The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and [a]fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with [b]the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to (A)Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and (B)cool my tongue; for I (C)am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, (D)remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, (E)‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, (F)‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, (G)neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

Jesus Warns of Offenses(H)

17 Then He said to the disciples, (I)“It is impossible that no [c]offenses should come, but (J)woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should [d]offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. (K)If your brother sins [e]against you, (L)rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns [f]to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

Faith and Duty(M)

And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

(N)So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself (O)and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded [g]him? I think not. 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are (P)unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 16:19 lived in luxury
  2. Luke 16:21 NU what fell
  3. Luke 17:1 stumbling blocks
  4. Luke 17:2 cause one of these little ones to stumble
  5. Luke 17:3 NU omits against you
  6. Luke 17:4 M omits to you
  7. Luke 17:9 NU omits the rest of v. 9; M omits him

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.(A) 20 At his gate was laid a beggar(B) named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.(C) Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,(D) have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’(E)

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,(F) but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.(G) 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them,(H) so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses(I) and the Prophets;(J) let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham,’(K) he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Sin, Faith, Duty

17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble(L) are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.(M) It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones(N) to stumble.(O) So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister[a] sins against you, rebuke them;(P) and if they repent, forgive them.(Q) Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”(R)

The apostles(S) said to the Lord,(T) “Increase our faith!”

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,(U) you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.(V)

“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me(W) while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”(X)

Footnotes

  1. Luke 17:3 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman.