THANKS AND PRAYER
AND it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through
the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain
village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy
on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves
unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were
cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back,
and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his
feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering
said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are
not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And
he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God
should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not
with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for,
behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall
desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see
it. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after
them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of
the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven;
so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer
many things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the
days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They
did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage,
until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came,
and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot;
they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they
builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and
brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in
the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be
upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to
take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return
back. Remember Lot's wife.
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always
to pray, and not to faint; saying, There was in a city a judge, which
feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that
city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And
he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though
I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me,
I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the
Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge
his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long
with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless
when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves
that they were righteous, and despised others: two men went up into
the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The
Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that
I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even
as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that
I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so
much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be
merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house
justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself
shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.