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25 And then a certain lawyer arose to try (test, tempt) Him, saying, Teacher, what am I to do to inherit everlasting life [that is, to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?

26 Jesus said to him, What is written in the Law? How do you read it?

27 And he replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.(A)

28 And Jesus said to him, You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live [enjoy active, blessed, endless life in the kingdom of God].

29 And he, [a]determined to acquit himself of reproach, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?

30 Jesus, [b]taking him up, replied, A certain man was going from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him of his clothes and belongings and beat him and went their way, [[c]unconcernedly] leaving him half dead, as it happened.

31 Now by [d]coincidence a certain priest was going down along that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32 A Levite likewise came down to the place and saw him, and passed by on the other side [of the road].

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled along, came down to where he was; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity and sympathy [for him],

34 And went to him and dressed his wounds, pouring on [them] oil and wine. Then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

35 And the next day he took out two denarii [two day’s wages] and gave [them] to the innkeeper, saying, Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I [myself] will repay you when I return.

36 Which of these three do you think proved himself a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?

37 He answered, The one who showed pity and mercy to him. And Jesus said to him, Go and do likewise.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 10:29 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  2. Luke 10:30 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  3. Luke 10:30 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  4. Luke 10:31 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan(A)

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”(B)

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a];(C) and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b](D)

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”(E)

29 But he wanted to justify himself,(F) so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.(G) 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan,(H) as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

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

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 10:27 Deut. 6:5
  2. Luke 10:27 Lev. 19:18
  3. Luke 10:35 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see Matt. 20:2).

20 The Lord said also to Joshua,

Say to the Israelites, Appoint among you cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,

That the slayer who kills anyone accidentally and unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.(A)

He who flees to one of those cities shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city; they shall receive him to [the protection of] that city and give him a place to dwell among them.

If the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally, having had no hatred for him previously.

And he shall dwell in that city until he has been tried before the congregation and until the death of him who is the high priest in those days. Then the slayer shall return to his own city from which he fled and to his own house.

And they set apart and consecrated Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho they appointed Bezer in the wilderness tableland from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

These cities were for all the Israelites and the stranger sojourning among them, that whoever killed a person unintentionally might flee there and not be slain by the avenger of blood until he had been tried before the congregation.

21 Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Israelite tribes.

They said to them at Shiloh in Canaan, The Lord commanded through Moses that we should be given cities to dwell in, with their pasturelands (suburbs) for our cattle.

So the Israelites gave to the Levites out of their own inheritance, at the command of the Lord, these cities and their suburbs.

The [first] lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. So those [a]Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin thirteen cities.

And the rest of the Kohathites received by lot from the families of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh ten cities.

The Gershonites received by lot from the families of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan thirteen cities.

The Merarites received according to their families from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun twelve cities.

The Israelites gave by lot to the Levites these cities with their pasturelands (suburbs), as the Lord commanded through Moses.

They gave from the tribes of Judah and Simeon the cities here mentioned by name,

10 Which went to the families of the descendants of Aaron, of the Kohathite branch of the Levites, for the lot fell to them first.

11 They gave them [the city of] Kiriath-arba, Arba being the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with its pasturelands round about it.

12 But the city’s fields and villages they gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his own.

13 Thus to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the slayer, with its pasturelands (suburbs), and together with their suburbs, Libnah,

14 Jattir, Eshtemoa,

15 Holon, Debir,

16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh; nine cities, each with its suburbs, out of those two tribes.

17 Out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon, Geba,

18 Anathoth, and Almon; four cities, each with its suburbs.

19 The cities of the sons of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen, with their suburbs.

20 The rest of the Kohathites belonging to the Levitical families were allotted cities out of the tribe of Ephraim.

21 To them were given, each with its pasturelands (suburbs), Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, as the city of refuge for the slayer, and Gezer,

22 And Kibzaim, and Beth-horon; four cities, each with its pasturelands (suburbs).

23 And out of the tribe of Dan, each with its pasturelands (suburbs), Eltekeh, Gibbethon,

24 Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon; four cities, each with its pasturelands (suburbs).

25 And out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach, and [another] Gath-rimmon; two cities, each with its pasturelands (suburbs).

26 All the cities for the families of the remaining Kohathites were ten, with their pasturelands (suburbs).

27 And to the Gershonites of the families of the Levites they gave out of the other half-tribe of Manasseh the city of Golan in Bashan, as the city of refuge for the slayer, and Be-eshterah; two cities, each with its pasturelands.

28 Out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishion, Daberath,

29 Jarmuth, and En-gannim; four cities, each with its suburbs.

30 Out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal, Abdon,

31 Helkath, and Rehob; four cities, each with its pasturelands.

32 And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee, city of refuge for the slayer, and Hammoth-dor, and Kartan; three cities, each with its suburbs.

