Luke 11:42-14:11

English Standard Version

^42 (A)“But woe to you Pharisees! For ^(B)you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect ^(C)justice and ^(D)the love of God. ^(E)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! For ^(F)you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you! ^(G)For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

⁴⁵ One of ^(H)the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” ⁴⁶ And he said, “Woe to you ^(I)lawyers also! For ^(J)you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. ^47 (K)Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. ^48 (L)So you are witnesses and you ^(M)consent to the deeds of ^(N)your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Therefore also ^(O)the Wisdom of God said, ^(P)‘I will send them ^(Q)prophets and apostles, ^(R)some of whom they will ^(S)kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰ so that ^(T)the blood of all the prophets, shed ^(U)from the foundation of the world, may be ^(V)charged against this generation, ⁵¹ from the blood of ^(W)Abel to the blood of ^(X)Zechariah, who perished between ^(Y)the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be ^(Z)required of this generation. ⁵² Woe to you ^(AA)lawyers! ^(AB)For you have taken away the key of ^(AC)knowledge. You ^(AD)did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

⁵³ As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, ^54 (AE)lying in wait for him, ^(AF)to catch him in something he might say.

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees

12 In the meantime, ^(AG)when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, ^(AH)“Beware of ^(AI)the leaven of the Pharisees, ^(AJ)which is hypocrisy. ^2 (AK)Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ³ Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in ^(AL)private rooms shall be proclaimed on ^(AM)the housetops.

Have No Fear

⁴ “I tell you, my friends, ^(AN)do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. ⁵ But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him ^(AO)who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.^[a] Yes, I tell you, fear him! ⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?^[b] And ^(AP)not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷ Why, ^(AQ)even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; ^(AR)you are of more value than many sparrows.

Acknowledge Christ Before Men

⁸ “And I tell you, ^(AS)everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge ^(AT)before the angels of God, ⁹ but ^(AU)the one who denies me before men ^(AV)will be denied ^(AW)before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And ^(AX)everyone who speaks a word ^(AY)against the Son of Man ^(AZ)will be forgiven, but the one who ^(BA)blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ^11 (BB)And when they ^(BC)bring you before the synagogues and ^(BD)the rulers and ^(BE)the authorities, ^(BF)do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, ^12 (BG)for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

The Parable of the Rich Fool

^13 (BH)Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But he said to him, ^(BI)“Man, ^(BJ)who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And he said to them, ^(BK)“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶ And he told them a parable, saying, ^(BL)“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷ and he thought to himself, ^(BM)‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my ^(BN)barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up ^(BO)for many years; relax, ^(BP)eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ^(BQ)‘Fool! ^(BR)This night ^(BS)your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, ^(BT)whose will they be?’ ²¹ So is the one ^(BU)who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Be Anxious

²² And he said to his disciples, ^(BV)“Therefore I tell you, ^(BW)do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ^24 (BX)Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. ^(BY)Of how much more value are you than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his ^(BZ)span of life?^{[c] 26} If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,^[d] yet I tell you, ^(CA)even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, ^(CB)O you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor ^(CC)be worried. ³⁰ For ^(CD)all the nations of the world seek after these things, and ^(CE)your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ Instead, ^(CF)seek ^(CG)his^[e] kingdom, ^(CH)and these things will be added to you.

^32 (CI)“Fear not, little ^(CJ)flock, for ^(CK)it is your Father's good pleasure to give you ^(CL)the kingdom. ^33 (CM)Sell your possessions, and ^(CN)give to the needy. ^(CO)Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with ^(CP)a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ^34 (CQ)For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You Must Be Ready

^35 (CR)“Stay dressed for action^[f] and ^(CS)keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ and be like men who are ^(CT)waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and ^(CU)knocks. ^37 (CV)Blessed are those servants^[g] whom the master finds ^(CW)awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, ^(CX)he will dress himself for service and ^(CY)have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸ If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! ^39 (CZ)But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour ^(DA)the thief was coming, he^[h] would not have left his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ^(DB)ready, for ^(DC)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

