Luke 10
The Voice
10 The Lord then recruited and deployed 70[a] more disciples. He sent them ahead, in teams of two, to visit all the towns and settlements between them and Jerusalem. 2 This is what He ordered.
Jesus: There’s a great harvest waiting in the fields, but there aren’t many good workers to harvest it. Pray that the Harvest Master will send out good workers to the fields.
3 It’s time for you 70 to go. I’m sending you out armed with vulnerability, like lambs walking into a pack of wolves. 4 Don’t bring a wallet. Don’t carry a backpack. I don’t even want you to wear sandals. Walk along barefoot, quietly, without stopping for small talk. 5 When you enter a house seeking lodging, say, “Peace on this house!” 6 If a child of peace—one who welcomes God’s message of peace—is there, your peace will rest on him. If not, don’t worry; nothing is wasted. 7 Stay where you’re welcomed. Become part of the family, eating and drinking whatever they give you. You’re My workers, and you deserve to be cared for. Again, don’t go from house to house, 8 but settle down in a town and eat whatever they serve you. 9 Heal the sick and say to the townspeople, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
10 Of course, not every town will welcome you. If you’re rejected, walk through the streets and say, 11 “We’re leaving this town. We’ll wipe off the dust that clings to our feet in protest against you. But even so, know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” 12 I tell you the truth, on judgment day, Sodom will have an easier time of it than the town that rejects My messengers.
13 It’s going to be bad for you, Chorazin! It’s going to be bad for you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works done in your streets had been done in the cities of Tyre and Sidon, they would have been moved to turn to God and cry out in sackcloth and ashes. 14 On judgment day, Tyre and Sidon will have an easier time of it than you. 15 It’s going to be bad for you, too, Capernaum! Will you be celebrated to heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead.
16 Listen, disciples: if people give you a hearing, they’re giving Me a hearing. If they reject you, they’re rejecting Me. And if they reject Me, they’re rejecting the One who sent Me. So—go now!
17 When the 70[b] completed their mission and returned to report on their experiences, they were elated.
Seventy: It’s amazing, Lord! When we use Your name, the demons do what we say!
Jesus: 18 I know. I saw Satan falling from above like a lightning bolt. 19 I’ve given you true authority. You can smash vipers and scorpions under your feet.[c] You can walk all over the power of the enemy. You can’t be harmed. 20 But listen—that’s not the point. Don’t be elated that evil spirits leave when you say to leave. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
21 Then Jesus Himself became elated. The Holy Spirit was on Him, and He began to pray with joy.
Jesus: Thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Thank You for hiding Your mysteries from the wise and intellectual, instead revealing them to little children. Your ways are truly gracious. 22 My Father has given Me everything. No one knows the full identity of the Son except the Father, and nobody knows the full identity of the Father except the Son, and the Son fully reveals the Father to whomever He wishes. 23 (then almost in a whisper to the disciples) How blessed are your eyes to see what you see! 24 Many prophets and kings dreamed of seeing what you see, but they never got a glimpse. They dreamed of hearing what you hear, but they never heard it.
25 Just then a scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures tried to trap Jesus.
Scholar: Teacher, what must I do to experience the eternal life?
Jesus (answering with a question): 26 What is written in the Hebrew Scriptures? How do you interpret their answer to your question?
Scholar: 27 You shall love—“love the Eternal One your God with everything you have: all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind”[d]—and “love your neighbor as yourself.”[e]
Jesus: 28 Perfect. Your answer is correct. Follow these commands and you will live.
29 The scholar was frustrated by this response because he was hoping to make himself appear smarter than Jesus.
Scholar: Ah, but who is my neighbor?
Jesus: 30 This fellow was traveling down from Jerusalem to Jericho when some robbers mugged him. They took his clothes, beat him to a pulp, and left him naked and bleeding and in critical condition. 31 By chance, a priest was going down that same road, and when he saw the wounded man, he crossed over to the other side and passed by. 32 Then a Levite who was on his way to assist in the temple also came and saw the victim lying there, and he too kept his distance. 33 Then a despised Samaritan journeyed by. When he saw the fellow, he felt compassion for him. 34 The Samaritan went over to him, stopped the bleeding, applied some first aid, and put the poor fellow on his donkey. He brought the man to an inn and cared for him through the night.
