Luke 17-18

Christian Standard Bible

Warnings from Jesus

17 He^(A) said to his disciples, “Offenses will certainly come,^[a] but woe^(B) to the one through whom they come!^{(C) 2} It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble.^{(D) 3} Be^(E) on your guard. If your brother sins,^[b] rebuke^(F) him, and if he repents, forgive^(G) him. ⁴ And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Faith and Duty

⁵ The^(H) apostles^(I) said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”^(J)

⁶ “If you have faith the size of^[c] a mustard seed,”^(K) the Lord said, “you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

⁷ “Which one of you having a servant tending sheep or plowing will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? ⁸ Instead, will he not tell him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink’?^{(L) 9} Does he thank that servant because he did what was commanded?^{[d] 10} In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are unworthy ^(M) servants; we’ve only done our duty.’”

Ten Men Healed

¹¹ While traveling to Jerusalem,^(N) he passed between^[e] Samaria and Galilee.^{(O) 12} As he entered a village, ten men with leprosy^[f](P) met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master,^(Q) have mercy on us!”

¹⁴ When he saw them, he told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”^(R) And while they were going, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God.^{(S) 16} He fell facedown^(T) at his feet, thanking him. And he was a Samaritan.^(U)

¹⁷ Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.”^[g](V)

The Coming of the Kingdom

²⁰ When he was^(W) asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,^(X) he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable; ²¹ no one will say,^[h] ‘See here!’ or ‘There!’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”^[i]

²² Then he told the disciples, “The days are coming^(Y) when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won’t see it.^{(Z) 23} They will say to you,^(AA) ‘See there!’ or ‘See here!’ Don’t follow or run after them.^{(AB) 24} For as the lightning flashes from horizon to horizon and lights up the sky, so the Son of Man will be in his day.^{(AC) 25} But first it is necessary that he suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.^(AD)

²⁶ “Just as it was in the days of Noah,^(AE) so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: ²⁷ People went on eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage^(AF) until the day Noah boarded the ark,^(AG) and the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot:^(AH) People went on eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building. ²⁹ But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed^(AI) them all. ³⁰ It^(AJ) will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed.^{(AK) 31} On that day, a man on the housetop, whose belongings are in the house, must not come down to get them. Likewise the man who is in the field must not turn back. ³² Remember Lot’s wife!^{(AL) 33} Whoever tries to make his life secure^[j][k] will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.^{(AM) 34} I tell you, on that night^(AN) two will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. ³⁵ Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”^[l]

³⁷ “Where, Lord?” ^(AO) they asked him.

He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there also the vultures^(AP) will be gathered.”

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray^(AQ) always and not give up.^{(AR) 2} “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God^(AS) or respect people. ³ And a widow^(AT) in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

⁴ “For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps^(AU) pestering me,^[m] I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out^[n] by her persistent coming.’”

⁶ Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ Will not God grant justice^(AV) to his elect^(AW) who cry out to him day and night?^(AX) Will he delay^(AY) helping them?^{[o] 8} I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,^(AZ) will he find faith on earth?”

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ He^(BA) also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves^(BB) that they were righteous^(BC) and looked down^(BD) on everyone else: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray,^(BE) one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee was standing^(BF) and praying like this about himself: ^[p] ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—greedy,^(BG) unrighteous,^(BH) adulterers,^(BI) or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast^(BJ) twice a week; I give a tenth^[q](BK) of everything I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector, standing far off,^(BL) would not even raise his eyes to heaven^(BM) but kept striking his chest^(BN) and saying, ‘God, have mercy on me,^[r](BO) a sinner!’ ^{(BP) 14} I tell you, this one went down to his house justified^(BQ) rather than the other, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”^(BR)

Blessing the Children

¹⁵ People^(BS) were bringing infants to him so that he might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶ Jesus, however, invited them: “Let the little children come to me,^(BT) and don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷ Truly I tell you,^(BU) whoever does not receive^(BV) the kingdom of God like a little child^(BW) will never enter it.”

The Rich Young Ruler

¹⁸ A^(BX) ruler^(BY) asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ^(BZ)

¹⁹ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother.”^[s](CA)

²¹ “I have kept all these from my youth,” he said.

²² When Jesus heard this, he told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell all you have and distribute it to the poor,^(CB) and you will have treasure in heaven.^(CC) Then come, follow me.”^(CD)

²³ After he heard this, he became extremely sad,^(CE) because he was very rich.

Possessions and the Kingdom

²⁴ Seeing that he became sad,^[t] Jesus said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter 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 the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ Those who heard this asked, “Then who can be saved?” ^(CF)

²⁷ He replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”^(CG)

²⁸ Then Peter said, “Look, we have left what we had and followed^(CH) you.”

²⁹ So he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left a house, wife or brothers or sisters, parents or children because of the kingdom of God, ³⁰ who will not receive many times more at this time,^(CI) and eternal life in the age to come.”

The Third Prediction of His Death

³¹ Then^(CJ) he took the Twelve aside and told them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem.^(CK) Everything that is written^(CL) through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.^{(CM) 32} For he will be handed over to the Gentiles,^(CN) and he will be mocked,^(CO) insulted, spit^(CP) on; ³³ and after they flog him, they will kill him, and he will rise on the third day.”^(CQ)

³⁴ They understood none of these things.^(CR) The meaning of the saying^[u](CS) was hidden^(CT) from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

A Blind Man Receives His Sight

³⁵ As^(CU) he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. ³⁶ Hearing a crowd passing by, he inquired what was happening. ³⁷ “Jesus of Nazareth^(CV) is passing by,” they told him.

³⁸ So he called out,^(CW) “Jesus, Son of David,^(CX) have mercy^(CY) on me!” ³⁹ Then those in front told him to keep quiet,^[v] but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰ Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to him. When he came closer, he asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord,” he said, “I want to see.”

⁴² “Receive your sight,”^(CZ) Jesus told him. “Your faith has saved you.”^{(DA) 43} Instantly he could see, and he began to follow him, glorifying God.^(DB) All the people,^(DC) when they saw it, gave praise to God.