The Purpose of the Parables

¹⁰ And ^(A)when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. ¹¹ And he said to them, ^(B)“To you has been given ^(C)the secret of the kingdom of God, but for ^(D)those outside everything is in parables, ^12 (E)so that

Oh, That My People Would Listen to Me

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)The Gittith.^[a] Of ^(B)Asaph.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was clothed in ^(A)purple and fine linen and ^(B)who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate ^(C)was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who desired to be fed with ^(D)what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² The poor man died and was carried by ^(E)the angels ^(F)to Abraham's side.^[a] The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and in ^(G)Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and ^(H)saw Abraham far off and Lazarus ^(I)at his side. ²⁴ And he called out, ^(J)‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and ^(K)cool my tongue, for ^(L)I am in anguish in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that ^(M)you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have ^(N)Moses and the Prophets; ^(O)let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, ^(P)father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear ^(Q)Moses and the Prophets, ^(R)neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”