Luke 6–8

Plucking Grain on the Sabbath

6Now it happened that on a Sabbath he went through the grain fields, and his disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them^* in their^* hands. ²But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath? ³And Jesus answered and^* said to them, “Have you not read this, what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry—⁴how he entered into the house of God and took the bread of the presentation, which it is not permitted to eat (except the priests alone), and^* ate it^* and gave it^* to those with him?” ⁵And he said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand Healed

⁶Now it happened that on another Sabbath he entered into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there, and his right hand was withered. ⁷So the scribes and the Pharisees were watching closely^a to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, in order that they could find a reason^* to accuse him. ⁸But he knew their thoughts and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Get up and stand in the middle,” and he got up and^* stood there. ⁹And Jesus said to them, “I ask you whether it is permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?”^{* 10}And after^* looking around at them all, he said to him, “Stretch out your hand,” and he did, and his hand was restored. ¹¹But they were filled with fury, and began discussing^* with one another what they might do to Jesus.

The Selection of the Twelve Apostles

¹²Now it happened that in these days he went away to the mountain to pray, and was spending the whole night in prayer to God. ¹³And when day came, he summoned his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he also named apostles: ¹⁴Simon (whom he also named Peter) and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, ¹⁵and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

The Sermon on the Plain: The Beatitudes

¹⁷And he came down with them and^* stood on a level place, and a large crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all of Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast district of Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled by unclean spirits were cured. ¹⁹And the whole crowd was seeking to touch him, because power was going out from him and healing them all.

²⁰And he lifted up his eyes to his disciples and^* said,

“Blessed are the poor,

because yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹Blessed are those who are hungry now,

because you will be satisfied.

Blessed are those who weep now,

Because you will laugh.

²²Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. ²³Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to do the same things to the prophets.

The Sermon on the Plain: Woes

²⁴“But woe to you who are rich,

because you have received your comfort.

²⁵Woe to you who are satisfied now,

because you will be hungry.

Woe, you who laugh now,

because you will mourn and weep.

²⁶Woe whenever all people speak well of you,

for their fathers used to do the same things to the false prophets.

The Sermon on the Plain: Love for Enemies

²⁷“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from the one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic also. ³⁰Give to everyone who asks you, and from the one who takes away your things, do not ask for them back.^{* 31}And just as you want people to do^b to you, do the same^c to them.

³²“And if you love those who love you, what kind of credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them! ³³And if^d you do good to those who do good to you, what kind of credit is that to you? Even the sinners do the same! ³⁴And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive back, what kind of credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may get back an equal amount! ³⁵But love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting back nothing, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful!^e

The Sermon on the Plain: On Judging Others

³⁷“And do not judge, and you will never be judged. And do not condemn, and you will never be condemned. Pardon, and you will be pardoned. ³⁸Give, and it will be given to you, a good measure—pressed down, shaken, overflowing—they will pour out into your lap. For with the measure by which you measure out, it will be measured out to you in return.”

³⁹And he also told them a parable: “Surely a blind person cannot lead the blind, can he?^* Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰A disciple is not superior to his^* teacher, but everyone, when he^* is fully trained, will be like his teacher. ⁴¹And why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the beam of wood that is in your own eye? ⁴²How are you able to say to your brother, “Brother, allow me to remove the speck that is in your eye,” while^* you yourself do not see the beam of wood in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the beam of wood from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye!

The Sermon on the Plain: Trees and Their Fruit

⁴³“For there is no good tree that produces bad fruit, nor on the other hand a bad tree that produces good fruit, ⁴⁴for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn plants, nor are grapes harvested from thorn bushes. ⁴⁵The good person out of the good treasury of his heart brings forth good, and the evil person out of his^* evil treasury^* brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

⁴⁶“And why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?^*

The Sermon on the Plain: Two Houses and Two Foundations

⁴⁷“Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and does them—I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸he is like a man building a house, who dug and went down deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when^* a flood came, the river burst against that house and was not able to shake it, because it had been built well. ⁴⁹But the one who hears my words^* and does not do them^* is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, which the river burst against, and immediately it collapsed—and the collapse of that house was great!”

A Centurion’s Slave Healed

7After he had finished all his statements in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capernaum. ²Now a certain centurion’s slave, who was esteemed by him, was sick^a and^* was about to die. ³So when he^* heard about Jesus, he sent Jewish elders to him, asking him that he would come and^* cure his slave. ⁴And when they^* came to Jesus, they began imploring^b him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy that you grant this for him, ⁵because he loves our nation and he himself built the synagogue for us.” ⁶So Jesus went with them. Now by this time he was not far away from the house, and^* the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy that you should come in under my roof. ⁷For this reason neither did I consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word and my slave must be healed. ⁸For I also am a man placed under authority, who has soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another one, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”^*

⁹And when^* Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning around to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith!” ¹⁰And when they^* returned to the house, those who had been sent found the slave healthy.

A Widow’s Son Raised

¹¹And it happened that on the next day he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. ¹²And as he approached the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. ¹³And when^* the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep!” ¹⁴And he came up and^* touched the bier, and those who were carrying it^* stopped. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” ¹⁵And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and he gave him to his mother. ¹⁶And fear seized them all, and they began to glorify^* God, saying, “A great prophet has appeared among us!” and “God has visited to help his people!” ¹⁷And this report about him went out in the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

A Question from John the Baptist

¹⁸And his disciples reported to John about all these things. And summoning a certain two of his disciples, John ¹⁹sent them^* to the Lord,^c saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” ²⁰And when^* the men came to him, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’ ” ²¹In that hour he healed many people of diseases and suffering and evil spirits, and he granted sight to many blind people. ²²And he answered and^* said to them, “Go and^* tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear;^d the dead are raised, the poor have good news announced to them.^{* 23}And whoever is not offended by me is blessed.”

²⁴And when^* the messengers of John had departed, he began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵But what did you go…