Luke 11-19

Easy-to-Read Version

Jesus Teaches About Prayer^(A)

11 One time Jesus was out praying, and when he finished, one of his followers said to him, “John taught his followers how to pray. Lord, teach us how to pray too.”

² Jesus said to the followers, “This is how you should pray:

Ask God for What You Need^(B)

^5-6 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you went to your friend’s house very late at night and said to him, ‘A friend of mine has come into town to visit me. But I have nothing for him to eat. Please give me three loaves of bread.’ ⁷ Your friend inside the house answers, ‘Go away! Don’t bother me! The door is already locked. My children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you the bread now.’ ⁸ I tell you, maybe friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread. But he will surely get up to give you what you need if you continue to ask. ⁹ So I tell you, continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. ¹⁰ Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them. ¹¹ Do any of you have a son? What would you do if your son asked you for a fish? Would any father give him a snake? ¹² Or, if he asked for an egg, would you give him a scorpion? Of course not! ¹³ Even you who are bad know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to the people who ask him.”

Jesus’ Power Is From God^(C)

¹⁴ One time Jesus was sending a demon out of a man who could not talk. When the demon came out, the man was able to speak. The crowds were amazed. ¹⁵ But some of the people said, “He uses the power of Satan^[a] to force demons out of people. Satan is the ruler of demons.”

¹⁶ Some others there wanted to test Jesus. They asked him to do a miracle as a sign from God. ¹⁷ But he knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, “Every kingdom that fights against itself will be destroyed. And a family that fights against itself will break apart. ¹⁸ So if Satan is fighting against himself, how will his kingdom survive? You say that I use the power of Satan to force out demons. ¹⁹ But if I use Satan’s power to force out demons, then what power do your people use when they force out demons? So your own people will prove that you are wrong. ²⁰ But I use the power of God to force out demons. This shows that God’s kingdom has now come to you.

²¹ “When a strong man with many weapons guards his own house, the things in his house are safe. ²² But suppose a stronger man comes and defeats him. The stronger man will take away the weapons that the first man trusted to keep his house safe. Then the stronger man will do what he wants with the other man’s things.

²³ “Whoever is not with me is against me. And anyone who does not work with me is working against me.

The Danger of Emptiness^(D)

²⁴ “When an evil spirit comes out of someone, it travels through dry places, looking for a place to rest. But it finds no place to rest. So it says, ‘I will go back to the home I left.’ ²⁵ When it comes back, it finds that home all neat and clean. ²⁶ Then the evil spirit goes out and brings back seven other spirits more evil than itself. They all go and live there, and that person has even more trouble than before.”

The People God Blesses

²⁷ As Jesus was saying these things, a woman with the people there called out to him, “Blessings from God belong to the woman who gave birth to you and fed you!”

²⁸ But Jesus said, “The people who hear the teaching of God and obey it—they are the ones who have God’s blessing.”

Some People Doubt Jesus’ Authority^(E)

²⁹ The crowd grew larger and larger. Jesus said, “The people who live today are evil. They ask for a miracle as a sign from God. But no miracle will be done to prove anything to them. The only sign will be the miracle that happened to Jonah.^{[b] 30} Jonah was a sign for those who lived in Nineveh.^[c] It is the same with the Son of Man. He will be a sign for the people of this time.

³¹ “On the judgment day, you people who live now will be compared with the queen of the South,^[d] and she will be a witness who shows how guilty you are. Why do I say this? Because she traveled from far, far away to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching. And I tell you that someone^[e] greater than Solomon is right here, but you won’t listen!

³² “On the judgment day, you people who live now will also be compared with the people from Nineveh, and they will be witnesses who show how guilty you are. I say this because when Jonah preached to those people, they changed their hearts and lives. And you are listening to someone greater than Jonah, but you refuse to change!

Be a Light for the World^(F)

³³ “No one takes a light and puts it under a bowl or hides it. Instead, they put it on a lampstand so that the people who come in can see. ³⁴ The only source of light for the body is the eye. When you look at people and want to help them, you are full of light. But when you look at people in a selfish way, you are full of darkness.^{[f] 35} So be careful! Don’t let the light in you become darkness. ³⁶ If you are full of light, and there is no part of you that is dark, then you will be all bright, as though you have the light of a lamp shining on you.”

Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders^(G)

³⁷ After Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked Jesus to eat with him. So he went and took a place at the table. ³⁸ But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his hands^[g] first before the meal. ³⁹ The Lord said to him, “The washing you Pharisees do is like cleaning only the outside of a cup or a dish. But what is inside you? You want only to cheat and hurt people. ⁴⁰ You are foolish! The same one who made what is outside also made what is inside. ⁴¹ So pay attention to what is inside. Give to the people who need help. Then you will be fully clean.

⁴² “But it will be bad for you Pharisees! You give God a tenth of the food you get, even your mint, your rue, and every other little plant in your garden.^[h] But you forget to be fair to others and to love God. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things.

