will, command that we send fire to come down from heaven and consume
them as Elias did? Jesus turned and rebuked them. He said, Ye know not
what manner of spirit ye are of. The Son of man is not come to destroy
men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
As they went along, a man said, Lord, I will follow wherever you go.
Jesus replied, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but
the Son of man has nowhere to lay His head. To another, Jesus said,
Follow me. But the man said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my
father. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their dead but you go and
preach the kingdom of God.
Then another man said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go
bid farewell to those at my house. Jesus said, No man, having put his
hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy others to go ahead of
Him, two by two, to the places He would visit. He said to them, The
harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few. Ask the master to
send forth more laborers into his harvest.
Now, go your way. Behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes; and salute no one along the
way.
Into whatever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. If
the Son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon it; if not, it
shall return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking
such things as they give; for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Do
not go from house to house.
And into whatever city ye enter, from those who receive you, eat such
things as are set before you. Heal the sick therein, and say to them,
The kingdom of God is come near you.
But, into whatever city ye enter where they do not receive you, go out
into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your
city, which cleaves to us, we wipe off against you and, be ye sure of
this, the kingdom of God is come near to you. But I say to you, it
shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
Woe to thee, Chorazin! woe to thee, Bethsaida! If the mighty works had
been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they would
have, long ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall
be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And
Capernaum, exalted to heaven, shall be thrust down to hell. He that
hears you hears me; and he that despises you despises me. He that
despises me despises Him that sent me.
The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are
subject to us through thy name. Jesus said to them, I beheld Satan as
lightning falls from heaven. Behold, I give you power to tread on
serpents, and scorpions, and all of the enemy. Nothing shall, in any
way, hurt you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to
you; but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, I thank thee, O
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou has hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and revealed them to babes and, moreso, Father,
for it seemed good in thy sight.
All things are delivered to me by my Father. No man knows who the Son
is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and He to whom
the Son will reveal Him.
Jesus turned to His disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the
eyes that see the things that ye see. Many prophets and kings have
desired to see these things ye see and have not seen them; and to hear
the things ye hear and have not heard them.
Then a lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, Master, what shall I do
to inherit eternal life? Jesus said to him, What is written in the
law? How readest thou? The lawyer answered, Thou shall love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.
Jesus said to him, Thou has answered right. Do this and you shall have
life. Then, wanting to justify himself, the lawyer asked Jesus, And
who is my neighbor? Jesus answered this way, A certain man went down
from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves who stripped him,
wounded him, and left him half dead. By chance, a priest came by. When
he saw him, he crossed to the other side. Then, likewise, a Levite
came by and looked at him. He also passed by on the other side.
Finally a Samaritan came up and, when he saw him, he had compassion
and went to him. He bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine, and set
him on his own beast. He brought him to an inn and took care of him.
When he departed the next morning, he took out some money, gave it to
the host, and said, Take care of him. Whatever more you spend, I will
repay you on my way back.
Now which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who
fell among the thieves? The lawyer answered, He that showed mercy on
him. Then Jesus said to him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Later they came to a village where a woman named Martha received Him
into her house. She had a sister, Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet
and heard His word.
Martha was concerned about the serving of the meal. She came to Jesus
and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve
alone? Tell her to help me. But Jesus said to her, Martha, Martha,
thou art concerned and troubled about so many things. But only one
thing is needful and Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be
taken away from her.
11 After Jesus finished some time in prayer, one of His
disciples said, Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.
He said to them, When ye pray, say, Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as
in heaven. Give us, day by day, our daily bread. Forgive our sins; for
we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. Let us not fall into
temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Jesus said to them, Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at
midnight, and say, Friend, lend me three loaves. A friend of mine has
come to me, and I have nothing to feed him and, from inside he calls
out, Do not bother me. The door is shut and my children are all asleep
in bed and I cannot get up and give you anything?
I tell you, Though he might not get up for another, because he is your
friend and because of your circumstances, he will get up and give you
as much as you need.
So, ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock and
it shall be opened to you. For every friend that asks, receives; and
he that seeks, finds; and to the one that knocks, it shall be opened.
If your son asks for bread, will you give him a stone? If he asks for
a fish, will you give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks
for an egg, will you offer him a scorpion?
If you, who are sinners, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask Him?
