51 Now it happened that when the days for aHim to be taken up were soon to be fulfilled, He set His face bto go to Jerusalem; 52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the aSamaritans to make arrangements for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, abecause He was journeying with His face toward Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples aJames and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to bcommand fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 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 on to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus
57 aAnd as they were going along the road, bsomeone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but athe Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 59 And He said to another, “aFollow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” 60 But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and aproclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” 61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord, but afirst permit me to say farewell to those at home.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “aNo one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The Seventy Sent Out
Now after this athe Lord appointed seventy bothers, and sent them cin pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. 2 And He was saying to them, “aThe harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go! aBehold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 aCarry no money belt, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one on the way. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ 6 And if a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him, but if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for athe laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. 8 And whatever city you enter and they receive you, aeat what is set before you; 9 and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘aThe kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But in whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘aEven the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off against you; yet know this, that bthe kingdom of God is at hand.’ 12 I say to you, ait will be more tolerable in that day for bSodom than for that city.
13 “aWoe to you, bChorazin! Woe to you, bBethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in bTyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in csackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for aTyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. 15 And you, aCapernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades!
16 “aThe one who listens to you listens to Me, and bthe one who rejects you rejects Me. And he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
The Joyful Results
17 Now the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even athe demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching aSatan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to atread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that ayour names are recorded in heaven.”
21 aAt that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 22 aAll things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and bno one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
23 aAnd turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, 24 for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”
The Good Samaritan
25 aAnd behold, a bscholar of the Law stood up and was putting Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered and said, “aYou 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; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; ado this and you will live.” 29 But wishing ato justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was agoing down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 And a priest happened to be going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a aSamaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him, and when he saw him, he felt compassion. 34 And he came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ 36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”
Martha and Mary
38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named aMartha welcomed Him into her home. 39 And she had a sister called aMary, who was also bseated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40 But aMartha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the preparations alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “aMartha, Martha, you are bworried and bothered about so many things, 42 abut only one thing is necessary, for bMary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
The Lord’s Prayer
And it happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” 2 And He said to them, “aWhen you pray, say:
‘Father, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us aeach day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we ourselves also forgive everyone who ais indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
5 Then He said to them, “Which of you has a friend and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot rise up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not arise and give him anything because he is his friend, yet abecause of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9 “So I say to you, aask, 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 But what father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or, if his son asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 aIf 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?”
A Kingdom Divided
14 aAnd He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. Now it happened that when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the crowds marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons aby bBeelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16 And others, testing Him, awere seeking from Him a sign from heaven. 17 aBut He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a house divided against itself falls. 18 But if aSatan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by bBeelzebul. 19 And if I by aBeelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason, they will be your judges. 20 But if I cast out demons by the afinger of God, then bthe kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. 22 But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. 23 aHe who is not with Me is against Me and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.
24 “aWhen the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”
27 Now it happened that while Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “aBlessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” 28 But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are athose who hear the word of God and keep it.”
The Sign of Jonah
29 Now as the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “aThis generation is a wicked generation; it bseeks a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as aJonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The aQueen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because athey repented at the preaching of Jonah. And behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
33 “aNo one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 aThe eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light, but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore watch out that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.”
Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers
37 Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee *asked Him to have a meal with him. And He went in and reclined at the table. 38 But when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first aceremonially washed before the meal. 39 But athe Lord said to him, “Now byou Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. 40 aYou foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But agive that which is within as charity, and then all things are bclean for you.
42 “aBut woe to you Pharisees! For you bpay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God, but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you alove the best seat in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the marketplaces. 44 aWoe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”
45 Now one of the ascholars of the Law answered and said to Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us too.” 46 But He said, “Woe to you ascholars of the Law as well! For byou weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 aWoe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, but your fathers killed them. 48 So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 For this reason also athe wisdom of God said, ‘bI will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed asince the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51 from athe blood of Abel to bthe blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.’ 52 Woe to you, ascholars of the Law! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; byou yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”
53 And when He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, 54 aplotting bto catch Him in something He might say.
Fear Only God
At this time, after so many thousands of the crowd had gathered together that they were trampling on one another, He began saying to His disciples first, “aBe on your guard for the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 aBut there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3 Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon athe housetops.