⁴³ “It will be bad for you Pharisees because you love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. And you love for people to show respect to you in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ It will be bad for you, because you are like hidden graves. People walk on them without knowing it.”

⁴⁵ One of the experts in the law said to Jesus, “Teacher, when you say these things about the Pharisees, you are criticizing our group too.”

⁴⁶ Jesus answered, “It will be bad for you, you experts in the law! You make strict rules that are very hard for people to obey.^[i] You try to force others to obey your rules. But you yourselves don’t even try to follow any of those rules. ⁴⁷ It will be bad for you, because you build tombs for the prophets. But these are the same prophets your ancestors killed! ⁴⁸ And now you show all people that you agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you build tombs for the prophets! ⁴⁹ This is why God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send prophets and apostles^[j] to them. Some of my prophets and apostles will be killed by evil men. Others will be treated badly.’

⁵⁰ “So you people who live now will be punished for the deaths of all the prophets who were killed since the beginning of the world. ⁵¹ You will be punished for the killing of Abel.^[k] And you will be punished for the killing of Zechariah,^[l] who was killed between the altar and the Temple. Yes, I tell you that you people will be punished for them all.

⁵² “It will be bad for you, you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to learning about God. You yourselves would not learn, and you stopped others from learning too.”

⁵³ When Jesus went out, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to give him much trouble. They tried to make him answer questions about many things. ⁵⁴ They were trying to find a way to catch Jesus saying something wrong.

Don’t Be Like the Pharisees

12 Many thousands of people came together. There were so many people that they were stepping on each other. Before Jesus spoke to the people, he said to his followers, “Be careful of the yeast of the Pharisees. I mean that they are hypocrites. ² Everything that is hidden will be shown, and everything that is secret will be made known. ³ What you say in the dark will be told in the light. And what you whisper in a private room will be shouted from the top of the house.”

Fear Only God^(H)

⁴ Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of people. They can kill the body, but after that they can do nothing more to hurt you. ⁵ I will show you the one to fear. You should fear God, who has the power to kill you and also to throw you into hell. Yes, he is the one you should fear.

⁶ “When birds are sold, five small birds cost only two pennies. But God does not forget any of them. ⁷ Yes, God even knows how many hairs you have on your head. Don’t be afraid. You are worth much more than many birds.

Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Faith^(I)

⁸ “I tell you, if you stand before others and are willing to say you believe in me, then I^[m] will say that you belong to me. I will say this in the presence of God’s angels. ⁹ But if you stand before others and say you do not believe in me, then I will say that you do not belong to me. I will say this in the presence of God’s angels.

¹⁰ “Whoever says something against the Son of Man can be forgiven. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

¹¹ “When men bring you into the synagogues before the leaders and other important men, don’t worry about what you will say. ¹² The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

Jesus Warns Against Selfishness

¹³ One of the men in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, our father just died and left some things for us. Tell my brother to share them with me.”

¹⁴ But Jesus said to him, “Who said I should be your judge or decide how to divide your father’s things between you two?” ¹⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. People do not get life from the many things they own.”

¹⁶ Then Jesus used this story: “There was a rich man who had some land. His land grew a very good crop of food. ¹⁷ He thought to himself, ‘What will I do? I have no place to keep all my crops.’

¹⁸ “Then he said, ‘I know what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger barns! I will put all my wheat and good things together in my new barns. ¹⁹ Then I can say to myself, I have many good things stored. I have saved enough for many years. Rest, eat, drink, and enjoy life!’

²⁰ “But God said to that man, ‘Foolish man! Tonight you will die. So what about the things you prepared for yourself? Who will get those things now?’

²¹ “This is how it will be for anyone who saves things only for himself. To God that person is not rich.”

Put God’s Kingdom First^(J)

²² Jesus said to his followers, “So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat or what you will wear. ²³ Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. ²⁴ Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in houses or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than crows. ²⁵ None of you can add any time to your life by worrying about it. ²⁶ And if you can’t do the little things, why worry about the big things?

²⁷ “Think about how the wildflowers grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. ²⁸ If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think he will do for you? That’s just grass—one day it’s alive, and the next day someone throws it into a fire. But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely he will do much more for you. Your faith is so small!

²⁹ “So don’t always think about what you will eat or what you will drink. Don’t worry about it. ³⁰ That’s what all those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. But your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹ What you should be thinking about is God’s kingdom. Then he will give you all these other things you need.

Don’t Trust in Money

³² “Don’t fear, little flock. Your Father wants to share his kingdom with you. ³³ Sell the things you have and give that money to those who need it. This is the only way you can keep your riches from being lost. You will be storing treasure in heaven that lasts forever. Thieves can’t steal that treasure, and moths can’t destroy it. ³⁴ Your heart will be where your treasure is.

