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There were some present at that very time who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices .
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And he answered them , "
Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans ,
because they suffered thus ?
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I tell you ,
No ;
but unless you repent you will all likewise perish .
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Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Silo '
am fell and killed them ,
do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem ?
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I tell you ,
No ;
but unless you repent you will all likewise perish ."
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And he told this parable : "
A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard ;
and he came seeking fruit on it and found none .
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And he said to the vinedresser , `
Lo ,
these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree ,
and I find none .
Cut it down ;
why should it use up the ground ?'
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And he answered him , `
Let it alone ,
sir ,
this year also ,
till I dig about it and put on manure .
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And if it bears fruit next year ,
well and good ;
but if not ,
you can cut it down .'"
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Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath .
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And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years ;
she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself .
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And when Jesus saw her ,
he called her and said to her , "
Woman ,
you are freed from your infirmity ."
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And he laid his hands upon her ,
and immediately she was made straight ,
and she praised God .
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But the ruler of the synagogue ,
indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath ,
said to the people , "
There are six days on which work ought to be done ;
come on those days and be healed ,
and not on the sabbath day ."
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Then the Lord answered him , "
You hypocrites !
Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger ,
and lead it away to water it ?
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And ought not this woman ,
a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years ,
be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day ?"
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As he said this ,
all his adversaries were put to shame ;
and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him .
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He said therefore , "
What is the kingdom of God like ?
And to what shall I compare it ?
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It is like a grain of mustard seed which 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 ."
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And again he said , "
To what shall I compare the kingdom of God ?
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It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour ,
till it was all leavened ."
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He went on his way through towns and villages ,
teaching ,
and journeying toward Jerusalem .
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And some one said to him , "
Lord ,
will those who are saved be few ?"
And he said to them ,
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Strive to enter by the narrow door ;
for many ,
I tell you ,
will seek to enter and will not be able .
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When once the householder has risen up and shut the door ,
you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door ,
saying , `
Lord ,
open to us .'
He will answer you , `
I do not know where you come from .'
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Then you will begin to say , `
We ate and drank in your presence ,
and you taught in our streets .'
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But he will say , `
I tell you ,
I do not know where you come from ;
depart from me ,
all you workers of iniquity !'
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There you will weep and gnash your teeth ,
when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out .
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And men will come from east and west ,
and from north and south ,
and sit at table in the kingdom of God .
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And behold ,
some are last who will be first ,
and some are first who will be last ."
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At that very hour some Pharisees came ,
and said to him , "
Get away from here ,
for Herod wants to kill you ."
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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 I finish my course .
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Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following ;
for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem .'
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O Jerusalem ,
Jerusalem ,
killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you !
How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings ,
and you would not !
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Behold ,
your house is forsaken .
And I tell you ,
you will not see me until you say , `
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord !'"
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One sabbath when he went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees ,
they were watching him .
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And behold ,
there was a man before him who had dropsy .
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And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees ,
saying , "
Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath ,
or not ?"
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But they were silent .
Then he took him and healed him ,
and let him go .
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And he said to them , "
Which of you ,
having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well ,
will not immediately pull him out on a sabbath day ?"
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And they could not reply to this .
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Now he told a parable to those who were invited ,
when he marked how they chose the places of honor ,
saying to them ,
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When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast ,
do not sit down in a place of honor ,
lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him ;
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and he who invited you both will come and say to you , `
Give place to this man ,'
and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place .
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But when you are invited ,
go and sit in the lowest place ,
so that when your host comes he may say to you , `
Friend ,
go up higher ';
then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you .
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For every one who exalts himself will be humbled ,
and he who humbles himself will be exalted ."
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He said also to the man who had invited him , "
When you give a dinner or a banquet ,
do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors ,
lest they also invite you in return ,
and you be repaid .
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But when you give a feast ,
invite the poor ,
the maimed ,
the lame ,
the blind ,
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and you will be blessed ,
because they cannot repay you .
You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just ."
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When one of those who sat at table with him heard this ,
he said to him , "
Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God !"
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But he said to him , "
A man once gave a great banquet ,
and invited many ;
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and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited , `
Come ;
for all is now ready .'
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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 ;
I pray you ,
have me excused .'