35 The next day, the Samaritan took out some money—two days’ wages[f] to be exact—and paid the innkeeper, saying, “Please take care of this fellow, and if this isn’t enough, I’ll repay you next time I pass through.”
36 Which of these three proved himself a neighbor to the man who had been mugged by the robbers?
Scholar: 37 The one who showed mercy to him.
Jesus: Well then, go and behave like that Samaritan.
This story brings together many themes from Jesus’ teaching of the Kingdom. Samaritans are seen as “half-breeds” by Jesus’ fellow Jews—racially mixed and also religiously compromised. By making a Samaritan the hero of the story, Jesus is once again tweaking assumptions and breaking out of conventional boxes: “In the kingdom of God,” Jesus is saying, “the outcasts and last can move to the front of the line.” The focus for Jesus is not on the kinds of sophisticated arguments preferred by the religious scholar; for Jesus the kingdom of God is about living life, and in particular, living a life of love for God and for neighbor—whoever that neighbor may be.
38 Jesus continued from there toward Jerusalem and came to another village. Martha, a resident of that village, welcomed Jesus into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, went and sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him teach. 40 Meanwhile Martha was anxious about all the hospitality arrangements.
Martha (interrupting Jesus): Lord, why don’t You care that my sister is leaving me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to get over here and help me.
Jesus: 41 Oh Martha, Martha, you are so anxious and concerned about a million details, 42 but really, only one thing matters. Mary has chosen that one thing, and I won’t take it away from her.
Footnotes
- 10:1 Other early manuscripts read “72.”
- 10:17 Other early manuscripts read “72.”
- 10:19 Psalm 91:13
- 10:27 Deuteronomy 6:5
- 10:27 Leviticus 19:18
- 10:35 Literally, denarii, Roman coins
Luke 10
English Standard Version
Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
10 After this the Lord appointed (A)seventy-two[a] others and (B)sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 (C)And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. (D)Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; (E)behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 (F)Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and (G)greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, (H)‘Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, (I)it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for (J)the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, (K)‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 (L)‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that (M)the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, (N)it will be more bearable on (O)that day for Sodom than for that town.
Woe to Unrepentant Cities
13 (P)“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in (Q)Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 (R)But it will be more bearable in the judgment for (S)Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, (T)will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to (U)Hades.
16 (V)“The one who hears you hears me, and (W)the one who rejects you rejects me, and (X)the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
The Return of the Seventy-Two
17 (Y)The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, (Z)even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, (AA)“I saw Satan (AB)fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority (AC)to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of (AD)the enemy, and (AE)nothing shall hurt you. 20 (AF)Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that (AG)your names are written in heaven.”
Jesus Rejoices in the Father's Will
21 (AH)In that same hour (AI)he rejoiced (AJ)in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, (AK)Lord of heaven and earth, that (AL)you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and (AM)revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for (AN)such was your gracious will.[b] 22 (AO)All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is (AP)except the Father, or who the Father is (AQ)except the Son and anyone (AR)to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, (AS)“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you (AT)that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 (AU)And behold, a (AV)lawyer stood up to (AW)put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to (AX)inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, (AY)“You shall 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 (AZ)your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; (BA)do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, (BB)desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man (BC)was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a (BD)priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise (BE)a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a (BF)Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and (BG)bound up his wounds, pouring on (BH)oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two (BI)denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Martha and Mary
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus[d] entered a village. And a woman named (BJ)Martha (BK)welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called (BL)Mary, who (BM)sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are (BN)anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary.[e] Mary has chosen (BO)the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Footnotes
- Luke 10:1 Some manuscripts seventy; also verse 17
- Luke 10:21 Or for so it pleased you well
- Luke 10:35 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
- Luke 10:38 Greek he
- Luke 10:42 Some manuscripts few things are necessary, or only one
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
