Luke 9:51-18:14

Modern English Version

A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus

⁵¹ When the time came for Him to be received up, He was steadfastly set to go to Jerusalem, ⁵² and sent messengers ahead of Him. They went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make things ready for Him, ⁵³ but they did not receive Him, because He was set to go to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?” ⁵⁵ But He turned and rebuked them and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of. ⁵⁶ For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.

The Would-Be Followers of Jesus^(A)

⁵⁷ As they went along the way, a man said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow Me.”

But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ Yet another said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go bid farewell to those at my house.”

⁶² Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back at things is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The Mission of the Seventy

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of Him into every city and place where He Himself was about to come. ² He said to them, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. ³ Go your ways. Listen, I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. ⁴ Carry no purse, no bag, no shoes, and greet no one on the road.

⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ ⁶ If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him; but if not, it will return upon you. ⁷ Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they give, for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Do not go from house to house.

⁸ “When you enter a city and they receive you, eat what is set before you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But when you enter a city and they do not receive you, go your way out into their streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your city which clings to us, we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹² But I say to you, it will be more tolerable on that Day for Sodom than for that city.

Unrepentant Cities^(B)

¹³ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which have been done for you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. ¹⁵ And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be thrust down to hell.

¹⁶ “He who listens to you listens to Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”

The Return of the Seventy

¹⁷ The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us through Your name.”

¹⁸ He said to them, “I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven. ¹⁹ Look, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you. ²⁰ Nevertheless do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

The Rejoicing of Jesus^(C)

²¹ At that time Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for it was Your good pleasure.

²² “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father. And no one knows who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son and he to whom the Son desires to reveal Him.”

²³ Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you, many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”

The Good Samaritan

²⁵ Now, a lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read?”

²⁷ He answered, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind’^[a] and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”

²⁸ He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”

²⁹ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ Jesus answered, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing and wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ By chance a priest came down that way. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to that place, looked at him and passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion on him, ³⁴ and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine. Then he set him on his own donkey and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day when he departed, he took out two denarii^[c] and gave them to the innkeeper and said to him, ‘Take care of him. I will repay you whatever else you spend when I return.’

³⁶ “Now which of these three do you think was a neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

³⁷ He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Visiting Martha and Mary

³⁸ As they went, He entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to His teaching. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Then tell her to help me.”

⁴¹ Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. ⁴² But one thing is needed. And Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken from her.”

Teaching About Prayer^(D)

11 He was praying in a certain place, and when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

² He said to them, “When you pray, say:

⁵ Then He said to them, “Which of you has a friend and shall go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, ⁶ for a friend of mine on his journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him’; ⁷ and he will answer from within, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give you anything’? ⁸ I say to you, though he will not rise and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as much as he needs.

⁹ “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

¹¹ “If a son asks for bread from any of you who is a father, will you give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will you give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will you offer him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Jesus and Beelzebub^(E)

¹⁴ He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the crowd marveled. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “He casts out demons through Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” ¹⁶ Others, testing Him, asked Him for a sign from heaven.

¹⁷ But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is made desolate. And a house divided against itself falls. ¹⁸ If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons through Beelzebub. ¹⁹ Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, no doubt the kingdom of God has come upon you.

²¹ “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are peacefully kept. ²² But when a stronger man than he attacks and overpowers him, he seizes all the armor in which the man trusted and divides his spoils.

²³ “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

The Return of the Unclean Spirit^(F)

²⁴ “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it goes through dry places seeking rest. Finding none, it says, ‘I will return to my house, from which I came.’ ²⁵ When it comes, it finds it swept and furnished. ²⁶ Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

True Blessedness

²⁷ As He spoke these things, a woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the woman who gave You birth and nursed You.”

²⁸ But He said, “Indeed, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”

The Demand for a Sign^(G)

²⁹ When the crowds pressed upon Him, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It looks for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. ³⁰ For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. ³¹ The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And now one greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And now one greater than Jonah is here.

The Light of the Body^(H)

³³ “No one, when he has lit a candle, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a candlestick, that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ Take heed therefore lest the light which is in you is darkness. ³⁶ If your whole body, then, is full of light, no part being dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the shining candle gives you light.”

The Denouncing of the Pharisees and Lawyers^(I)

³⁷ As He spoke, a Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. ³⁸ When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.

³⁹ Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish. But inside you are full of extortion and wickedness. ⁴⁰ You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But give alms from what is within. And then all things are clean to you.

