Luke 18
Wycliffe Bible
18 And he said to them also a parable, that it behooveth to pray evermore, and not [to] fail; [Forsooth he said also a parable to them, for it behooveth to pray ever, and not to fail;]
2 and said, There was a judge in a city, that dreaded not God, neither shamed of men.[a]
3 And a widow was in that city, and she came to him, and said [saying], Venge me of mine adversary;
4 and he would not long time [and he would not by much time]. But after these things he said within himself, Though I dread not God, and shame not of man,
5 nevertheless for this widow is heavy to me, I shall venge her; lest at the last she coming condemn me [lest at the last she coming strangle me].
6 And the Lord said, Hear ye, what the doomsman of wickedness saith;
7 and whether God shall not do [the] vengeance of his chosen, crying to him day and night, and shall have patience in them?
8 Soothly I say to you, for soon he shall do [the] vengeance of them. Nevertheless guessest thou, that man's Son coming shall find faith in earth?
9 And he said also to some men, that trusted in themselves, as they were rightful, and despised others, this parable, saying,
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 And the Pharisee stood, and prayed by himself these things, and said [Forsooth the Pharisee standing, prayed with himself these things, saying], God, I do thankings to thee, for I am not as other men, raveners, unjust, adulterers, as also this publican;
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all things that I have in possession.
13 And the publican stood afar, and would not raise his eyes to heaven, but smote his breast, and said [And the publican standing afar would not neither lift up the eyes to heaven, but smote his breast, saying], God be merciful to me, sinner.
14 Truly I say to you, this went down into his house, and was justified from the other. For each that enhanceth himself, shall be made low, and he that meeketh himself, shall be enhanced.
15 And they brought to him young children, that he should touch them; and when the disciples saw this thing, they blamed them.
16 But Jesus called together them, and said, Suffer ye children to come to me, and do not ye forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heavens.
17 Truly I say to you, whoever shall not take the kingdom of God as a child, he shall not enter into it.
18 And a prince asked him, and said, Good master, in what thing doing shall I wield everlasting life? [And some prince asked him, saying, Good master, what thing doing shall I wield everlasting life?]
19 And Jesus said to him, What sayest thou me good? No man is good, but God alone.
20 Thou knowest the commandments, Thou shalt not slay, Thou shalt not do lechery, Thou shalt not do theft, Thou shalt not say false witnessing, Honour thy father and thy mother [Worship thy father and thy mother].
21 Which said, I have kept all these things from my youth.
22 And when this thing was heard, Jesus said to him, Yet one thing faileth to thee; sell thou all things that thou hast, and give to poor men, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, and follow thou me [and come, and follow me].
23 And when these things were heard, he was sorrowful, for he was full rich.
24 And Jesus seeing him made sorry, said, How hard they that have money shall enter into the kingdom of God; [Soothly Jesus seeing him made sorrowful said, How hard they that have riches shall enter into the realm of God;]
25 for it is lighter a camel to pass through a needle's eye, than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. [forsooth it is easier a camel to pass through a needle's eye, than a rich man for to enter into the kingdom of God.]
26 And they that heard these things said, [And] Who may be made safe?
27 And he said to them, Those things that be impossible with men, be possible with God.
28 But Peter said, Lo! we have left all things, and have followed thee [and follow thee].
29 And he said to him, Truly I say to you, there is no man that shall forsake house, or father and mother, or brethren, or wife, or children, or fields, for the realm of God,
30 and shall not receive many more things in this time, and in the world to coming everlasting life [and in the world to come everlasting life].
31 And Jesus took his twelve disciples, and said to them, Lo! we go up to Jerusalem, and all things shall be ended, that be written by the prophets of man's Son.
32 For he shall be betrayed to heathen men, and he shall be scorned, and scourged, and bespat;
33 and after that they have scourged him, they shall slay him, and the third day he shall rise again.
34 And they understood nothing of these; and this word was hid from them, and they understood not those things that were said.
35 But it was done, when Jesus came nigh to Jericho, a blind man sat beside the way, and begged [some blind man sat beside the way begging].
