Luke 10:25-37
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 Just(A) then 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.(H)[a]
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, 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.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 10:27 Lv 19:18; Dt 6:5
- Luke 10:35 Other mss add as he was leaving
Luke 10:25-37
The Message
Defining “Neighbor”
25 Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?”
26 He answered, “What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?”
27 He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.”
28 “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.”
29 Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?”
30-32 Jesus answered by telling a story. “There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
33-35 “A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’
36 “What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?”
37 “The one who treated him kindly,” the religion scholar responded.
Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”
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Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson