Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy

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

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

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

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.”^(I)

The Coming of the Kingdom of God^(J)

²⁰ Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,^(K) 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,’^(L) because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”^[b]

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,^(M) but you will not see it.^{(N) 23} People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.^{(O) 24} For the Son of Man in his day^[c] will be like the lightning,^(P) which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. ²⁵ But first he must suffer many things^(Q) and be rejected^(R) by this generation.^(S)

²⁶ “Just as it was in the days of Noah,^(T) so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸ “It was the same in the days of Lot.^(U) People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. ²⁹ But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

³⁰ “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.^{(V) 31} On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.^{(W) 32} Remember Lot’s wife!^{(X) 33} Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.^{(Y) 34} I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. ³⁵ Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”^{(Z) [36] [d]}

³⁷ “Where, Lord?” they asked.

He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”^(AA)

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.^{(A) 2} He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice^(B) against my adversary.’

⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”^(C)

⁶ And the Lord^(D) said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out^(E) to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man^(F) comes,^(G) will he find faith on the earth?”

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness^(H) and looked down on everyone else,^(I) Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray,^(J) one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself^(K) and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast^(L) twice a week and give a tenth^(M) of all I get.’

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast^(N) and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’^(O)

¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”^(P)

Divorce^(A)

19 When Jesus had finished saying these things,^(B) he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. ² Large crowds followed him, and he healed them^(C) there.

³ Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife^(D) for any and every reason?”

⁴ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’^{[a](E) 5} and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’^[b]?^{(F) 6} So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

⁷ “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”^(G)

⁸ Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. ⁹ I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”^(H)

¹⁰ The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

¹¹ Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.^{(I) 12} For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

The Little Children and Jesus^(J)

¹³ Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them^(K) and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs^(L) to such as these.”^{(M) 15} When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God^(N)

¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life^(O)?”^(P)

¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”^(Q)

¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery,^(R) you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’^[c](S) and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d]”^(T)

²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect,^(U) go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,^(V) and you will have treasure in heaven.^(W) Then come, follow me.”

²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich^(X) to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”^(Y)

²⁷ Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you!^(Z) What then will there be for us?”

²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,^(AA) you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.^{(AB) 29} And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife^[e] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.^{(AC) 30} But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.^(AD)

Divorce^(A)

10 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan.^(B) Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.^(C)

² Some Pharisees^(D) came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

³ “What did Moses command you?” he replied.

⁴ They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”^(E)

⁵ “It was because your hearts were hard^(F) that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. ⁶ “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’^{[a](G) 7} ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,^{[b] 8} and the two will become one flesh.’^[c](H) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

¹⁰ When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. ¹¹ He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.^{(I) 12} And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”^(J)

The Little Children and Jesus^(K)

¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.^{(L) 15} Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”^{(M) 16} And he took the children in his arms,^(N) placed his hands on them and blessed them.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God^(O)

¹⁷ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees^(P) before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”^(Q)

¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’^[d]”^(R)

²⁰ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor,^(S) and you will have treasure in heaven.^(T) Then come, follow me.”^(U)

²² At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich^(V) to enter the kingdom of God!”

²⁴ The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is^[e] to enter the kingdom of God!^{(W) 25} It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”^(X)

²⁶ The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”^(Y)

²⁸ Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”^(Z)

²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰ will fail to receive a hundred times as much^(AA) in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come^(AB) eternal life.^{(AC) 31} But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”^(AD)

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time^(AE)

³² They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve^(AF) aside and told them what was going to happen to him. ³³ “We are going up to Jerusalem,”^(AG) he said, “and the Son of Man^(AH) will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law.^(AI) They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, ³⁴ who will mock him and spit on him, flog him^(AJ) and kill him.^(AK) Three days later^(AL) he will rise.”^(AM)

The Request of James and John^(AN)

³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”^(AO)

³⁸ “You don’t know what you are asking,”^(AP) Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup^(AQ) I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”^(AR)

³⁹ “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with,^{(AS) 40} but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,^{(AT) 44} and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,^(AU) and to give his life as a ransom for many.”^(AV)

Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight^(AW)

⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth,^(AX) he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David,^(AY) have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi,^(AZ) I want to see.”

⁵² “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”^(BA) Immediately he received his sight and followed^(BB) Jesus along the road.