The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray(A) always and not give up.(B) “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God(C) or respect people. And a widow(D) in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

“For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, yet because this widow keeps(E) pestering me,[a] I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out[b] by her persistent coming.’”

Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. Will not God grant justice(F) to his elect(G) who cry out to him day and night?(H) Will he delay(I) helping them?[c] I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,(J) will he find faith on earth?”

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Footnotes

  1. 18:5 Lit widow causes me trouble
  2. 18:5 Or doesn’t ruin my reputation
  3. 18:7 Or Will he put up with them?

Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man[a] returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

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Footnotes

  1. 18:8 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.