Luke 18:1–23

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.