Always Be Ready^(K)

³⁵ “Be ready! Be fully dressed and have your lights shining. ³⁶ Be like servants who are waiting for their master to come home from a wedding party. The master comes and knocks, and the servants immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ When their master sees that they are ready and waiting for him, it will be a great day for those servants. I can tell you without a doubt, the master will get himself ready to serve a meal and tell the servants to sit down. Then he will serve them. ³⁸ Those servants might have to wait until midnight or later for their master. But they will be glad they did when he comes in and finds them still waiting.

³⁹ “What would a homeowner do if he knew when a thief was coming? You know he would not let the thief break in. ⁴⁰ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at a time when you don’t expect him!”

Who Is the Trusted Servant?^(L)

⁴¹ Peter said, “Lord, did you tell this story for us or for all people?”

⁴² The Lord said, “Who is the wise and trusted servant? The master trusts one servant to give the other servants their food at the right time. Who is the servant that the master trusts to do that work? ⁴³ When the master comes and finds him doing the work he gave him, it will be a day of blessing for that servant! ⁴⁴ I can tell you without a doubt, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns.

⁴⁵ “But what will happen if that servant is evil and thinks his master will not come back soon? He will begin to beat the other servants, men and women. He will eat and drink until he has had too much. ⁴⁶ Then the master will come when the servant is not ready, at a time when the servant is not expecting him. Then the master will punish that servant and send him away to be with the other people who don’t obey.

⁴⁷ “That servant knew what his master wanted him to do. But he did not make himself ready or try to do what his master wanted. So that servant will be punished very much! ⁴⁸ But what about the servant who does not know what his master wants? He also does things that deserve punishment. But he will get less punishment than the servant who knew what he should do. Whoever has been given much will be responsible for much. Much more will be expected from the one who has been given more.”

Following Jesus May Bring You Trouble^(M)

⁴⁹ Jesus continued speaking: “I came to bring fire to the world. I wish it were already burning! ⁵⁰ There is a kind of baptism^[n] that I must suffer through. I feel very troubled until it is finished. ⁵¹ Do you think I came to give peace to the world? No, I came to divide the world! ⁵² From now on, a family of five will be divided, three against two, and two against three.

Understanding the Times^(N)

⁵⁴ Then Jesus said to the people, “When you see clouds growing bigger in the west, you say, ‘A rainstorm is coming.’ And soon it begins to rain. ⁵⁵ When you feel the wind begin to blow from the south, you say, ‘It will be a hot day.’ And you are right. ⁵⁶ You hypocrites! You can understand the weather. Why don’t you understand what is happening now?

Settle Your Problems^(O)

⁵⁷ “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸ Suppose someone is suing you, and you are both going to court. Try hard to settle it on the way. If you don’t settle it, you may have to go before the judge. And the judge will hand you over to the officer, who will throw you into jail. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you will not get out of there until you have paid every cent you owe.”

Change Your Hearts

13 Some people there with Jesus at that time told him about what had happened to some worshipers from Galilee. Pilate had them killed. Their blood was mixed with the blood of the animals they had brought for sacrificing. ² Jesus answered, “Do you think this happened to those people because they were more sinful than all other people from Galilee? ³ No, they were not. But if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed like those people! ⁴ And what about those 18 people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were more sinful than everyone else in Jerusalem? ⁵ They were not. But I tell you if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed too!”

The Useless Tree

⁶ Jesus told this story: “A man had a fig tree. He planted it in his garden. He came looking for some fruit on it, but he found none. ⁷ He had a servant who took care of his garden. So he said to his servant, ‘I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the ground?’ ⁸ But the servant answered, ‘Master, let the tree have one more year to produce fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and fertilize it. ⁹ Maybe the tree will have fruit on it next year. If it still does not produce, then you can cut it down.’”

Jesus Heals a Woman on the Sabbath

¹⁰ Jesus taught in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. ¹¹ A woman was there who had an evil spirit inside her. It had made the woman crippled for 18 years. Her back was always bent; she could not stand up straight. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called to her, “Woman, you have been made free from your sickness!” ¹³ He laid his hands on her, and immediately she was able to stand up straight. She began praising God.

¹⁴ The synagogue leader was angry because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come to be healed on one of those days. Don’t come for healing on the Sabbath day.”

¹⁵ The Lord answered, “You people are hypocrites! All of you untie your work animals and lead them to drink water every day—even on the Sabbath day. ¹⁶ This woman that I healed is a true descendant of Abraham.^[o] But Satan has held her for 18 years. Surely it is not wrong for her to be made free from her sickness on a Sabbath day!” ¹⁷ When Jesus said this, all those who were criticizing him felt ashamed of themselves. And all the people were happy for the wonderful things he was doing.

What Is God’s Kingdom Like?^(P)

¹⁸ Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it to? ¹⁹ God’s kingdom is like the seed of the mustard plant. Someone plants this seed in their garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree, and the birds build nests on its branches.”

²⁰ Jesus said again, “What can I compare God’s kingdom with? ²¹ It is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour to make bread. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”

The Narrow Door^(Q)

²² Jesus was teaching in every town and village. He continued to travel toward Jerusalem. ²³ Someone said to him, “Lord, how many people will be saved? Only a few?”

