Luke 18
Tree of Life Version
18 Then Yeshua told them a parable to show that they should always pray and not be discouraged, 2 He said, “There was a judge in a certain city who neither feared God nor respected people. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’
4 “He was unwilling at the time. But afterward he said to himself, ‘Although I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice so she won’t wear me out by her incessant coming.’”
6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge is saying. 7 Won’t God do justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He be slow to help them? 8 I tell you, He will quickly give them justice. But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
9 Then Yeshua spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, while holding others in contempt. 10 “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘O God, I thank You that I am not like other people—thieving, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and tithe on all that I get.’
13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, wouldn’t even lift his eyes toward heaven, but beat his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ [a] 14 I tell you, this man, rather than the other, went down to his home declared righteous. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
15 Now they were bringing even their babies to Yeshua, so He might touch them. But when the disciples saw this, they began rebuking them. 16 But Yeshua called for them, saying, “Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Amen, I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
18 And a religious leader inquired of Yeshua, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why are you calling Me good?” Yeshua said to him. “No one is good except One—that is God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”[b]
21 The man said, “All these I have kept since my youth.”
22 When Yeshua heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all, as much as you have, and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” 23 But upon hearing these things, he became deeply distressed, for he was very rich.
24 Gazing at him, Yeshua said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 Then those who heard said, “Then who can be saved?”
27 But Yeshua said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”[c]
28 Then Peter said, “Look, we’ve left everything of our own to follow You.”
29 And Yeshua said to them, “Amen, I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times as much in this age; and in the olam ha-ba, eternal life.”
31 Then Yeshua took the twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we’re going up to Jerusalem, and everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be carried out. 32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and He will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. 33 After they have scourged Him, they will kill Him. Yet on the third day, He will rise again.” 34 But they understood none of these things; this message was hidden from them, and they did not understand what He was saying.
Approaching Jericho
35 Now as Yeshua was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging. 36 But when he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Yeshua ha-Natzrati was passing by. 38 And he cried out, saying, “Yeshua, Ben-David, have mercy on me!”
39 And those leading the way were scolding him, so he would be quiet. But he kept shouting all the more, “Ben-David, have mercy on me!”
40 So Yeshua stopped and ordered the blind man to be brought to Him. And when he came near, Yeshua asked him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?”
And he said, “Master, I want to see again!”
42 Yeshua said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has made you well.” 43 Immediately the man received his sight and began following Yeshua, glorifying God. And when all the people saw it, they also gave praise to God.
Footnotes
- Luke 18:14 cf. Ezra 9:6.
- Luke 18:20 Exod. 20:12-13(12-16); Deut. 5:16-17(16-20).
- Luke 18:27 cf. Jer. 32:17.
Luke 18
Easy-to-Read Version
God Will Answer His People
18 Then Jesus taught the followers that they should always pray and never lose hope. He used this story to teach them: 2 “Once there was a judge in a town. He did not care about God. He also did not care what people thought about him. 3 In that same town there was a woman whose husband had died. She came many times to this judge and said, ‘There is a man who is doing bad things to me. Give me my rights!’ 4 But the judge did not want to help the woman. After a long time, the judge thought to himself, ‘I don’t care about God. And I don’t care about what people think. 5 But this woman is bothering me. If I give her what she wants, then she will leave me alone. But if I don’t give her what she wants, she will bother me until I am sick.’”
6 The Lord said, “Listen, there is meaning in what the bad judge said. 7 God’s people shout to him night and day, and he will always give them what is right. He will not be slow to answer them. 8 I tell you, God will help his people quickly. But when the Son of Man comes again, will he find people on earth who believe in him?”
Being Right With God
9 There were some people who thought they were very good and looked down on everyone else. Jesus used this story to teach them: 10 “One time there was a Pharisee and a tax collector. One day they both went to the Temple to pray. 11 The Pharisee stood alone, away from the tax collector. When the Pharisee prayed, he said, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not as bad as other people. I am not like men who steal, cheat, or commit adultery. I thank you that I am better than this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of everything I get!’
13 “The tax collector stood alone too. But when he prayed, he would not even look up to heaven. He felt very humble before God. He said, ‘O God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, when this man finished his prayer and went home, he was right with God. But the Pharisee, who felt that he was better than others, was not right with God. People who make themselves important will be made humble. But those who make themselves humble will be made important.”
Jesus Welcomes Children(A)
15 Some people brought their small children to Jesus so that he could lay his hands on them to bless them. But when the followers saw this, they told the people not to do this. 16 But Jesus called the little children to him and said to his followers, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people who are like these little children. 17 The truth is, you must accept God’s kingdom like a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it.”
