Luke 18
The Voice
18 He told them a parable, urging them to keep praying and never grow discouraged. The parable went like this:
Jesus: 2 There was a judge living in a certain city. He showed no respect for God or humanity. 3 In that same city there was a widow. Again and again she kept coming to him seeking justice: “Clear my name from my adversary’s false accusations!” 4 He paid no attention to her request for a while, but then he said to himself, “I don’t care about what God thinks of me, much less what any mere human thinks. 5 But this widow is driving me crazy. She’s never going to quit coming to see me unless I hear her case and provide her legal protection.”
6 Did you catch what this self-assured judge said? 7 If he can be moved to act justly, won’t God bring justice for His chosen people when they cry to Him day and night? Will He be slow to bring them justice? 8 Mark My words: God will intervene fast with vindication. But here’s the question: when the Son of Man comes, will He find anyone who still has faith?
Jesus emphasizes that the kingdom of God will not come through valiant efforts but as people pray, “may Your kingdom come,” with persistence and with humility.
9 He told another parable—this one addressed to people who were confident in their self-righteousness and looked down on other people with disgust.
Jesus: 10 Imagine two men walking up a road, going to the temple to pray. One of them is a Pharisee and the other is a despised tax collector. 11 Once inside the temple, the Pharisee stands up and prays this prayer in honor of himself: “God, how I thank You that I am not on the same level as other people—crooks, cheaters, the sexually immoral—like this tax collector over here. 12 Just look at me! I fast not once but twice a week, and I faithfully pay my tithes on every penny of income.” 13 Over in the corner, the tax collector begins to pray, but he won’t even lift his eyes to heaven. He pounds on his chest in sorrow and says, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
14 Now imagine these two men walking back down the road to their homes. Listen, it’s the tax collector who walks home clean before God, and not the Pharisee, because whoever lifts himself up will be put down and whoever takes a humble place will be lifted up.
15 Some people brought infants to Jesus, hoping He would touch them in blessing. The disciples rebuked them for doing so, 16 but Jesus called to the people.
Jesus: Let the little children come to Me. Never hinder them! Don’t you realize—the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children? 17 You can depend on this: if you don’t receive the Kingdom as a child would, you won’t enter it at all.
Public Official: 18 Good Teacher, what do I need to do to inherit the life of the age to come?
Jesus: 19 Why did you just call Me good? No one is good but God—only God. 20 You know what the Hebrew Scriptures command: “Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother.”[a]
Public Official: 21 I’ve already been doing these things—since I came of age.
Jesus: 22 One thing you still lack—one thing; sell all your possessions and distribute the proceeds to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. Then you can come and follow Me.
23 The man heard these words and sadness came over his face, for his wealth was considerable.
Jesus: 24 What a hard thing it is for those with much wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 In fact, it would be easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than it would be for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God!
Listeners: 26 Then who can be liberated?
Jesus: 27 Remember, what is humanly impossible is possible with God.
Peter: 28 We have left our homes and followed You.
Jesus: 29 I’m telling you the truth: there is nobody who leaves his house or wife or siblings or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 who will not receive more than he has given up—much more—in this age and in the age to come. He will receive eternal life.
31 He took the twelve aside and spoke privately to them.
Jesus: Look, my friends, we are going up to Jerusalem. Everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be handed over to the outsiders. They will mock Him, disgrace Him, and spit on Him; 33 they will scourge Him, and they will kill Him. And on the third day, He will rise from death.
34 But they had no comprehension of what He was talking about. The meaning was hidden from them, and they couldn’t grasp it.
35 Picture this:
Jesus is nearing the city of Jericho. A blind man is sitting there, begging by the roadside. 36 He can hear the sounds of the crowd accompanying Jesus, and he asks what’s going on.
Crowd: 37 Jesus of Nazareth is passing this way.
38 Then the man starts shouting.
Blind Man: Jesus, Son of King David, show mercy to me!
39 The people in the front of the crowd reprimand him and tell him to be quiet, but he just shouts louder.
Blind Man: Son of King David, show mercy to me!
40 Jesus stops and tells the people to bring the man over to Him. The man stands in front of Jesus.
Jesus: 41 What do you want Me to do for you?
Blind Man: Lord, let me receive my sight.
Jesus: 42 Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.
43 At that very instant, the man is able to see. He begins following Jesus, shouting praises to God; and everyone in the crowd, when they see what has happened, starts praising God too.
Footnotes
Luke 18
New King James Version
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men (A)always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor [a]regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, [b]‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 (B)yet because this widow troubles me I will [c]avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”
6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And (C)shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you (D)that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 Also He spoke this parable to some (E)who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee (F)stood and prayed thus with himself, (G)‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; (H)for everyone who exalts himself will be [d]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus Blesses Little Children(I)
15 (J)Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for (K)of such is the kingdom of God. 17 (L)Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”
Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler(M)
18 (N)Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but (O)One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: (P)‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ (Q)‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”
21 And he said, “All (R)these things I have kept from my youth.”
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. (S)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
With God All Things Are Possible(T)
24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, (U)“How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For 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 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”
27 But He said, (V)“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
28 (W)Then Peter said, “See, we have left [e]all and followed You.”
29 So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, (X)there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 (Y)who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection(Z)
31 (AA)Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things (AB)that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be [f]accomplished. 32 For (AC)He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. 33 They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”
34 (AD)But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.
A Blind Man Receives His Sight(AE)
35 (AF)Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. 36 And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. 37 So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, (AG)Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, 41 saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”
42 Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; (AH)your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, (AI)glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Footnotes
- Luke 18:2 respect
- Luke 18:3 Avenge me on
- Luke 18:5 vindicate
- Luke 18:14 put down
- Luke 18:28 NU our own
- Luke 18:31 fulfilled
Luke 18
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.
Footnotes
- Luke 18:11 Or standing, prayed to himself
- Luke 18:29 Or wife or brothers and sisters
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
