Luke

Chapter 1

¹ Many have taken on the work of putting together an account of the things that have been accomplished among us, ² just as they were passed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. ³ So it seemed good to me also, because I have accurately investigated everything from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴ so that you might know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

⁵ In the days of Herod king of Judea there was a certain priest named Zechariah from the division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ⁶ They were both righteous before God, walking blameless in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷ But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in their days.

⁸ Now it came about that Zechariah was in God's presence, carrying out the priestly duties in the order of his division. ⁹ According to the customary way of choosing which priest would serve, he had been chosen by lot to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense. ¹⁰ The whole crowd of people was praying outside at the hour when the incense was burned. ¹¹ Now an angel of the Lord appeared to him and stood at the right side of the incense altar. ¹² When Zechariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell on him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son. You will call his name John. ¹⁴ You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. ¹⁶ Many of the descendants of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will go before the face of the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him."

¹⁸ Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in her days." ¹⁹ The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, to bring you this good news. ²⁰ Behold! You will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take place. This is because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at the right time." ²¹ Now the people were waiting for Zechariah. They were surprised that he was spending so much time in the temple. ²² But when he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision while he was in the temple. He kept on making signs to them and remained silent. ²³ It came about that when the days of his service were over, he went to his house.

²⁴ After these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived and for five months she kept herself hidden. She said, ²⁵ "This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked at me with favor in order to take away my shame before people."

²⁶ In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, who was a descendant of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸ He came to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." ²⁹ But she was very confused by his words and she wondered what kind of greeting this could be. ³⁰ The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ See, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. You will call his name 'Jesus.' ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom."

³⁴ Mary said to the angel, "How will this happen, since I have not known any man?"

³⁵ The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will overshadow you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ See, your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age. This is the sixth month for her, she who was called barren. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible for God."

³⁸ Mary said, "See, I am the female servant of the Lord. Let it be for me according to your message." Then the angel left her.

³⁹ Then Mary arose in those days and quickly went into the hill country, to a city in Judea. ⁴⁰ She went into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ Now it happened that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb jumped, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² She cried out with a loud shout and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³ Why has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For see, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were told her from the Lord."

⁴⁶ Mary said,

     "My soul praises the Lord,

     ⁴⁷ and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

     ⁴⁸ For he has looked at the low condition of his female servant.

     For see, from now on all generations will call me blessed.

     ⁴⁹ For the Mighty One has done great things for me,

     and his name is holy.

     ⁵⁰ His mercy lasts from generation to generation for those who fear him.

     ⁵¹ He has displayed strength with his arm;

     he has scattered those who were proud about the thoughts of their hearts.

     ⁵² He has thrown down princes from their thrones

     and he has raised up those of low condition.

     ⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things,

     but the rich he has sent away empty.

     ⁵⁴ He has given help to Israel his servant,

     so as to remember to show mercy

     ⁵⁵ (as he said to our fathers) to Abraham and his descendants forever."

⁵⁶ Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her house.

⁵⁷ Now the time had come for Elizabeth to deliver her baby and she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸ Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹ Now it happened on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the child. They would have called him "Zechariah," after the name of his father. ⁶⁰ But his mother answered and said, "No. He will be called John." ⁶¹ They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name." ⁶² They made signs to his father as to how he wanted him to be named. ⁶³ His father asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." They all were astonished at this. ⁶⁴ Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was freed. He spoke and praised God. ⁶⁵ Fear came on all who lived around them. All these matters were spread throughout all the hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶ All who heard them stored them in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child become?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.

⁶⁷ His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

     ⁶⁸ "Praised be the Lord, the God of Israel,

     for he has come to help and he has accomplished redemption for his people.

     ⁶⁹ He has raised up a horn of salvation for us

     in the house of his servant David

     ⁷⁰ (as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago),

     ⁷¹ salvation from our enemies

     and from the hand of all who hate us.

     ⁷² He will do this to show mercy to our fathers

     and to remember his holy covenant,

     ⁷³ the oath that he swore to Abraham our father.

     ⁷⁴ He swore to grant to us that we, having been delivered out of the hand of our enemies,

     would serve him without fear

     ⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

     ⁷⁶ Yes, and you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,

     for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his paths,

     to prepare people for his coming,

     ⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people

     by the forgiveness of their sins.

     ⁷⁸ This will happen because of the tender mercy of our God,

     because of which the sunrise from on high will come to help us,

     ⁷⁹ to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

     He will do this to guide our feet into the path of peace."

⁸⁰ Now the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Chapter 2

¹ Now in those days, it came about that Caesar Augustus sent out a decree ordering that a census be taken of all the people living in the world. ² This was the first census made while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ So everyone went to his own city to be registered for the census. ⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David. ⁵ He went there to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. ⁶ Now it came about that while they were there, the time came for her to deliver her baby. ⁷ She gave birth to a son, her firstborn child, and she wrapped him in long strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸ There were shepherds in that region who were staying in the fields, guarding their flock at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, because I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all the people. ¹¹ Today a Savior was born for you in the city of David! He is Christ the Lord! ¹² This is the sign that will be given to you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger." ¹³ Suddenly there was together with the angel a great multitude from heaven, praising God and saying,

    

¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest,

     and may there be peace on earth

     among people with whom he is pleased." ^[1]

¹⁵ It came about that when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." ¹⁶ They hurried there and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in a manger. ¹⁷ After they had seen him, they made known what had been said to them about this child. ¹⁸ All who heard it were amazed at what was spoken to them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary kept thinking about all the things she had heard, treasuring them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for everything that they had heard and seen, just as it had been spoken to them.

²¹ When it was the end of the eighth day, when he was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name he had been given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

²² When the required number of days for their purification had passed, according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. ²³ As it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb will be set apart to the Lord." ²⁴ So they offered a sacrifice according to what was said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of doves or two young pigeons." ²⁵ Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. ²⁷ Led by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple. When the parents brought in the infant Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, ²⁸ he took him into his arms and praised God, and he said,

    

²⁹ "Now let your servant depart in peace, Lord, according to your word.

     ³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation,

     ³¹ which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:

     ³² A light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel."

³³ His father and mother ^[2] were amazed at what was said about him. ³⁴ Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the downfall and rising up of many people in Israel and for a sign that is rejected— ³⁵ and a sword will pierce your own soul—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." ³⁶ A prophetess named Anna was there. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in her days. She had lived with her husband for seven years after her virginity, ³⁷ and was a widow for eighty-four years. She never left the temple but was serving with fastings and prayers, night and day. ³⁸ At that very hour she came near to them and began giving thanks to God, and she spoke about the child to everyone who had been waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. ³⁹ When they had finished everything they were required to do according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

⁴⁰ The child grew and became strong; he was full of wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

⁴¹ His parents went every year to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴² When he was twelve years old, they again went up at the customary time for the festival. ⁴³ After they had stayed the full number of days for the feast, they began to return home. But the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem and his parents did not know it. ⁴⁴ They assumed that he was with the group that was traveling with them, so they traveled a day's journey. Then they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem and started looking for him there. ⁴⁶ It came about that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the middle of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ When they saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us this way? Look, your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." ⁴⁹ He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I had to be about my Father's business? ^{[3] 50} But they did not understand what he meant by those words. ⁵¹ Then he went back home with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

⁵² But Jesus continued to grow in wisdom and stature, and increased in favor with God and people.

Chapter 3

¹ In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, ² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas—the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³ He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

     "A voice of one crying out in the wilderness,

     'Make ready the way of the Lord,

     make his paths straight.

     ⁵ Every valley will be filled,

     and every mountain and hill will be made low,

     and the crooked roads will be made straight,

     and the uneven places will be built into roads,

     ⁶ and all flesh will see the salvation of God.'"

⁷ So John said to the crowds who were coming out to be baptized by him, "You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to run away from the wrath that is coming? ⁸ Therefore, produce fruits that are worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. ⁹ Even now the ax is set against the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire."

¹⁰ Then the crowds kept asking him, saying, "What then are we to do?"

¹¹ He answered and said to them, "If someone has two tunics, he should share it with a person who has none, and the one having food should do the same."

¹² Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what must we do?"

¹³ He said to them, "Do not collect more money than you have been ordered to collect."

¹⁴ Some soldiers also asked him, saying, "What about us? What must we do?"

He said to them, "Do not take money from anyone by force, and do not accuse anyone falsely. Be content with your wages."

¹⁵ Now as the people were eagerly expecting the Christ to come, everyone was wondering in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ. ¹⁶ John answered by saying to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water, but someone is coming who is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy even to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand to thoroughly clear off his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse. But he will burn up the chaff with fire that can never be put out."

¹⁸ With many other exhortations also, John was announcing the good news to the people. ¹⁹ When Herod the tetrarch had been reproved for marrying his brother's wife Herodias, and for all the other evil things that Herod had done, ²⁰ he added this to them all, that he locked John up in prison.

