Luke 19:1-10

New International Reader's Version

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man named Zacchaeus lived there. He was a chief tax collector and was very rich. ³ Zacchaeus wanted to see who Jesus was. But he was a short man. He could not see Jesus because of the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree. He wanted to see Jesus, who was coming that way.

⁵ Jesus reached the spot where Zacchaeus was. He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down at once. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So Zacchaeus came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

⁷ All the people saw this. They began to whisper among themselves. They said, “Jesus has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

⁸ But Zacchaeus stood up. He said, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of what I own to those who are poor. And if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay it back. I will pay back four times the amount I took.”

⁹ Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to your house. You are a member of Abraham’s family line. ¹⁰ The Son of Man came to look for the lost and save them.”