Luke 13

Repent or Perish

13There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood ^pPilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ²And he answered them, ^q“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? ³No, I tell you; but unless you ^rrepent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴Or those eighteen on whom the tower in ^sSiloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? ⁵No, I tell you; but unless you ^rrepent, you will all likewise perish.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

⁶And he told this parable: “A man had ^ta fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. ⁷And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. ^uCut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ ⁸And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. ⁹Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

A Woman with a Disabling Spirit

¹⁰Now ^vhe was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹And behold, there was a woman who had had ^wa disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. ¹²When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” ¹³And he ^xlaid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she ^yglorified God. ¹⁴But ^zthe ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus ^ahad healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, ^b“There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” ¹⁵Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! ^cDoes not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? ¹⁶And ought not this woman, ^da daughter of Abraham whom ^eSatan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” ¹⁷As he said these things, ^fall his adversaries were put to shame, and ^gall the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

^18hHe said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? ¹⁹It is like ⁱa grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

²⁰And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? ^21jIt is like leaven that a woman took and hid in ^kthree measures of flour, until it was ^lall leavened.”

The Narrow Door

^22mHe went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and ⁿjourneying toward Jerusalem. ²³And someone said to him, “Lord, ^owill those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, ^24p“Strive ^qto enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ^25rWhen once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ^s‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ^t‘I do not know where you come from.’ ²⁶Then you will begin to say, ^u‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷But he will say, ‘I tell you, ^tI do not know where you come from. ^vDepart from me, all you workers of evil!’ ^28wIn that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see ^wAbraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but ^wyou yourselves cast out. ²⁹And ^wpeople will come from east and west, and from north and south, and ^xrecline at table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰And behold, ^ysome are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Lament over Jerusalem

³¹At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from ^zhere, for ^aHerod wants to kill you.” ³²And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day ^bI finish my course. ³³Nevertheless, ^cI ^dmust go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that ^ea prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ ^34fO Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^gkills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! ^hHow often would I have ⁱgathered ^jyour children together ^kas a hen gathers her brood ^lunder her wings, and ^myou were not willing! ³⁵Behold, ⁿyour house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ^o‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”