恒心祷告

18 耶稣讲了一个比喻来教导门徒要常常祷告,不要灰心。

祂说:“某城有一位既不敬畏上帝也不尊重人的审判官。 那城里有一位寡妇常常来哀求这位审判官,说,‘求你为我申冤,惩办我的对头。’ 审判官总是充耳不闻,但后来心里想,‘虽然我不怕上帝,也不在乎人, 可是这寡妇一直来烦我,还是替她申冤好了,免得她再来烦我!’”

主接着说:“你们听,这不义的审判官尚且这么说, 难道上帝听到祂拣选的人昼夜呼求,不替他们申冤吗?难道祂会一直耽延不理吗? 我告诉你们,祂必很快为他们申冤。不过当人子来的时候,在世上找得到有信心的人吗?”

两种祷告

耶稣对那些自以为义、藐视别人的人讲了一个比喻: 10 “有两个人到圣殿里祷告,一个是法利赛人,一个是税吏。 11 法利赛人站在那里自言自语地祷告说,‘上帝啊!我感谢你,因为我不像别人那样勒索、不义、通奸,也不像这税吏。 12 我每周禁食两次,奉献全部收入的十分之一。’

13 “但那税吏却远远地站着,连头也不敢抬起来,捶着胸说,‘上帝啊,求你怜悯我这个罪人!’

14 “我告诉你们,二人回家后,被上帝算为义的是税吏而不是法利赛人,因为自高的人必遭贬抑,谦卑的人必得尊荣。”

祝福孩子

15 有许多人把婴孩带来要让耶稣摸一摸他们,为他们祝福,门徒看见,就责备这些人。 16 耶稣却招呼他们过来,并对门徒说:“让小孩子到我这里来,不要阻止他们,因为上帝的国属于这样的人。 17 我实在告诉你们,人若不像小孩子一样接受上帝的国,绝不能进去。”

富豪求问永生

18 一位官长问耶稣:“良善的老师,我该做什么才能承受永生?”

19 耶稣说:“你为什么称呼我‘良善的老师’呢?只有上帝是良善的。 20 你知道‘不可通奸,不可杀人,不可偷盗,不可作伪证,要孝敬父母’这些诫命”。

21 那人说:“我从小就遵行这些诫命。”

22 耶稣听了就对他说:“你还有一件事没有做,就是变卖你所有的产业,分给穷人,你必有财宝存在天上,然后你还要来跟从我。” 23 那人听了,极其忧愁,因为他非常富有。

24 耶稣见状,就说;“有钱人进上帝的国真难啊! 25 骆驼穿过针眼比有钱人进上帝的国还容易呢!”

26 听见的人就问:“这样,谁能得救呢?”

27 耶稣回答说:“对人而言,这不可能,但对上帝而言,凡事都可能。”

28 彼得说:“你看!我们已经撇下一切来跟从你了。”

29 耶稣说:“我实在告诉你们,任何人为了上帝的国而撇下房屋、妻子、弟兄、父母或儿女, 30 今世必得百倍的奖赏,来世必得永生。”

再次预言受害和复活

31 耶稣把十二使徒带到一边,对他们说:“你们要留意,我们现在前往耶路撒冷,先知书上有关人子的记载都要应验, 32 人子将被交在外族人的手里,被他们嘲弄、虐待、吐唾沫、 33 鞭打和杀害,但第三天祂必复活。” 34 使徒却一点也不明白,因为这番话的含意是隐藏的,他们听不明白。

治愈耶利哥的瞎子

35 耶稣快到耶利哥的时候,有一个瞎子坐在路旁讨饭。 36 他听见许多人经过,就询问是怎么回事。 37 有人告诉他是拿撒勒人耶稣经过此地, 38 他就高声呼喊:“大卫的后裔耶稣啊,可怜我吧!”

39 走在前面的人责备他,让他安静,但他反而叫得更大声:“大卫的后裔啊,可怜我吧!”

40 耶稣停下脚步,命人把他带过来,然后问他: 41 “你要我为你做什么?”

