Luke 13-15

New Matthew Bible

Of the Galileans whom Pilate slew, and of those that died in Siloam. The similitude of the fig tree. Christ heals the sick woman. The parables of the mustard seed and leaven. Few enter into the kingdom. Christ reproves Herod and Jerusalem.

13 There were present at that same time people who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their own sacrifice. ² And Jesus answered and said to them, Do you suppose these Galileans were greater sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such punishment? ³ I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and slew them, do you think they were sinners above all who dwell in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

⁶ He put forth this similitude: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit on it, and found none. ⁷ Then he said to the dresser of his vineyard, Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none. Cut it down. Why is it taking up space on the ground? ⁸ And he answered and said to him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I dig round about it and dung it to see whether it will bear fruit. ⁹ And if it does not bear then, after that cut it down.

¹⁰ And he taught in one of their synagogues on the Sabbath days. ¹¹ And behold, there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years, and was stooped over, and could not lift herself up at all. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her to him and said to her, Woman, you are delivered from your disease. ¹³ And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight and glorified God. ¹⁴ But the leader of the synagogue responded with indignation because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and he said to the people, There are six days in which men ought to work; in them come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.

¹⁵ Then the Lord answered him and said, Hypocrite, does not each one of you on the Sabbath day loose his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead it to the water? ¹⁶ And ought not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound now eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?

¹⁷ And when he said this, all his adversaries were ashamed. But all the people rejoiced for all the tremendous deeds that were done by him.

¹⁸ Then he said, What is the kingdom of God like? or to what shall I compare it? ¹⁹ Is is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew, and developed into a great tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.

²⁰ And again he said, To what may I liken the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three bushels of flour until it was leavened right through.

²² And he went through all manner of cities and towns, teaching and journeying towards Jerusalem.

²³ Then someone said to him, Lord, are there few that will be saved?

And he said to them, ²⁴ Strive with yourselves to enter in at the strait gate. For many, I say to you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able. ²⁵ When the master of the house has risen up and has shut the door to, you all will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us! And he will answer and say to you, I know you not, where you are from. ²⁶ Then you will begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in your presence, and you have taught in our streets. ²⁷ And he will say, I tell you, I do not know you, where you are from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!

²⁸ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out at the doors. ²⁹ And people will come from the east and from the west, and from the north and from the south, and will sit down in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And behold, there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.

³¹ That same day, certain of the Pharisees came and said to him, Get yourself out of the way, and depart from here, because Herod wants to kill you. ³² And he said to them, Go and tell that fox, behold, I cast out devils and heal the people today and tomorrow, and the third day I make an end of it. ³³ Nevertheless, I must be going on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish anywhere other than at Jerusalem.

³⁴ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together, like the hen gathers her nest under her wings! But you would not. ³⁵ Behold, your habitation shall be left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes that you say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.

Jesus eats with the Pharisee, heals a man with dropsy on the Sabbath, teaches to be lowly, tells of the great supper, and warns people who would follow him to first determine what it will cost them. The salt of the earth.

14 And it happened that he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on a Sabbath day, and they were watching him. ² And there was before him a man who had the dropsy. ³ And Jesus addressed the wise men of law and the Pharisees, asking, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? ⁴ But they held their peace. And he took the man and healed him, and let him go. ⁵ And he spoke to them, saying, Which of you, having a donkey or an ox fallen into a pit, would not straightaway pull him out on the Sabbath day? ⁶ And they could not answer him in reply to that.

⁷ He put forth a similitude to the guests, when he observed how they sought out the seats of honour, and said to them, ⁸ When you are invited to a wedding by anyone, do not sit down in the highest place, lest a more honourable man than you be bidden by him, ⁹ and he who invited both him and you come and say to you, Make place for this man – and you then begin with shame to take the lowest seat. ¹⁰ But rather, when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest seat, so that when he who invited you comes, he may say to you, Friend, sit up higher. Then you will have honour in the presence of those who sit at food with you. ¹¹ For whoever exalts himself will be brought low, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

¹² Then he said also to the man who had asked him to dinner, When you give a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends or your brethren, neither your kinsfolk or rich neighbours, lest they return the invitation and a recompense be made you. ¹³ But when you put on a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be happy; for they cannot recompense you, but you shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

¹⁵ When one of those who sat at food also heard that, he said to Jesus, Happy is he who eats bread in the kingdom of God! 