Jesus said, ²⁴ “The door to heaven is narrow. Try hard to enter it. Many people will want to enter there, but they will not be able to go in. ²⁵ If a man locks the door of his house, you can stand outside and knock on the door, but he won’t open it. You can say, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you. Where did you come from?’ ²⁶ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you. You taught in the streets of our town.’ ²⁷ Then he will say to you, ‘I don’t know you. Where did you come from? Get away from me! You are all people who do wrong!’

²⁸ “You will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s kingdom. But you will be left outside. There you will cry and grind your teeth with pain. ²⁹ People will come from the east, west, north, and south. They will sit down at the table in God’s kingdom. ³⁰ People who have the lowest place in life now will have the highest place in God’s kingdom. And people who have the highest place now will have the lowest place in God’s kingdom.”

Jesus Will Die in Jerusalem^(R)

³¹ Just then some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away from here and hide. Herod wants to kill you!”

³² Jesus said to them, “Go tell that fox,^[p] ‘Today and tomorrow I am forcing demons out of people and finishing my work of healing. Then, the next day, the work will be finished.’ ³³ After that I must go, because all prophets should die in Jerusalem.

³⁴ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets. You stone to death the people God has sent to you. How many times I wanted to help your people. I wanted to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you did not let me. ³⁵ Now your home will be left completely empty. I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, ‘Welcome! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’^[q]”

Is It Right to Heal on the Sabbath Day?

14 On a Sabbath day, Jesus went to the home of a leading Pharisee to eat with him. The people there were all watching him very closely. ² A man with a bad disease^[r] was there in front of him. ³ Jesus said to the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it right or wrong to heal on the Sabbath day?” ⁴ But they would not answer his question. So he took the man and healed him. Then he sent the man away. ⁵ Jesus said to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, “If your son or work animal falls into a well on the Sabbath day, you know you would pull him out immediately.” ⁶ The Pharisees and teachers of the law could say nothing against what he said.

Don’t Make Yourself Important

⁷ Then Jesus noticed that some of the guests were choosing the best places to sit. So he told this story: ⁸ “When someone invites you to a wedding, don’t sit in the most important seat. They may have invited someone more important than you. ⁹ And if you are sitting in the most important seat, they will come to you and say, ‘Give this man your seat!’ Then you will have to move down to the last place and be embarrassed.

¹⁰ “So when someone invites you, go sit in the seat that is not important. Then they will come to you and say, ‘Friend, move up here to this better place!’ What an honor this will be for you in front of all the other guests. ¹¹ Everyone who makes themselves important will be made humble. But everyone who makes themselves humble will be made important.”

You Will Be Rewarded

¹² Then Jesus said to the Pharisee who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite only your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. At another time they will pay you back by inviting you to eat with them. ¹³ Instead, when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, and the blind. ¹⁴ Then you will have great blessings, because these people cannot pay you back. They have nothing. But God will reward you at the time when all godly people rise from death.”

A Story About People Invited to a Dinner^(S)

¹⁵ One of the men sitting at the table with Jesus heard these things. The man said to him, “It will be a great blessing for anyone to eat a meal in God’s kingdom!”

¹⁶ Jesus said to him, “A man gave a big dinner. He invited many people. ¹⁷ When it was time to eat, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come. The food is ready.’ ¹⁸ But all the guests said they could not come. Each one made an excuse. The first one said, ‘I have just bought a field, so I must go look at it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹ Another man said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of work animals; I must go and try them out. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰ A third man said, ‘I just got married; I can’t come.’

²¹ “So the servant returned and told his master what happened. The master was angry. He said, ‘Hurry! Go into the streets and alleys of the town. Bring me the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’

²² “Later, the servant said to him, ‘Master, I did what you told me to do, but we still have places for more people.’ ²³ The master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and country roads. Tell the people there to come. I want my house to be full! ²⁴ I tell you, not one of those people I invited first will eat any of this food I prepared.’”

Decide if You Can Follow Me^(T)

²⁵ Many people were traveling with Jesus. He said to them, ²⁶ “If you come to me but will not leave your family, you cannot be my follower. You must love me more than your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters—even more than your own life! ²⁷ Whoever will not carry the cross that is given to them when they follow me cannot be my follower.

²⁸ “If you wanted to build a building, you would first sit down and decide how much it would cost. You must see if you have enough money to finish the job. ²⁹ If you don’t do that, you might begin the work, but you would not be able to finish. And if you could not finish it, everyone would laugh at you. ³⁰ They would say, ‘This man began to build, but he was not able to finish.’

³¹ “If a king is going to fight against another king, first he will sit down and plan. If he has only 10,000 men, he will try to decide if he is able to defeat the other king who has 20,000 men. ³² If he thinks he cannot defeat the other king, he will send some men to ask for peace while that king’s army is still far away.

³³ “It is the same for each of you. You must leave everything you have to follow me. If not, you cannot be my follower.

