rsv Luke:9-18 SEEK
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And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases ,
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and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal .
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And he said to them , "
Take nothing for your journey ,
no staff ,
nor bag ,
nor bread ,
nor money ;
and do not have two tunics .
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And whatever house you enter ,
stay there ,
and from there depart .
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And wherever they do not receive you ,
when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them ."
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And they departed and went through the villages ,
preaching the gospel and healing everywhere .
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Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done ,
and he was perplexed ,
because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead ,
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by some that Eli '
jah had appeared ,
and by others that one of the old prophets had risen .
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Herod said , "
John I beheaded ;
but who is this about whom I hear such things ?"
And he sought to see him .
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On their return the apostles told him what they had done .
And he took them and withdrew apart to a city called Beth-sa '
ida .
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When the crowds learned it ,
they followed him ;
and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God ,
and cured those who had need of healing .
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Now the day began to wear away ;
and the twelve came and said to him , "
Send the crowd away ,
to go into the villages and country round about ,
to lodge and get provisions ;
for we are here in a lonely place ."
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But he said to them , "
You give them something to eat ."
They said , "
We have no more than five loaves and two fish--unless we are to go and buy food for all these people ."
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For there were about five thousand men .
And he said to his disciples , "
Make them sit down in companies ,
about fifty each ."
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And they did so ,
and made them all sit down .
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And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven ,
and blessed and broke them ,
and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd .
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And all ate and were satisfied .
And they took up what was left over ,
twelve baskets of broken pieces .
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Now it happened that as he was praying alone the disciples were with him ;
and he asked them , "
Who do the people say that I am ?"
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And they answered , "
John the Baptist ;
but others say ,
Eli '
jah ;
and others ,
that one of the old prophets has risen ."
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And he said to them , "
But who do you say that I am ?"
And Peter answered , "
The Christ of God ."
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But he charged and commanded them to tell this to no one ,
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saying , "
The Son of man must suffer many things ,
and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes ,
and be killed ,
and on the third day be raised ."
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And he said to all , "
If any man would come after me ,
let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me .
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For whoever would save his life will lose it ;
and whoever loses his life for my sake ,
he will save it .
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For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself ?
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For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words ,
of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels .
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But I tell you truly ,
there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God ."
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Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James ,
and went up on the mountain to pray .
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And as he was praying ,
the appearance of his countenance was altered ,
and his raiment became dazzling white .
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And behold ,
two men talked with him ,
Moses and Eli '
jah ,
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who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure ,
which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem .
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Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep ,
and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him .
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And as the men were parting from him ,
Peter said to Jesus , "
Master ,
it is well that we are here ;
let us make three booths ,
one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli '
jah "--
not knowing what he said .
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As he said this ,
a cloud came and overshadowed them ;
and they were afraid as they entered the cloud .
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And a voice came out of the cloud ,
saying , "
This is my Son ,
my Chosen ;
listen to him !"
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And when the voice had spoken ,
Jesus was found alone .
And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen .
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On the next day ,
when they had come down from the mountain ,
a great crowd met him .
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And behold ,
a man from the crowd cried , "
Teacher ,
I beg you to look upon my son ,
for he is my only child ;
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and behold ,
a spirit seizes him ,
and he suddenly cries out ;
it convulses him till he foams ,
and shatters him ,
and will hardly leave him .
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And I begged your disciples to cast it out ,
but they could not ."
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Jesus answered , "
O faithless and perverse generation ,
how long am I to be with you and bear with you ?
Bring your son here ."
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While he was coming ,
the demon tore him and convulsed him .
But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit ,
and healed the boy ,
and gave him back to his father .
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And all were astonished at the majesty of God .
But while they were all marveling at everything he did ,
he said to his disciples ,
* "
Let these words sink into your ears ;
for the Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men ."
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But they did not understand this saying ,
and it was concealed from them ,
that they should not perceive it ;
and they were afraid to ask him about this saying .
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And an argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest .
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But when Jesus perceived the thought of their hearts ,
he took a child and put him by his side ,
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and said to them , "
Whoever receives this child in my name receives me ,
and whoever receives me receives him who sent me ;
for he who is least among you all is the one who is great ."
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John answered , "
Master ,
we saw a man casting out demons in your name ,
and we forbade him ,
because he does not follow with us ."
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But Jesus said to him , "
Do not forbid him ;
for he that is not against you is for you ."
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When the days drew near for him to be received up ,
he set his face to go to Jerusalem .
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And he sent messengers ahead of him ,
who went and entered a village of the Samaritans ,
to make ready for him ;
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but the people would not receive him ,
because his face was set toward Jerusalem .
