Luke 18

THE PARABLE OF THE PERSISTENT WIDOW

18Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray^s always and not give up.^{t 2}“There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God^u or respect people. ³And a widow ^vin that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

⁴“For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, ⁵yet because this widow keeps^w pestering me,^G I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out^H by her persistent coming.’ ”

⁶Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷Will not God grant justice^x to his elect^y who cry out to him day and night?^z Will he delay^aa helping them?^{A 8}I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,^ab will he find faith on earth?”

THE PARABLE OF THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX COLLECTOR

⁹He^ac also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves^ad that they were righteous^ae and looked down^af on everyone else: ¹⁰“Two men went up to the temple to pray,^ag one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee was standing^ah and praying like this about himself:^B ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—greedy,^ai unrighteous,^aj adulterers,^ak or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast^al twice a week; I give a tenth^Cam of everything I get.’

¹³“But the tax collector, standing far off,^an would not even raise his eyes to heaven^ao but kept striking his chest^ap and saying, ‘God, have mercy on me,^Daq a sinner!’^{ar 14}I tell you, this one went down to his house justified^as rather than the other, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”^at

BLESSING THE CHILDREN

¹⁵People^au were bringing infants to him so that he might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶Jesus, however, invited them: “Let the little children come to me,^av and don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷Truly I tell you,^aw whoever does not receive^ax the kingdom of God like a little child^ay will never enter it.”

THE RICH YOUNG RULER

¹⁸A^az ruler^ba asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”^bb

¹⁹“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. ²⁰You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother.”^Ea

²¹“I have kept all these from my youth,” he said.

²²When Jesus heard this, he told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell all you have and distribute it to the poor,^b and you will have treasure in heaven.^c Then come, follow me.”^d

²³After he heard this, he became extremely sad,^e because he was very rich.

POSSESSIONS AND THE KINGDOM

²⁴Seeing that he became sad,^F Jesus said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶Those who heard this asked, “Then who can be saved?”^f

²⁷He replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”^g

²⁸Then Peter said, “Look, we have left what we had and followed^h you.”

²⁹So he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left a house, wife or brothers or sisters, parents or children because of the kingdom of God, ³⁰who will not receive many times more at this time,ⁱ and eternal life in the age to come.”

THE THIRD PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH

³¹Then^j he took the Twelve aside and told them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem.^k Everything that is written^l through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.^{m 32}For he will be handed over to the Gentiles,ⁿ and he will be mocked,^o insulted, spit^p on; ³³and after they flog him, they will kill him, and he will rise on the third day.”^q

³⁴They understood none of these things.^r The meaning of the saying^As was hidden^t from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

A BLIND MAN RECEIVES HIS SIGHT

³⁵As^u he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. ³⁶Hearing a crowd passing by, he inquired what was happening. ³⁷“Jesus of Nazareth^v is passing by,” they told him.

³⁸So he called out,^w “Jesus, Son of David,^x have mercy^y on me!” ³⁹Then those in front told him to keep quiet,^B but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to him. When he came closer, he asked him, ⁴¹“What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord,” he said, “I want to see.”

⁴²“Receive your sight,”^z Jesus told him. “Your faith has saved you.”^{aa 43}Instantly he could see, and he began to follow him, glorifying God.^ab All the people,^ac when they saw it, gave praise to God.