33 All the cities of the Gershonite families were thirteen, with their pasturelands (suburbs).

34 And to the families of the Merarites, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun were given Jokneam, Kartah,

35 Dimnah, and Nahalal; four cities, each with its pasturelands (suburbs).

36 And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer, Jahaz,

37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath; four cities, each with its pasturelands (suburbs).

38 And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead, as the city of refuge for the slayer, and Mahanaim,

39 Heshbon, and Jazer; four cities in all, each with its pasturelands (suburbs).

40 So all the cities allotted to the Merarite families, that is, the remainder of the Levite families, were twelve cities.

41 The cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the Israelites were forty-eight cities in all, with their pasturelands (suburbs).

42 These cities all had their pasturelands (suburbs) around them.

43 And the Lord gave to Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and dwelt in it.

44 The Lord gave them rest round about, just as He had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies withstood them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hands.

45 There failed no part of any good thing which the Lord had promised to the house of Israel; all came to pass.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 21:4 The Levites were divided into three groups, the descendants of Levi’s three sons, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. But only those Israelites who were descendants of Levi through Kohath’s grandson Aaron could be priests. The priesthood was made hereditary in the family of Aaron and restricted to it; however, even some of these were debarred by legal disabilities (Lev. 21:16ff.). The other families of Levi’s descendants, the Gershonites and Merarites and those Kohathites who were not descended from Aaron, were charged with the care of the sanctuary. The priests ministered at the altar.

Cities of Refuge(A)

20 Then the Lord said to Joshua: “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally(B) may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.(C) When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate(D) and state their case before the elders(E) of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them. If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought. They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly(F) and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.”

So they set apart Kedesh(G) in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem(H) in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba(I) (that is, Hebron(J)) in the hill country of Judah.(K) East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer(L) in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead(M) in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan(N) in the tribe of Manasseh. Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally(O) could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.(P)

Towns for the Levites(Q)

21 Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel(R) at Shiloh(S) in Canaan and said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that you give us towns(T) to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.”(U) So, as the Lord had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

The first lot came out for the Kohathites,(V) according to their clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.(W) The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.(X)

The descendants of Gershon(Y) were allotted thirteen towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar,(Z) Asher,(AA) Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

The descendants of Merari,(AB) according to their clans, received twelve(AC) towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.(AD)

So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their pasturelands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.

From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they allotted the following towns by name 10 (these towns were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them):

11 They gave them Kiriath Arba(AE) (that is, Hebron(AF)), with its surrounding pastureland, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) 12 But the fields and villages around the city they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.(AG)

13 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge(AH) for one accused of murder), Libnah,(AI) 14 Jattir,(AJ) Eshtemoa,(AK) 15 Holon,(AL) Debir,(AM) 16 Ain,(AN) Juttah(AO) and Beth Shemesh,(AP) together with their pasturelands—nine towns from these two tribes.

17 And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon,(AQ) Geba,(AR) 18 Anathoth(AS) and Almon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

19 The total number of towns(AT) for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.(AU)

20 The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns from the tribe of Ephraim:

21 In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem(AV) (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer,(AW) 22 Kibzaim and Beth Horon,(AX) together with their pasturelands—four towns.(AY)

23 Also from the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon,(AZ) 24 Aijalon(BA) and Gath Rimmon,(BB) together with their pasturelands—four towns.

25 From half the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach(BC) and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—two towns.

26 All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.(BD)

27 The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:

from the half-tribe of Manasseh,

Golan in Bashan(BE) (a city of refuge for one accused of murder(BF)) and Be Eshterah, together with their pasturelands—two towns;

28 from the tribe of Issachar,(BG)

Kishion,(BH) Daberath,(BI) 29 Jarmuth(BJ) and En Gannim,(BK) together with their pasturelands—four towns;

30 from the tribe of Asher,(BL)

Mishal,(BM) Abdon,(BN) 31 Helkath and Rehob,(BO) together with their pasturelands—four towns;

32 from the tribe of Naphtali,

Kedesh(BP) in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder(BQ)), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands—three towns.

33 The total number of towns of the Gershonite(BR) clans came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.

34 The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given:

from the tribe of Zebulun,(BS)

Jokneam,(BT) Kartah, 35 Dimnah and Nahalal,(BU) together with their pasturelands—four towns;

36 from the tribe of Reuben,

Bezer,(BV) Jahaz,(BW) 37 Kedemoth and Mephaath,(BX) together with their pasturelands—four towns;

38 from the tribe of Gad,

Ramoth(BY) in Gilead(BZ) (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim,(CA) 39 Heshbon and Jazer,(CB) together with their pasturelands—four towns in all.

40 The total number of towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of the Levites, came to twelve.(CC)

41 The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands.(CD) 42 Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns.

43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors,(CE) and they took possession(CF) of it and settled there.(CG) 44 The Lord gave them rest(CH) on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies(CI) withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies(CJ) into their hands.(CK) 45 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises(CL) to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.