Luke 7:36-8:18

English Standard Version

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

³⁶^(A)One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. ³⁷^(B)And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, ³⁸and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and ^(C)wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. ³⁹Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If ^(D)this man were ^(E)a prophet, he ^(F)would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” ⁴⁰And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

⁴¹“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred ^(G)denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²^(H)When they could not pay, he ^(I)cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” ⁴³Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” ⁴⁴Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; ^(J)you gave me no water for my feet, but ^(K)she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵^(L)You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to ^(M)kiss my feet. ⁴⁶^(N)You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷Therefore I tell you, her sins, ^(O)which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸And he said to her, ^(P)“Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹Then those who were at table with him began to say among^[a] themselves, ^(Q)“Who is this, who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰And he said to the woman, ^(R)“Your faith has saved you; ^(S)go in peace.”

Women Accompanying Jesus

8 Soon afterward he went on ^(T)through cities and villages, proclaiming and ^(U)bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, ²and also ^(V)some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: ^(W)Mary, called Magdalene, ^(X)from whom seven demons had gone out, ³and ^(Y)Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them^[b] out of their means.

The Parable of the Sower

⁴^(Z)And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, ⁵^(AA)“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. ⁶And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, ^(AB)it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷And some fell among ^(AC)thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. ⁸And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded ^(AD)a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, ^(AE)“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

⁹And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, ¹⁰he said, ^(AF)“To you it has been given to know ^(AG)the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so ^(AH)that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ ¹¹^(AI)Now the parable is this: The seed is ^(AJ)the word of God. ¹²The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not ^(AK)believe and be saved. ¹³And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it ^(AL)with joy. But these have no root; they ^(AM)believe for a while, and in time of testing ^(AN)fall away. ¹⁴And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but ^(AO)as they go on their way they are choked by the ^(AP)cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. ¹⁵As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and ^(AQ)bear fruit ^(AR)with patience.

A Lamp Under a Jar

¹⁶^(AS)^(AT)“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. ¹⁷^(AU)For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸^(AV)Take care then how you hear, ^(AW)for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”