A Rich Man Refuses to Follow Jesus(B)
18 A religious leader asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”
19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. 20 And you know his commands: ‘You must not commit adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal, you must not tell lies about others, you must respect your father and mother ….’[a]”
21 But the leader said, “I have obeyed all these commands since I was a boy.”
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to the leader, “But there is still one thing you need to do. Sell everything you have and give the money to those who are poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.” 23 But when the man heard Jesus tell him to give away his money, he was sad. He didn’t want to do this, because he was very rich.
24 When Jesus saw that the man was sad, he said, “It will be very hard for rich people to enter God’s kingdom. 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.”
Who Can Be Saved?
26 When the people heard this, they said, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Jesus answered, “God can do things that are not possible for people to do.”
28 Peter said, “Look, we left everything we had and followed you.”
29 Jesus said, “I can promise that everyone who has left their home, wife, brothers, parents, or children for God’s kingdom 30 will get much more than they left. They will get many times more in this life. And in the world that is coming they will get the reward of eternal life.”
Jesus Talks Again About His Death(C)
31 Then Jesus talked to the twelve apostles alone. He said to them, “Listen, we are going to Jerusalem. Everything that God told the prophets to write about the Son of Man will happen. 32 He will be handed over to the foreigners, who will laugh at him, insult him, and spit on him. 33 They will beat him with whips and then kill him. But on the third day after his death, he will rise to life again.” 34 The apostles tried to understand this, but they could not; the meaning was hidden from them.
Jesus Heals a Blind Man(D)
35 Jesus came near the city of Jericho. There was a blind man sitting beside the road. He was begging people for money. 36 When he heard the people coming down the road, he asked, “What is happening?”
37 They told him, “Jesus, the one from Nazareth, is coming here.”
38 The blind man was excited and said, “Jesus, Son of David, please help me!”
39 The people who were in front leading the group criticized the blind man. They told him to be quiet. But he shouted more and more, “Son of David, please help me!”
40 Jesus stopped there and said, “Bring that man to me!” When he came close, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, I want to see again.”
42 Jesus said to him, “You can see now. You are healed because you believed.”
43 Then the man was able to see. He followed Jesus, thanking God. Everyone who saw this praised God for what happened.
Footnotes
- Luke 18:20
Quote from Ex. 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20.
Luke 18
Tree of Life Version
18 Then Yeshua told them a parable to show that they should always pray and not be discouraged, 2 He said, “There was a judge in a certain city who neither feared God nor respected people. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’
4 “He was unwilling at the time. But afterward he said to himself, ‘Although I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice so she won’t wear me out by her incessant coming.’”
6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge is saying. 7 Won’t God do justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He be slow to help them? 8 I tell you, He will quickly give them justice. But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
9 Then Yeshua spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, while holding others in contempt. 10 “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘O God, I thank You that I am not like other people—thieving, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and tithe on all that I get.’
13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, wouldn’t even lift his eyes toward heaven, but beat his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ [a] 14 I tell you, this man, rather than the other, went down to his home declared righteous. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
15 Now they were bringing even their babies to Yeshua, so He might touch them. But when the disciples saw this, they began rebuking them. 16 But Yeshua called for them, saying, “Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Amen, I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
18 And a religious leader inquired of Yeshua, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why are you calling Me good?” Yeshua said to him. “No one is good except One—that is God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”[b]
21 The man said, “All these I have kept since my youth.”
22 When Yeshua heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all, as much as you have, and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” 23 But upon hearing these things, he became deeply distressed, for he was very rich.
24 Gazing at him, Yeshua said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 Then those who heard said, “Then who can be saved?”
27 But Yeshua said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”[c]
28 Then Peter said, “Look, we’ve left everything of our own to follow You.”
29 And Yeshua said to them, “Amen, I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times as much in this age; and in the olam ha-ba, eternal life.”
31 Then Yeshua took the twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we’re going up to Jerusalem, and everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be carried out. 32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and He will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. 33 After they have scourged Him, they will kill Him. Yet on the third day, He will rise again.” 34 But they understood none of these things; this message was hidden from them, and they did not understand what He was saying.
Approaching Jericho
35 Now as Yeshua was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging. 36 But when he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Yeshua ha-Natzrati was passing by. 38 And he cried out, saying, “Yeshua, Ben-David, have mercy on me!”
39 And those leading the way were scolding him, so he would be quiet. But he kept shouting all the more, “Ben-David, have mercy on me!”
40 So Yeshua stopped and ordered the blind man to be brought to Him. And when he came near, Yeshua asked him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?”
And he said, “Master, I want to see again!”