It came to pass, Jesus cast out a devil from a man who previously had
been unable to speak. When the devil was gone and the man spoke; the
people wondered. But some of them said, He casts out devils by the
power of Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. Other people wanted to
test Him and wanted Him to produce a sign from heaven.
Jesus knew their thoughts. He said, Every kingdom divided against
itself is brought to destruction; and a house divided against a house
falls. If Satan is also divided against himself, how shall his kingdom
stand?
You say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. If I, by Beelzebub,
cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? So judge by them.
However, I cast out devils with the finger of God, so, do not doubt
that the kingdom of God is upon you.
When a strong man is properly armed, he keeps his palace and his goods
are in peace. But when a man stronger than he comes upon him and
overcomes him, the stronger takes all the armor in which he trusted,
then divides his goods. One who is not with me is against me, and one
who does not gather with me, scatters.
When an unclean spirit leaves a man, he walks through barren places.
He seeks rest but can find none. Then the unclean spirit says, I will
return to the house out of which I came. When he goes back, he finds
it swept and garnished. So he goes and gathers together seven spirits
more wicked than himself. They enter in and dwell there; and the last
state of that man is worse than the first.
As He spoke these things, a woman in the crowd lifted up her voice and
said to Him, Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps which
thou has sucked. But He said, Yes, but it is better to say, Blessed
are they that hear the word of God and keep it.
The crowd drew closer together. Jesus said to them, This is an evil
generation. They seek a sign but no sign will be given except the sign
of Jonas the prophet.
As Jonas was a sign to the Ninevites, so shall the Son of man be to
this generation. The queen of the south will rise up in judgment of
this generation. She will condemn them for she came from the utmost
parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, one
greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineve will rise up in
judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, for they repented
at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, one greater than Jonas is
here.
No one with a lighted candle, puts it in a secret place or under a
bushel. It is put on a candlestick so those who come in may see the
light. The light of the body is the eye. When your eye is single, your
whole body is also full of light. But when your eye is evil, your body
is full of darkness.
Take heed, therefore, that the light that is in you be not darkness.
If thy whole body is full of light, with no dark parts, the whole
shall be full of light, and, like the bright shining of a candle, it
gives off the light.
Later, a Pharisee who had invited Him to dinner marvelled that He had
not first washed before sitting at the meal. Jesus said to him, You
Pharisees make the outside of the cup and the platter clean; but
inside they are full of poison and wickedness. Fools, did not He who
made what is on the outside, make what is inside also? Give of what
you have, then all things will be clean to you.
But woe to you, Pharisees! You tithe mint and rue and all kinds of
herbs, and ignore judgment and the love of God. These you ought to
have done without ignoring the others also.
Woe to you, Pharisees! You love the best seats in the synagogues, and
greetings in the markets. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! You are as empty as graves that others walk over and do
not see.
One of the lawyers said, Master, in saying this you reproach us also.
Jesus said, Woe to you also, ye lawyers! You load men with unbearable
burdens and you yourselves do not so much as lay a finger on one of
these burdens.
Woe to you! You build shrines to the prophets and your fathers killed
them. You bear witness that you sanction the deeds of your fathers,
for they killed them and you build their shrines.
The wisdom of God said: I will send them prophets and apostles. Some
of them they shall slay and persecute that the blood of all the
prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be
required of this generation. The blood of Abel to the blood of
Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple shall be
required of this generation.
Woe to you, lawyers! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You
entered not in yourselves but prevented any others from entering in.
And, as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees
began to urge and provoke Him to speak of many things. They were
laying in wait and trying to catch something He said that they could
use against Him.
12 Later, Jesus drew His disciples together and taught them
saying, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; nor hidden that
shall not be known. Therefore, whatever ye have spoken in darkness
shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have whispered shall be
proclaimed upon the housetops. My friends, Be not afraid of those who
kill the body because, after that, there is no more they can do. But I
will forewarn you who to fear. Fear the one who, after he has killed,
has power to cast you into hell. Yes, fear him.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins and not one of them is
forgotten by God? Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered by
Him. Fear not, then, because you are of more value than many sparrows.
Also, I tell you, Whoever confesses me before men, the Son of man will
also confess before the angels of God. But he that denies me before
men shall be denied before the angels of God. Whoever speaks a word
against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him. But whoever
blasphemes against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven.
