"Father, thy name be hallowed;
Thy kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we too forgive all who have done us wrong.
And do not bring us to the test."' 5 He added, 'Suppose one of you has a friend who comes to him in the middle of the night and says, "My friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine on a journey has turned up at my house, and I have nothing to offer him"; 7 and he replies from inside, "Do not bother me. The door is shut for the night; my children and I have gone to bed; and I cannot get up and give you what you want." 8 I tell you that even if he will not provide for him out of friendship, the very shamelessness of the request will make him get up and give him all he needs. 9 And so I say to you, ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened. 10 For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 'Is there a father among you who will offer his son a snake when he asks for fish, 12 or a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13 If you, then, bad as you are, know how to give your children what is good for them, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'
14 HE WAS DRIVING OUT a devil which was dumb; and when the devil had come out, the dumb man began to speak. 15 The people were astonished, but some of them said, 'It is by Beelzebub prince of devils that he drives the devils out.' 16 Others, by way of a test, demanded of him a sign from heaven. 17 But he knew what was in their minds, and said, 'Every kingdom divided against itself goes to ruin, and a divided household falls. 18 Equally if Satan is divided against is himself, how can his kingdom stand? - since, as you would have it, I drive out the devils by Beelzebub. 19 If it is by Beelzebub that I cast out devils, by whom do your own people drive them out? If this is your argument, they themselves will refute you. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out the devils, then be sure the kingdom of God has already come upon you.
21 'When a strong man fully armed is on guard over his castle his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger comes upon him and overpowers him, he carries off the arms and armour on which the man had relied and divides the plunder.
23 'He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.
24 'When an unclean spirit comes out of a man it wanders over the deserts seeking a resting-place; and finding none, it says, "I will go back to the home I left." 25 So it returns and finds the house swept clean, and tidy. 26 Off it goes and collects seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they all come in and settle down; and in the end the man's plight is worse than before.'
27 While he was speaking thus, a woman in the crowd called out, 'Happy the womb that carried you and the breasts that suckled you!' 28 He rejoined, 'No, happy are those who hear the word of God and keep it.'
29 With the crowds swarming round him he went on to say: 'This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, and the only sign that will be given to it is the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 At the Judgement, when the men of this generation are on trial, the Queen of the South will appear against them and ensure their condemnation, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and what 32 The men of Nineveh will appear at the Judgement when the men of this generation are on trial, and ensure their condemnation, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and what is here is greater than Jonah.
33 'No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar, but rather on the lamp-stand so that those who enter may see the light. 34 The lamp of your body is the eye. When your eyes are sound, you have light for your whole body; but when the eyes are bad, you are in darkness. 35 See to it then that the light you have is not darkness. 36 If you have light for your whole body with no trace of darkness, it will all be as bright as when a lamp flashes its rays upon you.'
37 WHEN HE HAD FINISHED SPEAKING, a Pharisee invited him to dinner. 38 He came in and sat down. The Pharisee noticed with surprise that he had not begun by washing before the meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, 'You Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup and plate; but inside you there is nothing but greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too? 41 But let what is in the cup be given in charity, and all is clean.
42 'Alas for you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and rue and every garden-herb, but have no care for justice and the love of God. It is these you should have practised, without neglecting the others.
43 'Alas for you Pharisees! You love the seats of honour in synagogues, and salutations in the market-places.
44 'Alas, alas, you are like unmarked graves over which men may walk without knowing it.'
45 In reply to this one of the lawyers said, 'Master, when you say things like this you are insulting us too.' 46 Jesus rejoined: 'Yes, you lawyers, it is no better with you! For you load men with intolerable burdens, and will not put a single finger to the load.
47 'Alas, you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers murdered, 48 and so testify that you approve of the deeds your fathers did; they committed the murders and you provide the tombs.
49 'This is why the Wisdom of God said, "I will send them prophets and messengers; and some of these they will persecute and kill"; 50 so that this generation so will have to answer for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world; 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all.
52 'Alas for you lawyers! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not go in yourselves, and those who were on their way in, you stopped.'
53 After he had left the house, the lawyers and Pharisees began to assail him fiercely and to ply him with a host of questions, 54 laying snares to catch him with his own words.
