The Parable of the Good Samaritan^(A)

²⁵ And behold, a certain ^[a]lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ^(B)“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

²⁷ So he answered and said, ^(C)“ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ^(D)‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

²⁸ And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and ^(E)you will live.”

²⁹ But he, wanting to ^(F)justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among ^[b]thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, ^(G)he passed by on the other side. ³² Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. ³³ But a certain ^(H)Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had ^(I)compassion. ³⁴ So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ On the next day, ^[c]when he departed, he took out two ^(J)denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ ³⁶ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

³⁷ And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, ^(K)“Go and do likewise.”

The Greatest Gift

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of ^(A)prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, ^(B)so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And ^(C)though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body ^[a]to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

^4 (D)Love suffers long and is ^(E)kind; love ^(F)does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not ^[b]puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, ^(G)does not seek its own, is not provoked, ^[c]thinks no evil; ^6 (H)does not rejoice in iniquity, but ^(I)rejoices in the truth; ^7 (J)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?^(A)

^28 (B)Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, ^[a]perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the ^[b]first commandment of all?”

²⁹ Jesus answered him, “The ^[c]first of all the commandments is: ^(C)‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall ^(D)love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ^[d]This is the first commandment. ³¹ And the second, like it, is this: ^(E)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than ^(F)these.”

³² So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, ^(G)and there is no other but He. ³³ And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, ^[e]with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, ^(H)is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴ Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

^(I)But after that no one dared question Him.

¹⁴ For ^(A)all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ^(B)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

^4 (A)Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of ^(B)others.

The Humbled and Exalted Christ

^5 (C)Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, ^(D)being in the form of God, did not consider it ^[a]robbery to be equal with God, ^7 (E)but ^[b]made Himself of no reputation, taking the form ^(F)of a bondservant, and ^(G)coming in the likeness of men.

¹⁸ For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are ^(A)the enemies of the cross of Christ: ^19 (B)whose end is destruction, ^(C)whose god is their belly, and ^(D)whose glory is in their shame—^(E)who set their mind on earthly things.

Qualities Needed in Trials

^19 [a]So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, ^(A)slow to speak, ^(B)slow to wrath; ²⁰ for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.