Blessings for Obedience

28 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow^(A) all his commands^(B) I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.^{(C) 2} All these blessings will come on you^(D) and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:

⁷ The Lord will grant that the enemies^(I) who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.^(J)

⁸ The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless^(K) you in the land he is giving you.

⁹ The Lord will establish you as his holy people,^(L) as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands^(M) of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. ¹⁰ Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name^(N) of the Lord, and they will fear you. ¹¹ The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock^(O) and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.^(P)

¹² The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse^(Q) of his bounty,^(R) to send rain^(S) on your land in season and to bless^(T) all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.^{(U) 13} The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow^(V) them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.^{(W) 14} Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left,^(X) following other gods and serving them.

Curses for Disobedience

¹⁵ However, if you do not obey^(Y) the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today,^(Z) all these curses will come on you and overtake you:^(AA)

²⁰ The Lord will send on you curses,^(AF) confusion and rebuke^(AG) in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin^(AH) because of the evil^(AI) you have done in forsaking him.^{[a] 21} The Lord will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess.^{(AJ) 22} The Lord will strike you with wasting disease,^(AK) with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought,^(AL) with blight^(AM) and mildew, which will plague^(AN) you until you perish.^{(AO) 23} The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron.^{(AP) 24} The Lord will turn the rain^(AQ) of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.

²⁵ The Lord will cause you to be defeated^(AR) before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven,^(AS) and you will become a thing of horror^(AT) to all the kingdoms on earth.^{(AU) 26} Your carcasses will be food for all the birds^(AV) and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.^{(AW) 27} The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt^(AX) and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. ²⁸ The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. ²⁹ At midday you will grope^(AY) about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue^(AZ) you.

³⁰ You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and rape her.^(BA) You will build a house, but you will not live in it.^(BB) You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit.^{(BC) 31} Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them. ³² Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation,^(BD) and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand. ³³ A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression^(BE) all your days.^{(BF) 34} The sights you see will drive you mad.^{(BG) 35} The Lord will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils^(BH) that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.^(BI)

³⁶ The Lord will drive you and the king^(BJ) you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your ancestors.^(BK) There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone.^{(BL) 37} You will become a thing of horror,^(BM) a byword^(BN) and an object of ridicule^(BO) among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.^(BP)

³⁸ You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little,^(BQ) because locusts^(BR) will devour^(BS) it. ³⁹ You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine^(BT) or gather the grapes, because worms will eat^(BU) them.^{(BV) 40} You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off.^{(BW) 41} You will have sons and daughters but you will not keep them, because they will go into captivity.^{(BX) 42} Swarms of locusts^(BY) will take over all your trees and the crops of your land.

⁴³ The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower.^{(BZ) 44} They will lend to you, but you will not lend to them.^(CA) They will be the head, but you will be the tail.^(CB)

⁴⁵ All these curses will come on you. They will pursue you and overtake you^(CC) until you are destroyed,^(CD) because you did not obey the Lord your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. ⁴⁶ They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever.^{(CE) 47} Because you did not serve^(CF) the Lord your God joyfully and gladly^(CG) in the time of prosperity, ⁴⁸ therefore in hunger and thirst,^(CH) in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. He will put an iron yoke^(CI) on your neck^(CJ) until he has destroyed you.

⁴⁹ The Lord will bring a nation against you^(CK) from far away, from the ends of the earth,^(CL) like an eagle^(CM) swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand,^{(CN) 50} a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old^(CO) or pity for the young. ⁵¹ They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine^(CP) or olive oil,^(CQ) nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined.^{(CR) 52} They will lay siege^(CS) to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the Lord your God is giving you.^(CT)

⁵³ Because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you.^{(CU) 54} Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, ⁵⁵ and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities.^{(CV) 56} The most gentle and sensitive^(CW) woman among you—so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot—will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter^{(CX) 57} the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For in her dire need she intends to eat them^(CY) secretly because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of your cities.

⁵⁸ If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law,^(CZ) which are written in this book, and do not revere^(DA) this glorious and awesome name^(DB)—the Lord your God— ⁵⁹ the Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. ⁶⁰ He will bring on you all the diseases of Egypt^(DC) that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. ⁶¹ The Lord will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law,^(DD) until you are destroyed.^{(DE) 62} You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky^(DF) will be left but few^(DG) in number, because you did not obey the Lord your God. ⁶³ Just as it pleased^(DH) the Lord to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please^(DI) him to ruin and destroy you.^(DJ) You will be uprooted^(DK) from the land you are entering to possess.

⁶⁴ Then the Lord will scatter^(DL) you among all nations,^(DM) from one end of the earth to the other.^(DN) There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known.^{(DO) 65} Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place^(DP) for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes^(DQ) weary with longing, and a despairing heart.^{(DR) 66} You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. ⁶⁷ In the morning you will say, “If only it were evening!” and in the evening, “If only it were morning!”—because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see.^{(DS) 68} The Lord will send you back in ships to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again.^(DT) There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer^(A)(B)

11 One day Jesus was praying^(C) in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord,^(D) teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

² He said to them, “When you pray, say:

⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ ⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity^[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.^(H)

⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;^(I) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for^[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus and Beelzebul^(J)(K)

¹⁴ Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.^{(L) 15} But some of them said, “By Beelzebul,^(M) the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”^{(N) 16} Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.^(O)

¹⁷ Jesus knew their thoughts^(P) and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. ¹⁸ If Satan^(Q) is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if I drive out demons by the finger of God,^(R) then the kingdom of God^(S) has come upon you.

