Luke 7
New American Standard Bible
Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Slave
7 (A)When He had completed all His [a]teaching in the hearing of the people, (B)He went to Capernaum.
2 Now a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. 3 When he heard about Jesus, (C)he sent some [b]Jewish elders to Him, asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. 4 When they came to Jesus, they strongly urged Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; 5 for he loves our nation, and it was he who built us our synagogue.” 6 Now Jesus started on His way with them; but already, when He was not yet far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “[c]Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to enter under my roof; 7 for that reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You; but just [d]say the word, and my servant [e]shall be healed. 8 For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under myself; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 9 Now when Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, (D)not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
11 Soon afterward Jesus went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, [f]accompanied by a large crowd. 12 Now as He approached the gate of the city, [g]a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. 13 When (E)the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her and said to her, “Do not go on weeping.” 14 And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 (F)Fear gripped them all, and they began (G)glorifying God, saying, “A great (H)prophet has appeared among us!” and, “God has [h]visited His people!” 17 (I)And this report about Him spread throughout Judea and in all the surrounding region.
The Messengers from John
18 (J)The disciples of John also reported to him about all these things. 19 And after summoning [i]two of his disciples, John sent them to (K)the Lord, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or are we to [j]look for another?” 20 When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, [k]to ask, ‘Are You the Coming One, or are we to [l]look for another?’” 21 At that very [m]time He (L)cured many people of diseases and (M)afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind. 22 And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: people who were (N)blind receive sight, people who limped walk, people with leprosy are cleansed and people who were deaf hear, dead people are raised up, and (O)people who are poor have the gospel preached to them. 23 And blessed is [n]anyone who does not take offense at Me.”
24 When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the [o]wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 [p]But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces! 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written:
28 I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is [r]least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged (Q)God’s justice, (R)having been baptized with (S)the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and the [s](T)lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by [t]John.
31 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a song of mourning, and you did not weep.’ 33 For John the Baptist has come neither (U)eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a [u]heavy drinker, a friend of tax collectors and [v]sinners!’ 35 And yet wisdom (V)is vindicated by all her children.”
The Anointing in Galilee
36 Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 (W)And there was a woman in the city who was a [w]sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and began kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were (X)a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a [x]sinner!”
Parable of Two Debtors
40 And Jesus responded and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he [y]replied, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A moneylender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred [z](Y)denarii, and the other, fifty. 42 When they (Z)were unable to repay, he canceled the debts of both. So which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and said, “I assume the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44 And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you (AA)gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You [aa](AB)gave Me no kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since the time I came in. 46 (AC)You did not [ab]anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47 For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And He said to her, “(AD)Your sins have been forgiven.” 49 And then those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying [ac]to themselves, “(AE)Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50 And He said to the woman, “(AF)Your faith has saved you; (AG)go in peace.”
Footnotes
- Luke 7:1 Lit words
- Luke 7:3 Lit elders of the Jews
- Luke 7:6 Or Sir
- Luke 7:7 Lit say with a word
- Luke 7:7 A command in Greek
- Luke 7:11 Lit and a
- Luke 7:12 Lit one who had died
- Luke 7:16 Or cared for
- Luke 7:19 Lit a certain two
- Luke 7:19 Or wait for
- Luke 7:20 Lit saying
- Luke 7:20 Or wait for
- Luke 7:21 Lit hour
- Luke 7:23 Lit whoever
- Luke 7:24 I.e., desert
- Luke 7:25 Or Well then, what
- Luke 7:27 Lit before Your face
- Luke 7:28 Or less
- Luke 7:30 I.e., experts in the Mosaic Law
- Luke 7:30 Lit him
- Luke 7:34 Or wine drinker
- Luke 7:34 I.e., irreligious Jews
- Luke 7:37 I.e., an immoral woman
- Luke 7:39 I.e., an immoral woman
- Luke 7:40 Lit says
- Luke 7:41 The denarius was a day’s wages for a laborer
- Luke 7:45 A customary form of greeting between rabbis
- Luke 7:46 A customary act of hospitality
- Luke 7:49 Or among
Luke 7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Slave
7 After Jesus[a] had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.(A) 2 A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly and who was ill and close to death. 3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. 4 When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.” 6 And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; 7 therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me, and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” 9 When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and, turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”(B) 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
Jesus Raises the Widow’s Son at Nain
11 Soon afterward[b] he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him.(C) 12 As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow, and with her was a large crowd from the town. 13 When the Lord saw her, he was moved with compassion for her and said to her, “Do not cry.”(D) 14 Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stopped. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!”(E) 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus[c] gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized all of them, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”(F) 17 This word about him spread throughout the whole of Judea and all the surrounding region.