他说:“主啊!我想能够看见。”

42 耶稣对他说:“你看见吧!你的信心救了你。” 43 他立刻得见光明,并跟随耶稣,一路赞美上帝。目睹这事的人也都赞美上帝。

Yesu Azungumzia Tena Juu Ya Kifo Chake

18 Yesu akawachukua wale wanafunzi wake kumi na wawili kando akawaambia, “Sikilizeni! Tunakwenda Yerusalemu, na yote yaliy oandikwa na manabii kunihusu mimi Mwana wa Adamu yatatimia. Akawaambia, “Katika mji mmoja alikuwapo hakimu ambaye hakumwogopa Mungu wala kumjali mtu. Na alikuwapo mjane mmoja katika mji huo ambaye alikuwa akija kwake mara kwa mara akimwomba, ‘Tafadhali niamulie haki kati yangu na adui yangu.’ Kwa muda mrefu yule hakimu hakufanya lo lote. Lakini hatimaye akasema moyoni mwake, ‘Simwogopi Mungu wala simjali mtu lakini kwa kuwa huyu mjane ananisumbua na kesi yake, nitamwamulia haki asije akanichosha kwa kuja kwake mara kwa mara.”’ Bwana akasema, “Mnasikia asemavyo huyu hakimu dhalimu. Na Mungu je, hatawatendea haki watu wake wanaomlilia mchana na usiku? Je, atakawia kuwapa msaada? Nina waambieni atahakikisha amewatendea haki upesi. Lakini je, mimi Mwana wa Adamu nitakaporudi duniani nitakuta watu wanadumu katika imani?”

Mfano Wa Farisayo Na Mtoza Ushuru

Yesu alitoa mfano huu kwa ajili ya wale waliojiona kuwa wao ni wenye haki na kuwadharau wengine. 10 Watu wawili walikwenda hekaluni kusali, mmoja wao alikuwa Farisayo na mwingine alikuwa mtoza ushuru. 11 yule Farisayo alisimama akasali kimoyomoyo. ‘Ninakushukuru Mungu kwa sababu mimi si kama watu wengine: wany ang’anyi, wadhalimu, wazinzi, au kama huyu mtoza ushuru. 12 Mimi nafunga mara mbili kwa juma na kutoa sehemu ya kumi ya mapato yangu.’ 13 Lakini yule mtoza ushuru alisimama mbali. Hakuthubutu hata kuinua uso wake kutazama mbinguni; bali alijipiga kifuani kwa majuto akasema, ‘Mungu, nihurumie, mimi mwenye dhambi.’

14 Nawaambieni, huyu mtoza ushuru alirudi nyumbani akiwa amehesabiwa haki mbele za Mungu na wala si yule Farisayo. Kwa maana ye yote ajikwezaye atashushwa na ye yote ajinyenyekezaye, atainuliwa.”

Yesu Awabariki Watoto Wadogo

15 Watu wakamletea Yesu watoto wao wachanga ili awaguse. Wanafunzi walipowaona, wakawakemea. 16 Lakini Yesu akawaita wale watoto waje kwake, akasema, “Waacheni watoto wadogo waje kwangu, msiwazuie, kwa maana Ufalme wa Mungu ni wa watu walio kama hawa watoto. 17 Nawaambia hakika, ye yote ambaye hataupokea Ufalme wa Mungu kama mtoto mdogo, hatauingia kamwe.”

18 Kiongozi mmoja akamwuliza Yesu, “Mwalimu mwema, nifanye nini ili niurithi uzima wa milele?”

19 Yesu akamjibu, “Mbona unaniita mwema? Hakuna mtu aliye mwema ila Mungu peke yake. 20 Unazifahamu amri: ‘Usizini, usiue, usiibe, usishuhudie uongo, waheshimu baba yako na mama yako?”’ 21 Akajibu, “Amri zote hizi nimezishika tangu utoto wangu.”

22 Yesu aliposikia haya, akamwambia, “Bado unahitaji kufa nya jambo moja. Nenda ukauze vitu vyote ulivyo navyo, uwagawie maskini, nawe utakuwa na hazina mbinguni. Kisha njoo, unifuate.” 23 Aliposikia hayo alisikitika, kwa maana alikuwa tajiri sana.

24 Yesu alipoona yule kiongozi amesikitika, akasema, “Jinsi gani ilivyo vigumu kwa tajiri kuingia katika Ufalme wa Mungu! 25 Ni rahisi zaidi kwa ngamia kupita katika tundu la sindano kuliko tajiri kuingia katika Ufalme wa Mungu.” 26 Wale waliosi kia hayo wakauliza, “Kama ni hivyo, ni nani basi awezaye kuoko lewa?” 27 Yesu akajibu, “Yasiyowezekana kwa binadamu yaweze kana kwa Mungu.” 28 Ndipo Petro akasema, “Sisi je? Tumeacha vyote tulivyokuwanavyo tukakufuata!” 29 Yesu akajibu, “Nawaam bia hakika, hakuna hata mmoja aliyeacha nyumba yake, au mke, ndugu, wazazi au watoto kwa ajili ya Ufalme wa Mungu, 30 ambaye hatapewa na Mungu mara nyingi zaidi ya hivyo katika maisha haya na kupata uzima wa milele katika maisha yajayo.” 32 Nitatiwa mikononi mwa watawala wa Kirumi. Watu watanizomea, watanitukana na kunitemea mate. 33 Watanipiga na kuniua, lakini siku ya tatu nitafufuka.”