Don’t Lose Your Influence^(U)

³⁴ “Salt is a good thing. But if the salt loses its salty taste, you can’t make it salty again. ³⁵ It is worth nothing. You can’t even use it as dirt or dung. People just throw it away.

“You people who hear me, listen!”

Joy in Heaven^(V)

15 Many tax collectors and sinners came to listen to Jesus. ² Then the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to complain, “Look, this man^[s] welcomes sinners and even eats with them!”

³ Then Jesus told them this story: ⁴ “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but one of them gets lost. What will you do? You will leave the other 99 sheep there in the field and go out and look for the lost sheep. You will continue to search for it until you find it. ⁵ And when you find it, you will be very happy. You will carry it ⁶ home, go to your friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!’ ⁷ In the same way, I tell you, heaven is a happy place when one sinner decides to change. There is more joy for that one sinner than for 99 good people who don’t need to change.

⁸ “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins,^[t] but she loses one of them. She will take a light and clean the house. She will look carefully for the coin until she finds it. ⁹ And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost!’ ¹⁰ In the same way, it’s a happy time for the angels of God when one sinner decides to change.”

Story About Two Sons

¹¹ Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger son said to his father, ‘Give me now the part of your property that I am supposed to receive someday.’ So the father divided his wealth between his two sons.

¹³ “A few days later the younger son gathered up all that he had and left. He traveled far away to another country, and there he wasted his money living like a fool. ¹⁴ After he spent everything he had, there was a terrible famine throughout the country. He was hungry and needed money. ¹⁵ So he went and got a job with one of the people who lived there. The man sent him into the fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He was so hungry that he wanted to eat the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “The son realized that he had been very foolish. He thought, ‘All my father’s hired workers have plenty of food. But here I am, almost dead because I have nothing to eat. ¹⁸ I will leave and go to my father. I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But let me be like one of your hired workers.’ ²⁰ So he left and went to his father.

The Younger Son Returns

“While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming and felt sorry for him. So he ran to him and hugged and kissed him. ²¹ The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and good sandals on his feet. ²³ And bring our best calf and kill it so that we can celebrate with plenty to eat. ²⁴ My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to have a party.

The Older Son Complains

²⁵ “The older son had been out in the field. When he came near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called to one of the servant boys and asked, ‘What does all this mean?’ ²⁷ The boy said, ‘Your brother has come back, and your father killed the best calf to eat. He is happy because he has his son back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “The older son was angry and would not go in to the party. So his father went out and begged him to come in. ²⁹ But he said to his father, ‘Look, for all these years I have worked like a slave for you. I have always done what you told me to do, and you never gave me even a young goat for a party with my friends. ³⁰ But then this son of yours comes home after wasting your money on prostitutes, and you kill the best calf for him!’

³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Oh, my son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But this was a day to be happy and celebrate. Your brother was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found.’”

True Wealth

16 Jesus said to his followers, “Once there was a rich man. He hired a manager to take care of his business. Later, he learned that his manager was cheating him. ² So he called the manager in and said to him, ‘I have heard bad things about you. Give me a report of what you have done with my money. You can’t be my manager anymore.’

³ “So, the manager thought to himself, ‘What will I do? My master is taking my job away from me. I am not strong enough to dig ditches. I am too proud to beg. ⁴ I know what I will do! I will do something to make friends, so that when I lose my job, they will welcome me into their homes.’

⁵ “So the manager called in each person who owed the master some money. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶ He answered, ‘I owe him 100 jars^[u] of olive oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Here is your bill. Hurry! Sit down and make the bill less. Write 50 jars.’

⁷ “Then the manager asked another one, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘I owe him 100 measures^[v] of wheat.’ Then the manager said to him, ‘Here is your bill; you can make it less. Write 80 measures.’

⁸ “Later, the master told the dishonest manager that he had done a smart thing. Yes, worldly people are smarter in their business with each other than spiritual people are.

⁹ “I tell you, use the worldly things you have now to make ‘friends’ for later. Then, when those things are gone, you will be welcomed into a home that lasts forever. ¹⁰ Whoever can be trusted with small things can also be trusted with big things. Whoever is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in big things too. ¹¹ If you cannot be trusted with worldly riches, you will not be trusted with the true riches. ¹² And if you cannot be trusted with the things that belong to someone else, you will not be given anything of your own.

¹³ “You cannot serve two masters at the same time. You will hate one master and love the other. Or you will be loyal to one and not care about the other. You cannot serve God and Money^[w] at the same time.”

God’s Law Cannot Be Changed^(W)

¹⁴ The Pharisees were listening to all these things. They criticized Jesus because they all loved money. ¹⁵ Jesus said to them, “You make yourselves look good in front of people. But God knows what is really in your hearts. What people think is important is worth nothing to God.

¹⁶ “Before John the Baptizer came, people were taught the Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets. But since the time of John, the Good News about God’s kingdom is being told. And everyone is trying hard to get into it. ¹⁷ But even the smallest part of a letter in the law cannot be changed. It would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away.

