The Sabbatical Year

15 “At the end of ^(A)every seven years you shall grant a release. ² And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the Lord's release has been proclaimed. ^3 (B)Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release. ^4 (C)But there will be no poor among you; ^(D)for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess— ^5 (E)if only you will strictly obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today. ⁶ For the Lord your God will bless you, ^(F)as he promised you, and ^(G)you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, and ^(H)you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.

⁷ “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, ^(I)you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, ⁸ but ^(J)you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. ⁹ Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your ^(K)eye look grudgingly^[a] on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he ^(L)cry to the Lord against you, and ^(M)you be guilty of sin. ¹⁰ You shall give to him freely, and ^(N)your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because ^(O)for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. ¹¹ For ^(P)there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ^(Q)‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

^12 (R)“If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold^[b] to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. ¹³ And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. ¹⁴ You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. ^(S)As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. ^15 (T)You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today. ¹⁶ But ^(U)if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, ¹⁷ then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave^[c] forever. And to your female slave^[d] you shall do the same. ¹⁸ It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for at half the cost of a hired worker he has served you six years. So the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.

^19 (V)“All the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock you shall dedicate to the Lord your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. ^20 (W)You shall eat it, you and your household, before the Lord your God year by year at the place that the Lord will choose. ^21 (X)But if it has any blemish, if it is lame or blind or has any serious blemish whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. ²² You shall eat it within your towns. ^(Y)The unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as though it were a gazelle or a deer. ^23 (Z)Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.

Passover

16 “Observe the ^(AA)month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for ^(AB)in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. ² And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the Lord your God, from the flock or ^(AC)the herd, ^(AD)at the place that the Lord will choose, to make his name dwell there. ³ You shall eat no leavened bread with it. ^(AE)Seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction—for you came out of the land of Egypt ^(AF)in haste—that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. ^4 (AG)No leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory for seven days, ^(AH)nor shall any of the flesh that you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain all night until morning. ⁵ You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, ⁶ but at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt. ⁷ And you shall cook it and eat it at the place that the Lord your God will choose. And in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents. ⁸ For ^(AI)six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be ^(AJ)a solemn assembly to the Lord your God. You shall do no work on it.

The Feast of Weeks

^9 (AK)“You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. ¹⁰ Then you shall keep ^(AL)the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with ^(AM)the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give ^(AN)as the Lord your God blesses you. ¹¹ And ^(AO)you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. ^12 (AP)You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

The Feast of Booths

^13 (AQ)“You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. ^14 (AR)You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. ¹⁵ For ^(AS)seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place that the Lord will choose, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

^16 (AT)“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. ^(AU)They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. ¹⁷ Every man ^(AV)shall give as he is able, ^(AW)according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.

How Long, O Lord?

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

16 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had ^(A)a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. ² And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your ^(B)management, for you can no longer be manager.’ ³ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. ⁴ I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ ⁵ So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶ He said, ‘A hundred measures^[a] of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ ⁷ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures^[b] of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ ⁸ The master commended the dishonest manager for his ^(C)shrewdness. For ^(D)the sons of this world^[c] are ^(E)more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than ^(F)the sons of light. ⁹ And I tell you, ^(G)make friends for yourselves by means of ^(H)unrighteous wealth,^[d] so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

^10 (I)“One who is ^(J)faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹ If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? ¹² And if you have not been faithful in ^(K)that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? ^13 (L)No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

The Law and the Kingdom of God

^14 (M)The Pharisees, who were ^(N)lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ^(O)ridiculed him. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “You are those who ^(P)justify yourselves before men, but ^(Q)God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men ^(R)is an abomination in the sight of God.

^16 (S)“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then ^(T)the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and ^(U)everyone forces his way into it.^{[e] 17} But ^(V)it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

Divorce and Remarriage

^18 (W)“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was clothed in ^(X)purple and fine linen and ^(Y)who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate ^(Z)was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who desired to be fed with ^(AA)what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² The poor man died and was carried by ^(AB)the angels ^(AC)to Abraham's side.^[f] The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and in ^(AD)Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and ^(AE)saw Abraham far off and Lazarus ^(AF)at his side. ²⁴ And he called out, ^(AG)‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and ^(AH)cool my tongue, for ^(AI)I am in anguish in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that ^(AJ)you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have ^(AK)Moses and the Prophets; ^(AL)let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, ^(AM)father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear ^(AN)Moses and the Prophets, ^(AO)neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Temptations to Sin