4 “But I say to you, aMy friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom to fear: afear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into bhell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6 Are not afive sparrows sold for two assaria? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 aIndeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
8 “And I say to you, everyone who aconfesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God, 9 but ahe who denies Me before men will be denied bbefore the angels of God. 10 aAnd everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. 11 Now when they bring you before athe synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not bworry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say, 12 for athe Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Parable of the Rich Fool
13 And someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “aMan, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then He said to them, “aWatch out and be on your guard against every form of greed, for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, ayou have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘aYou fool! This very night byour soul is required of you; and cnow who will own what you prepared?’ 21 So is the one who astores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Worry
22 And He said to His disciples, “aFor this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the aravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor bbarn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add a single acubit to his life span? 26 Therefore, if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, but I tell you, not even aSolomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? aYou of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not akeep worrying. 30 For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek, but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek His kingdom, and athese things will be added to you. 32 aDo not fear, blittle flock, for cyour Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom.
33 “aSell your possessions and give it as charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, ban unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34 For awhere your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Be Ready for His Coming
35 “aGird up byour loins, and keep your lamps lit. 36 And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find aawake when he comes; truly I say to you, that bhe will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38 aWhether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 “aBut be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be bbroken into. 40 aYou too, be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”
41 Now Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or ato everyone else as well?” 42 And athe Lord said, “bWho then is the faithful and prudent csteward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that aslave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. 44 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47 And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will areceive many beatings, 48 but the one who did not aknow it, and committed deeds worthy of a beating, will receive but a few. bFrom everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
Not Peace, but Division
49 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a abaptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished! 51 aDo you think that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52 for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, afather against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
54 And He was also saying to the crowds, “aWhen you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it happens. 55 And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a ahot day,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! aYou know how to examine the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not examine this present time?
57 “And awhy do you not even judge for yourselves what is right? 58 For awhile you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the last alepton.”
Repent or Perish
Now at that same time there were some present who were reporting to Him about the Galileans whose blood aPilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “aDo you think that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered these things? 3 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or do you think that those eighteen on whom the tower in aSiloam fell and killed them were worse boffenders than all the men who live in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 And He was telling this parable: “A man had aa fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and did not find any. 7 And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree without finding any. aCut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in manure, 9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine, but if not, cut it down.’”
A Woman Healed on the Sabbath
10 And He was ateaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who for eighteen years had aa sickness caused by a spirit, and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” 13 And He alaid His hands on her, and immediately she was made erect again and began bglorifying God. 14 But athe synagogue official, indignant because Jesus bhealed on the Sabbath, answered and was saying to the crowd, “cThere are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 But athe Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, bdoes not each of you on the Sabbath release his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it? 16 And this woman, abeing a daughter of Abraham, whom bSatan has bound for—behold—eighteen years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 And as He said this, all His opponents were being put to shame; and athe entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven
18 Therefore, aHe was saying, “bWhat is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden, and it grew and became a tree, and athe birds of the air nested in its branches.”
20 And again He said, “aTo what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 aIt is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in bthree sata of flour until it was all leavened.”
The Narrow Door
22 And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and aproceeding on His way to Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, 24 “aStrive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 Once the head of the house gets up and ashuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘bLord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘cI do not know where you are from.’ 26 Then you will abegin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 And He will say, ‘I tell you, aI do not know where you are from; bdepart from Me, all you workers of unrighteousness.’ 28 aIn that place 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, but yourselves being cast out. 29 And they awill come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, asome are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”
Lament over Jerusalem
31 Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Leave and go from here, for aHerod wants to kill You.” 32 And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I afinish.’ 33 Nevertheless aI must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not possible that a bprophet would perish outside of Jerusalem. 34 aO Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, bjust as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you did not want it! 35 Behold, your house is left to you desolate, and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘aBlessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
And it happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, athey were watching Him closely. 2 And behold, in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 And Jesus answered and spoke to the ascholars of the Law and Pharisees, saying, “bIs it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they were silent. And He took hold of him, healed him, and sent him away. 5 And He said to them, “aWhich one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” 6 aAnd they could make no reply to this.
Parable of the Wedding Feast
7 And He was telling a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how athey were picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, ado not recline at the place of honor, lest someone more highly regarded than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then ain shame you proceed to occupy the last place. 10 But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, amove up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who recline at the table with you. 11 aFor everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. 13 But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for it will be repaid to you at athe resurrection of the righteous.”
15 But when one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, “aBlessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”
Parable of the Dinner
16 And He said to him, “aA man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many. 17 And at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it. I ask you, consider me excused.’ 19 And another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out. I ask you, consider me excused.’ 20 And another one said, ‘aI have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ 21 And when the slave came back, he reported these things to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the fences, 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 of my dinner.’”
The Cost of Discipleship
25 Now many crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them, 26 “aIf anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not acarry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Lest, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and aconsider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So then, none of you can be My disciple who adoes not give up all his own possessions.