Divorce and Remarriage

¹⁸ “Any man who divorces his wife and marries another woman is guilty of adultery. And the man who marries a divorced woman is also guilty of adultery.”

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ Jesus said, “There was a rich man who always dressed in the finest clothes. He was so rich that he was able to enjoy all the best things every day. ²⁰ There was also a very poor man named Lazarus. Lazarus’ body was covered with sores. He was often put by the rich man’s gate. ²¹ Lazarus wanted only to eat the scraps of food left on the floor under the rich man’s table. And the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² “Later, Lazarus died. The angels took him and placed him in the arms of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ He was sent to the place of death^[x] and was in great pain. He saw Abraham far away with Lazarus in his arms. ²⁴ He called, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to me so that he can dip his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am suffering in this fire!’

²⁵ “But Abraham said, ‘My child, remember when you lived? You had all the good things in life. But Lazarus had nothing but problems. Now he is comforted here, and you are suffering. ²⁶ Also, there is a big pit between you and us. No one can cross over to help you, and no one can come here from there.’

²⁷ “The rich man said, ‘Then please, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house on earth. ²⁸ I have five brothers. He could warn my brothers so that they will not come to this place of pain.’

²⁹ “But Abraham said, ‘They have the Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets to read; let them learn from that.’

³⁰ “The rich man said, ‘No, father Abraham! But if someone came to them from the dead, then they would decide to change their lives.’

³¹ “But Abraham said to him, ‘If your brothers won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen to someone who comes back from the dead.’”

Sin and Forgiveness^(X)

17 Jesus said to his followers, “Things will surely happen that will make people sin. But it will be very bad for anyone who makes this happen. ² It will be very bad for anyone who makes one of these little children sin. It would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the sea. ³ So be careful!

“If your brother or sister in God’s family does something wrong, warn them. If they are sorry for what they did, forgive them. ⁴ Even if they do something wrong to you seven times in one day, but they say they are sorry each time, you should forgive them.”

How Big Is Your Faith?

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Give us more faith!”

⁶ The Lord said, “If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Dig yourself up and plant yourself in the ocean!’ And the tree will obey you.

Be Good Servants

⁷ “Suppose one of you has a servant who has been working in the field, plowing or caring for the sheep. When he comes in from work, what would you say to him? Would you say, ‘Come in, sit down and eat’? ⁸ Of course not! You would say to your servant, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Then get ready and serve me. When I finish eating and drinking, then you can eat.’ ⁹ The servant should not get any special thanks for doing his job. He is only doing what his master told him to do. ¹⁰ It is the same with you. When you finish doing all that you are told to do, you should say, ‘We are not worthy of any special thanks. We have only done the work we should do.’”

Be Thankful

¹¹ Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem. He went from Galilee to Samaria. ¹² He came into a small town, and ten men met him there. They did not come close to him, because they all had leprosy. ¹³ But the men shouted, “Jesus! Master! Please help us!”

¹⁴ When Jesus saw the men, he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”^[y]

While the ten men were going to the priests, they were healed. ¹⁵ When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus. He praised God loudly. ¹⁶ He bowed down at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (He was a Samaritan.) ¹⁷ Jesus said, “Ten men were healed; where are the other nine? ¹⁸ This man is not even one of our people. Is he the only one who came back to give praise to God?” ¹⁹ Then Jesus said to the man, “Stand up! You can go. You were healed because you believed.”

The Coming of God’s Kingdom^(Y)

²⁰ Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will God’s kingdom come?”

Jesus answered, “God’s kingdom is coming, but not in a way that you can see it. ²¹ People will not say, ‘Look, God’s kingdom is here!’ or ‘There it is!’ No, God’s kingdom is here with you.^[z]”

²² Then Jesus said to his followers, “The time will come when you will want very much to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not be able to. ²³ People will say to you, ‘Look, there it is!’ or ‘Look, here it is!’ Stay where you are; don’t go away and search. ²⁴ “When the Son of Man comes again, you will know it. On that day he will shine like lightning flashes across the sky. ²⁵ But first, the Son of Man must suffer many things. The people of today will refuse to accept him.

²⁶ “When the Son of Man comes again, it will be the same as it was when Noah lived. ²⁷ People were eating, drinking, and getting married even on the day when Noah entered the boat. Then the flood came and killed them all.

²⁸ “It will be the same as during the time of Lot, when God destroyed Sodom. Those people were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building houses for themselves. ²⁹ They were doing these things even on the day when Lot left town. Then fire and sulfur rained down from the sky and killed them all. ³⁰ This is exactly how it will be when the Son of Man comes again.

³¹ “On that day if a man is on his roof, he will not have time to go inside and get his things. If a man is in the field, he cannot go back home. ³² Remember what happened to Lot’s wife^[aa]!