1 MEANWHILE, WHEN A CROWD of many thousands had gathered, packed so close that they were treading on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples: 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees; I mean their hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing covered up that will not be uncovered, nothing hidden that will not be made known. 3 You may take it, then, that everything you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the house-tops.
4 'To you who are my friends I say: Do not feat those who kill the body and after that have nothing more they can do. 5 I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Believe me, he is the one to fear.
6 'Are not sparrows five for twopence? And yet not one of them is overlooked by God. 7 More than that, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Have no fear; you are worth more than any number of sparrows.
8 'I tell you this: everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God; 9 but he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.
10 'Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will receive forgiveness; but for him who slanders the Holy Spirit there will be no forgiveness.
11 'When you are brought before synagogues and state authorities, do not begin worrying about how you will conduct your defence or what you will say. 12 For when the time comes the Holy Spirit will instruct you what to say.'
13 A man in the crowd said to him, 'Master, tell my brother to divide the family property with me.' 14 He replied, 'My good man, who set me over you to judge or arbitrate?' 15 Then he said to the people, 'Beware! Be on your guard against greed of every kind, for even when a man has more than enough, his wealth does not give him life.' 16 And he told them this parable: 'There was a rich man whose land yielded heavy crops. 17 He debated with himself: "What am I to do? I have not the space to store my produce. 18 This is what is I will do," said he: "I will pull down my storehouses and build them bigger. I will collect in them all my corn and other goods, 19 and then say to myself, 'Man, you have plenty of good things laid by, enough for many years: take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.' " 20 But God said to him, "You fool, this very night you must surrender your life; you have made your money-who will get it now?" 21 That is how it is with the man who amasses wealth for himself and remains a pauper in the sight of God.
22 'Therefore', he said to his disciples, 'I bid you put away anxious thoughts about food to keep you alive and clothes to cover your body. 23 Life is more than food, the body more than clothes. 24 Think of the ravens: they neither sow nor reap; they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. You are worth far more than the birds! 25 Is there a man among you who by anxious thought can add a foot to his height? 26 If, then, you cannot do even a very little thing, why are you anxious about the rest?
27 'Think of the lilies: they neither spin nor weave; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendour was not attired like one of these. 28 But if that is how God clothes the grass, which is growing in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown on the stove, how much more will he clothe you! How little faith you have! 29 And so you are not to set your mind on food and drink; you are not to worry. 30 For all these are things for the heathen to run after; but you have a Father who knows that you need them. 31 No, set your mind upon his kingdom, and all the rest will come to you as well.
32 'Have no fear, little flock; for your Father has chosen to give you the Kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give in charity. Provide for yourselves purses that do not wear out, and never-failing wealth in heaven, where no thief can get near it, no moth destroy it. 34 For where your wealth is, there will your heart be also.
35 'Be ready for action, with belts fastened and lamps alight. 36 Be like men who wait for their master's return from a wedding-party, ready to let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. 37 Happy are those servants whom the master finds on the alert when he comes. I tell you this: he will buckle his belt, seat them at table, and come and wait on them. 38 Even if it is the middle of the night or before dawn when he comes, happy they if he finds them alert. 39 And remember, if the householder had known what time the burglar was coming he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 Hold yourselves ready, then, because the Son of Man is coming at the time you least expect him.'
41 Peter said, 'Lord, do you intend this parable specially for us or is it for everyone ?' 42 The Lord said, 'Well, who is the trusty and sensible man whom his master will appoint as his steward, to manage his servants and issue their rations at the proper time? 43 Happy that servant who is found at his task when his master comes! 44 I tell you this: he will be put in charge of all his master's property. 45 But if that servant says to himself, "The master is a long time coming", and begins to bully the menservants and maids, and eat and drink and get drunk; 46 then the master will arrive on a day that servant does not expect, at a time he does not know, and will cut him in pieces. Thus he will find his place among the faithless.
47 'The servant who knew his master's wishes, yet made no attempt to carry them out, will be flogged severely. 48 But one who did not know them and earned a beating will be flogged less severely. Where a man has been given much, much will be expected of him; and the more a man has had entrusted to him the more he will be required to repay.
49 'I have come to set fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism to undergo, so and how hampered I am until the ordeal is over! 50 I have a baptism to undergo, so and how hampered I am until the ordeal is over! 51 Do you suppose I came to establish peace on earth? No indeed, I have come to bring division. 52 For from now on, five members of a family will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother against son's wife and son's wife against her mother-in-law.'