Messengers from John the Baptist
18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples 19 and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?” 20 When the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?’ ” 21 Jesus[d] had just then cured many people of diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits and had given sight to many who were blind.(G) 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight; the lame walk; those with a skin disease are cleansed; the deaf hear; the dead are raised; the poor have good news brought to them.(H) 23 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
24 When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus[e] began to speak to the crowds about John:[f] “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 What, then, did you go out to see? Someone[g] dressed in soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces. 26 What, then, did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’
28 “I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John, yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 (And all the people who heard this, including the tax collectors, acknowledged the justice of God,[h] having been baptized with John’s baptism.(I) 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law, not having been baptized by him, rejected God’s purpose for themselves.)(J)
31 “To what, then, will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not weep.’
33 “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon’;(K) 34 the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’(L) 35 Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
A Sinful Woman Forgiven
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus[i] to eat with him, and when he went into the Pharisee’s house he reclined to dine.(M) 37 And a woman in the city who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. 38 She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair, kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”(N) 40 Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “speak.” 41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.(O) 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus[j] said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.(P) 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.(Q) 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”(R) 49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 But he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”(S)
Luke 7
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
7 And when he had finished all his words in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capharnaum.
2 And the servant of a certain centurion, who was dear to him, being sick, was ready to die.
3 And when he had heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the ancients of the Jews, desiring him to come and heal his servant.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him earnestly, saying to him: He is worthy that thou shouldest do this for him.
5 For he loveth our nation; and he hath built us a synagogue.
6 And Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent his friends to him, saying: Lord, trouble not thyself; for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof.
7 For which cause neither did I think myself worthy to come to thee; but say the word, and my servant shall be healed.
8 For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers: and I say to one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doth it.
9 Which Jesus hearing, marvelled: and turning about to the multitude that followed him, he said: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith, not even in Israel.
10 And they who were sent, being returned to the house, found the servant whole who had been sick.
11 And it came to pass afterwards, that he went into a city that is called Naim; and there went with him his disciples, and a great multitude.
12 And when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow: and a great multitude of the city was with her.
13 Whom when the Lord had seen, being moved with mercy towards her, he said to her: Weep not.
14 And he came near and touched the bier. And they that carried it, stood still. And he said: Young man, I say to thee, arise.
15 And he that was dead, sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.
16 And there came a fear on them all: and they glorified God, saying: A great prophet is risen up among us: and, God hath visited his people.
17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the country round about.
18 And John's disciples told him of all these things.
19 And John called to him two of his disciples, and sent them to Jesus, saying: Art thou he that art to come; or look we for another?
20 And when the men were come unto him, they said: John the Baptist hath sent us to thee, saying: Art thou he that art to come; or look we for another?
21 (And in that same hour, he cured many of their diseases, and hurts, and evil spirits: and to many that were blind he gave sight.)
22 And answering, he said to them: Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, to the poor the gospel is preached:
23 And blessed is he whosoever shall not be scandalized in me.
24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak to the multitudes concerning John. What went ye out into the desert to see? a reed shaken with the wind?
25 But what went you out to see? a man clothed in soft garments? Behold they that are in costly apparel and live delicately, are in the houses of kings.
26 But what went you out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say to you, and more than a prophet.
27 This is he of whom it is written: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.
28 For I say to you: Amongst those that are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist. But he that is the lesser in the kingdom of God, is greater than he.
29 And all the people hearing, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with John's baptism.
30 But the Pharisees and the lawyers despised the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized by him.
31 And the Lord said: Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?
32 They are like to children sitting in the marketplace, and speaking one to another, and saying: We have piped to you, and you have not danced: we have mourned, and you have not wept.
