Luke 18-21

New King James Version

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men ^(A)always ought to pray and not lose heart, ² saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor ^[a]regard man. ³ Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ^[b]‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ ⁴ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, ^5 (B)yet because this widow troubles me I will ^[c]avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”

⁶ Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. ⁷ And ^(C)shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? ⁸ I tell you ^(D)that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ Also He spoke this parable to some ^(E)who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee ^(F)stood and prayed thus with himself, ^(G)‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ ¹³ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; ^(H)for everyone who exalts himself will be ^[d]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children^(I)

^15 (J)Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for ^(K)of such is the kingdom of God. ^17 (L)Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler^(M)

^18 (N)Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹ So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but ^(O)One, that is, God. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ^(P)‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ^(Q)‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

²¹ And he said, “All ^(R)these things I have kept from my youth.”

²² So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. ^(S)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

²³ But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

With God All Things Are Possible^(T)

²⁴ And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, ^(U)“How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ But He said, ^(V)“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

^28 (W)Then Peter said, “See, we have left ^[e]all and followed You.”

²⁹ So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, ^(X)there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ^30 (Y)who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(Z)

^31 (AA)Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things ^(AB)that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be ^[f]accomplished. ³² For ^(AC)He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. ³³ They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

^34 (AD)But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.

A Blind Man Receives His Sight^(AE)

^35 (AF)Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. ³⁶ And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. ³⁷ So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. ³⁸ And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, ^(AG)Son of David, have mercy on me!”

³⁹ Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰ So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, ⁴¹ saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”

⁴² Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; ^(AH)your faith has made you well.” ⁴³ And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, ^(AI)glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Jesus Comes to Zacchaeus’ House

19 Then Jesus entered and passed through ^(AJ)Jericho. ² Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. ³ And he sought to ^(AK)see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. ⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up ^[g]and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, ^[h]make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” ⁶ So he ^[i]made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. ⁷ But when they saw it, they all ^[j]complained, saying, ^(AL)“He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”

⁸ Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the ^(AM)poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by ^(AN)false accusation, ^(AO)I restore fourfold.”

⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because ^(AP)he also is ^(AQ)a son of Abraham; ^10 (AR)for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

The Parable of the Minas^(AS)

¹¹ Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because ^(AT)they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. ^12 (AU)Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. ¹³ So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten ^[k]minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ ^14 (AV)But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’

¹⁵ “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. ¹⁶ Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ ¹⁷ And he said to him, ^(AW)‘Well done, good servant; because you were ^(AX)faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ ¹⁸ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ ¹⁹ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’

²⁰ “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. ^21 (AY)For I feared you, because you are ^[l]an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ ²² And he said to him, ^(AZ)‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. ^(BA)You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. ²³ Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’

²⁴ “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ ²⁵ (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) ²⁶ ‘For I say to you, ^(BB)that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ²⁷ But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’ ”

The Triumphal Entry^(BC)

²⁸ When He had said this, ^(BD)He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ^29 (BE)And it came to pass, when He drew near to ^[m]Bethphage and ^(BF)Bethany, at the mountain called ^(BG)Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. ³¹ And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ”

³² So those who were sent went their way and found it just ^(BH)as He had said to them. ³³ But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”

³⁴ And they said, “The Lord has need of him.” ³⁵ Then they brought him to Jesus. ^(BI)And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. ³⁶ And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.

³⁷ Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to ^(BJ)rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, ³⁸ saying:

³⁹ And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

⁴⁰ But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, ^(BM)the stones would immediately cry out.”

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

⁴¹ Now as He drew near, He saw the city and ^(BN)wept over it, ⁴² saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this ^(BO)your day, the things that ^(BP)make for your ^(BQ)peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For days will come upon you when your enemies will ^(BR)build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, ^44 (BS)and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and ^(BT)they will not leave in you one stone upon another, ^(BU)because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple^(BV)

^45 (BW)Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who ^[n]bought and sold in it, ⁴⁶ saying to them, “It is written, ^(BX)‘My house ^[o]is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ^(BY)‘den of thieves.’ ”

⁴⁷ And He ^(BZ)was teaching daily in the temple. But ^(CA)the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, ⁴⁸ and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to ^(CB)hear Him.

Jesus’ Authority Questioned^(CC)

20 Now ^(CD)it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him ² and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, ^(CE)by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?”

