The Great Commandment

34 ^bBut when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced ^cthe Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 ^dAnd one of them, ^ea lawyer, asked him a question ^fto test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, ^g“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And ^ha second is like it: ⁱYou shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 ^jOn these two commandments depend ^kall the Law and the Prophets.”

The Great Commandment

28 ^uAnd one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ^v‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, ^wthe Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 ^xThe second is this: ^y‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment ^zgreater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that ^whe is one, and ^athere is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all ^bthe understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, ^cis much more than all ^dwhole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” ^eAnd after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 ^oAnd behold, a ^plawyer stood up to ^qput him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to ^rinherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, ^s“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and ^tyour neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; ^udo this, and you will live.”

29 But he, ^vdesiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man ^wwas going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a ^xpriest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise ^xa Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a ^ySamaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and ^zbound up his wounds, pouring on ^zoil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two ^adenarii¹ and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”