⁴² “Woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb and pass over justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

⁴³ “Woe to you, Pharisees! For you love the prominent seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

⁴⁴ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like unseen graves, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”

⁴⁵ One of the lawyers answered, “Teacher, by saying these things You insult us also.”

⁴⁶ He said, “Woe to you also, you lawyers! For you load men with burdens difficult to carry, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

⁴⁷ “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. ⁴⁸ So you are witnesses and entirely approve the deeds of your fathers, because they killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Therefore also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰ that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the beginning of the world, may be required from this generation, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it shall be required from this generation.

⁵² “Woe to you, lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

⁵³ As He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to incite Him vehemently and angrily draw Him out concerning many things, ⁵⁴ lying in wait for Him and seeking to catch something out of His mouth, that they might accuse Him.

A Warning Against Hypocrisy

12 Meanwhile, when thousands of the crowd were assembled, so as to trample on one another, He began to say to His disciples first, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ² For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ³ Therefore what you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light. And what you have whispered in the ear in private rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Whom to Fear^(J)

⁴ “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that can do no more. ⁵ But I will warn you whom you shall fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell. Yes, I say to you, fear Him. ⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies^[d]? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. ⁷ Indeed, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear. You are more valuable than many sparrows.

Confessing Christ Before Men^(K)

⁸ “I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him will the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God. ⁹ But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

¹¹ “When they bring you to the synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not be anxious how you will answer or what you will say. ¹² For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³ Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴ Jesus said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or an arbitrator between you?” ¹⁵ Then He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness. For a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

¹⁶ And He told a parable to them, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully. ¹⁷ He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have no room to store my crops?’

¹⁸ “Then he said, ‘This I will do: I will pull down my barns and build greater ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take rest. Eat, drink, and be merry.’

²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This night your soul will be required of you. Then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

²¹ “So is he who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Care and Anxiety^(L)

²² Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor for your body, what you will wear. ²³ Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: They neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouses nor barns. Yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds? ²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add one cubit^[e] to his height? ²⁶ If you then cannot do what is least, why are you anxious about the other things?

²⁷ “Consider how the lilies grow. They neither spin nor weave. Yet I say to you that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ If God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? ²⁹ And do not seek what you will eat or what you will drink, nor be of an anxious mind. ³⁰ For the nations of the world seek all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be given to you.

³² “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give alms. Provide yourselves purses that do not grow old, an unfailing treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Watchful Servants^(M)

³⁵ “Let your waist be girded and your lights be burning, ³⁶ and you be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door immediately for him when he comes and knocks. ³⁷ Blessed are those servants whom the master will find watching when he comes. Truly I say to you, he will dress himself and have them sit down to dine, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸ If he comes in the second watch, or comes in the third watch, and finds them so, blessed are those servants. ³⁹ But know this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched and not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ Therefore be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

⁴¹ Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

⁴² The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his house servants, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you, he will appoint him over all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master delays his coming,’ and begins to beat the house servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not look for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him to pieces and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

⁴⁷ “That servant who knew his master’s will, but did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. ⁴⁸ But he who unknowingly committed acts worthy of punishment shall be beaten with few stripes. For to whom much is given, of him much shall be required. And from him to whom much was entrusted, much will be asked.

Jesus the Cause of Division^(N)

⁴⁹ “I have come to send fire upon the earth and wish that it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how pressed I am until it is accomplished! ⁵¹ Do you suppose that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. ⁵² For there will be from now on five divided in one house, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, and mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Discerning the Appointed Time^(O)

⁵⁴ Then He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rise out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it is. ⁵⁵ And when a south wind blows, you say, ‘There will be heat,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶ You hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth. But why do you not know how to discern this time?

Settling With Your Accuser^(P)

⁵⁷ “Why even among yourselves do you not judge what is right? ⁵⁸ When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, as you are on the way, diligently try to settle matters with him, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the officer, and the officer will throw you into prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you shall not come out from there until you have paid the very last penny.”^[f]

Repent or Perish

13 There were present at that time some who told Him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² Jesus answered, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things? ³ I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all men living in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

⁶ Then He told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came and looked for fruit on it and found none. ⁷ So he said to the vinedresser of his vineyard, ‘Now these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it deplete the soil?’

⁸ “He answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you shall cut it down.’ ”

Healing a Woman on the Sabbath

¹⁰ He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years and was bent over and could not straighten herself up. ¹² When Jesus saw her, He called her and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” ¹³ Then He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight and glorified God.