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and you say: He hath a devil.
34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking: and you say: Behold a man that is a glutton and a drinker of wine, a friend of publicans and sinners.
35 And wisdom is justified by all her children.
36 And one of the Pharisees desired him to eat with him. And he went into the house of the Pharisee, and sat down to meat.
37 And behold a woman that was in the city, a sinner, when she knew that he sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment;
38 And standing behind at his feet, she began to wash his feet, with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39 And the Pharisee, who had invited him, seeing it, spoke within himself, saying: This man, if he were a prophet, would know surely who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him, that she is a sinner.
40 And Jesus answering, said to him: Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee. But he said: Master, say it.
41 A certain creditor had two debtors, the one who owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
42 And whereas they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which therefore of the two loveth him most?
43 Simon answering, said: I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said to him: Thou hast judged rightly.
44 And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon: Dost thou see this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she with tears hath washed my feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss; but she, since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but she with ointment hath anointed my feet.
47 Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less.
48 And he said to her: Thy sins are forgiven thee.
49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves: Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
50 And he said to the woman: Thy faith hath made thee safe, go in peace.
Luke 7
The Message
A Place of Holy Mystery
7 1-5 When he finished speaking to the people, he entered Capernaum. A Roman captain there had a servant who was on his deathbed. He prized him highly and didn’t want to lose him. When he heard Jesus was back, he sent leaders from the Jewish community asking him to come and heal his servant. They came to Jesus and urged him to do it, saying, “He deserves this. He loves our people. He even built our meeting place.”
6-8 Jesus went with them. When he was still quite far from the house, the captain sent friends to tell him, “Master, you don’t have to go to all this trouble. I’m not that good a person, you know. I’d be embarrassed for you to come to my house, even embarrassed to come to you in person. Just give the order and my servant will get well. I’m a man under orders; I also give orders. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes; another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
9-10 Taken aback, Jesus addressed the accompanying crowd: “I’ve yet to come across this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know about God and how he works.” When the messengers got back home, they found the servant up and well.
11-15 Not long after that, Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with him, along with quite a large crowd. As they approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession—a woman’s only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, “Don’t cry.” Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I tell you: Get up.” The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother.
16-17 They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful—and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, “God is back, looking to the needs of his people!” The news of Jesus spread all through the country.
Is This What You Were Expecting?
18-19 John’s disciples reported back to him the news of all these events taking place. He sent two of them to the Master to ask the question, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?”
20 The men showed up before Jesus and said, “John the Baptizer sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?’”
21-23 In the next two or three hours Jesus healed many from diseases, distress, and evil spirits. To many of the blind he gave the gift of sight. Then he gave his answer: “Go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard:
The blind see,
The lame walk,
Lepers are cleansed,
The deaf hear,
The dead are raised,
The wretched of the earth
have God’s salvation hospitality extended to them.
“Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves fortunate!”
24-27 After John’s messengers left to make their report, Jesus said more about John to the crowd of people. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A messenger from God? That’s right, a messenger! Probably the greatest messenger you’ll ever hear. He is the messenger Malachi announced when he wrote,
I’m sending my messenger on ahead
To make the road smooth for you.
28-30 “Let me lay it out for you as plainly as I can: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer, but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him. The ordinary and disreputable people who heard John, by being baptized by him into the kingdom, are the clearest evidence; the Pharisees and religious officials would have nothing to do with such a baptism, wouldn’t think of giving up their place in line to their inferiors.
31-35 “How can I account for the people of this generation? They’re like spoiled children complaining to their parents, ‘We wanted to skip rope and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk but you were always too busy.’ John the Baptizer came fasting and you called him crazy. The Son of Man came feasting and you called him a boozer. Opinion polls don’t count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
Anointing His Feet
36-39 One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down at the dinner table. Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.”
40 Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Oh? Tell me.”
41-42 “Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?”
43-47 Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.”
“That’s right,” said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.”
48 Then he spoke to her: “I forgive your sins.”
49 That set the dinner guests talking behind his back: “Who does he think he is, forgiving sins!”
50 He ignored them and said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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