³ But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: ⁴ The ^(CF)baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?”

⁵ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why ^[p]then did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, ^(CG)for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it was from.

⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers^(CH)

⁹ Then He began to tell the people this parable: ^(CI)“A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to ^[q]vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. ¹⁰ Now at ^[r]vintage-time he ^(CJ)sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ ¹⁴ But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the ^(CK)heir. Come, ^(CL)let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ^(CM)ours.’ ¹⁵ So they cast him out of the vineyard and ^(CN)killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to ^(CO)others.”

And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”

¹⁷ Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

¹⁸ Whoever falls on that stone will be ^(CQ)broken; but ^(CR)on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

¹⁹ And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they ^[s]feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

The Pharisees: Is It Lawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar?^(CS)

^20 (CT)So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.

²¹ Then they asked Him, saying, ^(CU)“Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: ²² Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

²³ But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, ^[t]“Why do you test Me? ²⁴ Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”

They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”

²⁵ And He said to them, ^(CV)“Render^[u] therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

²⁶ But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.

The Sadducees: What About the Resurrection?^(CW)

^27 (CX)Then some of the Sadducees, ^(CY)who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, ²⁸ saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰ And the second ^[v]took her as wife, and he died childless. ³¹ Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven ^[w]also; and they left no children, and died. ³² Last of all the woman died also. ³³ Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.”

³⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵ But those who are ^(CZ)counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; ³⁶ nor can they die anymore, for ^(DA)they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, ^(DB)being sons of the resurrection. ³⁷ But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ^(DC)‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ ³⁸ For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for ^(DD)all live to Him.”

³⁹ Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ But after that they dared not question Him anymore.

Jesus: How Can David Call His Descendant Lord?^(DE)

⁴¹ And He said to them, ^(DF)“How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? ⁴² Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms:

⁴⁴ Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; ^(DH)how is He then his Son?”

Beware of the Scribes^(DI)

^45 (DJ)Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, ^46 (DK)“Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, ^(DL)love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, ^47 (DM)who devour widows’ houses, and for a ^(DN)pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

The Widow’s Two Mites^(DO)

21 And He looked up ^(DP)and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, ² and He saw also a certain ^(DQ)poor widow putting in two ^(DR)mites.^{[x] 3} So He said, “Truly I say to you ^(DS)that this poor widow has put in more than all; ⁴ for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings ^[y]for God, but she out of her poverty put in ^(DT)all the livelihood that she had.”

Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple^(DU)

^5 (DV)Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was ^[z]adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, ⁶ “These things which you see—the days will come in which ^(DW)not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.”

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age^(DX)

⁷ So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?”

⁸ And He said: ^(DY)“Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ ^[aa]Therefore do not ^[ab]go after them. ⁹ But when you hear of ^(DZ)wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.”

^10 (EA)Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ And there will be great ^(EB)earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. ^12 (EC)But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and ^(ED)prisons. ^(EE)You will be brought before kings and rulers ^(EF)for My name’s sake. ¹³ But ^(EG)it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. ^14 (EH)Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will ^[ac]answer; ¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom ^(EI)which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or ^[ad]resist. ^16 (EJ)You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put ^(EK)some of you to death. ¹⁷ And ^(EL)you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. ^18 (EM)But not a hair of your head shall be lost. ¹⁹ By your patience possess your souls.

The Destruction of Jerusalem^(EN)

^20 (EO)“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. ²² For these are the days of vengeance, that ^(EP)all things which are written may be fulfilled. ^23 (EQ)But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. ²⁴ And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles ^(ER)until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man^(ES)

^25 (ET)“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; ²⁶ men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, ^(EU)for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then they will see the Son of Man ^(EV)coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because ^(EW)your redemption draws near.”

The Parable of the Fig Tree^(EX)

^29 (EY)Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰ When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. ³¹ So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. ^33 (EZ)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My ^(FA)words will by no means pass away.

The Importance of Watching^(FB)

³⁴ “But ^(FC)take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with ^[ae]carousing, drunkenness, and ^(FD)cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. ³⁵ For ^(FE)it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ^36 (FF)Watch therefore, and ^(FG)pray always that you may ^[af]be counted ^(FH)worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and ^(FI)to stand before the Son of Man.”

^37 (FJ)And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but ^(FK)at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet. ³⁸ Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.