Luke 6
Modern English Version
Plucking Grain on the Sabbath(A)
6 On the second Sabbath after the first, He went through the grain fields, and His disciples plucked and ate the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2 Some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”
3 Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and took and ate the ritual bread, and also gave it to those who were with him. This was not lawful, but for the priests only to eat.” 5 Then He said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
The Man With a Withered Hand(B)
6 On another Sabbath, when He entered the synagogue and taught, there was a man whose right hand had withered. 7 The scribes and the Pharisees watched Him to see whether He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against Him. 8 But He knew their thoughts, and He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Rise and stand in front.” So he rose and stood in front.
9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
10 Then looking around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 11 But they were filled with madness and discussed with each other what they might do to Jesus.
The Choosing of the Twelve Apostles(C)
12 In these days He went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 When it was day, He called for His disciples, and of them He chose twelve, whom He named apostles: 14 Simon, whom He named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Ministering to a Great Crowd(D)
17 He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great crowd of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 including those who were vexed by unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 The whole crowd tried to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
Blessings and Woes(E)
20 He lifted up His eyes on His disciples, and said:
“Blessed are you poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you shall be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you shall laugh.
22 Blessed are you when men hate you,
and when they separate you from their company and insult you,
and cast out your name as evil,
on account of the Son of Man.
23 “Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for indeed, your reward is great in heaven. For in like manner their fathers treated the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25 Woe to you who are filled,
for you shall hunger.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you shall mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you, when all men speak well of you,
for so their fathers spoke of the false prophets.
Love for Enemies(F)
27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer also the other. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic as well. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And of him who takes away your goods, do not ask for them back. 31 Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
32 “For if you love those who love you, what thanks do you receive? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you receive? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks do you receive? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much in return. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be the sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and the evil. 36 Be therefore merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Judging Others(G)
37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will men give unto you. For with the measure you use, it will be measured unto you.”
39 He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is trained will be like his teacher.
41 “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not see the beam that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
A Tree and Its Fruit(H)
43 “A good tree does not bear corrupt fruit, nor does a corrupt tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is known by its own fruit. Men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a wild bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bears what is good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bears what is evil. For of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
The Two Housebuilders(I)
46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me and hears My words and does them, I will show whom he is like: 48 He is like a man who built a house, and dug deep, and laid the foundation on rock. When the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, but could not shake it, for it was founded on rock. 49 But he who hears and does not obey is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently. Immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
Luke 6
New International Reader's Version
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath Day
6 One Sabbath day Jesus was walking through the grainfields. His disciples began to break off some heads of grain. They rubbed them in their hands and ate them. 2 Some of the Pharisees said, “It is against the Law to do this on the Sabbath day. Why are you doing it?”
3 Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you ever read about what David did? He and his men were hungry. 4 He entered the house of God and took the holy bread. He ate the bread that only priests were allowed to eat. David also gave some to his men.” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”
6 On another Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue and was teaching. A man whose right hand was weak and twisted was there. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were trying to find fault with Jesus. So they watched him closely. They wanted to see if he would heal on the Sabbath day. 8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He spoke to the man who had the weak and twisted hand. “Get up and stand in front of everyone,” he said. So the man got up and stood there.
9 Then Jesus said to them, “What does the Law say we should do on the Sabbath day? Should we do good? Or should we do evil? Should we save life? Or should we destroy it?”
10 He looked around at all of them. Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his hand had been made as good as new. 11 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were very angry. They began to talk to one another about what they might do to Jesus.
Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles
12 On one of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray. He spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called for his disciples to come to him. He chose 12 of them and made them apostles. Here are their names.
14 Simon, whom Jesus named Peter, and his brother Andrew
James
John
Philip
Bartholomew
15 Matthew
Thomas
James, son of Alphaeus
Simon who was called the Zealot
16 Judas, son of James
and Judas Iscariot who would later hand Jesus over to his enemies
Jesus Gives Blessings and Warnings
17 Jesus went down the mountain with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there. A large number of other people were there too. They came from all over Judea, including Jerusalem. They also came from the coastland around Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had all come to hear Jesus and to be healed of their sicknesses. People who were troubled by evil spirits were made well. 19 Everyone tried to touch Jesus. Power was coming from him and healing them all.
20 Jesus looked at his disciples. He said to them,
“Blessed are you who are needy.
God’s kingdom belongs to you.
21 Blessed are you who are hungry now.
You will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are sad now.
You will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they have nothing to do with you
and say bad things about you,
and when they treat your name as something evil.
They do all this because you are followers of the Son of Man.
23 “The prophets of long ago were treated the same way. When these things happen to you, be glad and jump for joy. You will receive many blessings in heaven.
24 “But how terrible it will be for you who are rich!
You have already had your easy life.
25 How terrible for you who are well fed now!
You will go hungry.
How terrible for you who laugh now!
You will cry and be sad.
26 How terrible for you when everyone says good things about you!
Their people treated the false prophets the same way long ago.
Love Your Enemies
27 “But here is what I tell you who are listening. Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who call down curses on you. And pray for those who treat you badly. 29 Suppose someone slaps you on one cheek. Let them slap you on the other cheek as well. Suppose someone takes your coat. Don’t stop them from taking your shirt as well. 30 Give to everyone who asks you. And if anyone takes what belongs to you, don’t ask to get it back. 31 Do to others as you want them to do to you.
32 “Suppose you love those who love you. Should anyone praise you for that? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And suppose you do good to those who are good to you. Should anyone praise you for that? Even sinners do that. 34 And suppose you lend money to those who can pay you back. Should anyone praise you for that? Even a sinner lends to sinners, expecting them to pay everything back. 35 But love your enemies. Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then you will receive a lot in return. And you will be children of the Most High God. He is kind to people who are evil and are not thankful. 36 So have mercy, just as your Father has mercy.
Be Fair When You Judge Other People
37 “If you do not judge other people, then you will not be judged. If you do not find others guilty, then you will not be found guilty. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good amount will be poured into your lap. It will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over. The same amount you give will be measured out to you.”
39 Jesus also gave them another example. He asked, “Can a blind person lead another blind person? Won’t they both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not better than the teacher. But everyone who is completely trained will be like their teacher.
41 “You look at the bit of sawdust in your friend’s eye. But you pay no attention to the piece of wood in your own eye. 42 How can you say to your friend, ‘Let me take the bit of sawdust out of your eye’? How can you say this while there is a piece of wood in your own eye? You pretender! First take the piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you will be able to see clearly to take the bit of sawdust out of your friend’s eye.
A Tree and Its Fruit
43 “A good tree doesn’t bear bad fruit. And a bad tree doesn’t bear good fruit. 44 You can tell each tree by the kind of fruit it bears. People do not pick figs from thorns. And they don’t pick grapes from bushes. 45 A good man says good things. These come from the good that is stored up in his heart. An evil man says evil things. These come from the evil that is stored up in his heart. A person’s mouth says everything that is in their heart.
The Wise and Foolish Builders
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and still don’t do what I say? 47 Some people come and listen to me and do what I say. I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man who builds a house. He digs down deep and sets it on solid rock. When a flood comes, the river rushes against the house. But the water can’t shake it. The house is well built. 49 But here is what happens when people listen to my words and do not obey them. They are like a man who builds a house on soft ground instead of solid rock. The moment the river rushes against that house, it falls down. It is completely destroyed.”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
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