²¹ Now it came about, when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized, and while he was praying, the heavens opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit in bodily form came down on him like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son. I am pleased with you."

²³ When Jesus began his ministry, he was about thirty years of age. He was the son (as it was assumed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, ²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph.

²⁵ Joseph was the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶ the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda.

²⁷ Joda was the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Salathiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸ the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,

²⁹ the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi. ³⁰ Levi was the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,

³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, ³² the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon.

³³ Nahshon was the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah. ³⁶ Shelah was the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸ the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Chapter 4

¹ Then Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of that time he was hungry. ³ The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."

⁴ Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"

⁵ Then the devil led Jesus up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant of time. ⁶ The devil said to him, "I will give to you all this authority and all their glory, for they have been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. ⁷ So then, if you will bow down and worship me, it will be yours."

⁸ But Jesus answered and said to him, "It is written, 'You will worship the Lord your God, and you will serve only him.'"

⁹ Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on the very highest point of the temple building, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written,

     'He will give orders to his angels regarding you, to protect you,'

     ¹¹ and, 'They will lift you up in their hands,

     so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

¹² Answering him, Jesus said, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

¹³ When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he went away and left him until another time.

¹⁴ Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread throughout the entire surrounding region. ¹⁵ Then he began to teach in their synagogues and he was praised by all.

¹⁶ He came into Nazareth, where he had been raised, and, as was his custom, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read aloud. ¹⁷ The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the scroll and found the place where it was written,

     ¹⁸ "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

     because he anointed me to announce good news to the poor.

     He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives

     and recovery of sight to the blind,

     to set free those who are oppressed,

     ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹ He began to speak to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

²² Everyone there spoke well of him and they were amazed at the gracious words which were coming out of his mouth, and they asked, "Is this not the son of Joseph?"

²³ He said to them, "Surely you will say this proverb to me, 'Doctor, heal yourself. Whatever we heard that you did in Capernaum, do the same in your hometown.'" ²⁴ But he said, "Truly I say to you, no prophet is received in his own hometown. ²⁵ But in truth I tell you that there were many widows in Israel during the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months and a great famine came upon all the land. ²⁶ But Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath in Sidon, to a widow living there. ²⁷ There were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet, but none of them were cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." ²⁸ All the people in the synagogue were filled with rage when they heard these things. ²⁹ They got up, forced him out of the town, and led him to the cliff of the hill on which their town was built, so they might throw him off the cliff. ³⁰ But he passed through the middle of them and he went to another place.

³¹ Then he went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and he began to teach them on the Sabbath. ³² They were astonished at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. ³³ Now in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴ "Ah! What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"

³⁵ Jesus rebuked the demon, saying, "Do not speak! Come out of him!" When the demon had thrown the man down in the middle of them, he came out of him, and did not harm him in any way.

³⁶ All the people were very amazed, and they kept talking about it with one another. They said, "What kind of words are these? He commands the unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out." ³⁷ So news about him began to spread into every part of the surrounding region.

³⁸ Then Jesus left the synagogue and entered into the house of Simon. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering with a high fever, and they pleaded with him on her behalf. ³⁹ So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and started serving them.

⁴⁰ When the sun was setting, people brought to Jesus everyone who was sick with various kinds of diseases. He laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. ⁴¹ Demons also came out from many of them, crying out and saying, "You are the Son of God!" Jesus rebuked the demons and would not let them speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

⁴² When daybreak came, he went out into a solitary place. Crowds of people were looking for him and came to the place where he was. They tried to keep him from going away from them. ⁴³ But he said to them, "I must also preach the gospel about the kingdom of God to many other cities, because this is the reason I was sent here."

⁴⁴ Then he continued to preach in the synagogues throughout Judea.

Chapter 5

¹ Now it happened while the people were crowding around Jesus and listening to the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. ² He saw two boats pulled up by the edge of the lake. The fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. ³ Jesus got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put it out in the water a short distance from the land. Then he sat down and taught the people out of the boat. ⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Take the boat out into the deeper water and let down your nets for a catch."

⁵ Simon answered and said, "Master, we have labored all night and caught nothing, but at your word, I will let down the nets." ⁶ When they had done this, they gathered a very large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. ⁷ So they motioned to their partners in the other boat that they should come and help them. They came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus's knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord." ⁹ For amazement had seized him and all who were with him at the catch of fish which they had taken, ¹⁰ and also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid, because from now on you will catch men." ¹¹ When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

¹² It came about that while he was in one of the cities, a man full of leprosy was there. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

¹³ Then Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing. Be clean." Immediately the leprosy left him.

¹⁴ He instructed him to tell no one but told him, "Go on your way, and show yourself to the priest and offer a sacrifice for your cleansing, according to what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them." ¹⁵ But the report about him spread even farther, and large crowds of people came together to hear him teach and to be healed of their sicknesses. ¹⁶ But he often withdrew into the deserted places and prayed.

¹⁷ It came about on one of those days that he was teaching, and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal. ¹⁸ Now some men came carrying on a mat a man who was paralyzed, and they looked for a way to bring him inside in order to lay him down in front of Jesus. ¹⁹ They could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, so they went up to the housetop and let the man down through the tiles, on his mat, into the midst of the people, right in front of Jesus. ²⁰ Seeing their faith, Jesus said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

²¹ The scribes and the Pharisees began to question this, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

²² But Jesus, perceiving what they were thinking, answered and said to them, "Why are you questioning this in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you' or to say 'Get up and walk'? ²⁴ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,"—he said to the paralyzed man—"I tell you, get up, pick up your mat and go to your house." ²⁵ Immediately he got up in front of them and picked up the mat on which he was lying. Then he went away to his house, glorifying God.

²⁶ Everyone was amazed and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen extraordinary things today."

²⁷ After these things happened, Jesus went out from there and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax collector's tent. He said to him, "Follow me." ²⁸ So Levi got up and followed him, leaving everything behind.

²⁹ Then Levi gave a big banquet in his house for Jesus. There were many tax collectors there and other people who were reclining at the table and eating with them. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

³¹ Jesus answered them, "People who are well do not need a physician; only those who are sick. ³² I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

³³ They said to him, "The disciples of John often fast and pray, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same. But your disciples eat and drink."

³⁴ Jesus said to them, "Can anyone make the wedding attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is still with them? ³⁵ But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, then in those days they will fast." ³⁶ Then Jesus also spoke a parable to them. "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to mend an old garment. If he does that, he will tear the new garment, and the piece of cloth from the new garment will not fit with the cloth of the old garment. ³⁷ No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does that, the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine will be spilled, and the wineskins will be destroyed. ³⁸ But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. ³⁹ No one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.'"

Chapter 6

¹ Now it happened on a Sabbath that Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them between their hands, and eating the grain. ² But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing something that is not lawful to do on the Sabbath day?"

³ Answering them, Jesus said, "Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and the men who were with him? ⁴ He went into the house of God and took the consecrated bread and ate some of it, and also gave some to the men who were with him to eat, even though it was only lawful for the priests to eat it." ⁵ Then he said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

⁶ It happened on another Sabbath that he went into the synagogue and taught the people there. A man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him closely to see whether he would heal someone on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. ⁸ But he knew what they were thinking and he said to the man whose hand was withered, "Get up and stand here in the middle of everyone." So the man got up and stood there. ⁹ Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it?" ¹⁰ Then he looked around at them all and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they were filled with senseless rage, and they talked to each other about what they might do to Jesus.

¹² It happened in those days that he went out to the mountain to pray. He continued all night in prayer to God. ¹³ When it was day, he called his disciples to him, and he chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles. ¹⁴ The names of the apostles were Simon (whom he also named Peter) and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, ¹⁵ Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶ Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. ¹⁷ Then Jesus came down the mountain with them and stood on a level place with a large crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. ¹⁸ They had come to listen to him and to be healed of their diseases. People who were troubled with unclean spirits were also healed. ¹⁹ Everyone in the crowd kept trying to touch him because power to heal was coming out from him, and he healed them all.

²⁰ Then he looked at his disciples and said, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. ²¹ Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. ²² Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and reproach you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. ²³ Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because you will surely have a great reward in heaven, for their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. ²⁴ But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. ²⁵ Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry later. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep later. ²⁶ Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

²⁷ "But I say to you who are listening, love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. ²⁸ Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer him also the other. If someone takes away your coat, do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you. If someone takes away something that belongs to you, do not ask him to give it back to you. ³¹ As you want people to do to you, you should do the same to them. ³² If you only love people who love you, what reward is there for you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ If you do good only to people who do good to you, what reward will there be for you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ If you only lend to people from whom you hope to be repaid, what reward will there be for you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back the same amount. ³⁵ But love your enemies and do good to them. Lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind toward unthankful and evil people. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. ³⁷ Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good amount—pressed down, shaken together and spilling over—will pour into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

³⁹ Then he also told them a parable. "Can a blind person guide another blind person? If he did, they would both fall into a pit, would they not? ⁴⁰ A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you look at the tiny piece of straw that is in your brother's eye, but you do not perceive the log that is in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the piece of straw that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not even see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the piece of straw that is in your brother's eye. ⁴³ For there is no good tree that produces rotten fruit, nor is there a rotten tree that produces good fruit. ⁴⁴ For each tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. For people do not gather figs from a thornbush, nor do they gather grapes from a briar bush. ⁴⁵ The good man from the good treasure of his heart produces what is good, and the evil man from the evil treasure of his heart produces what is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

⁴⁶ "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and yet you do not obey the things that I say? ⁴⁷ Every person who comes to me and hears my words and obeys them, I will tell you what he is like. ⁴⁸ He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep in the ground and built the house's foundation on solid rock. When a flood came, the torrent of water flowed against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the person who hears my words and does not obey them, he is like a man who built a house on top of the ground without a foundation. When the torrent of water flowed against that house, it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was complete."

Chapter 7

¹ After Jesus had finished everything he was saying in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.

² Now a centurion had a slave who was highly regarded by him, and he was sick and about to die. ³ When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ When they had come to Jesus, they asked him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, ⁵ because he loves our nation, and he is the one who built the synagogue for us."

⁶ So Jesus continued on his way with them. But when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, because I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. ⁷ For this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you, but just say a word and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I also am a man who is under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him said, "I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." ¹⁰ When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant was healthy.

¹¹ Soon after that, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. ¹² As he came near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother (who was a widow), and a rather large crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, he was deeply moved with compassion for her and said to her, "Do not cry." ¹⁴ Then he went up and touched the wooden frame on which they carried the body, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

¹⁶ Then fear overcame all of them, and they kept praising God, saying, "A great prophet has been raised among us" and "God has looked upon his people." ¹⁷ This news about Jesus spread throughout the whole of Judea and all the neighboring regions.

¹⁸ John's disciples told him about all these things. Then John called two of his disciples ¹⁹ and sent them to the Lord to say, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"

²⁰ When they had come near to Jesus, the men said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to say, 'Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?'"

²¹ In that hour he healed many people from sicknesses and afflictions and from evil spirits, and to many blind people he gave sight. ²² Jesus answered and said to them, "After you have gone on your way, report to John what you have seen and heard. Blind people are receiving sight, lame people are walking, lepers are being cleansed, deaf people are hearing, people who have died are being raised back to life, and the poor are being told good news. ²³ The person who does not stop believing in me because of my actions is blessed."

²⁴ After John's messengers had gone away, Jesus began to say to the crowds about John, "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? Look, those who wear splendid clothing and who live in luxury are in kings' palaces. ²⁶ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is he of whom it is written,

     'See, I am sending my messenger before your face,

         who will prepare your way before you.'

²⁸ I say to you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is." ²⁹ (When all the people heard this, including the tax collectors, they declared that God is righteous, because they had been baptized with the baptism of John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.) ³¹ "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? ³² They are like children playing in the marketplace, who sit and call to one another and say, 'We played a flute for you, and you did not dance. We sang a funeral song, and you did not cry.' ³³ For John the Baptist came eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' ³⁴ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, he is a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' ³⁵ But wisdom is justified by all her children."

³⁶ Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him. So after Jesus entered into the Pharisee's house, he reclined at the table to eat. ³⁷ Behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner. When she found out that he was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil. ³⁸ As she stood behind him near his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with perfumed oil. ³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he thought to himself, saying, "If this man were a prophet, then he would know who and what type of woman is touching him, that she is a sinner."

⁴⁰ Jesus responded and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."

He said, "Say it, Teacher!"

⁴¹ Jesus said, "A certain moneylender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² When they could not pay him, he forgave them both. Therefore, which of them will love him more?"

⁴³ Simon answered him and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave the most."

Jesus said to him, "You have judged correctly." ⁴⁴ Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, "You see this woman. I have entered into your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but from the time I came in she did not stop kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfumed oil. ⁴⁷ For this reason I say to you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven—for she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little." ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

⁴⁹ Those reclining together began to say among themselves, "Who is this that even forgives sins?"

⁵⁰ Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

Chapter 8

¹ It happened soon afterward that Jesus began traveling around to different cities and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, ² as well as certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had been driven out; ³ Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's manager; Susanna; and many others, who, out of their possessions, provided for their needs.

⁴ While a large crowd of people was gathering, and people were coming to him from town after town, he told a parable: ⁵ "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell beside the road and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. ⁶ Some fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up together with the seed and choked it. ⁸ But some fell on good soil and produced a crop that was a hundred times greater." After Jesus had said these things, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."

⁹ His disciples asked him what this parable meant. ¹⁰ He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but for others I speak in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.' ¹¹ Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. ¹² The ones along the road are those who have heard, but then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so they may not believe and be saved. ¹³ The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But they have no root; they believe for a while, and in a time of testing they fall away. ¹⁴ The seeds that fell among the thorns are people who hear the word, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature. ¹⁵ But the seed that fell on the good soil, these are the ones who, hearing the word with an honest and good heart, hold it securely and bear fruit with patient endurance.

¹⁶ "No one lights a lamp and covers it with a bowl or puts it under a bed. Rather, he puts it on a lampstand so that everyone who enters may see the light. ¹⁷ For nothing is hidden that will not be made known, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come into the light. ¹⁸ So listen carefully, for to the one who has, more will be given to him, but the one who does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him."

¹⁹ Then his mother and brothers came to him, but they could not get near him because of the crowd. ²⁰ He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." ²¹ But Jesus answered and said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

²² Now one day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake." They set sail. ²³ But as they sailed he fell asleep. A terrible windstorm came down on the lake, and their boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. ²⁴ Then Jesus's disciples came over to him and woke him up, saying, "Master! Master! We are about to die!"

He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and there was a calm. ²⁵ Then he said to them, "Where is your faith?"

But they were afraid and amazed, and they asked one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"

²⁶ They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. ²⁷ When Jesus stepped on the land, he was met by a certain man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but among the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and he said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me." ²⁹ For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For many times it had seized him, and though he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and he would be driven by the demon into the wilderness.

³⁰ Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

He said, "Legion," for many demons had entered into him. ³¹ They kept begging him not to command them to go away into the abyss. ³² Now a large herd of pigs was there feeding on the hillside. The demons begged him to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. ³³ So the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and was drowned. ³⁴ When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and told about it in the city and countryside. ³⁵ So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out. He was sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ³⁶ Then those who had seen it told them how the man who had been possessed by demons had been healed. ³⁷ Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, for they were overwhelmed with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.

³⁸ The man from whom the demons had gone out begged him to let him go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ "Return to your home and give a full account of what God has done for you." The man went on his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what Jesus had done for him.

⁴⁰ Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. ⁴¹ Behold, a man named Jairus, who was one of the leaders of the synagogue, came and fell down at Jesus's feet, and he begged him to come to his house ⁴² because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve years of age, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds of people pressed together around him.

⁴³ Now a woman was there who had been bleeding for twelve years ^[1] and could not be healed by anyone. ⁴⁴ She came behind Jesus and touched the edge of his coat, and immediately her bleeding stopped. ⁴⁵ Jesus said, "Who was it who touched me?"

When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds of people are all around you and they are pressing in against you."

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, "Someone did touch me, for I know that power has gone out from me." ⁴⁷ When the woman saw that she could not escape notice, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people she declared why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed. ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace."

⁴⁹ While he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader's house, saying, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher any longer."

⁵⁰ But when Jesus heard this, he answered Jairus, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be healed." ⁵¹ When he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father of the child and her mother. ⁵² Now all were mourning and wailing for her, but he said, "Do not weep; she is not dead but asleep." ⁵³ But they began to mock him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴ But he took her by the hand and called out, saying, "Child, get up!" ⁵⁵ Her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately. He ordered them to get her something to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.

Chapter 9

¹ He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. ² He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ³ He said to them, "Take nothing for your journey—no staff, no wallet, no bread, no money, and no extra tunic. ⁴ Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave. ⁵ Wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." ⁶ Then they departed and went through the villages, proclaiming the gospel and healing everywhere.

⁷ Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, ⁸ and others said that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had risen. ⁹ Herod said, "I beheaded John. Who is this about whom I hear such things?" And so he tried to see him.

¹⁰ When the apostles returned, they told him everything they had done. Then he took them with him, and they went away privately to a town called Bethsaida. ¹¹ But when the crowds heard about this, they followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he cured those who needed healing. ¹² Now the day was about to come to an end, and the twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and food, because we are here in an isolated place."

¹³ But he said to them, "You give them something to eat."

They said, "We have no more than five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people."