Now, when they bring you to the synagogues, and before magistrates and
powers, take no thought how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall
say. The Holy Ghost shall tell you what to say on the spot.
One of the group said, Master, tell my brother to divide the
inheritance with me. Jesus replied, Who made me a judge or a divider
over you? Take heed, and beware of covetousness. A man's life does not
consist of the abundance of things he possesses.
Then Jesus spoke a parable to them. He said, The ground of a rich man
yielded a plentiful harvest. He wondered and said, What shall I do? I
have no room to store my fruit. Finally he said, I will pull down my
barns and build larger ones and there will I store my fruit and all my
goods. I will say to my soul, Thou has enough goods laid up to last
many years. It is time to take ease; eat, drink, and be merry. But God
said to him, Thou fool, tonight thy soul shall be required of thee;
then to whom shall all those things belong which thou has stored away?
So it is with whoever lays up treasure for himself and is not rich
toward God.
Jesus said to His disciples, Therefore, take no thought for your life,
what ye shall eat; or for the body, what ye shall put on. Life is more
than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
Consider the ravens. They neither sow nor reap. They have no
storehouse or barn. God feeds them. How much better than the fowls are
ye? And who of you, by thinking or reasoning, can add to his stature
one cubit? If you are not able to do that which is so little, why take
thought for the rest?
Consider the lilies and how they grow! They toil not, they spin not;
and yet, I say to you, Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like
one of these. If God, then, so clothes the grass, which is today in
the field and tomorrow cast into the oven; how much more will He
clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Seek not what ye shall eat or drink. Neither be of a doubtful mind.
For these same things do all the nations of the world seek after, and
your Father knows that ye have need of these things. Instead, seek ye
the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you.
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give
you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms. Provide yourselves
with purses that do not wear out, a treasure in the heavens that does
not fail, where no thief approaches, nor moth corrupts. For where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Let your loins be girded about and your lights kept burning. Be like
those who wait for their lord to return from the wedding that, when he
comes and knocks, they are ready to welcome him instantly. Blessed are
those servants, who, when the lord comes, He finds ready and waiting.
And consider this, if the good man of the house had known what hour
the thief would come, he would have watched, and not suffered his
house to be broken into. So, be ready because the Son of man comes at
an hour when you think not.
Then Peter said to Him, Lord, will you speak more about this parable
to us, or even to all? The Lord said, Who, then, is that faithful and
wise steward whom his lord shall make ruler over his household to
justly give out the portions of meat in due season? Blessed is that
servant whom his lord, when he comes, shall find already doing so. I
tell you, he will make him ruler over all that he has.
But if a servant says in his heart, My lord delays his coming; and so
begins to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink to
excess; the lord of that servant will come in a day when the servant
does not look for him and at an hour when he is not aware. His lord
will cast him aside and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
That servant, who knew his lord's will but did not prepare or act
according to his lord's will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
But he that did not know and committed things worthy of stripes, shall
be beaten lightly. To whomever much is given, of him much is required.
To whomever much is entrusted, of him even much more will be demanded.
I came to set the earth on fire; and I wish it was already kindled.
But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and am I bound until it is
accomplished!
Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, No; but
rather division. From now on there shall be five in one house divided,
three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided
against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against
the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law
against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her
mother in law.
Then Jesus said to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the
west, ye say, A shower is coming; and so it is. When ye see the south
wind blow, ye say, It is going to be hot; and it comes to pass. Ye
hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but
how is it that ye do not discern this time? And why do you not judge,
within yourselves, what is right?
When you go with your adversary to court, settle along the way so you
may be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the
judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into
prison. You will not leave there until you have paid every last cent.
13 Among those present were some who said that Pilate mingled
blood of the Galilaeans with their sacrifices. Jesus said to them, Do
you suppose these Galilaeans were sinners above all other Galilaeans
because they suffered such things? I tell you, No: but, unless you
repent, you shall all likewise perish. Or the eighteen upon whom the
tower in Siloam fell and killed; do you think they were sinners above
all men who lived in Jerusalem? I tell you again, No: but, unless you
repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Jesus told this parable. A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard.
He came out to get some fruit and found none. He said to the dresser
of his vineyard, Behold, for three years I have come seeking fruit on
this fig tree and found none. Cut it down; why have it take up space?
