The Primary Commands

28 One(A) of the scribes(B) approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked Him, “Which command is the most important of all?”[a]

29 “This is the most important,”[b] Jesus answered:

Listen, Israel! The Lord(C) our God, the Lord(D) is One.[c] 30 Love(E) the Lord your God(F) with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,(G) and with all your strength.[d](H)[e]

31 “The second is: Love your neighbor(I) as yourself.(J)[f] There is no other command(K) greater than these.”

32 Then the scribe said to Him, “You are right, Teacher! You have correctly said that He is One, and there is no one(L) else except Him.(M) 33 And to love(N) Him with all your heart, with all your understanding,[g] and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”(O)

34 When Jesus saw that he answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”(P) And no one dared(Q) to question Him any longer.

The Question about the Messiah

35 So(R) Jesus asked this question as He taught in the temple complex,(S) “How can the scribes(T) say that the Messiah(U) is the Son of David?(V) 36 David(W) himself says by the Holy Spirit:(X)

The Lord(Y) declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at My right hand(Z)
until I put Your enemies under Your feet.’(AA)[h]

37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how then can the Messiah be his Son?” And the large crowd was listening to Him with delight.

Warning against the Scribes

38 He(AB) also said in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes,(AC) and who want greetings in the marketplaces,(AD) 39 the front seats(AE) in the synagogues,(AF) and the places of honor(AG) at banquets.(AH) 40 They devour(AI) widows’(AJ) houses and say long prayers(AK) just for show. These will receive harsher punishment.”

The Widow’s Gift

41 Sitting(AL) across from the temple treasury,(AM) He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich(AN) people were putting in large sums. 42 And a poor(AO) widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little.[i] 43 Summoning His disciples,(AP) He said to them, “I assure you:(AQ) This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury.(AR) 44 For they all gave out of their surplus,(AS) but she out of her poverty(AT) has put in everything she possessed(AU)—all she had to live on.”(AV)

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 12:28 Lit Which command is first of all?
  2. Mark 12:29 Other mss add of all the commands
  3. Mark 12:29 Or The Lord our God is one Lord.
  4. Mark 12:30 Other mss add This is the first commandment.
  5. Mark 12:30 Dt 6:4-5; Jos 22:5
  6. Mark 12:31 Lv 19:18
  7. Mark 12:33 Other mss add with all your soul
  8. Mark 12:36 Ps 110:1
  9. Mark 12:42 Lit dropped in two lepta, which is a quadrans; the lepton was the smallest and least valuable Gk coin in use. The quadrans, 1⁄64 of a daily wage, was the smallest Roman coin.

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