42 Yeshua said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has made you well.” 43 Immediately the man received his sight and began following Yeshua, glorifying God. And when all the people saw it, they also gave praise to God.
Footnotes
- Luke 18:14 cf. Ezra 9:6.
- Luke 18:20 Exod. 20:12-13(12-16); Deut. 5:16-17(16-20).
- Luke 18:27 cf. Jer. 32:17.
Luke 18
Easy-to-Read Version
God Will Answer His People
18 Then Jesus taught the followers that they should always pray and never lose hope. He used this story to teach them: 2 “Once there was a judge in a town. He did not care about God. He also did not care what people thought about him. 3 In that same town there was a woman whose husband had died. She came many times to this judge and said, ‘There is a man who is doing bad things to me. Give me my rights!’ 4 But the judge did not want to help the woman. After a long time, the judge thought to himself, ‘I don’t care about God. And I don’t care about what people think. 5 But this woman is bothering me. If I give her what she wants, then she will leave me alone. But if I don’t give her what she wants, she will bother me until I am sick.’”
6 The Lord said, “Listen, there is meaning in what the bad judge said. 7 God’s people shout to him night and day, and he will always give them what is right. He will not be slow to answer them. 8 I tell you, God will help his people quickly. But when the Son of Man comes again, will he find people on earth who believe in him?”
Being Right With God
9 There were some people who thought they were very good and looked down on everyone else. Jesus used this story to teach them: 10 “One time there was a Pharisee and a tax collector. One day they both went to the Temple to pray. 11 The Pharisee stood alone, away from the tax collector. When the Pharisee prayed, he said, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not as bad as other people. I am not like men who steal, cheat, or commit adultery. I thank you that I am better than this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of everything I get!’
13 “The tax collector stood alone too. But when he prayed, he would not even look up to heaven. He felt very humble before God. He said, ‘O God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, when this man finished his prayer and went home, he was right with God. But the Pharisee, who felt that he was better than others, was not right with God. People who make themselves important will be made humble. But those who make themselves humble will be made important.”
Jesus Welcomes Children(A)
15 Some people brought their small children to Jesus so that he could lay his hands on them to bless them. But when the followers saw this, they told the people not to do this. 16 But Jesus called the little children to him and said to his followers, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people who are like these little children. 17 The truth is, you must accept God’s kingdom like a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it.”
A Rich Man Refuses to Follow Jesus(B)
18 A religious leader asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”
19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. 20 And you know his commands: ‘You must not commit adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal, you must not tell lies about others, you must respect your father and mother ….’[a]”
21 But the leader said, “I have obeyed all these commands since I was a boy.”
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to the leader, “But there is still one thing you need to do. Sell everything you have and give the money to those who are poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.” 23 But when the man heard Jesus tell him to give away his money, he was sad. He didn’t want to do this, because he was very rich.
24 When Jesus saw that the man was sad, he said, “It will be very hard for rich people to enter God’s kingdom. 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.”
Who Can Be Saved?
26 When the people heard this, they said, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Jesus answered, “God can do things that are not possible for people to do.”
28 Peter said, “Look, we left everything we had and followed you.”
29 Jesus said, “I can promise that everyone who has left their home, wife, brothers, parents, or children for God’s kingdom 30 will get much more than they left. They will get many times more in this life. And in the world that is coming they will get the reward of eternal life.”
Jesus Talks Again About His Death(C)
31 Then Jesus talked to the twelve apostles alone. He said to them, “Listen, we are going to Jerusalem. Everything that God told the prophets to write about the Son of Man will happen. 32 He will be handed over to the foreigners, who will laugh at him, insult him, and spit on him. 33 They will beat him with whips and then kill him. But on the third day after his death, he will rise to life again.” 34 The apostles tried to understand this, but they could not; the meaning was hidden from them.
Jesus Heals a Blind Man(D)
35 Jesus came near the city of Jericho. There was a blind man sitting beside the road. He was begging people for money. 36 When he heard the people coming down the road, he asked, “What is happening?”
37 They told him, “Jesus, the one from Nazareth, is coming here.”
38 The blind man was excited and said, “Jesus, Son of David, please help me!”
39 The people who were in front leading the group criticized the blind man. They told him to be quiet. But he shouted more and more, “Son of David, please help me!”
40 Jesus stopped there and said, “Bring that man to me!” When he came close, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, I want to see again.”
42 Jesus said to him, “You can see now. You are healed because you believed.”
43 Then the man was able to see. He followed Jesus, thanking God. Everyone who saw this praised God for what happened.
Footnotes
- Luke 18:20
Quote from Ex. 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International