When they draw near to Yerushalem, to Beth-Phagei and Beth-Anias, at the Mountain of Olives, he sends two of his students, saying to them — Go into the village before you, then entering it you will find a foal tied [there], on which no person has yet sat. Release it and bring [it]. And if someone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The master has a need, and he will send it [back] here again immediately.’
So they go, and they find a foal tied beside a door outside on the street, and they release it. Some of those standing there say to them — What are you doing, releasing the foal? They say to them as Yoshua said, and they allow them.
They bring the foal to Yoshua, and throw their cloaks on it, and he sits on it. Many spread their cloaks on the way, and others cut branches from the trees. Those leading and those following cry — Hoshan-Na! Blessed [the one] who comes in the name of the Master! Blessed the coming kingdom of our father Dawid! Hoshan-Na in the highest!
He goes in to Yerushalem, to the sanctum. He looks around at everything, [but] the time already late, he goes to Beth-Anias with the Twelve. In the morning, going out from Beth-Anias, he is hungry. Seeing a leafy fig tree from far off, he goes to see what [he can] find on it. Coming to it he finds nothing but leaves, for it is not the time for figs. In response, he says to it — Never in the Æon shall anyone eat fruit from you. His students hear [this].
He goes into Yerushalem. In the sanctum, he begins throwing out the vendors and the buyers in the sanctum, and overturning the currency exchangers’ tables and the chairs of the pigeon sellers. He does not permit any to carry a container through the sanctum. He teaches [them], and says to them — Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples’? You, however, have made it a bandits’ cave.
The archpriests and the scholars hear [of this], and seek how to destroy him, for they fear him, since the crowd is struck by his teaching. When it gets late, he goes out of the city.
Going by in the morning, they see the fig tree withered from the roots. Petros remembers and says to him — Great one, look, the fig tree that you cursed has withered away.
— Have the trust of the divine, Yoshua responds. Amen I tell you that whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be raised up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not waver in heart, but trusts that what they say will happen, [it] will be for them. Because of this I tell you, all that you pray [for] and ask [for], trust that you will obtain [them], and [they] will be for you.
When you stand praying, let go of [any]thing you have against [any]one, so that your father in the skies [may] also let go of your mistakes.
They go into Yerushalem again, and as he walks around in the sanctum, the archpriests, the scholars, and the elders come to him, and say to him — By what authority do you do these [things]? Or who has given this authority for you to do these [things]?
Yoshua says to them — I will ask you one [question], and you will answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these [things]: The ablution of Yohanan: was it from the skies or from humans? Answer me.
They talk amongst themselves, saying — What shall we say? If we say, ‘From the skies,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not trust him?’ But if we say, ‘From humans’ —
They fear the crowd, for they all hold Yohanan to have truly been a prophet. Responding to Yoshua they say — We do not know.
And Yoshua says to them — Not yet will I tell you by what authority I do these [things].