³³ “Whoever tries to keep the life they have will lose it. But whoever gives up their life will save it. ³⁴ That night there may be two people sleeping in one room. One will be taken and the other will be left. ³⁵ There may be two women working together. One will be taken and the other will be left.” ^36 [ab]

³⁷ The followers asked Jesus, “Where will this be, Lord?”

Jesus answered, “It’s like looking for a dead body—you will find it where the vultures are gathering above.”

God Will Answer His People

18 Then Jesus taught the followers that they should always pray and never lose hope. He used this story to teach them: ² “Once there was a judge in a town. He did not care about God. He also did not care what people thought about him. ³ In that same town there was a woman whose husband had died. She came many times to this judge and said, ‘There is a man who is doing bad things to me. Give me my rights!’ ⁴ But the judge did not want to help the woman. After a long time, the judge thought to himself, ‘I don’t care about God. And I don’t care about what people think. ⁵ But this woman is bothering me. If I give her what she wants, then she will leave me alone. But if I don’t give her what she wants, she will bother me until I am sick.’”

⁶ The Lord said, “Listen, there is meaning in what the bad judge said. ⁷ God’s people shout to him night and day, and he will always give them what is right. He will not be slow to answer them. ⁸ I tell you, God will help his people quickly. But when the Son of Man comes again, will he find people on earth who believe in him?”

Being Right With God

⁹ There were some people who thought they were very good and looked down on everyone else. Jesus used this story to teach them: ¹⁰ “One time there was a Pharisee and a tax collector. One day they both went to the Temple to pray. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood alone, away from the tax collector. When the Pharisee prayed, he said, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not as bad as other people. I am not like men who steal, cheat, or commit adultery. I thank you that I am better than this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of everything I get!’

¹³ “The tax collector stood alone too. But when he prayed, he would not even look up to heaven. He felt very humble before God. He said, ‘O God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, when this man finished his prayer and went home, he was right with God. But the Pharisee, who felt that he was better than others, was not right with God. People who make themselves important will be made humble. But those who make themselves humble will be made important.”

Jesus Welcomes Children^(Z)

¹⁵ Some people brought their small children to Jesus so that he could lay his hands on them to bless them. But when the followers saw this, they told the people not to do this. ¹⁶ But Jesus called the little children to him and said to his followers, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people who are like these little children. ¹⁷ The truth is, you must accept God’s kingdom like a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it.”

A Rich Man Refuses to Follow Jesus^(AA)

¹⁸ A religious leader asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”

¹⁹ Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. ²⁰ And you know his commands: ‘You must not commit adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal, you must not tell lies about others, you must respect your father and mother ….’^[ac]”

²¹ But the leader said, “I have obeyed all these commands since I was a boy.”

²² When Jesus heard this, he said to the leader, “But there is still one thing you need to do. Sell everything you have and give the money to those who are poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.” ²³ But when the man heard Jesus tell him to give away his money, he was sad. He didn’t want to do this, because he was very rich.

²⁴ When Jesus saw that the man was sad, he said, “It will be very hard for rich people to enter God’s kingdom. ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.”

Who Can Be Saved?

²⁶ When the people heard this, they said, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus answered, “God can do things that are not possible for people to do.”

²⁸ Peter said, “Look, we left everything we had and followed you.”

²⁹ Jesus said, “I can promise that everyone who has left their home, wife, brothers, parents, or children for God’s kingdom ³⁰ will get much more than they left. They will get many times more in this life. And in the world that is coming they will get the reward of eternal life.”

Jesus Talks Again About His Death^(AB)

³¹ Then Jesus talked to the twelve apostles alone. He said to them, “Listen, we are going to Jerusalem. Everything that God told the prophets to write about the Son of Man will happen. ³² He will be handed over to the foreigners, who will laugh at him, insult him, and spit on him. ³³ They will beat him with whips and then kill him. But on the third day after his death, he will rise to life again.” ³⁴ The apostles tried to understand this, but they could not; the meaning was hidden from them.

Jesus Heals a Blind Man^(AC)

³⁵ Jesus came near the city of Jericho. There was a blind man sitting beside the road. He was begging people for money. ³⁶ When he heard the people coming down the road, he asked, “What is happening?”

³⁷ They told him, “Jesus, the one from Nazareth, is coming here.”

³⁸ The blind man was excited and said, “Jesus, Son of David, please help me!”

³⁹ The people who were in front leading the group criticized the blind man. They told him to be quiet. But he shouted more and more, “Son of David, please help me!”

⁴⁰ Jesus stopped there and said, “Bring that man to me!” When he came close, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?”

He said, “Lord, I want to see again.”

⁴² Jesus said to him, “You can see now. You are healed because you believed.”

⁴³ Then the man was able to see. He followed Jesus, thanking God. Everyone who saw this praised God for what happened.

Zacchaeus

19 Jesus was going through the city of Jericho. ² In Jericho there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a wealthy, very important tax collector. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was. There were many others who wanted to see Jesus too. Zacchaeus was too short to see above the people. ⁴ So he ran to a place where he knew Jesus would come. Then he climbed a sycamore tree so he could see him.