¹⁴ (There were about five thousand men.) He said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." ¹⁵ So they did this, and made the people sit down. ¹⁶ Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, he blessed them and broke them into pieces, and he gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. ¹⁷ They all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over was picked up—twelve baskets of broken pieces.

¹⁸ It came about while Jesus was praying by himself, the disciples were with him. He questioned them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"

¹⁹ They answered, "John the Baptist. But others say Elijah, and others say that one of the prophets from long ago has risen."

²⁰ Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Peter answered, "The Christ of God."

²¹ But he warned and instructed them to tell this to no one, ²² saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and he will be killed and on the third day be raised." ²³ Then he said to them all, "If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. ²⁵ What profit is there for a person to gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit himself? ²⁶ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷ But I say to you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."

²⁸ Now about eight days after Jesus said these words, he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ As he was praying, the form of his face was changed, and his clothes became brilliant white. ³⁰ Behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory, talking with him about his departure, which he was about to bring to completion in Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who were standing with him. ³³ As they were going away from Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.) ³⁴ As he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud. ³⁵ A voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, the one who is chosen; listen to him." ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

³⁷ Now on the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. ³⁸ Behold, a man from the crowd cried out, saying, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. ³⁹ You see, a spirit takes control over him and he suddenly screams; it causes him to have convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him and it bruises him badly. ⁴⁰ I begged your disciples to force it out, but they could not."

⁴¹ Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here." ⁴² While the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. ⁴³ Then they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While they all were marveling at everything he was doing, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴ "Let these words go deeply into your ears: The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men." ⁴⁵ But they did not understand this statement. It was hidden from them, so they could not know its meaning, and yet they were afraid to ask about this statement.

⁴⁶ Then an argument started among them about which of them would be the greatest. ⁴⁷ But Jesus, knowing the reasoning in their hearts, took a little child and put him by his side ⁴⁸ and said to them, "Whoever welcomes this child in my name, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me. For whoever is least among you all is the one who is great."

⁴⁹ John answered, "Master, we saw someone forcing out demons in your name and we prevented him, because he does not follow along with us." ⁵⁰ "Do not stop him," Jesus said, "because whoever is not against you is for you."

⁵¹ When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. ⁵² He sent messengers on ahead of him, and they went and entered into a Samaritan village to prepare everything for him. ⁵³ But the people there did not welcome him because he had set his face to go to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?" ⁵⁵ But he turned and rebuked them, ⁵⁶ and they went on to another village.

⁵⁷ As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

⁵⁸ Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." ⁵⁹ Then he said to another, "Follow me."

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

⁶⁰ But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim far and wide the kingdom of God."

⁶¹ Then someone else said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to those in my home."

⁶² Jesus replied to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Chapter 10

¹ Now after these things, the Lord appointed seventy ^[1] others, and sent them out two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go. ² He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. ³ Go on your way. See, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. ⁴ Do not carry a money bag, or a traveler's bag, or sandals, and greet no one on the road. ⁵ Whatever house you enter, first say, 'May peace be on this house!' ⁶ If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him, but if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Remain in that same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not move around from house to house. ⁸ Whatever town you enter, and they receive you, eat what is set before you ⁹ and heal the sick that are there. Say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come close to you.' ¹⁰ Whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹ 'Even the dust from your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you! But know this: The kingdom of God is near.' ¹² I say to you that on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. ¹³ Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, 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 You, Capernaum, do you think you will be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. ¹⁶ The one who listens to you listens to me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects the one who sent me."

¹⁷ The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons submitted to us in your name."

¹⁸ Jesus said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven as lightning. ¹⁹ See, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will in any way hurt you. ²⁰ Nevertheless do not rejoice only in this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice even more that your names are engraved in heaven."

²¹ At that same hour he rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit and said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you concealed these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to those who are untaught, like little children. Yes, Father, for so it was well pleasing in your sight. ²² "All things have been entrusted to me from my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." ²³ Then he turned around to the disciples and said privately, "Blessed are those who see the things that you see. ²⁴ I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see the things you see, and they did not see them, and to hear the things that you hear, and they did not hear them."

²⁵ Behold, an expert in the law stood up so that he might test him, saying, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

²⁶ Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"

²⁷ He gave an answer and he said, "You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

²⁸ Jesus said to him, "You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live." ²⁹ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"

³⁰ Jesus answered him and said, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He fell among robbers, who stripped him of his belongings, and beat him, and left him half dead. ³¹ By chance a certain priest was going down that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³² In the same way, a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion. ³⁴ He approached him and bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said, 'Take care of him, and whatever extra you spend, when I return, I will repay you.' ³⁶ Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?"

³⁷ He said, "The one who showed mercy to him."

Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

³⁸ Now as they were traveling along, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. ³⁹ She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and heard his word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was overly busy with preparing to serve a meal. She came up to Jesus and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."

⁴¹ But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴² but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, which will not be taken away from her."

Chapter 11

¹ It happened one day that Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

² Jesus said to them, "When you pray say,

     'Father, may your name be honored as holy.

         May your kingdom come.

     ³ Give us our daily bread each day.

     ⁴ Forgive us our sins,

         as we forgive everyone

         who is in debt to us.

     Do not lead us into temptation.'"

⁵ Jesus said to them, "Which of you will have a friend, and will go to him at midnight, and say to him, 'Friend, lend to me three loaves of bread, ⁶ since a friend of mine just came in from the road, and I do not have anything to set before him'? ⁷ Then the one inside who answered him may say, 'Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children, along with me, are in bed. I am not able to get up and give bread to you.' ⁸ I say to you, even if he does not get up and give bread to you because you are his friend, yet because of your shameless persistence, he will get up and give you as many loaves of bread as you need. ⁹ I also say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For every asking person receives; and the seeking person finds; and to the person who knocks, it will be opened. ¹¹ Which father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? ^{[1] 12} Or if he asks for an egg, will you give a scorpion to him? ¹³ Therefore, if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

¹⁴ Now Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. ¹⁵ But some of the people said, "By Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, he is driving out demons." ¹⁶ Others tested him and sought from him a sign from heaven.

¹⁷ But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is made desolate, and a house divided against itself falls. ¹⁸ If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I cast out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ If I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? Because of this, they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. ²¹ When a strong man who is fully armed guards his own palace, his possessions are safe, ²² but when a stronger man overcomes him, the stronger man takes away the armor in which the man trusted and plunders the man's possessions. ²³ The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters. ²⁴ When an unclean spirit has gone away from a man, it passes through waterless places and looks for rest. Finding none, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' ²⁵ Having returned, it finds that house swept out and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all come in to live there. Then the final condition of that man becomes worse than the first."

²⁷ It happened that, as he said these things, a certain woman raised her voice above the crowd and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you."

²⁸ But he said, "Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it."

²⁹ As the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, "This generation is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, though no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so too the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation. ³¹ The Queen of the South will rise up at 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 see, someone greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation of people and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and see, someone greater than Jonah is here.

³³ No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it in a hidden place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. ³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is good, the whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your body is full of darkness. ³⁵ Therefore, take heed that the light in you is not darkness. ³⁶ If then your whole body is full of light, not having any member in darkness, then your whole body will be like when a lamp shines its brightness on you."

³⁷ When he had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked him to eat with him at his house, so Jesus went in and reclined. ³⁸ The Pharisee was surprised that Jesus did not first wash before dinner. ³⁹ But the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of cups and bowls, but the inside of you is filled with robbery and evil. ⁴⁰ You senseless men! Did not the one who made the outside also make the inside? ⁴¹ Give what is inside as alms, and then all things will be clean for you.

⁴² "But woe to you Pharisees, because you tithe mint and rue and every other garden herb, but you neglect justice and the love of God. It is necessary to act justly and love God, without failing to do the other things also. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees, for you love the front seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you, for you are like unmarked graves that people walk over without knowing it."

⁴⁵ One of the experts in the law said to him, "Teacher, what you say insults us too." ⁴⁶ Jesus said, "Woe to you, teachers of the law! For you put people under burdens that are hard to carry, but you do not touch the burdens with one of your own fingers. ⁴⁷ Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. ⁴⁸ So you are witnesses and you consent to the works of your ancestors, for they indeed killed them and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ For this reason also, God's wisdom said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and they will persecute and kill some of them,' ⁵⁰ so that all the blood of the prophets shed since the foundation of the world this will be charged against this generation, ⁵¹ from Abel's blood to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it will be charged against this generation. ⁵² Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key of knowledge; you do not enter in yourselves, and you hinder those who are entering."

⁵³ After Jesus left there, the scribes and the Pharisees opposed him and argued with him about many things, ⁵⁴ lying in wait for him, to catch something out of his mouth.

