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.”

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Footnotes

  1. 10:27 Lv 19:18; Dt 6:5
  2. 10:35 Other mss add as he was leaving
  3. 10:35 A denarius = one day’s wage.

Loving your neighbor

25 A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?”

26 Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?”

27 He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”[a]

28 Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”

29 But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. 31 Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. 32 Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. 33 A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. 34 The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ 36 What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?”

37 Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

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