. And this he said not of himself: but because he was the chief priest of that year, he prophesied that Jesus was to die instead of the people; and not instead of the people alone, but that he might gather the scattered children of God together. And from that day they considered how to kill him.
[Arabic, p. 146] And Jesus did not walk openly amongst the Jews, but departed thence to a place near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim; and he was there, going about with his disciples. And the passover of the Jews was near: and many went up from the villages unto Jerusalem before the feast, to purify themselves. And they sought for Jesus, and said one to another in the temple, What think ye of his holding back from the feast? And the chief priests and the Pharisees had given commandment, that, if any man knew in what place he was, he should reveal it to them, that they might take him.
And when the days of his going up were accomplished, he prepared himself that he might go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers before him, and departed, and entered into a village of Samaria, that they might make ready for him. And they received him not, because he was prepared for going to Jerusalem. And when James and John his disciples saw it, they said unto him, Our Lord, wilt thou that we speak, and fire come down from heaven, to extirpate them, as did Elijah also? And Jesus turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not of what spirit ye are. Verily the Son of man did not come to destroy lives, but to give life. And they went to another village.
Section XXXIX
And Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where was Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from among the dead. And they made a feast for him there: and Martha was serving; while Lazarus was one of them that sat with him. And at the time of Jesus’ being at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, great multitudes of the Jews heard that Jesus was there: and they came, not because of Jesus alone, but [Arabic, p. 147] that they might look also on Lazarus, whom he raised from among the dead. [5, 6] And the chief priests considered how they might kill Lazarus also; because many of the Jews were going on his account, and believing in Jesus. And Mary took a case of the ointment of fine nard, of great price, and opened it, and poured it out on the head of Jesus as he was reclining; and she anointed his feet, and wiped them with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. [9, 10] But Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples, he that was to betray him, said, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given unto the poor? This he said, not because of his care for the poor, but because he was a thief, and the chest was with him, and what was put into it he used to bear. And that displeased the rest of the disciples also within themselves, and they said, Why went this ointment to waste? It was possible that it should be sold for much, and the poor be given it. And they were angry with Mary. And Jesus perceived it, and said unto them, Leave her; why molest ye her? a good work hath she accomplished on me: for the day of my burial kept she it. At all times the poor are with you, and when ye wish ye can do them a kindness: but I am not at all times with you. And for this cause, when she poured this ointment on my body, it is as if she did it for my burial, and anointed my body beforehand. And verily I say unto you, In every place where this my gospel shall be proclaimed in all the world, what she did shall be told for a memorial of her.
[18, 19] [Arabic, p. 148] And when Jesus said that, he went out leisurely to go to Jerusalem. And when he arrived at Bethphage and at Bethany, beside the mount which is called the mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, and he said unto them, Go into this village that is opposite you: and when ye enter it, ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with him, which no man ever yet mounted: loose him, and bring them unto me. And if any man say unto you, Why loose ye them? say unto him thus, We seek them for our Lord; and straightway send them hither. All this was, that what was said in the prophet might be fulfilled, which said,
Say ye unto the daughter of Zion,
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee,
Meek, and riding upon an ass,
And upon a colt the foal of an ass.
And the disciples did not know this at that time: but after that Jesus was glorified, his disciples remembered that these things were written of him, and that this they had done unto him. And when the two disciples went, they found as he had said unto them, and they did as Jesus charged them. And when they loosed them, their owners said unto them, Why loose ye them? They said unto them, We seek them for our Lord. And they let them go. And they brought the ass and the colt, and they placed on the colt their garments; and Jesus mounted it. And most of the multitudes spread their garments on the ground before him: and others cut branches from the trees, and threw them in the way. And when he neared his descent from [Arabic, p. 149] the mount of Olives, all the disciples began to rejoice and to praise God with a loud voice for all the powers which they had seen; and they said, Praise in the highest; Praise to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; and blessed is the kingdom that cometh, that of our father David: Peace in heaven, and praise in the highest.
And a great multitude, that which came to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took young palm branches, and went forth to meet him, and cried and said, Praise: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Certain therefore of the Pharisees from among the multitudes said unto him, Our Master, rebuke thy disciples. He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If these were silent, the stones would cry out.
[38, 39] And when he drew near, and saw the city, he wept over it, and said, Would that thou hadst known the things that are for thy peace, in this thy day! now that is hidden from thine eyes. There shall come unto thee days when thine enemies shall encompass thee, and straiten thee from every quarter, and shall get possession of thee, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee a stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
And when he entered into Jerusalem, the whole city was agitated, and they said, Who is this? And the multitudes said, This is Jesus, the prophet that is from Nazareth of Galilee. And the multitude which was with him bare witness that he called Lazarus from the grave, and raised him from among the dead. And for this cause great multitudes went out to meet him, because they heard the sign which he did.