34 “Therefore, salt is good, but aif even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? 35 It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. aHe who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Now all the atax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. 2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling, saying, “This man receives sinners and aeats with them.”
3 So He told them this parable, saying, 4 “aWhat man among you, if he has one hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
The Parable of the Lost Drachma
8 “Or what woman, if she has ten drachmas and loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully 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 drachma which I had lost!’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy ain the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
11 And He said, “A man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me athe share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his bwealth between them. 13 And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate living recklessly. 14 Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he was desiring to be fed with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. 17 But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 18 I will rise up and go to my father, and 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 as one of your hired men.”’ 20 So he rose up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and aembraced him and kissed him. 21 And 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 slaves, ‘Quickly bring out athe best robe and put it on him, and bput a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet, 23 and bring the fattened calf, slaughter it, and let us eat and celebrate, 24 for this son of mine was adead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And summoning one of the servants, he began inquiring what these things could be. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he became angry and was not wanting to go in, and his father came out and began pleading with him. 29 But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and never have I neglected a command of yours. And yet never have you given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your awealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Child, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was adead and is alive, and was lost and has been found.’”
The Parable of the Unrighteous Steward
Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a steward, and this steward was reported to him as asquandering his possessions. 2 And he called for him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ 3 And the steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the stewardship people will take me into their homes.’ 5 And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 And he said, ‘One hundred baths of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ He *said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 And his master praised the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly, for the sons of athis age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the bsons of light. 9 And I say to you, amake friends for yourselves from the bwealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, cthey will take you into the eternal dwellings.
10 “aHe who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much, and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous awealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12 And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 aNo servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and bwealth.”
14 Now the Pharisees, who were alovers of money, were listening to all these things and bwere scoffing at Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who ajustify yourselves in the sight of men, but bGod knows your hearts, for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.
16 “aThe Law and the Prophets were until John; since that time bthe good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 aBut it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
18 “aEveryone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. 20 But a poor man named Lazarus awas laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22 Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to aAbraham’s bosom, and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 And in aHades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried out and said, ‘aFather Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in bthis flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that aduring your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things. But now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you are not able, and none may cross over from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I am asking you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may awarn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham *said, ‘They have aMoses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 But he said, ‘No, afather Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Do All Which Jesus Commands
Now He said to His disciples, “aIt is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! 2 aIt would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 Be on your guard! aIf your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you aseven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”
5 aAnd the apostles said to bthe Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And athe Lord said, “If you have faith like ba mustard seed, you would say to this cmulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.
7 “But which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? 8 But will he not say to him, ‘aPrepare something for me to eat, and, clothing yourself properly, serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? 9 Is he grateful to the slave because he did the things which were commanded? 10 In this way, you also, when you do all the things which are commanded of you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”
Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers
11 And it happened that while He was aon the way to Jerusalem, bHe was passing through Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as He entered a village, ten leprous men who astood at a distance met Him. 13 And they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, aMaster, have mercy on us!” 14 When He saw them, He said to them, “aGo and show yourselves to the priests.” And it happened that as they were going, they were cleansed. 15 Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, aglorifying God with a loud voice, 16 and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a aSamaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? 18 Was there no one found who turned back to agive glory to God, except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; ayour faith has saved you.”
20 Now having been questioned by the Pharisees aas to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with bsigns to be observed, 21 nor will athey say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘There!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
The Coming of the Son of Man
22 And He said to the disciples, “aThe days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 aAnd they will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them. 24 aFor just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. 25 aBut first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 aAnd just as it was bin the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 It was the same as in athe days of Lot—they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; 29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man ais revealed. 31 On that day, the one who is aon the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out, and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. 32 aRemember Lot’s wife. 33 aWhoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 aThere will be two women grinding grain at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 [aTwo men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] 37 And answering they *said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “aWhere the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”
Parables on Prayer
Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they aought to pray and not to blose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a certain judge who did not fear God and did not arespect man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice from my opponent.’ 4 And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor arespect man, 5 yet abecause this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice, lest by continually coming she bwears me out.’” 6 And athe Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge *said. 7 Now, will God not abring about justice for His belect who cry to Him day and night, and will He cdelay long over them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, awill He find that faith on the earth?”
9 And He also told this parable to some people who atrusted in themselves that they were righteous, and bviewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men awent up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee astood and was praying these things to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I afast twice a week; I bpay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, astanding some distance away, bwas even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but cwas beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, afor everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
15 aAnd they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they were rebuking them.