Luke 13:23-30

Expanded Bible

²³ Someone said to Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”

Jesus said, ²⁴ “·Try hard [Strive; Exert yourself] to enter through the narrow door, because many people [^LI tell you] will try to enter there, but they will not be able. ²⁵ When the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you ·can [^Lbegin to] stand outside and knock on the door and say, ‘·Sir [Lord], open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ ²⁶ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in the streets of our town.’ ²⁷ But he will say to you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Go away from me, all you who ·do evil [practice unrighteousness; Ps. 6:8]!’ ²⁸ [^LThere; In that place] You will cry and ·grind [gnash] your teeth [^Cindicating pain and remorse, or perhaps anger at the master; see Ps. 35:16] when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s kingdom, but you yourselves thrown outside. ²⁹ People will come from the east, west, north, and south and will ·sit down at the table [^Lrecline; ^Cthe posture for a banquet or dinner party] in the kingdom of God [^Cthe messianic banquet, a metaphor for God’s final salvation; Is. 25:6–8]. ³⁰ [Indeed; ^LLook; ^TBehold] There are those who are last now who will be first in the future. And there are those who are first now who will be last in the future.”