Luke 18-21

English Standard Version

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought ^(A)always to pray and not ^(B)lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who ^(C)neither feared God nor respected man. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ^(D)‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ And ^(E)will not God give justice to ^(F)his elect, ^(G)who cry to him day and night? ^(H)(I)Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give justice to them ^(J)speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, ^(K)will he find faith on earth?”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ He also told this parable to some ^(L)who trusted ^(M)in themselves that they were righteous, ^(N)and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men ^(O)went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, ^(P)standing by himself, prayed^{[a] (Q)}thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ^12 (R)I fast twice a week; ^(S)I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, ^(T)standing far off, ^(U)would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but ^(V)beat his breast, saying, ‘God, ^(W)be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For ^(X)everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Let the Children Come to Me

^15 (Y)Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they ^(Z)rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called them to him, saying, ^(AA)“Let the children come to me, and ^(AB)do not hinder them, ^(AC)for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ^17 (AD)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not ^(AE)receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

The Rich Ruler

^18 (AF)And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ^(AG)inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ^(AH)‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” ²¹ And he said, ^(AI)“All these I have kept from my youth.” ²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. ^(AJ)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have ^(AK)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ^23 (AL)But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. ²⁴ Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, ^(AM)“How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter ^(AN)the kingdom of God! ²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter ^(AO)the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ But he said, ^(AP)“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” ²⁸ And Peter said, “See, ^(AQ)we have left our homes and followed you.” ²⁹ And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, ^(AR)there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers^[b] or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ³⁰ who will not receive ^(AS)many times more ^(AT)in this time, and in ^(AU)the age to come eternal life.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

^31 (AV)And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, ^(AW)we are going up to Jerusalem, and ^(AX)everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. ³² For he will be ^(AY)delivered over to the Gentiles and will be ^(AZ)mocked and shamefully treated and ^(BA)spit upon. ³³ And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on ^(BB)the third day he will rise.” ^34 (BC)But they understood none of these things. ^(BD)This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

^35 (BE)As he drew near to Jericho, ^(BF)a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶ And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. ³⁷ They told him, ^(BG)“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” ³⁸ And he cried out, “Jesus, ^(BH)Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹ And those who were in front ^(BI)rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁰ And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, ^41 (BJ)“What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” ⁴² And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; ^(BK)your faith has ^(BL)made you well.” ⁴³ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, ^(BM)glorifying God. And ^(BN)all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Jesus and Zacchaeus

19 ^(BO)He entered Jericho and was passing through. ² And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³ And ^(BP)he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. ⁴ So he ran on ahead and climbed up into ^(BQ)a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. ⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for ^(BR)I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he hurried and came down and ^(BS)received him joyfully. ⁷ And when they saw it, they all ^(BT)grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ⁸ And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods ^(BU)I give to the poor. And if I have ^(BV)defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it ^(BW)fourfold.” ⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since ^(BX)he also is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For ^(BY)the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

The Parable of the Ten Minas

¹¹ As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because ^(BZ)they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. ¹² He said therefore, ^(CA)“A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. ¹³ Calling ^(CB)ten of his servants,^[c] he gave them ten minas,^[d] and said to them, ‘Engage in business ^(CC)until I come.’ ¹⁴ But ^(CD)his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ ¹⁵ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. ¹⁶ The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ ¹⁷ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant!^[e] Because you have been ^(CE)faithful in a very little, ^(CF)you shall have authority over ten cities.’ ¹⁸ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ ¹⁹ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ ²⁰ Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in ^(CG)a handkerchief; ²¹ for I was afraid of you, because you are ^(CH)a severe man. You take ^(CI)what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ ²² He said to him, ^(CJ)‘I will condemn you with your own words, ^(CK)you wicked servant! You knew that I was ^(CL)a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? ²³ Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ ²⁴ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ ²⁵ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ²⁶ ‘I tell you that ^(CM)to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷ But ^(CN)as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and ^(CO)slaughter them before me.’”

The Triumphal Entry

²⁸ And when he had said these things, ^(CP)he went on ahead, ^(CQ)going up to Jerusalem. ^29 (CR)When he drew near to Bethphage and ^(CS)Bethany, at ^(CT)the mount that is called Olivet, he sent ^(CU)two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, ^(CV)on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” ³² So those who were sent went away and found it ^(CW)just as he had told them. ³³ And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” ³⁵ And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. ³⁶ And as he rode along, they ^(CX)spread their cloaks on the road. ³⁷ As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—^(CY)the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice ^(CZ)for all the mighty works that they had seen, ³⁸ saying, ^(DA)“Blessed is ^(DB)the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and ^(DC)glory in the highest!” ^39 (DD)And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” ⁴⁰ He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, ^(DE)the very stones would cry out.”

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

^41 (DF)And when he drew near and saw the city, ^(DG)he wept over it, ⁴² saying, ^(DH)“Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now ^(DI)they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For ^(DJ)the days will come upon you, when your enemies ^(DK)will set up a barricade around you and ^(DL)surround you and hem you in on every side ^44 (DM)and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And ^(DN)they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know ^(DO)the time of your ^(DP)visitation.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

^45 (DQ)And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, ⁴⁶ saying to them, “It is written, ^(DR)‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but ^(DS)you have made it a den of robbers.”

