Luke 17
King James Version
17 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
32 Remember Lot's wife.
33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
Luke 17
Contemporary English Version
Faith and Service
(Matthew 18.6,7,21,22; Mark 9.42)
17 Jesus said to his disciples:
There will always be something that causes people to sin. But anyone who causes them to sin is in for trouble. A person who causes even one of my little followers to sin 2 would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their neck. 3 (A) So be careful what you do.
Correct any followers[a] of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry. 4 Even if one of them mistreats you seven times in one day and says, “I am sorry,” you should still forgive that person.
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Make our faith stronger!”
6 Jesus replied:
If you had faith no bigger than a tiny mustard seed, you could tell this mulberry tree to pull itself up, roots and all, and to plant itself in the ocean. And it would!
7 If your servant comes in from plowing or from taking care of the sheep, would you say, “Welcome! Come on in and have something to eat”? 8 No, you wouldn't say that. You would say, “Prepare me something to eat. Get ready to serve me, so I can have my meal. Then later on you can eat and drink.” 9 Servants don't deserve special thanks for doing what they are supposed to do. 10 And that's how it should be with you. When you've done all you should, then say, “We are merely servants, and we have simply done our duty.”
Ten Men with Leprosy
11 On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men with leprosy[b] came toward him. They stood at a distance 13 and shouted, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 (B) Jesus looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”[c]
On their way they were healed. 15 When one of them discovered that he was healed, he came back, shouting praises to God. 16 He bowed down at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was from the country of Samaria.
17 Jesus asked, “Weren't ten men healed? Where are the other nine? 18 Why was this foreigner the only one who came back to thank God?” 19 Then Jesus told the man, “You may get up and go. Your faith has made you well.”
God's Kingdom
(Matthew 24.23-28,37-41)
20 Some Pharisees asked Jesus when God's kingdom would come. He answered, “God's kingdom isn't something you can see. 21 There is no use saying, ‘Look! Here it is’ or ‘Look! There it is.’ God's kingdom is here with you.”[d]
22 Jesus said to his disciples:
The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not. 23 When people say to you, “Look there,” or “Look here,” don't go looking for him. 24 The day of the Son of Man will be like lightning flashing across the sky. 25 But first he must suffer terribly and be rejected by the people of today. 26 (C) When the Son of Man comes, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. 27 (D) People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day when Noah went into the big boat. Then the flood came and drowned everyone on earth.
28 (E) When Lot[e] lived, people were also eating and drinking. They were buying, selling, planting, and building. 29 But on the very day Lot left Sodom, fiery flames poured down from the sky and killed everyone. 30 The same will happen on the day when the Son of Man appears.
31 (F) At that time no one on a rooftop[f] should go down into the house to get anything. No one in a field should go back to the house for anything. 32 (G) Remember what happened to Lot's wife.[g]
33 (H) People who try to save their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives will save them. 34 On that night two people will be sleeping in the same bed, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. 35-36 Two women will be together grinding wheat, but only one will be taken. The other will be left.[h]
37 Then Jesus' disciples spoke up, “But where will this happen, Lord?”
Jesus said, “Where there is a corpse, there will always be vultures.”[i]
Footnotes
- 17.3 followers: The Greek text has “brothers,” which is often used in the New Testament for followers of Jesus.
- 17.12 leprosy: See the note at 4.27.
- 17.14 show yourselves to the priests: See the note at 5.14.
- 17.21 here with you: Or “in your hearts.”
- 17.27,28 Noah … Lot: When God destroyed the earth by a flood, he saved Noah and his family. And when God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the evil people who lived there, he rescued Lot and his family (see Genesis 19.1-29).
- 17.31 rooftop: See the note at 5.19.
- 17.32 what happened to Lot's wife: She turned into a block of salt when she disobeyed God (see Genesis 19.26).
- 17.35,36 will be left: Some manuscripts add, “Two men will be in the same field, but only one will be taken. The other will be left.”
- 17.37 Where there is a corpse, there will always be vultures: This saying may mean that when anything important happens, people soon know about it. Or the saying may mean that whenever something bad happens, curious people gather around and stare. But the word translated “vulture” also means “eagle” and may refer to the Roman army, which had an eagle as its symbol.
Luke 17
English Standard Version
Temptations to Sin
17 And he said to his disciples, (A)“Temptations to sin[a] are (B)sure to come, but (C)woe to the one through whom they come! 2 (D)It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.[b] 3 Pay attention to yourselves! (E)If your brother sins, (F)rebuke him, and if he repents, (G)forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you (H)seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Increase Our Faith
5 (I)The apostles said to the Lord, (J)“Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, (K)“If you had faith like (L)a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this (M)mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
Unworthy Servants
7 “Will any one of you who has a servant[c] plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and (N)dress properly,[d] and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are (O)unworthy servants;[e] we have only done what was our duty.’”
Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers
11 (P)On the way to Jerusalem (Q)he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers,[f] (R)who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and (S)show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, (T)praising God with a loud voice; 16 and (U)he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was (V)a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not (W)ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and (X)give praise to God except this (Y)foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; (Z)your faith has (AA)made you well.”[g]
The Coming of the Kingdom
20 Being asked by the Pharisees (AB)when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God (AC)is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor (AD)will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”[h]
22 And he said to the disciples, (AE)“The days are coming when you will desire (AF)to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 (AG)And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 (AH)For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be (AI)in his day.[i] 25 But first (AJ)he must suffer many things and (AK)be rejected by this generation. 26 (AL)Just as it was in the days of (AM)Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 (AN)They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of (AO)Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 (AP)but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be (AQ)on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day, (AR)let the one who is on (AS)the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 (AT)Remember Lot's wife. 33 (AU)Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will (AV)keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 (AW)There will be two women (AX)grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”[j] 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, (AY)“Where the corpse[k] is, there the vultures[l] will gather.”
Footnotes
- Luke 17:1 Greek Stumbling blocks
- Luke 17:2 Greek stumble
- Luke 17:7 Or bondservant; also verse 9
- Luke 17:8 Greek gird yourself
- Luke 17:10 Or bondservants
- Luke 17:12 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
- Luke 17:19 Or has saved you
- Luke 17:21 Or within you, or within your grasp
- Luke 17:24 Some manuscripts omit in his day
- Luke 17:35 Some manuscripts add verse 36: Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left
- Luke 17:37 Greek body
- Luke 17:37 Or eagles
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