His dresser said to him, Lord, let it alone this year also, until I
dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit, all is well, and,
if not, then afterward it shall be cut down.
He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. He saw a
woman who, for eighteen years, had been bowed over and could not stand
upright. When Jesus recognized her, He called her to Him, and said,
Woman, thou art loosed from this infirmity. He laid His hands on her
and, immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
The ruler of the synagogue, filled with indignation because Jesus had
healed on the sabbath day, said to the people, There are six days in
which men ought to work. On those days, therefore, come and be healed,
and not on the sabbath day.
The Lord said to the ruler of the synagogue, Thou hypocrite, does not
each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall,
and lead him to be watered? Here is a woman, a daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years. Should she not be loosed from
this bond on the sabbath day? Upon saying this, Jesus' adversaries
were ashamed and the rest of the people rejoiced for all the glorious
things that were done by Him.
Then He said, I will tell you what the the Kingdom of God is like. It
is like a grain of mustard seed, which was cast into a garden. It grew
up and turned into such a great tree that the fowls of the air lodged
in its branches. And He said, The kingdom of God is like leaven that
is put in a few small measures of meal and, in a while, the whole
batch is leavened.
Journeying toward Jerusalem, Jesus stopped and taught in many cities
and villages along the way. And a follower came forward and asked,
Lord, are there only a few that can be saved? Jesus looked out on the
group and replied, Strive to enter in at the strait gate. Many, I tell
you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Once the master of the house is risen up, the door is closed. From
outside you will knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open the door
to us; but He will answer, I do not know who you are.
Then you will say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou
has taught in our streets. But He shall say, I tell you, I do not know
you; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity. There shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye see Abraham, and Isaac, and
Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you are left
outside.
They shall come from the east, the west, the north, and the south, and
shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, the last shall be
first, and the first shall be last.
Then one of the Pharisees said to Him, Get out. Leave here for Herod
will kill thee. Jesus said, Go and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out
devils and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be
perfected. Nevertheless, I must walk today and tomorrow and the day
following for it cannot be that a prophet perish anywhere but
Jerusalem.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets, and stones those who
are sent to thee; how often would I have gathered thy children
together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and ye would not
have it! Behold, your house is left desolate and, verily I say to you,
Ye shall not see me until the time comes when ye say, Blessed is He
that comes in the name of the Lord.
14 It came to pass, Jesus went to eat at the house of one of the
chief Pharisees on the sabbath day. A man was there who had the
dropsy. Jesus, observing that He was being carefully watched, said to
the lawyers and Pharisees, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
They held their peace.
Jesus healed the afflicted man and then said, Which of you shall have
an ass or an ox fall into a pit and will not straightway pull him out
on the sabbath day? Again, they could not answer Him.
Jesus told a parable. He said, When you are invited to a wedding, do
not sit down in the highest room; lest one more honorable than you has
been invited. The host would have to come and tell you the room was
for someone else and, with shame, you move to the lowest room.
Instead, sit down in the lowest room. Then the host may come to you
and say, Friend, go up higher. You will, then, have the respect of the
other guests. Whoever exalts himself shall be abased; and he who
humbles himself shall be exalted.
Then Jesus said to his host, When you make a dinner or a supper, do
not call your friends, or your brethren, or kinsmen, or rich
neighbors; lest they also invite you in return, and you incur an
obligation. When you make a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the
lame, the blind. You will be blessed because they cannot repay you;
you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.
When one of them that sat at the table with Jesus heard these things,
he said, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
Then Jesus told another parable.
He said, A man made a great supper and invited many people. When it
was supper time he sent his servant to say to those who were invited,
Come. All things are now ready. One after another, each one made an
excuse. The first said, I have bought some land and I must go to see
it. Please have me excused. Another said, I just purchased five yoke
of oxen and I must go to claim them. Please have me excused. Another
said, I have just married and cannot come.
The servant returned and reported these things to his lord. Then the
master of the house became angry and said, Go out into the streets and
lanes of the city. Gather the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the
blind and bring them here.
The servant returned and said, Lord, it is done as you commanded, and
there is still room. The lord said, Go out, then, into all the
highways and compel them to come in so my house may be filled. For I
say to you, None of those who were invited shall taste of my supper.