^47 (DT)And he was teaching daily in the temple. ^(DU)The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, ⁴⁸ but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

20 ^(DV)One day, ^(DW)as Jesus^[f] was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, ^(DX)the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up ² and said to him, “Tell us ^(DY)by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” ³ He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, ⁴ was the baptism of John ^(DZ)from heaven or from man?” ⁵ And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ^(EA)‘Why did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was ^(EB)a prophet.” ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it came from. ⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

^9 (EC)And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted ^(ED)a vineyard and ^(EE)let it out to tenants and ^(EF)went into another country for a long while. ¹⁰ When the time came, he sent a servant^[g] to the tenants, so that ^(EG)they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. ^(EH)But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ^11 (EI)And ^(EJ)he sent another servant. But they also beat and ^(EK)treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ^12 (EL)And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. ¹³ Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my ^(EM)beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ ¹⁴ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ^(EN)‘This is the heir. ^(EO)Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵ And they ^(EP)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ^16 (EQ)He will ^(ER)come and destroy those tenants and ^(ES)give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” ¹⁷ But he ^(ET)looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

^18 (EV)Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls ^(EW)on anyone, it will crush him.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

^19 (EX)The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. ^20 (EY)So they ^(EZ)watched him and sent spies, who ^(FA)pretended to be sincere, that they might ^(FB)catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of ^(FC)the governor. ²¹ So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and ^(FD)show no partiality,^[i] but truly teach ^(FE)the way of God. ²² Is it lawful for us to give ^(FF)tribute to ^(FG)Caesar, or not?” ²³ But he perceived their ^(FH)craftiness, and said to them, ²⁴ “Show me ^(FI)a denarius.^[j] Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar's.” ²⁵ He said to them, “Then ^(FJ)render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” ²⁶ And they were not able in the presence of the people ^(FK)to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

²⁷ There came to him ^(FL)some Sadducees, ^(FM)those who deny that there is a resurrection, ²⁸ and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us ^(FN)that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man^[k] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰ And the second ³¹ and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. ³² Afterward the woman also died. ³³ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

³⁴ And Jesus said to them, ^(FO)“The sons of this age ^(FP)marry and ^(FQ)are given in marriage, ³⁵ but those who are ^(FR)considered worthy to attain to ^(FS)that age and to the resurrection from the dead ^(FT)neither marry ^(FU)nor are given in marriage, ³⁶ for ^(FV)they cannot die anymore, because they are ^(FW)equal to angels and ^(FX)are ^(FY)sons of God, being ^(FZ)sons^[l] of the resurrection. ³⁷ But that the dead are raised, ^(GA)even Moses showed, in ^(GB)the passage about the bush, where he calls ^(GC)the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all ^(GD)live to him.” ³⁹ Then some of the scribes ^(GE)answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ For ^(GF)they no longer dared to ask him any question.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

^41 (GG)But he said to them, “How can they say that ^(GH)the Christ is ^(GI)David's son? ⁴² For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

⁴⁴ David thus calls him Lord, so ^(GL)how is he his son?”

Beware of the Scribes

^45 (GM)And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, ⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and ^(GN)the places of honor at feasts, ^47 (GO)who devour widows' houses and ^(GP)for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

The Widow's Offering

21 ^(GQ)Jesus^[m] looked up and saw the rich ^(GR)putting their gifts into ^(GS)the offering box, ² and he saw a poor widow put in two ^(GT)small copper coins.^{[n] 3} And he said, “Truly, I tell you, ^(GU)this poor widow has put in more than all of them. ⁴ For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her ^(GV)poverty put in all ^(GW)she had to live on.”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

^5 (GX)And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, ⁶ “As for these things that you see, ^(GY)the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” ⁷ And they asked him, “Teacher, ^(GZ)when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” ⁸ And he said, ^(HA)“See that you are not led astray. For ^(HB)many will come in my name, saying, ^(HC)‘I am he!’ and, ^(HD)‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. ⁹ And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be ^(HE)terrified, for these things ^(HF)must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution

¹⁰ Then he said to them, ^(HG)“Nation will rise against nation, and ^(HH)kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great ^(HI)earthquakes, and in various places ^(HJ)famines and pestilences. And there will be ^(HK)terrors and great ^(HL)signs from heaven. ¹² But before all this ^(HM)they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to ^(HN)the synagogues and ^(HO)prisons, and you ^(HP)will be brought before ^(HQ)kings and ^(HR)governors for my name's sake. ^13 (HS)This will be your opportunity to bear witness. ¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your minds ^(HT)not to meditate beforehand how to answer, ¹⁵ for ^(HU)I will give you a mouth and ^(HV)wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or ^(HW)contradict. ¹⁶ You will be delivered up ^(HX)even by parents and brothers^[o] and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. ^17 (HY)You will be hated by all for my name's sake. ¹⁸ But ^(HZ)not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹ By your ^(IA)endurance you will gain your lives.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem

²⁰ “But ^(IB)when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that ^(IC)its desolation has come near. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, ²² for these are ^(ID)days of ^(IE)vengeance, to fulfill ^(IF)all that is written. ^23 (IG)Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and ^(IH)wrath against this people. ²⁴ They will fall by the edge of the sword and ^(II)be led captive among all nations, and ^(IJ)Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, ^(IK)until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁵ “And ^(IL)there will be signs in sun and moon ^(IM)and stars, and on the earth ^(IN)distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, ²⁶ people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For ^(IO)the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ And then they will see ^(IP)the Son of Man coming in a cloud ^(IQ)with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and ^(IR)raise your heads, because ^(IS)your redemption is drawing near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁹ And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰ As soon as they come out in leaf, you see ^(IT)for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. ³¹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ^32 (IU)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. ^33 (IV)Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^(IW)my words will not pass away.

Watch Yourselves

³⁴ “But watch yourselves ^(IX)lest ^(IY)your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and ^(IZ)cares of this life, and ^(JA)that day come upon you suddenly ^(JB)like a trap. ³⁵ For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ But ^(JC)stay awake at all times, ^(JD)praying that you may ^(JE)have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and ^(JF)to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷ And ^(JG)every day he was teaching in the temple, but ^(JH)at night he went out and lodged on ^(JI)the mount called Olivet. ³⁸ And early in the morning ^(JJ)all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.