36 And when he heard the people passing [And when he heard the company of people passing], he asked, what this was.
37 And they said to him, that Jesus of Nazareth passed.
38 And he cried, and said [saying], Jesus, the son of David, have mercy on me.
39 And they that went before blamed him, that he should be still; but he cried much the more [soothly he cried much more], Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought forth to him. And when he came nigh, he asked him, and said [saying],
41 What wilt thou that I shall do to thee? And he said, Lord, that I see.
42 And Jesus said to him, Behold; thy faith hath made thee safe.
43 And at once he saw, and followed him, and magnified God [And anon he saw, and followed him, magnifying God]. And all the people, as it saw [that it saw], gave praising to God.
Footnotes
- Luke 18:2 saying, There was some judge in a city, which dreaded not God, neither shamed of men.
Luke 18
New King James Version
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men (A)always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor [a]regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, [b]‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 (B)yet because this widow troubles me I will [c]avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”
6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And (C)shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you (D)that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 Also He spoke this parable to some (E)who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee (F)stood and prayed thus with himself, (G)‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; (H)for everyone who exalts himself will be [d]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus Blesses Little Children(I)
15 (J)Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for (K)of such is the kingdom of God. 17 (L)Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”
Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler(M)
18 (N)Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but (O)One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: (P)‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ (Q)‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”
21 And he said, “All (R)these things I have kept from my youth.”
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. (S)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
With God All Things Are Possible(T)
24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, (U)“How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”
27 But He said, (V)“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
28 (W)Then Peter said, “See, we have left [e]all and followed You.”
29 So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, (X)there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 (Y)who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection(Z)
31 (AA)Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things (AB)that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be [f]accomplished. 32 For (AC)He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. 33 They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”
34 (AD)But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.
A Blind Man Receives His Sight(AE)
35 (AF)Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. 36 And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. 37 So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, (AG)Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, 41 saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”
42 Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; (AH)your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, (AI)glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Footnotes
- Luke 18:2 respect
- Luke 18:3 Avenge me on
- Luke 18:5 vindicate
- Luke 18:14 put down
- Luke 18:28 NU our own
- Luke 18:31 fulfilled
Luke 18
English Standard Version
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought (A)always to pray and not (B)lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who (C)neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, (D)‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And (E)will not God give justice to (F)his elect, (G)who cry to him day and night? (H)(I)Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them (J)speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, (K)will he find faith on earth?”
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 He also told this parable to some (L)who trusted (M)in themselves that they were righteous, (N)and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men (O)went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, (P)standing by himself, prayed[a] (Q)thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 (R)I fast twice a week; (S)I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, (T)standing far off, (U)would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but (V)beat his breast, saying, ‘God, (W)be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For (X)everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Let the Children Come to Me
15 (Y)Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they (Z)rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, (AA)“Let the children come to me, and (AB)do not hinder them, (AC)for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 (AD)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not (AE)receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
The Rich Ruler
18 (AF)And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to (AG)inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: (AH)‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, (AI)“All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. (AJ)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have (AK)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 (AL)But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, (AM)“How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter (AN)the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter (AO)the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, (AP)“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “See, (AQ)we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, (AR)there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers[b] or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive (AS)many times more (AT)in this time, and in (AU)the age to come eternal life.”
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
31 (AV)And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, (AW)we are going up to Jerusalem, and (AX)everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be (AY)delivered over to the Gentiles and will be (AZ)mocked and shamefully treated and (BA)spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on (BB)the third day he will rise.” 34 (BC)But they understood none of these things. (BD)This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar
35 (BE)As he drew near to Jericho, (BF)a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, (BG)“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, (BH)Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front (BI)rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 (BJ)“What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; (BK)your faith has (BL)made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, (BM)glorifying God. And (BN)all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Footnotes
- Luke 18:11 Or standing, prayed to himself
- Luke 18:29 Or wife or brothers and sisters
2001 by Terence P. Noble
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.
