Repent or Perish

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

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

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

A Woman with a Disabling Spirit

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

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

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

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

The Narrow Door

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

Lament over Jerusalem

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

Healing of a Man on the Sabbath

14 One Sabbath, ^pwhen he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were ^qwatching him carefully. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus responded to ^rthe lawyers and Pharisees, saying, ^s“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. 5 And he said to them, ^t“Which of you, having a son¹ or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” 6 ^uAnd they could not reply to these things.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed ^vhow they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, ^wso that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For ^xeveryone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Parable of the Great Banquet

12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give ^ya dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers² or your relatives or rich neighbors, ^zlest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, ^ainvite ^bthe poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid ^cat ^dthe resurrection of the just.”

15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, ^e“Blessed is everyone who will ^feat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, ^g“A man once ^hgave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he ⁱsent his servant³ to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ^j‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in ^kthe poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you,^{4 m}none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”

The Cost of Discipleship

25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 ⁿ“If anyone comes to me and ^odoes not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, ^pyes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 ^qWhoever does not ^rbear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not ^sfirst sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not ^tsit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 ^uSo therefore, any one of you who ^vdoes not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Salt Without Taste Is Worthless

34 ^w“Salt is good, ^xbut if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. ^yHe who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now ^zthe tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes ^agrumbled, saying, ^b“This man receives sinners and ^ceats with them.”

3 So he told them this parable: 4 ^d“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, ^eif he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine ^fin the open country, and ^ggo after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, ^hhe lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for ⁱI have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who ^jrepents than over ninety-nine ^krighteous persons who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins,¹ if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before ^lthe angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me ^mthe share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided ⁿhis property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in ^oreckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to² one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he ^pwas longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But ^qwhen he ^rcame to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, ^sI have sinned against ^theaven and before you. 19 ^uI am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ^vran and ^wembraced him and ^xkissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. ^uI am no longer worthy to be called your son.’³ 22 But the father said to his servants,⁴ ‘Bring quickly ^ythe best robe, and put it on him, and put ^za ring on his hand, and ^ashoes on his feet. 23 And bring ^bthe fattened calf and kill it, and ^clet us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son ^dwas dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might ^ecelebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, ^fwho has devoured ^gyour property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, ^hyou are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting ^eto celebrate and be glad, for this your brother ⁱwas dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

16 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had ^ja manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your ^kmanagement, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures¹ of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures² of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his ^lshrewdness. For ^mthe sons of this world³ are ^lmore shrewd in dealing with their own generation than ⁿthe sons of light. 9 And I tell you, ^omake friends for yourselves by means of ^punrighteous wealth,⁴ so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

10 ^q“One who is ^rfaithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in ^sthat which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 ^pNo servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

The Law and the Kingdom of God

14 ^tThe Pharisees, who were ^ulovers of money, heard all these things, and they ^vridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who ^wjustify yourselves before men, but ^xGod knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men ^yis an abomination in the sight of God.

16 ^z“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then ^athe good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and ^beveryone forces his way into it.⁵ 17 But ^cit is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

Divorce and Remarriage

18 ^d“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in ^epurple and fine linen and ^fwho feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate ^gwas laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with ^hwhat fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by ⁱthe angels ^jto Abraham’s side.⁶ The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in ^kHades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and ^lsaw Abraham far off and Lazarus ^jat his side. 24 And he called out, ^m‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and ⁿcool my tongue, for ^oI am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that ^pyou in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have ^qMoses and the Prophets; ^rlet them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, ^sfather Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear ^qMoses and the Prophets, ^tneither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Temptations to Sin

17 And he said to his disciples, ^u“Temptations to sin¹ are ^vsure to come, but ^wwoe to the one through whom they come! 2 ^xIt would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.² 3 Pay attention to yourselves! ^yIf your brother sins, ^zrebuke him, and if he repents, ^aforgive him, 4 and if he sins against you ^bseven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Increase Our Faith

5 ^cThe apostles said to the Lord, ^d“Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, ^e“If you had faith like ^fa grain of mustard seed, you could say to this ^gmulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Unworthy Servants

7 “Will any one of you who has a servant³ plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and ^hdress properly,⁴ and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are ⁱunworthy servants;⁵ we have only done what was our duty.’”