^19:1Jesus¹ entered Jericho² and was passing through it. ^19:2Now³ a man named Zacchaeus was there; he was a chief tax collector⁴ and was rich. ^19:3He⁵ was trying to get a look at Jesus,⁶ but being a short man he could not see over the crowd.⁷^19:4So⁸ he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree⁹ to see him, because Jesus¹⁰ was going to pass that way. ^19:5And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up¹¹ and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly,¹² because I must¹³ stay at your house today.”¹⁴^19:6So he came down quickly¹⁵ and welcomed Jesus¹⁶ joyfully.¹⁷^19:7And when the people¹⁸ saw it, they all complained,¹⁹ “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”²⁰^19:8But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give²¹ to the poor, and if²² I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” ^19:9Then²³ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation²⁴ has come to this household,²⁵ because he too is a son of Abraham!²⁶^19:10For the Son of Man came²⁷ to seek and to save the lost.”

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Luke 19:10: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Footnotes

1 Grk “And entering, he passed through”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 For location see ; ; ; ; ; .
3 Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new character. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis ( 1).
4 This is the one place in the NT the office of chief tax collector is noted. He would organize the other tax collectors and collect healthy commissions (see also the note on the word tax collector in 3:12).
5 Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
6 Grk “He was trying to see who Jesus was.”
7 Grk “and he was not able to because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.”
8 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Zacchaeus not being able to see over the crowd.
9 A sycamore tree would have large branches near the ground like an oak tree and would be fairly easy to climb. These trees reach a height of some 50 ft (about 15 m).
10 Grk “that one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 Most (A [D] W [Ψ] f13 33vid 𝔐 latt) read “Jesus looking up, saw him and said.” The words “saw him and” are not in א B L T Θ f1 579 1241 2542 co. Both the testimony for the omission and the natural tendency toward scribal expansion argue for the shorter reading here.
12 Grk “hastening, come down.” σπεύσας (speusas) has been translated as a participle of manner.
13 I must stay. Jesus revealed the necessity of his associating with people like Zacchaeus (5:31–32). This act of fellowship indicated acceptance.
14 On today here and in v. 9, See the note on today in .
15 Grk “hastening, he came down.” σπεύσας (speusas) has been translated as a participle of manner.
16 Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 The participle χαίρων (chairōn) has been taken as indicating manner. Zacchaeus responded joyfully. Luke likes to mention joy as a response to what God was doing (1:14; 2:10; 10:20; 13:17; 15:5, 32; 19:37; 24:41, 52).
18 Grk “they”; the referent is unspecified but is probably the crowd in general, who would have no great love for a man like Zacchaeus who had enriched himself many times over at their expense.
19 This term is used only twice in the NT, both times in Luke (here and 15:2) and has negative connotations both times ( διαγογγύζω). The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
20 Being the guest of a man who is a sinner was a common complaint about Jesus: Luke 5:31–32; 7:37–50; 15:1–2.
21 Zacchaeus was a penitent man who resolved on the spot to act differently in the face of Jesus’ acceptance of him. In resolving to give half his possessions to the poor, Zacchaeus was not defending himself against the crowd’s charges and claiming to be righteous. Rather as a result of this meeting with Jesus, he was a changed individual. So Jesus could speak of salvation coming that day (v. 9) and of the lost being saved (v. 10).
22 This is a first class condition in the Greek text. It virtually confesses fraud.
23 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative
24 This is one of the few uses of the specific term salvation in Luke (1:69, 71, 77), though the concept runs throughout the Gospel.
25 The household is not a reference to the building, but to the people who lived within it (L&N 10.8).
26 Zacchaeus was personally affirmed by Jesus as a descendant (son) of Abraham and a member of God’s family.
27 The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost is Jesus’ mission succinctly defined. See Luke 15:1–32.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

He entered Jericho and was passing through. There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man. So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, since he was about to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today it is necessary for me to stay at your house.”

So he quickly came down and welcomed him joyfully. All who saw it began to complain, “He’s gone to stay with a sinful man.”

But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord. And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much.”

“Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

NLTNew Living Translation

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And he entered and traveled through Jericho. And there was a man named Zacchaeus, and he was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he was seeking to see Jesus—who he was—and he was not able to as a result of the crowd, because he was short in stature. And he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree so that he could see him, because he was going to go through that way. And when he came to the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, because it is necessary for me to stay at your house today!” And he came down quickly and welcomed him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all began to complain, saying, “He has gone in to find lodging with a man who is a sinner!” And Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I am giving to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I am paying it back four times as much!” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who are lost.”

KJV 1900King James Version

And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

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