17 And he said to his disciples, ^(AP)“Temptations to sin^[g] are ^(AQ)sure to come, but ^(AR)woe to the one through whom they come! ^2 (AS)It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.^{[h] 3} Pay attention to yourselves! ^(AT)If your brother sins, ^(AU)rebuke him, and if he repents, ^(AV)forgive him, ⁴ and if he sins against you ^(AW)seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Increase Our Faith

^5 (AX)The apostles said to the Lord, ^(AY)“Increase our faith!” ⁶ And the Lord said, ^(AZ)“If you had faith like ^(BA)a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this ^(BB)mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Unworthy Servants

⁷ “Will any one of you who has a servant^[i] plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? ⁸ Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and ^(BC)dress properly,^[j] and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? ⁹ Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are ^(BD)unworthy servants;^[k] we have only done what was our duty.’”

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

^11 (BE)On the way to Jerusalem ^(BF)he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers,^{[l] (BG)}who stood at a distance ¹³ and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” ¹⁴ When he saw them he said to them, “Go and ^(BH)show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. ¹⁵ Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, ^(BI)praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶ and ^(BJ)he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was ^(BK)a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered, “Were not ^(BL)ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and ^(BM)give praise to God except this ^(BN)foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; ^(BO)your faith has ^(BP)made you well.”^[m]

The Coming of the Kingdom

²⁰ Being asked by the Pharisees ^(BQ)when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God ^(BR)is not coming in ways that can be observed, ²¹ nor ^(BS)will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”^[n]

²² And he said to the disciples, ^(BT)“The days are coming when you will desire ^(BU)to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ^23 (BV)And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. ^24 (BW)For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be ^(BX)in his day.^{[o] 25} But first ^(BY)he must suffer many things and ^(BZ)be rejected by this generation. ^26 (CA)Just as it was in the days of ^(CB)Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ^27 (CC)They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ Likewise, just as it was in the days of ^(CD)Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, ^29 (CE)but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— ³⁰ so will it be ^(CF)on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹ On that day, ^(CG)let the one who is on ^(CH)the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. ^32 (CI)Remember Lot's wife. ^33 (CJ)Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will ^(CK)keep it. ³⁴ I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. ^35 (CL)There will be two women ^(CM)grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”^{[p] 37} And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, ^(CN)“Where the corpse^[q] is, there the vultures^[r] will gather.”

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought ^(CO)always to pray and not ^(CP)lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who ^(CQ)neither feared God nor respected man. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ^(CR)‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ And ^(CS)will not God give justice to ^(CT)his elect, ^(CU)who cry to him day and night? ^(CV)(CW)Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give justice to them ^(CX)speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, ^(CY)will he find faith on earth?”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ He also told this parable to some ^(CZ)who trusted ^(DA)in themselves that they were righteous, ^(DB)and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men ^(DC)went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, ^(DD)standing by himself, prayed^{[s] (DE)}thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ^12 (DF)I fast twice a week; ^(DG)I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, ^(DH)standing far off, ^(DI)would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but ^(DJ)beat his breast, saying, ‘God, ^(DK)be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For ^(DL)everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Let the Children Come to Me

^15 (DM)Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they ^(DN)rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called them to him, saying, ^(DO)“Let the children come to me, and ^(DP)do not hinder them, ^(DQ)for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ^17 (DR)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not ^(DS)receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

The Rich Ruler

^18 (DT)And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ^(DU)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: ^(DV)‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” ²¹ And he said, ^(DW)“All these I have kept from my youth.” ²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. ^(DX)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have ^(DY)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ^23 (DZ)But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. ²⁴ Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, ^(EA)“How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter ^(EB)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 ^(EC)the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ But he said, ^(ED)“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” ²⁸ And Peter said, “See, ^(EE)we have left our homes and followed you.” ²⁹ And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, ^(EF)there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers^[t] or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ³⁰ who will not receive ^(EG)many times more ^(EH)in this time, and in ^(EI)the age to come eternal life.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

^31 (EJ)And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, ^(EK)we are going up to Jerusalem, and ^(EL)everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. ³² For he will be ^(EM)delivered over to the Gentiles and will be ^(EN)mocked and shamefully treated and ^(EO)spit upon. ³³ And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on ^(EP)the third day he will rise.” ^34 (EQ)But they understood none of these things. ^(ER)This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

^35 (ES)As he drew near to Jericho, ^(ET)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, ^(EU)“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” ³⁸ And he cried out, “Jesus, ^(EV)Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹ And those who were in front ^(EW)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 (EX)“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; ^(EY)your faith has ^(EZ)made you well.” ⁴³ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, ^(FA)glorifying God. And ^(FB)all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.