⁵ When Jesus came to where Zacchaeus was, he looked up and saw him in the tree. Jesus said, “Zacchaeus, hurry! Come down! I must stay at your house today.”

⁶ Zacchaeus hurried and came down. He was happy to have Jesus in his house. ⁷ Everyone saw this. They began to complain, “Look at the kind of man Jesus is staying with. Zacchaeus is a sinner!”

⁸ Zacchaeus said to the Lord, “I want to do good. I will give half of my money to the poor. If I have cheated anyone, I will pay them back four times more.”

⁹ Jesus said, “Today is the day for this family to be saved from sin. Yes, even this tax collector is one of God’s chosen people.^{[ad] 10} The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them.”

Use What God Gives You^(AD)

¹¹ As the crowd listened to what he was saying, Jesus went on to tell a story. He was now near Jerusalem and knew that the people thought it was almost time for God’s kingdom to come. ¹² So he said, “A very important man was preparing to go to a country far away to be made a king. Then he planned to return home and rule his people. ¹³ So he called ten of his servants together. He gave a bag of money^[ae] to each servant. He said, ‘Do business with this money until I come back.’ ¹⁴ But the people in the kingdom hated the man. They sent a group to follow him to the other country. There they said, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

¹⁵ “But the man was made king. When he came home, he said, ‘Call those servants who have my money. I want to know how much more money they earned with it.’ ¹⁶ The first servant came and said, ‘Sir, I earned ten bags of money with the one bag you gave me.’ ¹⁷ The king said to him, ‘That’s great! You are a good servant. I see that I can trust you with small things. So now I will let you rule over ten of my cities.’

¹⁸ “The second servant said, ‘Sir, with your one bag of money I earned five bags.’ ¹⁹ The king said to this servant, ‘You can rule over five cities.’

²⁰ “Then another servant came in and said to the king, ‘Sir, here is your bag of money. I wrapped it in a piece of cloth and hid it. ²¹ I was afraid of you because you are a hard man. You even take money that you didn’t earn and gather food that you didn’t grow.’

²² “Then the king said to him, ‘What a bad servant you are! I will use your own words to condemn you. You said that I am a hard man. You said that I even take money that I didn’t earn and gather food that I didn’t grow. ²³ If that is true, you should have put my money in the bank. Then, when I came back, my money would have earned some interest.’ ²⁴ Then the king said to the men who were watching, ‘Take the bag of money away from this servant and give it to the servant who earned ten bags of money.’

²⁵ “The men said to the king, ‘But sir, that servant already has ten bags of money.’

²⁶ “The king said, ‘People who use what they have will get more. But those who do not use what they have will have everything taken away from them. ²⁷ Now where are my enemies? Where are the people who did not want me to be king? Bring my enemies here and kill them. I will watch them die.’”

Jesus Enters Jerusalem Like a King^(AE)

²⁸ After Jesus said these things, he continued traveling toward Jerusalem. ²⁹ He came near Bethphage and Bethany, towns near the hill called the Mount of Olives. He sent out two of his followers. ³⁰ He said, “Go into the town you can see there. When you enter the town, you will find a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it, and bring it here to me. ³¹ If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkey, you should say, ‘The Master needs it.’”

³² The two followers went into town. They found the donkey exactly like Jesus told them. ³³ They untied it, but its owners came out. They said to the followers, “Why are you untying our donkey?”

³⁴ The followers answered, “The Master needs it.” ³⁵ So the followers brought the donkey to Jesus. They put their coats on its back. Then they put Jesus on the donkey. ³⁶ He rode along the road toward Jerusalem. The followers spread their coats on the road before him.

³⁷ Jesus was coming close to Jerusalem. He was already near the bottom of the Mount of Olives. The whole group of followers was happy. They were very excited and praised God. They thanked God for all the powerful things they had seen. ³⁸ They said,

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell your followers not to say these things.”

⁴⁰ But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if my followers didn’t say them, these stones would shout them.”

Jesus Cries for Jerusalem

⁴¹ Jesus came near Jerusalem. Looking at the city, he began to cry for it ⁴² and said, “I wish you knew today what would bring you peace. But it is hidden from you now. ⁴³ A time is coming when your enemies will build a wall around you and hold you in on all sides. ⁴⁴ They will destroy you and all your people. Not one stone of your buildings will stay on top of another. All this will happen because you did not know the time when God came to save you.”

Jesus Goes to the Temple^(AG)

⁴⁵ Jesus went into the Temple area. He began to throw out the people who were selling things there. ⁴⁶ He said, “The Scriptures say, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer.’^[af] But you have changed it into a ‘hiding place for thieves.’^[ag]”

⁴⁷ Jesus taught the people in the Temple area every day. The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and some of the leaders of the people wanted to kill him. ⁴⁸ But they did not know how they could do it, because everyone was listening to him. The people were very interested in what Jesus said.