54 He also said to the people, 'When you see cloud banking up in the west, you say at once, "It is going to rain", and rain it does. 55 And when the wind is from the south, you say, "There will be a heat-wave", and there is. 56 What hypocrites you are! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky; how is it you cannot interpret this fateful hour?
57 'And why can you not judge for yourselves what is the right course? 58 While you are going with your opponent to court, make an effort to settle with him while you are still on the way; otherwise he may drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable put you in jail. 59 I tell you, you will not come out till you have paid the last farthing.'
1 AT THAT VERY TIME there were some people present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 He answered them: 'Do you imagine that, because these Galileans suffered this fate, they must have been greater sinners than anyone else in Galilee? 3 I tell you they were not; but unless you repent, you will all of you come to the same end. 4 Or the eighteen people who were killed 4 when the tower fell on them at Siloam - do you imagine they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you they were not; but unless you repent, you will all of you come to the same end.'
6 He told them this parable: 'A man had a fig-tree growing in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, but found none. 7 So he said to the vine-dresser, "Look here! For the last three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig-tree without finding any. Cut it down. Why should it go on using up the soil?" 8 But he replied, "Leave it, sir, this one year while I dig round it and manure it. 9 And if it bears next season, well and good, if not, you shall have it down." '
10 One Sabbath he was teaching in a synagogue, 11 and there was a woman there possessed by a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. 12 She was bent double and quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her he called her and said, 'You are rid of your trouble.' 13 Then he laid his hands on her, and at once she straightened up and began to praise God. 14 But the president of the synagogue, indignant with Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, intervened and said to the congregation, 'There are six working-days: come and be cured on one of them, and not on the Sabbath.' 15 The Lord gave him his answer: 'What hypocrites you are!' he said. 'Is there a single one of you who does not loose his ox or his donkey from the manger and take it out to water on the Sabbath? 16 And here is this woman, a daughter of Abraham, who has been kept prisoner by Satan for eighteen long years: was it wrong for her to be freed from her bonds on the Sabbath?' 17 At these words all his opponents were covered with confusion, while the mass of the people were delighted at all the wonderful things he was doing.
18 'What is the kingdom of God like?' he continued. 19 'What shall I compare it with? It is like a mustard-seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew to be a tree and the birds came to roost among its branches.'
20 Again he said, 'What shall I compare the kingdom of God with? 21 It is like yeast which a woman took and mixed with half a hundredweight of flour till it was all leavened.'
22 HE CONTINUED HIS JOURNEY through towns and villages, teaching as he made his way towards Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, 'Sir, are only a few to be saved?' 24 His answer was: 'Struggle to get in through the narrow door; for I tell you that many will try to enter and not be able.
25 'When once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may stand outside and knock, and say, "Sir, let us in!", but he will only answer,' "I. do not know where you come from." 26 Then you will begin to say, "We sat at table with you and you taught in our streets." 27 But he will repeat, "I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Out of my sight, all of you, you and your wicked ways!" 28 There will be wailing and grinding of teeth there, when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrown out. 29 From east and west people will come, from north and south, for the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Yes, and some who are now last will be first, and some who are first will be last.'
31 At that time a number of Pharisees came to him and said, 'You should leave this place and go on your way; Herod is out to kill you.' 32 He replied, 'Go and tell that fox, "Listen: today and tomorrow I shall be casting out devils and working cures; on the third day I reach my goal." 33 However, I must be on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because it is unthinkable for a prophet to meet his death anywhere but in Jerusalem.
34 'O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that murders the prophets and stones the messengers sent to her! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings; but you would not let me. 35 Look, look! there is your temple, forsaken by God. And I tell you, you shall never see me until the time comes when you say, "Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!"'
1 ONE SABBATH HE WENT to have a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee; and they were watching him closely. 2 There, in front of him, was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 Jesus asked the lawyers and the Pharisees: 'Is it permitted to cure people on the Sabbath or not?' 4 They said nothing. So he took the man, cured him, and sent him away. 5 Then he turned to them and said, 'If one of you has a donkey or an ox and it falls into a well, will he hesitate to haul it up on the Sabbath day?' 6 To this they could find no reply.