⁴¹ Peter said, “Lord, ^(DD)are you telling this parable for us or for all?” ⁴² And the Lord said, “Who then is ^(DE)the faithful and ^(DF)wise ^(DG)manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? ^43 (DH)Blessed is that servant^[i] whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you, ^(DI)he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master ^(DJ)is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and ^(DK)get drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come ^(DL)on a day when he does not expect him and ^(DM)at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. ^47 (DN)And that servant who ^(DO)knew his master's will but ^(DP)did not get ready ^(DQ)or act according to his will, will receive a ^(DR)severe beating. ^48 (DS)But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, ^(DT)will receive a light beating. ^(DU)Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Not Peace, but Division

^49 (DV)“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! ^50 (DW)I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how ^(DX)great is my distress until it is accomplished! ^51 (DY)Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? ^(DZ)No, I tell you, but rather division. ⁵² For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, ^(EA)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.”

Interpreting the Time

⁵⁴ He also said to the crowds, ^(EB)“When you see ^(EC)a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. ⁵⁵ And ^(ED)when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be ^(EE)scorching heat,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶ You hypocrites! ^(EF)You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Settle with Your Accuser

⁵⁷ “And why ^(EG)do you not judge ^(EH)for yourselves what is right? ^58 (EI)As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, ^(EJ)you will never get out until you have paid the very last ^(EK)penny.”^[j]

Repent or Perish

13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood ^(EL)Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And he answered them, ^(EM)“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? ³ No, I tell you; but unless you ^(EN)repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in ^(EO)Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I tell you; but unless you ^(EP)repent, you will all likewise perish.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

⁶ And he told this parable: “A man had ^(EQ)a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. ⁷ And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. ^(ER)Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ ⁸ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. ⁹ Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

A Woman with a Disabling Spirit

¹⁰ Now ^(ES)he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And behold, there was a woman who had had ^(ET)a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” ¹³ And he ^(EU)laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she ^(EV)glorified God. ¹⁴ But ^(EW)the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus ^(EX)had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, ^(EY)“There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” ¹⁵ Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! ^(EZ)Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? ¹⁶ And ought not this woman, ^(FA)a daughter of Abraham whom ^(FB)Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” ¹⁷ As he said these things, ^(FC)all his adversaries were put to shame, and ^(FD)all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

^18 (FE)He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? ¹⁹ It is like ^(FF)a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

²⁰ And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? ^21 (FG)It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in ^(FH)three measures of flour, until it was ^(FI)all leavened.”

The Narrow Door

^22 (FJ)He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and ^(FK)journeying toward Jerusalem. ²³ And someone said to him, “Lord, ^(FL)will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, ^24 (FM)“Strive ^(FN)to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ^25 (FO)When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ^(FP)‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ^(FQ)‘I do not know where you come from.’ ²⁶ Then you will begin to say, ^(FR)‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But he will say, ‘I tell you, ^(FS)I do not know where you come from. ^(FT)Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ ^28 (FU)In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see ^(FV)Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but ^(FW)you yourselves cast out. ²⁹ And ^(FX)people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and ^(FY)recline at table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And behold, ^(FZ)some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Lament over Jerusalem

³¹ At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from ^(GA)here, for ^(GB)Herod wants to kill you.” ³² And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day ^(GC)I finish my course. ³³ Nevertheless, ^(GD)I ^(GE)must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that ^(GF)a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ ^34 (GG)O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^(GH)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! ^(GI)How often would I have ^(GJ)gathered ^(GK)your children together ^(GL)as a hen gathers her brood ^(GM)under her wings, and ^(GN)you were not willing! ³⁵ Behold, ^(GO)your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ^(GP)‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

Healing of a Man on the Sabbath

14 One Sabbath, ^(GQ)when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were ^(GR)watching him carefully. ² And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. ³ And Jesus responded to ^(GS)the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, ^(GT)“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” ⁴ But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. ⁵ And he said to them, ^(GU)“Which of you, having a son^[k] or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” ^6 (GV)And they could not reply to these things.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

⁷ Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed ^(GW)how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, ⁸ “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, ⁹ and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, ^(GX)so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. ¹¹ For ^(GY)everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”