34 Wanafunzi wake hawakuelewa mambo haya. Maana ya maneno haya ilikuwa imefichika kwao, nao hawakujua Yesu alikuwa anazun gumzia nini.

Yesu Amponya Kipofu

35 Yesu na wafuasi wake walipokaribia Yeriko, walimpita kipofu mmoja aliyekuwa amekaa kando ya njia, akiomba fedha. 36 Kipofu huyo aliposikia umati wa watu ukipita aliuliza, “Kuna nini?” 37 Wakamwambia, “Yesu Mnazareti anapita.” 38 Akaita kwa sauti kuu, “Yesu, Mwana wa Daudi! Nionee huruma!” 39 Wale waliokuwa wakiongoza msafara wakamkemea wakamwambia akae kimya. Lakini yeye akapiga kelele zaidi, “Mwana wa Daudi! Nionee huruma!”

40 Yesu akasimama, akaagiza huyo mtu aletwe kwake. Alipo karibia, Yesu akamwuliza, 41 “Unataka nikufanyie nini?” Aka jibu, “Bwana, nataka kuona.”

42 Yesu akamwambia, “Basi upate kuona; imani yako imekupo nya.” 43 Akaweza kuona mara hiyo hiyo akamfuata Yesu, huku akimsifu Mungu. Watu wote walioshuhudia mambo hayo, nao wakamsifu Mungu.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought (A)always to pray and not (B)lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who (C)neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, (D)‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And (E)will not God give justice to (F)his elect, (G)who cry to him day and night? (H)(I)Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them (J)speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, (K)will he find faith on earth?”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

He also told this parable to some (L)who trusted (M)in themselves that they were righteous, (N)and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men (O)went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, (P)standing by himself, prayed[a] (Q)thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 (R)I fast twice a week; (S)I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, (T)standing far off, (U)would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but (V)beat his breast, saying, ‘God, (W)be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For (X)everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Let the Children Come to Me

15 (Y)Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they (Z)rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, (AA)“Let the children come to me, and (AB)do not hinder them, (AC)for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 (AD)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not (AE)receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

The Rich Ruler

18 (AF)And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to (AG)inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: (AH)‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, (AI)“All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. (AJ)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have (AK)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 (AL)But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, (AM)“How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter (AN)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 (AO)the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, (AP)“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “See, (AQ)we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, (AR)there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers[b] or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive (AS)many times more (AT)in this time, and in (AU)the age to come eternal life.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

31 (AV)And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, (AW)we are going up to Jerusalem, and (AX)everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be (AY)delivered over to the Gentiles and will be (AZ)mocked and shamefully treated and (BA)spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on (BB)the third day he will rise.” 34 (BC)But they understood none of these things. (BD)This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

35 (BE)As he drew near to Jericho, (BF)a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, (BG)“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, (BH)Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front (BI)rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 (BJ)“What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; (BK)your faith has (BL)made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, (BM)glorifying God. And (BN)all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Footnotes

  1. Luke 18:11 Or standing, prayed to himself
  2. Luke 18:29 Or wife or brothers and sisters

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.(A) He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice(B) against my adversary.’

“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”(C)

And the Lord(D) said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out(E) to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man(F) comes,(G) will he find faith on the earth?”

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

To some who were confident of their own righteousness(H) and looked down on everyone else,(I) Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray,(J) one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself(K) and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast(L) twice a week and give a tenth(M) of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast(N) and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’(O)

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”(P)

The Little Children and Jesus(Q)

15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child(R) will never enter it.”

The Rich and the Kingdom of God(S)

18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”(T)

19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’[a](U)

21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor,(V) and you will have treasure in heaven.(W) Then come, follow me.”

23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!(X) 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”(Y)

28 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”(Z)

29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come(AA) eternal life.”(AB)

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time(AC)

31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem,(AD) and everything that is written by the prophets(AE) about the Son of Man(AF) will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles.(AG) They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him(AH) and kill him.(AI) On the third day(AJ) he will rise again.”(AK)

34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.(AL)

A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight(AM)

35 As Jesus approached Jericho,(AN) a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”(AO)

38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David,(AP) have mercy(AQ) on me!”

39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”(AR)

40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”(AS) 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.(AT)

Footnotes

  1. Luke 18:20 Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20