7 When he noticed how the guests were trying to secure the places of honour, he spoke to them in a parable: 8 'When you are asked by someone to a wedding-feast, do not sit down in the place of honour. 9 It may be that some person more distinguished than yourself has been invited; and the host will come and say to you, "Give this man your seat." 10 Then you will look foolish as you begin to take the lowest place. No, when you receive an invitation, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he will say, "Come up higher, my friend." Then all your fellow-guests will see the respect in which you are held. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.'
12 Then he said to his host, 'When you give a lunch or dinner party, do not invite your friends, your brothers or other relations, or your rich neighbours; they will only ask you back again and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a party, ask the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; and so find happiness. 14 For they have no means of repaying you; but you will be repaid on the day when good men rise from the dead.'
15 One of the company, after hearing all this, said to him, 'Happy the man who shall sit at the feast in the kingdom of God!' 16 Jesus answered, 'A man was giving a big dinner party and had sent out many invitations. 17 At dinner-time he sent his servant with a message for his guests, "Please come, everything is now ready." They began one and all to excuse themselves. 18 The first said, "I have bought a piece of land, and I must go and look over it; please accept my apologies." 19 The second said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am on my way to try them out; please accept my apologies." 20 The next said, "I have just got married and for that reason I cannot come." 21 When the servant came back he reported this to his master. The master of the house was angry and said to him, "Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town, and bring me in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame." 22 The servant said, "Sir, your orders have been carried out and there is still room." 23 The master replied, "Go out on to the highways and along the hedgerows and make them come in; I want my house to be full. 24 I tell you that not one of those who were invited shall taste my banquet." '
25 Once when great crowds were accompanying him, he turned to them and said: 26 'If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even his own life, he cannot be a disciple of mine. 27 No one who does not carry his cross and come with me can be a disciple of mine. 28 Would any of you think of building a tower without first sitting down and calculating the cost, to see whether he could afford to finish it? 29 Otherwise, if he has laid its foundation and then is not able to complete it, all the onlookers will laugh at him. 30 "There is the man", they will say, "who started to build and could not finish." 31 Or what king will march to battle against another king, without first sitting down to consider whether with ten thousand men he can face an enemy coming to meet him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot, then, long before the enemy approaches, he sends envoys, and asks for terms. 33 So also none of you can be a disciple of mine without taking leave of all his possessions.
34 'Salt is a good thing; but if salt itself becomes tasteless, what will you use to season it? 35 It is useless either on the land or on the dung-heap: it can only be thrown away. If you have ears to hear with, hear.'
1 ANOTHER TIME, the tax-gatherers and other bad characters were all crowding in to listen to him; 2 and the Pharisees and the doctors of the law began grumbling among themselves: 'This fellow', they said, 'welcomes sinners and eats with them.' 3 He answered them with this parable: 4 'If one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the missing one until he has found it? 5 How delighted he is then! He lifts it on to his shoulders, 6 and home he goes to call his friends and neighbours together. "Rejoice with me!" he cries. "I have found my lost sheep." 7 In the same way, I tell you, there will be greater joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent.
8 'Or again, if a woman has ten silver pieces and loses one of them, does she not light the lamp, sweep out the house, and look in every corner till she has found it? 9 And when she has, she calls her friends and neighbours together, and says, "Rejoice with me! I have found the piece that I lost." 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.'
11 Again he said: 'There was once a man who had two sons; 12 and the younger said to his father, "Father, give me my share of the property." So he divided his estate between them. 13 A few days later the younger son turned the whole of his share into cash and left home for a distant country, where he squandered it in reckless living. 14 He had spent it all, when a severe famine fell upon that country and he began to feel the pinch. 15 So he went and attached himself to one of the local landowners, who sent him on to his farm to mind the pigs. 16 He would have been glad to fill his belly with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 Then he came to his senses and said, "How many of my father's paid servants have more food than they can eat, and here am I, starving to death! 18 I will set off and go to my father, and say to him, 'Father, I have sinned, against God and against you; 19 I am no longer fit to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants.' 20 "So he set out for his father's house. But while he was still a long way off his father saw him, and his heart went out to him. He ran to meet him, flung his arms round him, and kissed him. 21 The son said, "Father, I have sinned, against God and against you; I am no longer fit to be called your son." 22 But the father said to his servants, "Quick! fetch a robe, my best one, and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. 23 Bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us have a feast to celebrate the day. 24 For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found." And the festivities began.
