KINGDOM VALUES

14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money,z were listening to all these things and scoffingaa at him. 15 And he told them, “You are the ones who justifyab yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts.ac For what is highly admired by people is revoltingad in God’s sight.

16 “Theae Law and the Prophetsaf were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of Godag has been proclaimed, and everyone is urgently invited to enter it.A 17 But it is easiera for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out.

18 “Everyoneb who divorcesc his wife and marries another woman commits adultery,d and everyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS

19 “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen,e feasting lavishly every day. 20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was lying at his gate.f 21 He longed to be filledg with what fell from the rich man’s table,h but instead the dogsi would come and lick his sores. 22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side.* j The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in tormentk in Hades,l he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 24 ‘Father Abraham!’m he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agonyn in this flame!’

25 “ ‘Son,’C Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things,o just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here,p while you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’

27 “ ‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house—28 because I have five brothers—to warn qthem, so that they won’t also come to this place of torment.’

29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; rthey should listen to them.’

30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’ ”s