Chapter 12

¹ In the meantime, when many thousands of the people were gathered together so much that they trampled on each other, he began to say to his disciples first of all, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ² But there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be known. ³ So whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. ⁴ I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that they have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will warn you about whom to fear. Fear the one who, after he has killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I say to you, fear him. ⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God. ⁷ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear. You are more valuable than many sparrows. ⁸ I say to you, everyone who confesses me before men, the Son of Man will also confess before the angels of God, ⁹ but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. ¹⁰ Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. ¹¹ When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you will speak in your defense, or what you will say, ¹² for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you should say."

¹³ Then someone from 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 a mediator over you?" ¹⁵ He said to them, "Watch that you keep yourselves from all greedy desires, because a person's life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions." ¹⁶ Then Jesus told them a parable, saying, "The field of a rich man yielded abundantly, ¹⁷ and he reasoned with himself, saying, 'What will I do, because I do not have a place to store my crops?' ¹⁸ He said, 'This is what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all of my grain and other goods. ¹⁹ I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods stored up for many years. Rest easy, eat, drink, be merry."' ²⁰ But God said to him, 'Foolish man, tonight your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' ²¹ That is what someone is like who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."

²² Jesus said to his disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. ²⁴ Take notice of the ravens, that they do not sow or reap. They have no storeroom or barn, but God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds! ²⁵ Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his lifespan? ²⁶ If then you are not able to do such a very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? ²⁷ Take notice of the lilies—how they grow. They do not labor, neither do they spin. Yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. ²⁸ If God so clothes the grass in the field, which exists today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! ²⁹ Do not look for what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not be anxious. ³⁰ For all the nations of the world look for these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. ³² Do not fear, little flock, because your Father is very pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give alms. Make for yourselves purses which will not wear out—treasure in the heavens that does not run out, where no thief comes near, and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

³⁵ "Keep your loins girded and your lamps lit, ³⁶ and be like people waiting expectantly for their master when he returns from the marriage feast, so that when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ Blessed are those servants whom the master will find watching when he comes. Truly I say to you, he will gird himself to serve and have them sit down at the table, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸ If the master comes in the second watch of the night, or if even in the third watch, and finds them ready, blessed are those servants. ³⁹ But understand this, that if the master of the house had known the hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."

⁴¹ Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable only to us, or also to everyone?"

⁴² The Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager whom his lord will set over his other servants to give them their portion of food at the right time? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing that when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his property. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says in his heart, 'My lord delays his return,' and begins to beat the male servants and female servants and to eat and drink and to become drunk, ⁴⁶ the lord of that servant will come in a day when he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know and will cut him in pieces and appoint a place for him with the unfaithful. ⁴⁷ That servant, having known his lord's will and not having prepared or done according to his will, will be beaten with many blows. ⁴⁸ But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating, he will be beaten with a few blows. But everyone who has been given much, from them much will be required, and the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked.

⁴⁹ "I came to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish that it were already kindled. ⁵⁰ But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am distressed until it is completed! ⁵¹ Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. ⁵² For from now on there will be five in one house divided—three people against two, and two people against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father 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 Jesus was saying to the crowds also, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it happens. ⁵⁵ When a south wind is blowing, you say, 'There will be a scorching heat,' and it happens. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites, you know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the heavens, but how is it that you do not know how to interpret the present time? ⁵⁷ Why do you not judge what is right for yourselves? ⁵⁸ For when you go with your adversary before the magistrate, on the way make an effort to be reconciled with him so that he does not drag you to the judge, and so that the judge does not deliver you to the officer, and the officer does not throw you into prison. ⁵⁹ I say to you, you will never come out from there until you have paid the very last bit of money."

Chapter 13

¹ At that time, some people there told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate mixed with their own sacrifices. ² Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? ³ No, I tell you. But if you do not repent, all of you will perish in the same way. ⁴ Or those eighteen people in Siloam on whom a tower fell and killed them, do you think they were worse sinners than other men in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I say. But if you do not repent, all of you will also perish."

⁶ Jesus told this parable, "Someone had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came and looked for fruit on it but found none. ⁷ The man said to the gardener, 'Look, for three years I have come and tried to find fruit on this fig tree and found none. Cut it down. Why let it waste the ground?'

⁸ "The gardener answered and said, 'Sir, leave it alone this year while I dig around it and put manure on it. ⁹ If it bears fruit next year, good; but if it does not, cut it down!'"

¹⁰ Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues during the Sabbath. ¹¹ Behold, a woman was there who for eighteen years had a spirit of weakness. She was bent over and was not able to straighten up completely. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, "Woman, you are freed from your weakness." ¹³ He placed his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight again and glorified God.

¹⁴ But the synagogue ruler was indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. So the ruler answered and said to the crowd, "There are six days in which it is necessary to labor. Come and be healed then, not on the Sabbath day."

¹⁵ The Lord answered him and said, "Hypocrites! Does not each of you untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead it to drink on the Sabbath? ¹⁶ So too this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, should her bonds not be untied on the Sabbath day?" ¹⁷ As he said these things, all those who opposed him were ashamed, but the whole crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things he did.

¹⁸ Then Jesus said, "What is the kingdom of God like, and what can I compare it to? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed that a man took and threw into his garden, and it grew into a big tree, and the birds of heaven built their nests in its branches."

²⁰ Again he said, "To what can I compare the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour all the flour was leavened."

²² Then Jesus traveled through the towns and villages, teaching and making his way toward Jerusalem. ²³ Someone said to him, "Lord, are only a few people to be saved?"

So he said to them, ²⁴ "Struggle to enter through the narrow door, because, I say to you, many will try to enter, but will not be able to enter. ²⁵ Once the owner of the house gets up and locks the door, then you will stand outside and pound the door and say, 'Lord, Lord, let us in.'

"He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you or where you are from.'

²⁶ "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank in front of you and you taught in our streets.'

²⁷ "But he will reply, 'I say to you, I do not know where you are from. Get away from me, you who commit iniquity!' ²⁸ There will be crying and the grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God's kingdom, but you are thrown out. ²⁹ They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and be seated at a table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ Know this, those who are least important will be first, and those who are most important will be last."

³¹ In that same hour, some Pharisees came and said to him, "Go and leave here because Herod wants to kill you."

³² Jesus said, "Go and tell that fox, 'Look, I cast out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and the third day I will reach my goal.' ³³ In any case, it is necessary for me to continue on today, tomorrow, and the following day, since it is not acceptable for a prophet to be destroyed outside of Jerusalem. ³⁴ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to you. How often I desired to gather your children the way a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you did not desire this. ³⁵ See, your house is abandoned. I say to you, you will not see me until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Chapter 14

¹ It happened one Sabbath, when he went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees to eat bread, that they were watching him closely. ² Behold, there in front of him was a man who was suffering from edema. ³ Jesus asked the experts in the Jewish law and the Pharisees, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?" ⁴ But they kept silent. So Jesus took hold of him, healed him, and sent him away. ⁵ He said to them, "Which of you who has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?" ⁶ They were not able to give an answer to these things.

⁷ When Jesus noticed how those who were invited chose the seats of honor, he spoke a parable, saying to them, ⁸ "When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the place of honor, because someone may have been invited who is more honored than you. ⁹ When the person who invited both of you arrives, he will say to you, 'Give this other person your place,' and then in shame you will proceed to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. ¹¹ For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

¹² Jesus also said to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors, as they may also invite you in return, and you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the just."

¹⁵ When one of them who sat at the table with Jesus heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is he who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

¹⁶ But Jesus said to him, "A certain man prepared a large dinner and invited many. ¹⁷ At the dinner hour, he sent his servant to say to those who were invited, 'Come, because everything is now ready.'

¹⁸ "They all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.'

¹⁹ "Another said, 'I have bought five pairs of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.'

²⁰ "Then another man said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'

²¹ "The servant came and told his master these things. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.'

²² "The servant said, 'Master, what you commanded has been done, and yet there is still room.'

²³ "The master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I say to you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'"

²⁵ Now large crowds were going with him, and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. ²⁸ For which of you who desires to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost to calculate if he has what he needs to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' ³¹ Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take advice about whether he is able with ten thousand men to fight the other king who comes against him with twenty thousand men? ³² If not, while the other army is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for conditions of peace. ³³ So therefore, any one of you who does not give up all his possessions cannot be my disciple. ³⁴ Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its taste, how can it be made salty again? ³⁵ It is of no use for the soil or even for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Chapter 15

¹ Now all the tax collectors and other sinners were coming to Jesus to listen to him. ² Both the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled to each other, saying, "This man welcomes sinners, and even eats with them."