25 'Now the elder son was out on the farm; and on his way back, as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what it meant. 27 The servant told him, "Your brother has come home, and your father has killed the fatted 28 calf because he has him back safe and sound." But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out 29 and pleaded with him; but he retorted, "You know how I have slaved for you all these years; I never once disobeyed your orders; and you never gave me so much as a kid, for a feast with my friends. 30 But now that this son of yours turns up, after running through your money with his women, you kill the fatted calf for him." 31 "My boy," said the father, "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 How could we help celebrating this happy day? Your brother here was dead and has come back to life, was lost and is found."'
1 He said to his disciples, 'There was a rich man who had a bailiff, and he received complaints that this man was squandering the property. 2 So he sent for him, and said, "What is this that I hear? Produce your accounts, for you cannot be manager here any longer." 3 The bailiff said to himself, "What am I to do now that my employer is dismissing me? I am not strong enough to dig, and too proud to beg. 4 I know what I must do, to make sure that, when I have to leave, there will be people to give me house and home." 5 He summoned his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, "How much do you owe my master?" 6 He replied, "A thousand gallons of olive oil." He said, "Here is your account. Sit down and make it five hundred; and be quick about it." 7 Then he said to another, "And you, how much do you owe?" He said, "A thousand bushels of wheat", and was told, "Take your account and make it eight hundred," 8 And the master applauded the dishonest bailiff for acting so astutely. For the worldly are more astute than the other-worldly in dealing with their own kind.
9 'So I say to you, use your worldly wealth to win friends for yourselves, so that when money is a thing of the past you may be received into an eternal home.
10 'The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted also in great; and the man who is dishonest in little things is dishonest also in great things. 11 If, then, you have not proved trustworthy with the wealth of this world, who will trust you with the wealth that is real? 12 And if you have proved untrustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
13 'No servant can be the slave of two masters; for either he will hate the first and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and think nothing of the second. You cannot serve God and Money.'
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and scoffed at him. 15 He said to them, 'You are the people is who impress your fellow-men with your righteousness; but God sees through you; for what sets itself up to be admired by men is detestable in the sight of God.
16 'Until John, it was the Law and the prophets: since then, there is the good news of the kingdom of God, and everyone forces his way in.
17 'It is easier for heaven and earth to come to an end than for one dot or stroke of the Law to lose its force.
18 'A man who divorces his wife and marries another is commits adultery; and anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
19 'There was once a rich man, who dressed in purple and the finest linen, and feasted in great magnificence every day. 20 At his gate, covered with sores, lay a poor man named Lazarus, 21 who would have been glad to satisfy his hunger with the scraps from the rich man's table. Even the dogs used to come and lick his sores. 22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up; and there, far away, was Abraham with Lazarus close beside him. 24 "Abraham, my father," he called out, "take pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue, for I am in agony in this fire." 25 But Abraham said, "Remember, my child, that all the good things fell to you while you were alive, and all the bad to Lazarus; now he has his consolation here and it is you who are in agony. 26 But that is not all: there is a great chasm fixed between us; no one from our side who wants to reach you can cross it, and none may pass from your side to us." 27 "Then, father," he replied, "will you send him to my father's house, 28 where I have five brothers, to warn them, so that they too may not come to this place of torment?" 29 But Abraham said, "They have Moses and the prophets; 30 let them listen to them." "No, father Abraham," he replied, "but if someone from the dead visits them, they will repent." 31 Abraham answered, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets they will pay no heed even if someone should rise from the dead."'
1 HE SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, 'Causes of stumbling are bound to arise; but woe betide the man through whom they come. 2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone round his neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 Keep a watch on yourselves.
'If your brother wrongs you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
4 Even if he wrongs you seven times in a day and comes back to you seven times saying, "I am sorry", you are to forgive him.'
5 The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith'; 6 and the Lord replied, 'If you had faith no bigger even than a mustard-seed, you could say to this sycamore-tree, "Be rooted up and replanted in the sea", and it would at once obey you.
