Luke 6
English Standard Version
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
6 (A)On a Sabbath,[a] while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples (B)plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, (C)“Why are you doing (D)what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” 3 And Jesus answered them, (E)“Have you not read (F)what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and took and ate (G)the bread of the Presence, (H)which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” 5 And he said to them, (I)“The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
A Man with a Withered Hand
6 On another Sabbath, (J)he entered the synagogue (K)and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees (L)watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, (M)so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But (N)he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, (O)is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And (P)after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And (Q)he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with (R)fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
The Twelve Apostles
12 In these days (S)he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, (T)he called his disciples (U)and (V)chose from them twelve, whom he named (W)apostles: 14 Simon, (X)whom he named Peter, and (Y)Andrew his brother, and (Z)James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and (AA)Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called (AB)the Zealot, 16 and (AC)Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Jesus Ministers to a Great Multitude
17 And (AD)he came down with them and stood on a level place, with (AE)a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of (AF)Tyre and Sidon, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. (AG)And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all the crowd (AH)sought to touch him, for (AI)power came out from him and healed them all.
The Beatitudes
20 And (AJ)he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, (AK)and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for (AL)yours is the kingdom of God.
21 (AM)“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
(AN)“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when (AO)people hate you and when they (AP)exclude you and revile you and (AQ)spurn your name as evil, (AR)on account of the Son of Man! 23 (AS)Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for (AT)so their fathers did to the prophets.
Jesus Pronounces Woes
24 (AU)“But woe to you who are rich, (AV)for you (AW)have received your consolation.
25 “Woe to you who are full now, for (AX)you shall be hungry.
“Woe to (AY)you who laugh now, (AZ)for you shall mourn and weep.
26 “Woe to you, (BA)when all people speak well of you, for (BB)so their fathers did to (BC)the false prophets.
Love Your Enemies
27 “But I say to you who hear, (BD)Love your enemies, (BE)do good to those who hate you, 28 (BF)bless those who curse you, (BG)pray for those who abuse you. 29 (BH)To one who (BI)strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic[b] either. 30 (BJ)Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And (BK)as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
32 (BL)“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And (BM)if you (BN)lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But (BO)love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and (BP)you will be sons of (BQ)the Most High, for (BR)he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 (BS)Be merciful, even as (BT)your Father is merciful.
Judging Others
37 (BU)(BV)“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; (BW)forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 (BX)give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put (BY)into your lap. For (BZ)with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
39 He also told them a parable: (CA)“Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 (CB)A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is (CC)fully trained will be like his teacher. 41 (CD)Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but (CE)do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.
A Tree and Its Fruit
43 “For (CF)no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for (CG)each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 (CH)The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces (CI)evil, (CJ)for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Build Your House on the Rock
46 (CK)“Why (CL)do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 (CM)Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.[c] 49 (CN)But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and (CO)the ruin of that house was great.”
Luke 6
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Lord of the Sabbath
6 On a Sabbath,[a] He passed through the grainfields.(A) His disciples were picking heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
3 Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you read what David and those who were with him did when he was hungry— 4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?(B) He even gave some to those who were with him.”(C) 5 Then He told them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
The Man with the Paralyzed Hand
6 On another Sabbath(D) He entered the synagogue and was teaching. A man was there whose right hand was paralyzed. 7 The scribes and Pharisees were watching Him closely,(E) to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a charge against Him.(F) 8 But He knew their thoughts(G) and told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Get up and stand here.”[b] So he got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil, to save life or to destroy it?”(H) 10 After looking around at them all,(I) He told him, “Stretch out your hand.”(J) He did so, and his hand was restored.[c] 11 They, however, were filled with rage and started discussing with one another what they might do to Jesus.
The 12 Apostles
12 During those days He went out to the mountain to pray(K) and spent all night in prayer to God. 13 When daylight came, He summoned His disciples,(L) and He chose 12 of them—He also named them apostles:(M)
14 Simon, whom He also named Peter,
and Andrew his brother;
James and John;
Philip and Bartholomew;
15 Matthew and Thomas;(N)
James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon called the Zealot;
16 Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Teaching and Healing
17 After coming down with them, He stood on a level place with a large crowd of His disciples and a great number of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon.(O) 18 They came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those tormented by unclean spirits were made well. 19 The whole crowd was trying to touch Him,(P) because power was coming out from Him and healing them all.(Q)
The Beatitudes
20 Then looking up at[d] His disciples, He said:(R)
You who are poor are blessed,
because the kingdom of God is yours.
21 You who are now hungry are blessed,
because you will be filled.
You who now weep are blessed,
because you will laugh.
22 You are blessed when people hate you,
when they exclude you,(S) insult you,
and slander your name as evil(T)
because of the Son of Man.(U)
23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! Take note—your reward is great in heaven, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.(V)
Woe to the Self-Satisfied
24 But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are now full,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you[e] who are now laughing,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you[f]
when all people speak well of you,
for this is the way their ancestors
used to treat the false prophets.(W)
Love Your Enemies
27 “But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.(X) 29 If anyone hits you on the cheek,(Y) offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and from one who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. 31 Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.(Z) 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.(AA) 33 If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?(AB) Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.(AC) For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.(AD)
Do Not Judge
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.(AE) Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.(AF) 38 Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap.(AG) For with the measure you use,[g] it will be measured back to you.”(AH)
39 He also told them a parable: “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit?(AI) 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.(AJ)
41 “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the log in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck in your brother’s eye.
A Tree and Its Fruit
43 “A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit.(AK) 44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
The Two Foundations
46 “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?(AL) 47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to Me, hears My words, and acts on them:(AM) 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep[h] and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great!”(AN)
Footnotes
- Luke 6:1 Other mss read a second-first Sabbath; perhaps a special Sabbath
- Luke 6:8 Lit stand in the middle
- Luke 6:10 Other mss add as sound as the other
- Luke 6:20 Lit Then lifting up His eyes to
- Luke 6:25 Other mss omit to you
- Luke 6:26 Other mss omit to you
- Luke 6:38 Lit you measure
- Luke 6:48 Lit dug and went deep
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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