Warnings from Jesus

17 He(A) said to his disciples, “Offenses will certainly come,[a] but woe(B) to the one through whom they come!(C) It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble.(D) Be(E) on your guard. If your brother sins,[b] rebuke(F) him, and if he repents, forgive(G) him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Faith and Duty

The(H) apostles(I) said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”(J)

“If you have faith the size of[c] a mustard seed,”(K) the Lord said, “you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

“Which one of you having a servant tending sheep or plowing will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? Instead, will he not tell him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink’?(L) Does he thank that servant because he did what was commanded?[d] 10 In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are unworthy (M) servants; we’ve only done our duty.’”

Ten Men Healed

11 While traveling to Jerusalem,(N) he passed between[e] Samaria and Galilee.(O) 12 As he entered a village, ten men with leprosy[f](P) met him. They stood at a distance 13 and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master,(Q) have mercy on us!”

14 When he saw them, he told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”(R) And while they were going, they were cleansed.

15 But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God.(S) 16 He fell facedown(T) at his feet, thanking him. And he was a Samaritan.(U)

17 Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.”[g](V)

The Coming of the Kingdom

20 When he was(W) asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,(X) he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable; 21 no one will say,[h] ‘See here!’ or ‘There!’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”[i]

22 Then he told the disciples, “The days are coming(Y) when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won’t see it.(Z) 23 They will say to you,(AA) ‘See there!’ or ‘See here!’ Don’t follow or run after them.(AB) 24 For as the lightning flashes from horizon to horizon and lights up the sky, so the Son of Man will be in his day.(AC) 25 But first it is necessary that he suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.(AD)

26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah,(AE) so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: 27 People went on eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage(AF) until the day Noah boarded the ark,(AG) and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot:(AH) People went on eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building. 29 But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed(AI) them all. 30 It(AJ) will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed.(AK) 31 On that day, a man on the housetop, whose belongings are in the house, must not come down to get them. Likewise the man who is in the field must not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife!(AL) 33 Whoever tries to make his life secure[j][k] will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.(AM) 34 I tell you, on that night(AN) two will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”[l]

37 “Where, Lord?” (AO) they asked him.

He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there also the vultures(AP) will be gathered.”

Footnotes

  1. 17:1 Lit “It is impossible for offenses not to come
  2. 17:3 Other mss add against you
  3. 17:6 Lit faith like
  4. 17:9 Other mss add I don’t think so
  5. 17:11 Or through the middle of
  6. 17:12 Gk lepros; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14
  7. 17:19 Or faith has made you well
  8. 17:21 Lit they will not say
  9. 17:21 Or within you
  10. 17:33 Other mss read to save his life
  11. 17:33 Or tries to retain his life
  12. 17:35 Some mss include v. 36: “Two will be in a field: One will be taken, and the other will be left.”

17 1 Offenses. 3 We must forgive him that trespasseth against us. 10 We are unprofitable servants. 11 Of the ten lepers. 20 Of the coming of the kingdom of heaven. 33 False Christs. 36 After what manner Christ’s coming shall be.

Then said he to his disciples, (A)[a]It cannot be avoided, but that offences will come, but woe be to him by whom they come.

It is better for him that a great millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were cast into the sea, then that he should offend one of these little ones.

[b]Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him: and if he repent, forgive him.

(B)And though he sin against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, it repenteth me, thou shalt forgive him.

[c]And the Apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

And the Lord said, (C)If ye had faith, as much as is [d]a grain of mustard seed, and should say unto this mulberry tree, Pluck thyself up by the roots, and plant thyself in the sea, it should even obey you.

[e]Who is it also of you, that having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, would say unto him by and by, when he were come from the field, Go, and sit down at table,

And would not rather say to him, Dress wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken, and afterward eat thou, and drink thou?

Doth he thank that servant, because he did that which was commanded unto him? I trow not.

10 [f]So likewise ye, when ye 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 [g]And so it was when he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria, and Galilee.

12 And as he entered into a certain town, 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, (D)Go, show yourselves unto the Priests. And it came to pass, that as they went, they were cleansed.

15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice praised God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, and gave him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answered, and said, Are there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There is none found that returned to give God praise, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way, thy faith hath saved thee.

20 [h]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 [i]observation.

21 Neither shall men say, Lo here, or lo there: for behold, the kingdom of God is [j]within you.

22 [k]And he said unto the disciples, the days will come, when ye shall desire to see [l]one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.

23 (E)[m]Then they shall say to you, Behold here, or behold there: but go not thither, neither 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 the Son of man be in his day.

25 But first must he suffer many things and be reproved of this generation.

26 (F)[n]And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of man.

27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, and gave in marriage unto the day that Noah went into the Ark: and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

28 (G)Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built.

29 But in the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

30 After these examples shall it be in the day when the son of man revealed.

31 [o]At that day he that is upon the house, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it out: and he that is in the field likewise, let him not turn back to that he left behind.

32 (H)Remember Lot’s wife.

33 (I)Whosoever will seek to save his soul, shall loose it: and whosoever shall loose it, shall [p]get it life.

34 (J)I tell you, in that night there shall be two in one bed: the one shall be received, and the other shall be left.

35 Two women shall be grinding together, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

36 Two shall be in the field: one shall be received, and another shall be left.

37 [q]And they answered, and said to him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, (K)Wheresoever the body is, thither shall also the eagles be gathered together.

Footnotes

  1. Luke 17:1 The Church is of necessity subject to offences, but the Lord will not suffer them unpunished, if any of the least be offended.
  2. Luke 17:3 Our reprehensions must be just, and proceed of love and charity.
  3. Luke 17:5 God will never be utterly lacking to the Godly (although he be not so perfectly with them, as they would) even in those difficulties, which cannot be overcome by man’s reason.
  4. Luke 17:6 If you had no more faith, but the quantity of the grain of mustard seed.
  5. Luke 17:7 Seeing that God may challenge unto himself of right, both us and all that is ours, he can be debtor unto us for nothing, although we labor manfully even unto death.
  6. Luke 17:10 The most perfect keeping of the Law, which we can perform, deserves no reward.
  7. Luke 17:11 Christ doeth well even unto such, as will be unthankful, but the benefits of God profit them only to salvation, which are thankful.
  8. Luke 17:20 The kingdom of God is not marked of many, although it be most present before their eyes: because they fondly persuade themselves, that it is joined with outward pomp.
  9. Luke 17:20 With any outward pomp and show of majesty, to be known by: for there were otherwise many plain and evident tokens, whereby men might have understood, that Christ was the Messiah, whose kingdom was so long looked for: but he speaketh in this place of those signs which the Pharisees dreamed of, which looked for an earthly kingdom of Messiah.
  10. Luke 17:21 You look about for Messiah as though he were absent, but he is amongst you in the midst of you.
  11. Luke 17:22 We oftentimes neglect those things when they be present, which we afterward desire when they are gone, but in vain.
  12. Luke 17:22 The time will come that you shall seek for the Son of man, with great sorrow of heart, and shall not find him.
  13. Luke 17:23 Christ forewarneth us that false Christs shall come, and that his glory shall suddenly be spread far and wide through the world, after that the ignomy of the cross is put out and extinguished.
  14. Luke 17:26 The world shall be taken unawares with the sudden judgment of God: and therefore the faithful ought to watch continually.
  15. Luke 17:31 We must take good heed, that neither distrust, nor the enticements of this world, nor any respect of friendship hinder us the least that may be.
  16. Luke 17:33 That is, shall save it, so Matthew expoundeth it: for the life that is here spoken of, is everlasting salvation.
  17. Luke 17:37 The only way to continue is to cleave to Christ.