¹⁴ But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, and said to the people, “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come and be healed on those days, but not on the Sabbath day.”

¹⁵ The Lord answered him, “You hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it? ¹⁶ Then should not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has bound these eighteen years, be loosed from this bondage on the Sabbath?”

¹⁷ When He said this, all His adversaries were ashamed. And all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast^(Q)

¹⁸ Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what shall I compare it? ¹⁹ It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

²⁰ Again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in sixty pounds^[g] of meal until all of it was leavened.”

The Narrow Gate^(R)

²² Then He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. ²³ Someone said to Him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?”

He said to them, ²⁴ “Strive to enter through the narrow gate. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. ²⁵ Once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’

²⁶ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’

²⁷ “But He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know you, or where you come from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’

²⁸ “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. ²⁹ They will come from the east and from the west and from the north and from the south and will sit down to dine in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ Listen, there are the last who will be first, and the first who will be last.”

The Lament Over Jerusalem^(S)

³¹ On the same day certain Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.”

³² He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Look, I cast out demons. And I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I shall be perfected.’ ³³ Nevertheless I must travel today and tomorrow and the day following. For it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside Jerusalem.

³⁴ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing! ³⁵ Look, your house is forsaken. Truly I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’^[h]”

The Healing of the Man With Edema

14 On the Sabbath they watched Him as He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees to eat bread. ² There before Him was a man who had edema.^{[i] 3} Jesus said to the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” ⁴ But they remained silent. So He took him and healed him, and let him go.

⁵ Then He said, “Which of you having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” ⁶ And they could not answer Him regarding these things.

A Lesson to Guests and a Host

⁷ When He marked how they chose the seats of honor, He told a parable to those who were invited, saying to them, ⁸ “When you are invited by any man to a wedding banquet, do not sit down in a seat of honor, lest a more honorable man than you be invited by him; ⁹ and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give this man the seat,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest seat. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest seat, so that when he who invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have respect in the presence of those who sit at dinner with you. ¹¹ For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹² Then He said also to the one who invited Him, “When you prepare a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or your rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. ¹³ But when you prepare a banquet, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed, for they cannot repay you. You shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

The Parable of the Great Banquet^(T)

¹⁵ When one of those who sat at dinner with Him heard this, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

¹⁶ Then He said to him, “A man prepared a banquet and invited many, ¹⁷ and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now prepared.’

¹⁸ “But they all with one mind began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’

¹⁹ “Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to prove them. I ask you to excuse me.’

²⁰ “Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

²¹ “The servant came and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in anger said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’

²² “The servant said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and yet there is room.’

²³ “Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ”

The Cost of Discipleship^(U)

²⁵ Large crowds went with Him. And He turned and said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷ And whoever does not bear his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.

²⁸ “For who among you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost to see whether he has resources to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to complete it, all who see it will begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to complete it.’

³¹ “Or what king, going to wage war against another king, does not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² Otherwise, while the other is yet at a distance, he sends a delegation and requests conditions of peace. ³³ So likewise, any of you who does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

Tasteless Salt^(V)

³⁴ “Salt is good. But if the salt has lost its saltiness, how shall it be made salty? ³⁵ It is fit neither for the land nor for the manure pile. So men throw it out.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Parable of the Lost Sheep^(W)

15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. ² But the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”

³ So He told them this parable, saying, ⁴ “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ Then when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ ⁷ Likewise, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous men who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ “Or what woman, having ten silver coins^[j] and losing one, does not light a candle and sweep the house and search diligently until she finds it? ⁹ And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.’ ¹⁰ Likewise, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

¹¹ Then He said, “A man had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.’ So he divided his estate between them.

¹³ “Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together, and journeyed to a distant country, and there squandered his possessions in prodigal living. ¹⁴ When he had spent everything, there came a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in want. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself to a citizen of that county, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. ¹⁶ He would gladly have filled his stomach with the husks that the swine were eating, but no one gave him any.

¹⁷ “When he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, and here I am perishing with hunger! ¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ ²⁰ So he arose and came to his father.

“But while he was yet far away, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and ran and embraced his neck and kissed him.

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. ²³ Bring here the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ So they began to be merry.

²⁵ “Now his older son was in the field. As he came and drew near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. ²⁷ He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him safe and sound.’

²⁸ “He was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and entreated him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! These many years have I served you. Nor have I ever transgressed your commands, yet never have you given me a goat, so that I might be merry with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him.’

