Luke 18
King James Version
18 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.
29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,
30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:
36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.
37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.
38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,
41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Luke 18
GOD’S WORD Translation
God Will Help His People
18 Jesus used this illustration with his disciples to show them that they need to pray all the time and never give up. 2 He said, “In a city there was a judge who didn’t fear God or respect people. 3 In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice.’
4 “For a while the judge refused to do anything. But then he thought, ‘This widow really annoys me. Although I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 I’ll have to give her justice. Otherwise, she’ll keep coming to me until she wears me out.’ ”
6 The Lord added, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge thought. 7 Won’t God give his chosen people justice when they cry out to him for help day and night? Is he slow to help them? 8 I can guarantee that he will give them justice quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
A Pharisee and a Tax Collector
9 Jesus also used this illustration with some who were sure that God approved of them while they looked down on everyone else. 10 He said, “Two men went into the temple courtyard to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people! I’m not a robber or a dishonest person. I haven’t committed adultery. I’m not even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my entire income.’
13 “But the tax collector was standing at a distance. He wouldn’t even look up to heaven. Instead, he became very upset, and he said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 “I can guarantee that this tax collector went home with God’s approval, but the Pharisee didn’t. Everyone who honors himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be honored.”
Jesus Blesses Children(A)
15 Some people brought infants to Jesus to have him hold them. When the disciples saw this, they told the people not to do that.
16 But Jesus called the infants to him and said, “Don’t stop the children from coming to me! Children like these are part of God’s kingdom. 17 I can guarantee this truth: Whoever doesn’t receive God’s kingdom as a little child receives it will never enter it.”
Eternal Life in the Kingdom(B)
18 An official asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God. 20 You know the commandments: Never commit adultery. Never murder. Never steal. Never give false testimony. Honor your father and your mother.”
21 The official replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was a boy.”
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still need one thing. Sell everything you have. Distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!”
23 When the official heard this, he became sad, because he was very rich. 24 Jesus watched him and said, “How hard it is for rich people to enter God’s kingdom! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.”
26 Those who heard him asked, “Who, then, can be saved?”
27 Jesus said, “The things that are impossible for people to do are possible for God to do.”
28 Then Peter said, “We’ve left everything to follow you.”
29 Jesus said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Anyone who gave up his home, wife, brothers, parents, or children because of God’s kingdom 30 will certainly receive many times as much in this life and will receive eternal life in the world to come.”
For the Third Time Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life(C)
31 Jesus took the twelve apostles aside and said to them, “We’re going to Jerusalem. Everything that the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will come true. 32 He will be handed over to foreigners. They will make fun of him, insult him, spit on him, 33 whip him, and kill him. But on the third day he will come back to life.”
34 But they didn’t understand any of this. What he said was a mystery to them, and they didn’t know what he meant.
Jesus Gives Sight to a Blind Man(D)
35 As Jesus came near Jericho, a blind man was sitting and begging by the road. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he tried to find out what was happening. 37 The people told him that Jesus from Nazareth was passing by. 38 Then the blind man shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 The people at the front of the crowd told the blind man to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him. When the man came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man said, “Lord, I want to see again.”
42 Jesus told him, “Receive your sight! Your faith has made you well.” 43 Immediately, he could see again. He followed Jesus and praised God. All the people saw this, and they, too, praised God.
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