³ Jesus spoke this parable to them, saying, ⁴ "Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and then loses one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the lost one until he finds it? ⁵ Then when he has found it, he lays it across his shoulders and rejoices. ⁶ When he comes to the house, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.' ⁷ I say to you that even so, there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

⁸ Or what woman who has ten silver coins, if she were to lose one coin, would not light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she has found it? ⁹ When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I lost.' ¹⁰ Even so, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

¹¹ Then Jesus said, "A certain man had two sons, ¹² and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of the wealth that falls to me.' So he divided his property between them. ¹³ Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he owned and went to a country far away, and there he wasted all his wealth by living recklessly. ¹⁴ Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine spread through that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ He went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He was longing to eat the carob pods that the pigs ate because no one gave him anything. ¹⁷ But when the young son came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, and I am here, perishing from hunger! ¹⁸ I will get up and leave here and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired servants."' ²⁰ So the young son got up and left and came toward his father. While he was still far away, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and he ran and embraced him and kissed him. ²¹ The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

²² "The father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet. ²³ Then bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let us feast and be merry! ²⁴ For my son was dead, and now he is alive. He was lost, and now he is found.' Then they began to be merry.

²⁵ "Now his older son was out in the field. As he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ He called to one of the servants and asked what these things might be. ²⁷ The servant said to him, 'Your brother has come home and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him healthy.'

²⁸ "The older son was angry and would not go in, and his father came out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But the older son answered and said to his father, 'Look, these many years I slaved for you, and I never neglected a command of yours, and yet you never gave me a young goat that I might be merry with my friends, ³⁰ but when your son came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed for him the fattened calf.'

³¹ "The father said to him, 'Child, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³² But it was proper for us to be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead, and is now alive; he was lost, and has now been found.'"

Chapter 16

¹ Jesus also said to the disciples, "There was a certain rich man who had a manager, and it was reported to him that this manager was wasting his possessions. ² So the rich man called him and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Give an account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.'

³ "The manager said to himself, 'What should I do, since my master is taking away my management job? I do not have strength to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. ⁴ I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from my management job, people will welcome me into their houses.' ⁵ Then the manager called for each one of his master's debtors, and he asked the first one, 'How much do you owe to my master?'

⁶ "He said, 'A hundred baths of olive oil.'

"He said to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.'

⁷ "Then the manager said to another, 'How much do you owe?'

"He said, 'A hundred cors of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' ⁸ The master then commended the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own people than are the sons of light. ⁹ I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal dwellings. ¹⁰ He who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and he who is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. ¹¹ If you have not been faithful in using unrighteous wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? ¹² If you have not been faithful in using other people's property, who will give you money of your own? ¹³ No 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 wealth."

¹⁴ Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. ¹⁵ He said to them, "You justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. That which is exalted among men is detestable in the sight of God. ¹⁶ The law and the prophets were in effect until John came. From that time on, the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone tries to force their way into it. ¹⁷ But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the law to become invalid.

¹⁸ Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

¹⁹ "Now there was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and was enjoying every day his great wealth. ²⁰ A certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, ²¹ and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² It came about that the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ So he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.'

²⁵ "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. ²⁶ Besides all this, a great chasm has been put in place, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot, and no one can cross over from there to us.'

²⁷ "The rich man said, 'I beg you, Father Abraham, that you would send him to my father's house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that it may not be that they come into this place of torment.'

²⁹ "But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.'

³⁰ "The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham, but if someone would go to them from the dead, they will repent.'

³¹ "But Abraham said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.'"

Chapter 17

¹ Jesus said to his disciples, "It is certain there will be stumbling blocks, but woe to that person through whom they come! ² It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. ³ Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns 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 like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. ⁷ But which of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down to eat'? ⁸ Will he not say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, and put a belt around your clothes and serve me until I have finished eating and drinking. Then afterward you will eat and drink'? ⁹ He does not thank the servant because he did the things that were commanded, does he? ¹⁰ Even so you also, when you have done everything that you are commanded, should say, 'We are unworthy servants. We have only done what we ought to do.'"

¹¹ It came about that as he traveled to Jerusalem, he went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he entered into a certain village, there he was met by ten men who were lepers. They stood far away from him ¹³ and they lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."

¹⁴ When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." As they went away they were cleansed. ¹⁵ When one of them saw that he was healed, he turned back, with a loud voice glorifying God. ¹⁶ He fell on his face at Jesus's feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Then Jesus said, "Were not the ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Were there no others who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?" ¹⁹ He said to him, "Arise, and go. Your faith has made you well."

²⁰ Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with careful observing. ²¹ Neither will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For look, the kingdom of God is within you."

²² He said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. ²³ Then they will say to you, 'Look, there! Look, here!' But do not go out or run after them, ²⁴ for as the lightning shines brightly when it flashes from one part of the sky to another part of the sky, 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 As it happened in the days of Noah, even so will it also happen in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ They ate, they drank, they married, and they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark—and the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ In the same way, even as it happened in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. ²⁹ But in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed them all. ³⁰ After the same manner it will be in the day that the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹ In that day let him who is on the housetop not go down to get his goods out of the house, and in the same way let him who is in the field not return. ³² Remember Lot's wife. ³³ Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will save it. ³⁴ I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken, and the other will be left. ³⁵ There will be two women grinding grain together. One will be taken, and the other will be left." ^36[1]

³⁷ They asked him, "Where, Lord?"

He said to them, "Where there is a body, there will the vultures also be gathered together."

Chapter 18

¹ Then he spoke a parable to them about how they should always pray and not become discouraged, ² saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect people. ³ Now there was a widow in that city, and she came often to him, saying, 'Help me get justice against my opponent.'

⁴ For a long time he was not willing to help her, but after a while he said to himself, 'Though I do not fear God or respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow causes me trouble, I will help her get justice, so that she does not wear me out by her constant coming.'" ⁶ Then the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ Now will not God also bring justice to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I say to you that he will bring justice to them speedily. Even so, when the Son of Man comes, will he indeed find faith on the earth?"

⁹ Then he also spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and who despised other people, ¹⁰ "Two men went up into the temple to pray—the one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed these things about himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, unrighteous people, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast two times every week. I give tithes of all that I get.'

¹³ But the tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but hit his breast, saying, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' ¹⁴ I say to you, this man went back down to his house justified rather than the other, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but everyone who humbles himself will be exalted."

¹⁵ The people were also bringing to him their infants so that he might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Permit the little children to come to me, and do not forbid them. For the kingdom of God belongs to such ones. ¹⁷ Truly I say to you, whoever will not receive the kingdom of God like a child will definitely not enter it."

¹⁸ A certain ruler asked him, saying, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

¹⁹ Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good, except God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments—do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not testify falsely, honor your father and mother."

²¹ The ruler said, "All these things I have obeyed from the time I was a youth."

²² When Jesus heard that, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. You must sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me."

²³ But when the ruler heard these things, he became extremely sad, for he was very rich. ²⁴ Then Jesus, seeing him ^[1] said, "How difficult it is for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

²⁶ Those hearing it said, "Then who can be saved?"

²⁷ Jesus answered, "The things which are impossible with people are possible with God."

²⁸ Peter said, "Well, we have left everything that is our own and have followed you."

²⁹ Jesus then said to them, "Truly, I say to you that there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ³⁰ who will not receive much more in this time, and in the age to come, eternal life."

³¹ After he gathered the twelve to himself, he said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that have been written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. ³² For he will be given over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked, and shamefully treated, and spit upon. ³³ After whipping him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again." ³⁴ They understood none of these things, and this word was hidden from them, and they did not understand the things that were said.

³⁵ It came about that, as Jesus approached Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road begging, ³⁶ and hearing a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. ³⁸ So the blind man cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." ³⁹ The ones who were walking ahead rebuked the blind man, telling him to be quiet. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me."

⁴⁰ Jesus stood still and commanded that the man be brought to him. Then when the blind man was near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ "What do you want me to do for you?"

He said, "Lord, I want to receive my sight."

⁴² Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you." ⁴³ Immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw this, gave praise to God.

Chapter 19

¹ Jesus entered and was passing through Jericho. ² Behold, there was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³ He was trying to see who Jesus was, but could not see over the crowd, because he was small in height. ⁴ So he ran on ahead of the people and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, because Jesus was about to pass that way. ⁵ When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." ⁶ So he hurried and came down and welcomed him joyfully. ⁷ When everyone saw this, they all complained, saying, "He has gone in to visit a man who is a sinner." ⁸ Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, the half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I will restore four times the amount."

⁹ Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the people who are lost."

¹¹ As they heard these things, he continued speaking and told a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and they thought that the kingdom of God was about to appear immediately. ¹² He said therefore, "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then to return. ¹³ He called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas and said to them, 'Conduct business until I come back.'

¹⁴ "But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man reign over us.' ¹⁵ It happened when he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded the servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what profit they had made by doing business.

¹⁶ "The first came before him, saying, 'Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.'

¹⁷ "The nobleman said to him, 'Well done, good servant. Because you were faithful in very little, you will have authority over ten cities.'

¹⁸ "The second came, saying, 'Your mina, lord, has made five minas.'

¹⁹ "The nobleman said to him, 'You take charge over five cities.'

²⁰ "Another came, saying, 'Lord, here is your mina, which I kept safely in a cloth, ²¹ for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person. You take up what you did not put in, and you reap what you did not sow.'

²² "The nobleman said to him, 'By your own words I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I am a demanding person, taking up what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow. ²³ Then why did you not put my money in the bank, so that when I returned I would have collected it with interest?' ²⁴ The nobleman said to them that stood by, 'Take away from him the mina, and give it to him that has the ten minas.'

²⁵ "They said to him, 'Lord, he has ten minas.'

²⁶ "'I say to you, that everyone who has will be given more, but from him that has not, even that which he has will be taken away. ²⁷ But these enemies of mine, those who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and kill them before me.'"

²⁸ When he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

²⁹ It came about that when he came near to Bethphage and Bethany, to the hill that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, "Go into the next village. As you enter, you will find a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it to me. ³¹ If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say, 'The Lord has need of it.'" ³² Those who were sent went and found the colt just as Jesus had told them.

³³ As they were untying the colt, the owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

³⁴ They said, "The Lord has need of it." ³⁵ They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their cloaks upon the colt and set Jesus on it. ³⁶ As he went, they spread their cloaks on the road.

³⁷ As he was now approaching the place where the Mount of Olives descends, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen,

³⁸ saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples."

⁴⁰ Jesus answered and said, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would cry out."

⁴¹ When Jesus approached the city, he wept over it, ⁴² saying, "If only you had known in this day, even you, the things which bring you peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build a barricade around you and surround you and press in on you from every side. ⁴⁴ They will strike you down to the ground, and your children with you. They will not leave one stone upon another because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."

⁴⁵ Jesus entered the temple and began to cast out those who were selling, ⁴⁶ saying to them, "It is written, 'My house will be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers."

⁴⁷ So Jesus was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes were seeking to destroy him, as were the leaders of the people, ⁴⁸ but they could not find a way to do it because all the people were listening to him intently.

Chapter 20

¹ It came about one day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel that the chief priests and the scribes came to him with the elders. ² They spoke, saying to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is who gave you this authority."

³ He answered and said to them, "I will also ask you a question, and you tell me. ⁴ The baptism of John: Was it from heaven or from men?"

⁵ They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?' ⁶ But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet." ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it came from.

⁸ Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

⁹ He told the people this parable, "A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to vine growers, and went into another country for a long time. ¹⁰ At the appointed time he sent a servant to the vine growers, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vine growers beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ He then sent yet another servant and they also beat him, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² He also sent yet a third and they also wounded him, and threw him out. ¹³ So the lord of the vineyard said, 'What will I do? I will send my beloved son. Maybe they will respect him.'

¹⁴ "But when the vine growers saw him, they discussed among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.' ¹⁵ They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the lord of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy these vine growers, and will give the vineyard to others."

When they heard it, they said, "May it never be!"

¹⁷ But Jesus looked at them, and said, "What is the meaning of that which is written:

     'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?

¹⁸ Every one who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed."

¹⁹ So the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him in that very hour, for they knew that he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. ²⁰ Watching him carefully, they sent out spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might find fault with his speech, so as to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor. ²¹ They asked him, saying, "Teacher, we know that you say and teach rightly, and are not partial to anyone, but you teach the truth about the way of God. ²² Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

²³ But Jesus understood their craftiness, and said to them, ²⁴ "Show me a denarius. Whose image and name is on it?"

They said, "Caesar's."

²⁵ He said to them, "Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." ²⁶ They were not able to find fault with what he had said in front of the people, but marveling at his answer, they were silent.

²⁷ When some of the Sadducees came to him, the ones who say that there is no resurrection, ²⁸ they asked him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and being childless, the man should take the brother's wife, and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹ There were seven brothers and the first took a wife, and died childless, ³⁰ and the second as well. ³¹ The third took her, and in the same way the seven also left no children and died. ³² Afterward the woman also died. ³³ In the resurrection then, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as their wife."

³⁴ Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵ But those who are regarded as worthy in that age to receive the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. ³⁶ Neither can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. ³⁷ But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the place concerning the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, because all live to him."

³⁹ Some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have answered well." ⁴⁰ For they did not dare ask him any more questions.

⁴¹ Jesus said to them, "How do they say that the Christ is David's son? ⁴² For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

     The Lord said to my Lord,

     'Sit at my right hand,

     ⁴³ until I make your enemies your footstool.'

⁴⁴ David therefore calls the Christ 'Lord,' so how is he David's son?"

⁴⁵ In the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, ⁴⁶ "Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes and love special greetings in the marketplaces and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at feasts. ⁴⁷ They also devour widows' houses, and for a show they make long prayers. Men like this will receive greater condemnation."

Chapter 21

¹ Jesus looked up and saw the rich men who were putting their gifts into the treasury. ² He saw a certain poor widow putting in two mites. ³ So he said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them. ⁴ All of these gave gifts out of their abundance. But this widow, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on."

⁵ As some spoke of the temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and offerings, he said, ⁶ "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another which will not be torn down." ⁷ So they asked him, saying, "Teacher, when will these things happen? What will be the sign when these things are about to happen?" ⁸ Jesus answered, "Be careful that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not go after them. ⁹ When you hear of wars and riots, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end will not happen immediately."

¹⁰ Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues. There will be terrifying events and great signs from heaven. ¹² But before all of these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you over to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors because of my name. ¹³ It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. ¹⁴ Therefore resolve in your hearts not to prepare your defense ahead of time, ¹⁵ for I will give you words and wisdom that all your adversaries will not be able to resist or contradict. ¹⁶ But you will be given over also by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷ You will be hated by everyone because of my name. ¹⁸ But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹ In your endurance you will gain your lives.

²⁰ "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that its desolation is near. ²¹ Then let those in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the city leave it, and those who are out in the country must not enter the city. ²² For these are days of vengeance, so that all the things that are written will be fulfilled. ²³ Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing in those days! For there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people. ²⁴ They will fall by the edge of the sword, and they will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

²⁵ "There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars, and on the earth. The nations will be in distress, anxious because of the roar of the sea and waves. ²⁶ There will be men fainting from fear and from expectation of the things which are coming upon the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ But when these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is coming near."

²⁹ Jesus told them a parable, "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰ When they sprout buds, you see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. ³¹ So also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

³⁴ "But pay attention to yourselves, so that your hearts are not burdened with excessive drinking and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day does not close on you suddenly like a trap. ³⁵ For it will come upon everyone living on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ But be alert at all times, praying that you may be strong enough to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

³⁷ So during the days he was teaching in the temple, and at night he went out and stayed on what is called Olivet. ³⁸ All of the people came early in the morning to hear him in the temple.

Chapter 22

¹ Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread was approaching, which is called the Passover. ² The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they could put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people.

³ Then Satan entered into Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve. ⁴ Judas went to the chief priests and captains and discussed with them how he would betray Jesus to them. ⁵ They were glad and agreed to give him money. ⁶ He consented and looked for an opportunity to give him over to them away from the crowd.

⁷ Then came the day of unleavened bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare for us the Passover meal, so that we may eat it."

⁹ They said to him, "Where do you want us to make preparations?"

¹⁰ He answered them, "Look, when you have entered the city, a man bearing a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he goes into. ¹¹ Then say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room, where I will eat the Passover with my disciples?"' ¹² He will show you a large furnished upper room. Make the preparations there." ¹³ So they went, and found everything as he had said to them. Then they prepared the Passover meal.

¹⁴ When the hour came, he sat down with the apostles. ¹⁵ Then he said to them, "I have greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I say to you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." ¹⁷ Then Jesus took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, "Take this, and share it among yourselves. ¹⁸ For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine again until the kingdom of God comes." ¹⁹ Then he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." ²⁰ He took the cup in the same way after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. ²¹ But pay attention. The hand of the one who betrays me is with me at the table. ²² For the Son of Man indeed goes as it has been determined. But woe to that man through whom he is betrayed!" ²³ They began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who would do this.

²⁴ Then there arose also a quarrel among them about which of them was considered to be greatest. ²⁵ He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles are lords over them, and the ones who have authority over them are called doers of good deeds. ²⁶ But it must not be like this with you. Instead, let the greatest among you become like the youngest and the one who leads like the one who serves. ²⁷ For who is greater, the one who sits at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as one who serves. ²⁸ But you are the ones who have continued with me in my trials. ²⁹ I set you over a kingdom, even as my Father has set me over a kingdom, ³⁰ that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

³¹ "Simon, Simon, be aware, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. After you have turned back again, strengthen your brothers."

³³ Peter said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death."

³⁴ Jesus replied, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, before you deny three times that you know me."

³⁵ Then Jesus said to them, "When I sent you out without a purse, a bag of provisions, or sandals, did you lack anything?"

They answered, "Nothing."