³¹ “He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. ³² But it was fitting to be merry and be glad, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

The Parable of the Dishonest Steward

16 He told His disciples: “There was a rich man who had a steward who was accused to the man of wasting his resources. ² So he called him and said, ‘How is it that I hear this about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you may no longer be steward.’

³ “Then the steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, for my master is taking away the stewardship from me? I cannot dig. I am ashamed to beg. ⁴ I know what to do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, others may receive me into their houses.’

⁵ “So he called each of his master’s debtors, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

⁶ “He said, ‘Eight hundred gallons^[k] of oil.’

“He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write four hundred.’

⁷ “Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“He said, ‘One thousand bushels^[l] of wheat.’

“He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eight hundred.’

⁸ “The master commended the dishonest steward, because he had acted prudently. For the sons of this world are wiser in their own generation than the sons of light. ⁹ I say to you, make friends for yourself by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when you fall short, they may receive you into eternal dwellings.

¹⁰ “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much. And he who is dishonest in the least is dishonest also in much. ¹¹ So if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will commit to your trust the true riches? ¹² And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who will give you that which is your own?

¹³ “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

The Law and the Kingdom of God^(X)

¹⁴ The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things and derided Him. ¹⁵ He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed before men is an abomination before God.

¹⁶ “The Law and the Prophets were preached until John. Since then the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. ¹⁷ It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of the law to fail.

¹⁸ “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries her who is divorced by her husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. ²⁰ There was also a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores, who had been placed at his gate, ²¹ desiring to be fed the crumbs falling from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² “It came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s presence. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham from a distance and Lazarus in his presence. ²⁴ So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am tormented in this flame.’

²⁵ “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things. But now he is comforted and you are tormented. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf, so that those who would pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

²⁷ “He said, ‘Then I pray you, father, to send him to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers, to testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’

²⁹ “Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them hear them.’

³⁰ “He said, ‘No, father Abraham. But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

Some Sayings of Jesus^(Y)

17 Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible except that offenses will come. But woe to him through whom they come! ² It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he was thrown into the sea, than to offend one of these little ones. ³ Take heed to yourselves.

“If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

⁶ The Lord said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

⁷ “Which of you, having a servant plowing or herding sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come now and sit down for dinner’? ⁸ Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare my supper, and dress yourself and serve me until I eat and drink. And afterward you will eat and drink’? ⁹ Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? I think not. ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done everything commanded you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done our duty.’ ”

The Cleansing of Ten Lepers

¹¹ As Jesus went to Jerusalem, He passed between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As He entered a village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood at a distance. ¹³ They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

¹⁴ When He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ One of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned with a loud voice glorifying God, ¹⁶ and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ Jesus said, “Were not the ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Were there not any found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then He said to him, “Rise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

The Coming of the Kingdom^(Z)

²⁰ When He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation. ²¹ Nor will they say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For remember, the kingdom of God is within you.”

²² Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. ²³ They will say to you, ‘Look here,’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not follow after them. ²⁴ For as the lightning flashes and lights up the heavens from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day. ²⁵ But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

²⁶ “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ They were eating, drinking, marrying, and were given in marriage until the day when Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸ “Likewise as it was in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built. ²⁹ But on the day that Lot departed from Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from heaven and destroyed them all.

³⁰ “So will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹ On that day let him who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away. And likewise let him who is in the field not return to the things behind. ³² Remember Lot’s wife. ³³ Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. ³⁴ I tell you, on that night two men will be in one bed; the one will be taken and the other will be left. ³⁵ Two women will be grinding grain together; the one will be taken and the other will be left. ³⁶ Two men will be in the field; the one will be taken and the other will be left.”

³⁷ They asked, “Where, Lord?”

He replied, “Where the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

The Parable of the Widow and the Judge

18 He told them a parable to illustrate that it is necessary always to pray and not lose heart. ² He said: “In a city there was a judge who did not fear God or regard man. ³ And a widow was in that city. She came to him, saying, ‘Avenge me against my adversary.’

⁴ “He would not for a while. Yet afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I do not fear God or respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she will weary me.’ ”

⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And shall not God avenge His own elect and be patient with them, who cry day and night to Him? ⁸ I tell you, He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ He told this parable to some who trusted in themselves, as though they were righteous, and despised others: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed these things about himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week, and I tithe of all that I earn.’

¹³ “But the tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but struck his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner.’

¹⁴ “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”