⁴ “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^{[a](A) 5} Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.^{(B) 6} These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.^{(C) 7} Repeat them to your children.^(D) Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol^[b] on your forehead.^{[c](E) 9} Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.

¹⁷ “Do not harbor hatred against your brother.^[a](A) Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.^{(B) 18} Do not take revenge^(C) or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself;^(D) I am the Lord.

The Primary Commands

³⁴ When^(A) the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. ³⁵ And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him:^{(B) 36} “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”

³⁷ He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.^{[a](C) 38} This is the greatest and most important^[b] command. ³⁹ The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.^{[c](D) 40} All the Law and the Prophets depend^[d] on these two commands.”^(E)

The Primary Commands

²⁸ One^(A) of the scribes^(B) approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which command is the most important of all?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The most important^[a] is Listen, Israel! The Lord^(C) our God, the Lord^(D) is one.^{[b] 30} Love^(E) the Lord your God^(F) with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,^(G) and with all your strength.^{[c][d](H) 31} The second is, Love your neighbor^(I) as yourself.^[e](J) There is no other command^(K) greater than these.”

³² Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, teacher. You have correctly said that he is one, and there is no one^(L) else except him.^{(M) 33} And to love^(N) him with all your heart, with all your understanding,^[f] and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”^(O)

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”^(P) And no one dared^(Q) to question him any longer.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ Then^(A) an expert in the law^(B) stood up to test^(C) him, saying, “Teacher,^(D) what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ^(E)

²⁶ “What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “Love the Lord your God^(F) with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,”^(G) and “your neighbor as yourself.”^[a](H)

²⁸ “You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.”^(I)

²⁹ But wanting to justify himself,^(J) he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ^(K)

³⁰ Jesus took up the question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³² In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan^(L) on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion.^{(M) 34} He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil^(N) and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day^[b] he took out two denarii,^[c] gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”

³⁷ “The one who showed mercy^(O) to him,” he said.

Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”