³⁶ Then he said to them, "But now, the one who has a purse, let him take it, and likewise a bag of provisions. The one who does not have a sword should sell his cloak and buy one. ³⁷ For I say to you, what is written about me must be fulfilled, 'He was counted with the lawless ones.' For what is predicted about me is being fulfilled."

³⁸ Then they said, "Lord, look! Here are two swords."

He said to them, "It is enough."

³⁹ Jesus went, as he often did, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. ⁴⁰ When they arrived, he said to them, "Pray that you do not enter into temptation." ⁴¹ He went away from them about a stone's throw, and he knelt down and prayed, ⁴² saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless not my will, but yours be done." ⁴³ Then an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him. ⁴⁴ Being in agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground. ⁴⁵ When he rose up from his prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of their sorrow ⁴⁶ and asked them, "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray, that you may not enter into temptation."

⁴⁷ While he was still speaking, behold, a crowd appeared, with Judas, one of the twelve, leading them. He came near to Jesus to kiss him, ⁴⁸ but Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

⁴⁹ When those who were around Jesus saw what was happening, they said, "Lord, should we strike with the sword?" ⁵⁰ Then one of them struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.

⁵¹ Jesus said, "That is enough!" He touched his ear, and healed him. ⁵² Jesus said to the chief priests, to the captains of the temple, and to elders who came against him, "Do you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? ⁵³ When I was daily with you in the temple, you did not lay your hands on me. But this is your hour, and the authority of darkness."

⁵⁴ Seizing him, they led him away and brought him into the high priest's house. But Peter followed from a distance. ⁵⁵ After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat in the midst of them. ⁵⁶ A certain female servant saw him as he sat in the light of the fire and looked straight at him and said, "This man also was with him."

⁵⁷ But Peter denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know him."

⁵⁸ After a little while someone else saw him, and said, "You are also one of them."

But Peter said, "Man, I am not."

⁵⁹ After about an hour another man insisted and said, "Truly this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean."

⁶⁰ But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying." Immediately, while he was speaking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹ Turning, the Lord looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, when he said to him, "Before a rooster crows today you will deny me three times." ⁶² Peter went outside and wept bitterly.

⁶³ Then the men holding Jesus in custody mocked and beat him. ⁶⁴ They put a cover over him and asked him, saying, "Prophesy! Who is the one who hit you?" ⁶⁵ They spoke many other things against Jesus, blaspheming him.

⁶⁶ As soon as it was day, the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. They led him into the Council ⁶⁷ and said, "If you are the Christ, tell us."

But he said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe, ⁶⁸ and if I ask you, you will not answer. ⁶⁹ But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God."

⁷⁰ They all said, "Then you are the Son of God?"

Jesus said to them, "You say that I am."

⁷¹ They said, "Why do we still need a witness? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth."

Chapter 23

¹ The whole company of them rose up and brought Jesus before Pilate. ² They began to accuse him, saying, "We found this man misleading our nation, forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king."

³ Pilate asked him, saying, "Are you the King of the Jews?"

Jesus answered him and said, "You say so."

⁴ Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, "I find no guilt in this man."

⁵ But they were insisting, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place." ⁶ So when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷ When he learned that he was under Herod's authority, he sent Jesus to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem in those days.

⁸ When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, because he had wanted to see him for a long time. He had heard about him and he hoped to see some sign done by him. ⁹ Herod questioned Jesus in many words, but Jesus answered him nothing. ¹⁰ The chief priests and the scribes stood, vigorously accusing him. ¹¹ Herod with his soldiers showed Jesus contempt and they mocked him. Then they dressed him in splendid clothes and sent him back to Pilate. ¹² For Herod and Pilate had become friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been enemies with each other.

¹³ Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the crowd of people ¹⁴ and said to them, "You brought to me this man like a man who is misleading the people, and see, I, having questioned him before you, find no guilt in this man concerning those things of which you accuse him. ¹⁵ No, nor does Herod, for he sent him back to us, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him. ¹⁶ I will therefore punish him and release him." ^{17[1] 18} But they cried out all together, saying, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas!" ¹⁹ Barabbas was a man who had been put into prison for a certain rebellion in the city and for murder. ²⁰ Pilate addressed them again, desiring to release Jesus. ²¹ But they shouted, saying, "Crucify him, crucify him." ²² He said to them a third time, "Why, what evil has this man done? I have found no guilt deserving death in him. Therefore after punishing him, I will release him." ²³ But they were insistent with loud voices, demanding for him to be crucified. Their voices convinced Pilate. ²⁴ So Pilate decided to grant their demand. ²⁵ He released the one they asked for who had been put in prison for rebellion and murder. But he delivered up Jesus to their will.

²⁶ As they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him to carry, following Jesus.

²⁷ A great crowd of the people, and of women who grieved and mourned for him, were following him. ²⁸ But turning to them, Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For see, the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren and the wombs that did not bear, and the breasts that did not nurse.' ³⁰ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' ³¹ For if they do these things while the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

³² Other men, two criminals, were led away with him to be put to death.

³³ When they came to the place that is called "The Skull," there they crucified him and the criminals—one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴ Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Then they cast lots, dividing up his garments.

³⁵ The people stood watching while the rulers also were mocking him, saying, "He saved others. Let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, the chosen one."

³⁶ The soldiers also ridiculed him, approaching him, offering him vinegar, ³⁷ and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself." ³⁸ There was also a sign over him, "This is the King of the Jews."

³⁹ One of the criminals who was hanging there reviled him by saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us."

⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ We indeed are here justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds. But this man did nothing wrong." ⁴² Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

⁴³ Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."

⁴⁴ It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour ⁴⁵ as the sun turned dark. Then the curtain of the temple was split in two. ⁴⁶ Crying with a loud voice, Jesus said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Having said this, he died.

⁴⁷ When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, "Surely this was a righteous man." ⁴⁸ When all the multitudes who came together to witness this sight saw the things that were done, they returned beating their breasts. ⁴⁹ But all those who knew him, and the women who followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

⁵⁰ Behold, there was a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council. He was a good and righteous man. ⁵¹ This man had not agreed with their plan and action. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, and he was looking for the kingdom of God. ⁵² This man, approaching Pilate, asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵³ He took it down, wrapped it in fine linen, and placed it in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid. ⁵⁴ It was the Day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath was about to begin. ⁵⁵ The women who had come with Jesus out of Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. ⁵⁶ They returned and prepared spices and ointments.

Then on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Chapter 24

¹ Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. ³ They entered in, but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ It happened that, while they were confused about this, suddenly, two men stood by them in bright shining garments. ⁵ As the women were terrified and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said to the women, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, ⁷ saying that the Son of Man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." ⁸ The women remembered his words ⁹ and returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and all the rest. ¹⁰ Now Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them reported these things to the apostles. ¹¹ But this message seemed like idle talk to the apostles, and they did not believe the women. ¹² Yet Peter rose up and ran to the tomb, and, stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves. Peter then departed to his home, wondering what had happened.

¹³ Behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They discussed with each other about all the things that had happened. ¹⁵ It happened that, while they discussed and questioned together, Jesus himself approached and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. ¹⁷ Jesus said to them, "What are these matters you two are discussing as you walk?" They stood there looking sad.

¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only person in Jerusalem who does not know the things which have happened there these days?"

¹⁹ Jesus said to them, "What things?"

They answered him, "The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹ But we hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. Yes, and what is more, it is now the third day since all these things happened. ²² But also, some women of our company amazed us, having been at the tomb early in the morning. ²³ When they did not find his body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. ²⁴ Some men who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said. But they did not see him."

²⁵ Jesus said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory?" ²⁷ Then beginning from Moses and through all the prophets, Jesus interpreted to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures.

²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as though he were going further. ²⁹ But they compelled him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is almost over." So Jesus went in to stay with them. ³⁰ It happened that, when he had sat down with them to eat, he took the bread, blessed it, and breaking it, he gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of their sight. ³² They said one to another, "Was not our heart burning within us, while he spoke to us on the way, while he opened to us the scriptures?" ³³ They rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, ³⁴ saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon." ³⁵ So they told the things that happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

³⁶ As they spoke these things, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace be to you." ³⁷ But they were terrified and filled with fear and thought that they were seeing a spirit. ³⁸ Jesus said to them, "Why are you troubled? Why do questions arise in your heart? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me having." ⁴⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ They still could not believe it because of joy, and they were amazed. Jesus said to them, "Do you have anything to eat?" ⁴² They gave him a piece of a broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate it before them.

⁴⁴ He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you when I was with you, that all that was written in the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the scriptures. ⁴⁶ He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead on the third day. ⁴⁷ Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ See, I am sending you what my Father promised. But remain in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

⁵⁰ Then Jesus led them out until they were near Bethany. He lifted up his hands and blessed them. ⁵¹ It happened that, while he was blessing them, he left them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² So they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. ⁵³ They were continually in the temple, blessing God.