Luke - Chapter 18

¹ Then he told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart.

² 'There was a judge in a certain town,' he said, 'who had neither fear of God nor respect for anyone.

³ In the same town there was also a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, "I want justice from you against my enemy!"

⁴ For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, "Even though I have neither fear of God nor respect for any human person,

⁵ I must give this widow her just rights since she keeps pestering me, or she will come and slap me in the face." '

⁶ And the Lord said, 'You notice what the unjust judge has to say?

⁷ Now, will not God see justice done to his elect if they keep calling to him day and night even though he still delays to help them?

⁸ I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on earth?'

⁹ He spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being upright and despised everyone else,

¹⁰ 'Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector.

¹¹ The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, "I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like everyone else, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here.

¹² I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get."

¹³ The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner."

¹⁴ This man, I tell you, went home again justified; the other did not. For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, but anyone who humbles himself will be raised up.'

¹⁵ People even brought babies to him, for him to touch them; but when the disciples saw this they scolded them.

¹⁶ But Jesus called the children to him and said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.

¹⁷ In truth I tell you, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.'

¹⁸ One of the rulers put this question to him, 'Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'

¹⁹ Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.

²⁰ You know the commandments: You shall not commit adultery; You shall not kill; You shall not steal; You shall not give false witness; Honour your father and your mother.'

²¹ He replied, 'I have kept all these since my earliest days.'

²² And when Jesus heard this he said, 'There is still one thing you lack. Sell everything you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.'

²³ But when he heard this he was overcome with sadness, for he was very rich.

²⁴ Jesus looked at him and said, 'How hard it is for those who have riches to make their way into the kingdom of God!

²⁵ Yes, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of God.'

²⁶ Those who were listening said, 'In that case, who can be saved?'

²⁷ He replied, 'Things that are impossible by human resources, are possible for God.'

²⁸ But Peter said, 'Look, we left all we had to follow you.'

²⁹ He said to them, 'In truth I tell you, there is no one who has left house, wife, brothers, parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God

³⁰ who will not receive many times as much in this present age and, in the world to come, eternal life.'

³¹ Then taking the Twelve aside he said to them, 'Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of man is to come true.

³² For he will be handed over to the gentiles and will be mocked, maltreated and spat on,

³³ and when they have scourged him they will put him to death; and on the third day he will rise again.'

³⁴ But they could make nothing of this; what he said was quite obscure to them, they did not understand what he was telling them.

³⁵ Now it happened that as he drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging.

³⁶ When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all about,

³⁷ and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by.

³⁸ So he called out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.'

³⁹ The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, 'Son of David, have pity on me.'

⁴⁰ Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him,

⁴¹ 'What do you want me to do for you?' 'Sir,' he replied, 'let me see again.'

⁴² Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.'

⁴³ And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God.

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