¹⁶ Then Jesus said to him, A certain man prepared a great supper and invited many people. ¹⁷ And he sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. ¹⁸ And they all at once began to make excuse. The first said to him, I have bought a farm, and I need to go and see it; I pray you, have me excused. ¹⁹ And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen and I’m going to inspect them; I pray you, have me excused. ²⁰ The third said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

²¹ And the servant went and brought his master word of this. Then was the lord of the house displeased, and said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and quarters of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.

²² And the servant said, Lord, it is done as you ordered, and still there is room. ²³ And the lord said to the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel the people to come in, so that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I say to you that none of those men that were bidden shall taste of my supper.

²⁵ A great number of people went with Jesus, and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ If a person comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife, and children, and brethren and sisters, and moreover his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. ²⁸ Which of you, thinking of building a tower, would not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has sufficient to complete it?– ²⁹ lest after he has laid the foundation and is not able to complete it, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish it. ³¹ Or, what king goes to make battle against another king, and does not sit down first and cast in his mind whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him who comes against him with 20,000? ³² If not, while the other is yet a great way off, he will send ambassadors and seek peace. ³³ So now then, none of you who will not renounce all that he has can be my disciple.

³⁴ Salt is good. But if salt has lost her saltness, what can be seasoned with it? ³⁵ It is neither good for the land, nor yet for the dunghill, but men cast it out at the doors. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

The loving mercy of God is openly seen in the parables of the hundredth sheep and of the son that was lost.

15 Then all the publicans and sinners sought him out, in order to hear him. ² And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, He receives sinners into his company, and eats with them. ³ Then Jesus put forth this similitude to them, saying, ⁴ What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the countryside and go after the one that is lost until he finds him? ⁵ And when he has found him, he puts him on his shoulders with joy. ⁶ And as soon as he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost! ⁷ I say to you that likewise there will be joy in heaven over one sinner that repents more than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

⁸ Or what woman who has ten drachmas, if she loses one, does not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and search diligently till she finds it? ⁹ And when she has found it, she calls her friends and her neighbours, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma that I had lost. ¹⁰ Likewise I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents.

¹¹ And he said, A certain man had two sons, ¹² and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the part of the goods that belongs to me. And he divided the substance of his wealth between them. ¹³ And not long after, the younger son gathered all that he had together, and took his journey into a far country. And there he wasted his goods with riotous living. ¹⁴ And when he had spent all that he had, there arose a great dearth throughout all that same land, and he began to be in want. ¹⁵ And he went and attached himself to a citizen of that same country, who sent him to his field to keep his swine. ¹⁶ And he would gladly have filled his belly with the pods that the swine ate, but no man gave to him.

¹⁷ Then he came to himself and said, How many hired servants at my father’s have bread enough, and I am dying of hunger? ¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, ¹⁹ and am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.

²⁰ And he arose and went to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. ²¹ And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son. ²² But his father said to his servants, Bring forth that best garment and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. ²³ And bring here the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. ²⁴ For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is now found. And they began to be merry.

²⁵ The elder brother was in the field, and when he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing, ²⁶ and called one of his servants and asked what those things meant. ²⁷ And the servant said to him, Your brother is come, and your father had the fatted calf killed, because he has received him safe and sound.

²⁸ And the elder brother was angry and would not go in. Then his father came out and entreated him. ²⁹ He answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years I have served you, and not once broken your commandment, and yet you never gave me so much as a kid to make merry with my friends. ³⁰ But as soon as this your son comes, who has devoured your goods with harlots, you have for his pleasure killed the fatted calf!

³¹ And the father said to him, Son, you were always with me, and all that I have is yours. ³² It was right to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive again, and was lost, and is found.