7 Suppose one of you has a servant ploughing or minding sheep. When he comes back from the fields, will the master say, "Come along at once and sit down"? 8 Will he not rather say, "Prepare my supper, buckle your belt, and then wait on me while I have my meal; you can have yours afterwards" ? 9 Is he grateful to the servant for carrying out his orders? 10 So with you: when you have carried out all your orders, you should say, "We are servants and deserve no credit; we have only done our duty." '
11 In the course of his journey to Jerusalem he was travelling through the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was entering a village he was met by ten men with leprosy. 13 They stood some way off and called out to him, 'Jesus, Master, take pity on us.' 14 When he saw them he said, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests'; and while they were on their way, they were made clean. 15 One of them, finding himself cured, turned back praising God aloud. 16 He threw himself down at Jesus's feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 At this Jesus said: 'Were not all ten cleansed? The other nine, where are they? 18 Could none be found to come back and give praise to God except this foreigner?' 19 And he said to the man, 'Stand up and go on your way; your faith has cured you.'
20 THE PHARISEES ASKED HIM, 'When will the kingdom of God come?' He said, 'You cannot tell by observation when the kingdom of God comes. 21 There will be no saying, "Look, here it is!" or "there it is!"; for in fact the kingdom of God is among you.'
22 He said to the disciples, 'The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 They will say to you, "Look! There!" and "Look! Here!" Do not go running off in pursuit. 24 For like the lightning-flash that lights up the earth from end to end, will the Son of Man be when his day comes. 25 But first he must endure much suffering and be repudiated by this generation.
26 'As things were in Noah's days, so will they be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They ate and drank and married, until the day that Noah went into the ark and the flood came and made an end of them all. 28 As things were in Lot's days, also: they ate and drank; they bought and sold; they planted and built; 29 but the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and made an end of them all - 30 it will be like that on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
31 'On that day the man who is on the roof and his belongings in the house must not come down to pick them up; he, too, who is in the fields must not go back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses it will save it, and live.
34 'I tell you, on that night there will be two men in one bed: one will be taken, the other left.
35 There will be two women together grinding corn: one will be taken, the other left.' 36 Some manuscripts add: two men in the fields: one will be taken, the other left. 37 " When they heard this they asked, 'Where, Lord ?' He said, 'Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.'
1 HE SPOKE TO THEM in a parable to show that they should keep on praying and never lose heart: 2 'There was once a judge who cared nothing for God or man, 3 and in the same town there was a widow who constantly came before him demanding justice against her opponent. 4 For a long time he refused; but in the end he said to himself, "True, I care nothing for God or man; 5 but this widow is so great a nuisance that I will see her righted before she wears me out with her persistence."' 6 The Lord said, 'You hear what the unjust judge says; 7 and will not God vindicate his chosen, who cry out to him day and night, while he listens patiently to them? 8 I tell you, he will vindicate them soon enough. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?'
9 And here is another parable that he told. It was aimed at those who were sure of their own goodness and looked down on everyone else. 10 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-gatherer. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed thus: "I thank thee, O God, that I am not like the rest of men, greedy, dishonest, adulterous; or, for that matter, like this tax-gatherer. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all that I get." 13 But the other kept his distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven, but beat upon his breast, saying, "O God, have mercy on me, sinner that I am." 14 It was this man, I tell you, and not the other, who went home acquitted of his sins. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.'
15 They even brought babies for him to touch; but when the disciples saw them they scolded them for it. 16 But Jesus called for the children and said, 'Let the little ones come to me; do not try to stop them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 I tell you that whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.'
18 A man of the ruling class put this question to him: 'Good Master, what must I do to win 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 murder; do not steal; do not give false evidence; honour your father and mother." ' 21 The man answered, 'I have kept all these since I was a boy.' 22 On hearing this Jesus said, 'There is still one thing lacking: sell everything you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, follow me.' 23 At these words his heart sank; for he was a very rich man. 24 When Jesus saw it he said, 'How hard it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' 26 Those who heard asked, 'Then who can be saved?' 27 He answered, 'What is impossible for men is possible for God.'
28 Peter said, 'Here are we who gave up our belongings to become your followers.' 29 Jesus said, 'I tell you this: there is no one who has given up home, or wife, brothers, parents, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not be repaid many times over in this age, and in the age to come have eternal life.'
References: [ Lk.10.15: Is.14.13-15 ] [ Lk.10.27: Dt.6.5 ] [ Lk.13.35: Ps.118.26 ]
New English Bible: © The Delegates of the Oxford University Press & the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press 1961.
This Webpage layout © Paul Ingram 2009.
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