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
Easy-to-Read Version
Sin and Forgiveness(A)
17 Jesus said to his followers, “Things will surely happen that will make people sin. But it will be very bad for anyone who makes this happen. 2 It will be very bad for anyone who makes one of these little children sin. It would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the sea. 3 So be careful!
“If your brother or sister in God’s family does something wrong, warn them. If they are sorry for what they did, forgive them. 4 Even if they do something wrong to you seven times in one day, but they say they are sorry each time, you should forgive them.”
How Big Is Your Faith?
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Give us more faith!”
6 The Lord said, “If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Dig yourself up and plant yourself in the ocean!’ And the tree will obey you.
Be Good Servants
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant who has been working in the field, plowing or caring for the sheep. When he comes in from work, what would you say to him? Would you say, ‘Come in, sit down and eat’? 8 Of course not! You would say to your servant, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Then get ready and serve me. When I finish eating and drinking, then you can eat.’ 9 The servant should not get any special thanks for doing his job. He is only doing what his master told him to do. 10 It is the same with you. When you finish doing all that you are told to do, you should say, ‘We are not worthy of any special thanks. We have only done the work we should do.’”
Be Thankful
11 Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem. He went from Galilee to Samaria. 12 He came into a small town, and ten men met him there. They did not come close to him, because they all had leprosy. 13 But the men shouted, “Jesus! Master! Please help us!”
14 When Jesus saw the men, he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”[a]
While the ten men were going to the priests, they were healed. 15 When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus. He praised God loudly. 16 He bowed down at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (He was a Samaritan.) 17 Jesus said, “Ten men were healed; where are the other nine? 18 This man is not even one of our people. Is he the only one who came back to give praise to God?” 19 Then Jesus said to the man, “Stand up! You can go. You were healed because you believed.”
The Coming of God’s Kingdom(B)
20 Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will God’s kingdom come?”
Jesus answered, “God’s kingdom is coming, but not in a way that you can see it. 21 People will not say, ‘Look, God’s kingdom is here!’ or ‘There it is!’ No, God’s kingdom is here with you.[b]”
22 Then Jesus said to his followers, “The time will come when you will want very much to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not be able to. 23 People will say to you, ‘Look, there it is!’ or ‘Look, here it is!’ Stay where you are; don’t go away and search. 24 “When the Son of Man comes again, you will know it. On that day he will shine like lightning flashes across the sky. 25 But first, the Son of Man must suffer many things. The people of today will refuse to accept him.
26 “When the Son of Man comes again, it will be the same as it was when Noah lived. 27 People were eating, drinking, and getting married even on the day when Noah entered the boat. Then the flood came and killed them all.
28 “It will be the same as during the time of Lot, when God destroyed Sodom. Those people were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building houses for themselves. 29 They were doing these things even on the day when Lot left town. Then fire and sulfur rained down from the sky and killed them all. 30 This is exactly how it will be when the Son of Man comes again.
31 “On that day if a man is on his roof, he will not have time to go inside and get his things. If a man is in the field, he cannot go back home. 32 Remember what happened to Lot’s wife[c]!
33 “Whoever tries to keep the life they have will lose it. But whoever gives up their life will save it. 34 That night there may be two people sleeping in one room. One will be taken and the other will be left. 35 There may be two women working together. One will be taken and the other will be left.” 36 [d]
37 The followers asked Jesus, “Where will this be, Lord?”
Jesus answered, “It’s like looking for a dead body—you will find it where the vultures are gathering above.”
Footnotes
- Luke 17:14 show yourselves to the priests The Law of Moses said a priest must decide when a person with leprosy was well.
- Luke 17:21 here with you Or “inside you.”
- Luke 17:32 Lot’s wife The story about Lot’s wife is found in Gen. 19:15-17, 26.
- Luke 17:36 A few Greek copies add verse 36: “Two men will be in the same field. One man will be taken, but the other man will be left behind.”
Luke 17
New King James Version
Jesus Warns of Offenses(A)
17 Then He said to the disciples, (B)“It is impossible that no [a]offenses should come, but (C)woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should [b]offend one of these little ones. 3 Take heed to yourselves. (D)If your brother sins [c]against you, (E)rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns [d]to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
Faith and Duty(F)
5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
6 (G)So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? 8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself (H)and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded [e]him? I think not. 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are (I)unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”
Ten Lepers Cleansed
11 Now it happened (J)as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, (K)who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, (L)“Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice (M)glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a (N)Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 (O)And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
The Coming of the Kingdom(P)
20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 (Q)nor will they say, [f]‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, (R)the kingdom of God is [g]within you.”
22 Then He said to the disciples, (S)“The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 (T)And they will say to you, [h]‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. 24 (U)For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 (V)But first He must suffer many things and be (W)rejected by this generation. 26 (X)And as it (Y)was in the (Z)days of (AA)Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the (AB)day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and (AC)destroyed them all. 28 (AD)Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on (AE)the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man (AF)is revealed.
31 “In that day, he (AG)who is on the housetop, and his [i]goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 (AH)Remember Lot’s wife. 33 (AI)Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 (AJ)I tell you, in that night there will be two [j]men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 (AK)Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. 36 [k]Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”
37 And they answered and said to Him, (AL)“Where, Lord?”
So He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”
Footnotes
- Luke 17:1 stumbling blocks
- Luke 17:2 cause one of these little ones to stumble
- Luke 17:3 NU omits against you
- Luke 17:4 M omits to you
- Luke 17:9 NU omits the rest of v. 9; M omits him
- Luke 17:21 NU reverses here and there
- Luke 17:21 in your midst
- Luke 17:23 NU reverses here and there
- Luke 17:31 possessions
- Luke 17:34 Or people
- Luke 17:36 NU, M omit v. 36.
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
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. 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.