²¹ “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. ²² But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

²³ “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.^(T)

²⁴ “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ ²⁵ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”^(U)

²⁷ As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”^(V)

²⁸ He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God^(W) and obey it.”^(X)

The Sign of Jonah^(Y)

²⁹ As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign,^(Z) but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.^{(AA) 30} For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. ³¹ The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom;^(AB) and now something greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah;^(AC) and now something greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp of the Body^(AD)

³³ “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.^{(AE) 34} Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,^[g] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,^[h] your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. ³⁶ Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law

³⁷ When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table.^{(AF) 38} But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.^(AG)

³⁹ Then the Lord^(AH) said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.^{(AI) 40} You foolish people!^(AJ) Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor,^(AK) and everything will be clean for you.^(AL)

⁴² “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth^(AM) of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.^(AN) You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.^(AO)

⁴³ “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.^(AP)

⁴⁴ “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves,^(AQ) which people walk over without knowing it.”

⁴⁵ One of the experts in the law^(AR) answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

⁴⁶ Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.^(AS)

⁴⁷ “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. ⁴⁸ So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.^{(AT) 49} Because of this, God in his wisdom^(AU) said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’^{(AV) 50} Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel^(AW) to the blood of Zechariah,^(AX) who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.^(AY)

⁵² “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”^(AZ)

⁵³ When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, ⁵⁴ waiting to catch him in something he might say.^(BA)

Jesus at a Pharisee’s House^(A)

14 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee,^(B) he was being carefully watched.^{(C) 2} There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. ³ Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law,^(D) “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”^{(E) 4} But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.

⁵ Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child^[a] or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?”^{(F) 6} And they had nothing to say.

⁷ When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table,^(G) he told them this parable: ⁸ “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. ⁹ If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. ¹¹ For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”^(H)

¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,^{(I) 14} and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”^(J)

The Parable of the Great Banquet^(K)

¹⁵ When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast^(L) in the kingdom of God.”^(M)

¹⁶ Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. ¹⁷ At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

¹⁸ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

¹⁹ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

²⁰ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

²¹ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’^(N)

²² “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

²³ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. ²⁴ I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”^(O)

The Cost of Being a Disciple

²⁵ Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.^{(P) 27} And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.^(Q)

²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

³¹ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.^(R)

³⁴ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?^{(S) 35} It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.^(T)

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”^(U)

The Parable of the Lost Sheep^(V)

15 Now the tax collectors^(W) and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”^(X)

³ Then Jesus told them this parable:^{(Y) 4} “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?^{(Z) 5} And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’^{(AA) 7} I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.^(AB)

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins^[b] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’^{(AC) 10} In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”^(AD)

The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.^{(AE) 12} The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’^(AF) So he divided his property^(AG) between them.

¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth^(AH) in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.^{(AI) 16} He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned^(AJ) against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.^(AK)

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.^(AL) I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe^(AM) and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger^(AN) and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;^(AO) he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.^(AP)

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “The older brother became angry^(AQ) and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property^(AR) with prostitutes^(AS) comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”^(AT)

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

16 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.^{(AU) 2} So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— ⁴ I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

⁵ “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

⁶ “‘Nine hundred gallons^[c] of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

⁷ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels^[d] of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

⁸ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world^(AV) are more shrewd^(AW) in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.^{(AX) 9} I tell you, use worldly wealth^(AY) to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.^(AZ)

¹⁰ “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,^(BA) and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth,^(BB) who will trust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

¹³ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”^(BC)

¹⁴ The Pharisees, who loved money,^(BD) heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.^{(BE) 15} He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves^(BF) in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts.^(BG) What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

Additional Teachings

¹⁶ “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John.^(BH) Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached,^(BI) and everyone is forcing their way into it. ¹⁷ It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.^(BJ)

¹⁸ “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.^(BK)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.^{(BL) 20} At his gate was laid a beggar^(BM) named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹ and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.^(BN) Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,^(BO) have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’^(BP)

²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,^(BQ) but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.^{(BR) 26} And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

²⁷ “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, ²⁸ for I have five brothers. Let him warn them,^(BS) so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

²⁹ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses^(BT) and the Prophets;^(BU) let them listen to them.’

³⁰ “‘No, father Abraham,’^(BV) he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Sin, Faith, Duty

17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble^(BW) are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.^{(BX) 2} It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones^(BY) to stumble.^{(BZ) 3} So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister^[e] sins against you, rebuke them;^(CA) and if they repent, forgive them.^{(CB) 4} Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”^(CC)

⁵ The apostles^(CD) said to the Lord,^(CE) “Increase our faith!”

⁶ He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,^(CF) you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.^(CG)

⁷ “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? ⁸ Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me^(CH) while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? ⁹ Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”^(CI)

Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem,^(CJ) Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.^{(CK) 12} As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy^[f](CL) met him. They stood at a distance^{(CM) 13} and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master,^(CN) have pity on us!”

¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”^(CO) And as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God^(CP) in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.^(CQ)

¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”^(CR)

The Coming of the Kingdom of God^(CS)

²⁰ Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,^(CT) Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, ²¹ nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’^(CU) because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”^[g]

²² Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man,^(CV) but you will not see it.^{(CW) 23} People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.^{(CX) 24} For the Son of Man in his day^[h] will be like the lightning,^(CY) which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.