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And another said , `
I have bought five yoke of oxen ,
and I go to examine them ;
I pray you ,
have me excused .'
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And another said , `
I have married a wife ,
and therefore I cannot come .'
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So the servant came and reported this to his master .
Then the householder in anger said to his servant , `
Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city ,
and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame .'
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And the servant said , `
Sir ,
what you commanded has been done ,
and still there is room .'
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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 .
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For I tell you ,
none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet .'"
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Now great multitudes accompanied him ;
and he turned and said to them ,
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If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters ,
yes ,
and even his own life ,
he cannot be my disciple .
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Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me ,
cannot be my disciple .
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For which of you ,
desiring to build a tower ,
does not first sit down and count the cost ,
whether he has enough to complete it ?
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Otherwise ,
when he has laid a foundation ,
and is not able to finish ,
all who see it begin to mock him ,
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saying , `
This man began to build ,
and was not able to finish .'
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Or what king ,
going to encounter another king in war ,
will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand ?
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And if not ,
while the other is yet a great way off ,
he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace .
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So therefore ,
whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple .
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Salt is good ;
but if salt has lost its taste ,
how shall its saltness be restored ?
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It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill ;
men throw it away .
He who has ears to hear ,
let him hear ."
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Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him .
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And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured ,
saying , "
This man receives sinners and eats with them ."
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So he told them this parable :
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What man of you ,
having a hundred sheep ,
if he has lost one of them ,
does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness ,
and go after the one which is lost ,
until he finds it ?
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And when he has found it ,
he lays it on his shoulders ,
rejoicing .
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And when he comes home ,
he calls together his friends and his neighbors ,
saying to them , `
Rejoice with me ,
for I have found my sheep which was lost .'
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Just so ,
I tell you ,
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance .
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Or what woman ,
having ten silver coins ,
if she loses one coin ,
does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it ?
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And when she has found it ,
she calls together her friends and neighbors ,
saying , `
Rejoice with me ,
for I have found the coin which I had lost .'
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Just so ,
I tell you ,
there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents ."
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And he said , "
There was a man who had two sons ;
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and the younger of them said to his father , `
Father ,
give me the share of property that falls to me .'
And he divided his living between them .
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Not many days later ,
the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country ,
and there he squandered his property in loose living .
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And when he had spent everything ,
a great famine arose in that country ,
and he began to be in want .
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So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country ,
who sent him into his fields to feed swine .
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And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate ;
and no one gave him anything .
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But when he came to himself he said , `
How many of my father '
s hired servants have bread enough and to spare ,
but I perish here with hunger !
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I will arise and go to my father ,
and I will say to him , "
Father ,
I have sinned against heaven and before you ;
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I am no longer worthy to be called your son ;
treat me as one of your hired servants ."'
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And he arose and came to his father .
But while he was yet at a distance ,
his father saw him and had compassion ,
and ran and embraced him and kissed him .
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And the son said to him , `
Father ,
I have sinned against heaven and before you ;
I am no longer worthy to be called your son .'
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But the father said to his servants , `
Bring quickly the best robe ,
and put it on him ;
and put a ring on his hand ,
and shoes on his feet ;
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and bring the fatted calf and kill it ,
and let us eat and make merry ;
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for this my son was dead ,
and is alive again ;
he was lost ,
and is found .'
And they began to make merry .
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Now his elder son was in the field ;
and as he came and drew near to the house ,
he heard music and dancing .
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And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant .
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And he said to him , `
Your brother has come ,
and your father has killed the fatted calf ,
because he has received him safe and sound .'
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But he was angry and refused to go in .
His father came out and entreated him ,
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but he answered his father , `
Lo ,
these many years I have served you ,
and I never disobeyed your command ;
yet you never gave me a kid ,
that I might make merry with my friends .
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But when this son of yours came ,
who has devoured your living with harlots ,
you killed for him the fatted calf !'
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And he said to him , `
Son ,
you are always with me ,
and all that is mine is yours .
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It was fitting to make merry and be glad ,
for this your brother was dead ,
and is alive ;
he was lost ,
and is found .'"
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He also said to the disciples , "
There was a rich man who had a steward ,
and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods .