Luke 15:11-18:30

English Standard Version

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

¹¹ And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me ^(A)the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided ^(B)his property between them. ¹³ Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in ^(C)reckless living. ¹⁴ And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to^[a] one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ And he ^(D)was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “But ^(E)when he ^(F)came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! ¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, ^(G)I have sinned against ^(H)heaven and before you. ^19 (I)I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ ²⁰ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ^(J)ran and ^(K)embraced him and ^(L)kissed him. ²¹ And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. ^(M)I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’^{[b] 22} But the father said to his servants,^[c] ‘Bring quickly ^(N)the best robe, and put it on him, and put ^(O)a ring on his hand, and ^(P)shoes on his feet. ²³ And bring ^(Q)the fattened calf and kill it, and ^(R)let us eat and celebrate. ²⁴ For this my son ^(S)was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ²⁷ And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, ²⁹ but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might ^(T)celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours came, ^(U)who has devoured ^(V)your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ ³¹ And he said to him, ‘Son, ^(W)you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³² It was fitting ^(X)to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother ^(Y)was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

16 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had ^(Z)a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. ² And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your ^(AA)management, for you can no longer be manager.’ ³ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. ⁴ I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ ⁵ So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶ He said, ‘A hundred measures^[d] of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ ⁷ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures^[e] of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ ⁸ The master commended the dishonest manager for his ^(AB)shrewdness. For ^(AC)the sons of this world^[f] are ^(AD)more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than ^(AE)the sons of light. ⁹ And I tell you, ^(AF)make friends for yourselves by means of ^(AG)unrighteous wealth,^[g] so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

^10 (AH)“One who is ^(AI)faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹ If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? ¹² And if you have not been faithful in ^(AJ)that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? ^13 (AK)No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

The Law and the Kingdom of God

^14 (AL)The Pharisees, who were ^(AM)lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ^(AN)ridiculed him. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “You are those who ^(AO)justify yourselves before men, but ^(AP)God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men ^(AQ)is an abomination in the sight of God.

^16 (AR)“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then ^(AS)the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and ^(AT)everyone forces his way into it.^{[h] 17} But ^(AU)it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

Divorce and Remarriage

^18 (AV)“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was clothed in ^(AW)purple and fine linen and ^(AX)who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate ^(AY)was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who desired to be fed with ^(AZ)what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² The poor man died and was carried by ^(BA)the angels ^(BB)to Abraham's side.^[i] The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and in ^(BC)Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and ^(BD)saw Abraham far off and Lazarus ^(BE)at his side. ²⁴ And he called out, ^(BF)‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and ^(BG)cool my tongue, for ^(BH)I am in anguish in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that ^(BI)you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have ^(BJ)Moses and the Prophets; ^(BK)let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, ^(BL)father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear ^(BM)Moses and the Prophets, ^(BN)neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Temptations to Sin

17 And he said to his disciples, ^(BO)“Temptations to sin^[j] are ^(BP)sure to come, but ^(BQ)woe to the one through whom they come! ^2 (BR)It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.^{[k] 3} Pay attention to yourselves! ^(BS)If your brother sins, ^(BT)rebuke him, and if he repents, ^(BU)forgive him, ⁴ and if he sins against you ^(BV)seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Increase Our Faith

^5 (BW)The apostles said to the Lord, ^(BX)“Increase our faith!” ⁶ And the Lord said, ^(BY)“If you had faith like ^(BZ)a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this ^(CA)mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Unworthy Servants

⁷ “Will any one of you who has a servant^[l] plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? ⁸ Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and ^(CB)dress properly,^[m] and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? ⁹ Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are ^(CC)unworthy servants;^[n] we have only done what was our duty.’”

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

^11 (CD)On the way to Jerusalem ^(CE)he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers,^{[o] (CF)}who stood at a distance ¹³ and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” ¹⁴ When he saw them he said to them, “Go and ^(CG)show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. ¹⁵ Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, ^(CH)praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶ and ^(CI)he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was ^(CJ)a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered, “Were not ^(CK)ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and ^(CL)give praise to God except this ^(CM)foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; ^(CN)your faith has ^(CO)made you well.”^[p]

The Coming of the Kingdom

²⁰ Being asked by the Pharisees ^(CP)when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God ^(CQ)is not coming in ways that can be observed, ²¹ nor ^(CR)will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”^[q]

²² And he said to the disciples, ^(CS)“The days are coming when you will desire ^(CT)to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ^23 (CU)And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. ^24 (CV)For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be ^(CW)in his day.^{[r] 25} But first ^(CX)he must suffer many things and ^(CY)be rejected by this generation. ^26 (CZ)Just as it was in the days of ^(DA)Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ^27 (DB)They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ Likewise, just as it was in the days of ^(DC)Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, ^29 (DD)but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— ³⁰ so will it be ^(DE)on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹ On that day, ^(DF)let the one who is on ^(DG)the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. ^32 (DH)Remember Lot's wife. ^33 (DI)Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will ^(DJ)keep it. ³⁴ I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. ^35 (DK)There will be two women ^(DL)grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”^{[s] 37} And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, ^(DM)“Where the corpse^[t] is, there the vultures^[u] will gather.”

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought ^(DN)always to pray and not ^(DO)lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who ^(DP)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, ^(DQ)‘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 ^(DR)will not God give justice to ^(DS)his elect, ^(DT)who cry to him day and night? ^(DU)(DV)Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give justice to them ^(DW)speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, ^(DX)will he find faith on earth?”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ He also told this parable to some ^(DY)who trusted ^(DZ)in themselves that they were righteous, ^(EA)and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men ^(EB)went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, ^(EC)standing by himself, prayed^{[v] (ED)}thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ^12 (EE)I fast twice a week; ^(EF)I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, ^(EG)standing far off, ^(EH)would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but ^(EI)beat his breast, saying, ‘God, ^(EJ)be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For ^(EK)everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Let the Children Come to Me

^15 (EL)Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they ^(EM)rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called them to him, saying, ^(EN)“Let the children come to me, and ^(EO)do not hinder them, ^(EP)for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ^17 (EQ)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not ^(ER)receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

The Rich Ruler

^18 (ES)And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ^(ET)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: ^(EU)‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” ²¹ And he said, ^(EV)“All these I have kept from my youth.” ²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. ^(EW)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have ^(EX)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ^23 (EY)But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. ²⁴ Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, ^(EZ)“How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter ^(FA)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 ^(FB)the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ But he said, ^(FC)“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” ²⁸ And Peter said, “See, ^(FD)we have left our homes and followed you.” ²⁹ And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, ^(FE)there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers^[w] or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ³⁰ who will not receive ^(FF)many times more ^(FG)in this time, and in ^(FH)the age to come eternal life.”