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And when his disciples James and John saw it ,
they said , "
Lord ,
do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them ?"
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But he turned and rebuked them .
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And they went on to another village .
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As they were going along the road ,
a man said to him , "
I will follow you wherever you go ."
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And Jesus said to him , "
Foxes have holes ,
and birds of the air have nests ;
but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head ."
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To another he said , "
Follow me ."
But he said , "
Lord ,
let me first go and bury my father ."
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But he said to him , "
Leave the dead to bury their own dead ;
but as for you ,
go and proclaim the kingdom of God ."
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Another said , "
I will follow you ,
Lord ;
but let me first say farewell to those at my home ."
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Jesus said to him , "
No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God ."
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After this the Lord appointed seventy others ,
and sent them on ahead of him ,
two by two ,
into every town and place where he himself was about to come .
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And he said to them , "
The harvest is plentiful ,
but the laborers are few ;
pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest .
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Go your way ;
behold ,
I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves .
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Carry no purse ,
no bag ,
no sandals ;
and salute no one on the road .
*
Whatever house you enter ,
first say , `
Peace be to this house !'
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And if a son of peace is there ,
your peace shall rest upon him ;
but if not ,
it shall return to you .
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And remain in the same house ,
eating and drinking what they provide ,
for the laborer deserves his wages ;
do not go from house to house .
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Whenever you enter a town and they receive you ,
eat what is set before you ;
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heal the sick in it and say to them , `
The kingdom of God has come near to you .'
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But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you ,
go into its streets and say ,
* `
Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet ,
we wipe off against you ;
nevertheless know this ,
that the kingdom of God has come near .'
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I tell you ,
it shall be more tolerable on that day for Sodom than for that town .
* "
Woe to you ,
Chora '
zin !
woe to you ,
Beth-sa '
ida !
for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon ,
they would have repented long ago ,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes .
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But it shall be more tolerable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you .
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And you ,
Caper '
na-um ,
will you be exalted to heaven ?
You shall be brought down to Hades .
* "
He who hears you hears me ,
and he who rejects you rejects me ,
and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me ."
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The seventy returned with joy ,
saying , "
Lord ,
even the demons are subject to us in your name !"
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And he said to them , "
I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven .
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Behold ,
I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions ,
and over all the power of the enemy ;
and nothing shall hurt you .
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Nevertheless do not rejoice in this ,
that the spirits are subject to you ;
but rejoice that your names are written in heaven ."
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In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said , "
I thank thee ,
Father ,
Lord of heaven and earth ,
that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes ;
yea ,
Father ,
for such was thy gracious will .
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All things have been delivered to me by my Father ;
and no one knows who the Son is except the Father ,
or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him ."
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Then turning to the disciples he said privately , "
Blessed are the eyes which see what you see !
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For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see ,
and did not see it ,
and to hear what you hear ,
and did not hear it ."
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And behold ,
a lawyer stood up to put him to the test ,
saying , "
Teacher ,
what shall I do to inherit eternal life ?"
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He said to him , "
What is written in the law ?
How do you read ?"
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And he answered , "
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 your neighbor as yourself ."
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And he said to him , "
You have answered right ;
do this ,
and you will live ."
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But he ,
desiring to justify himself ,
said to Jesus , "
And who is my neighbor ?"
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Jesus replied , "
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho ,
and he fell among robbers ,
who stripped him and beat him ,
and departed ,
leaving him half dead .
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Now by chance a priest was going down that road ;
and when he saw him he passed by on the other side .
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So likewise a Levite ,
when he came to the place and saw him ,
passed by on the other side .
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But a Samaritan ,
as he journeyed ,
came to where he was ;
and when he saw him ,
he had compassion ,
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and went to him and bound up his wounds ,
pouring on oil and wine ;
then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn ,
and took care of him .
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And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper ,
saying , `
Take care of him ;
and whatever more you spend ,
I will repay you when I come back .'
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Which of these three ,
do you think ,
proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers ?"
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He said , "
The one who showed mercy on him ."
And Jesus said to him , "
Go and do likewise ."
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Now as they went on their way ,
he entered a village ;
and a woman named Martha received him into her house .
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And she had a sister called Mary ,
who sat at the Lord '
s feet and listened to his teaching .
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But Martha was distracted with much serving ;
and she went to him and said , "
Lord ,
do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone ?
Tell her then to help me ."
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But the Lord answered her , "
Martha ,
Martha ,
you are anxious and troubled about many things ;
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one thing is needful .
Mary has chosen the good portion ,
which shall not be taken away from her ."
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He was praying in a certain place ,
and when he ceased ,
one of his disciples said to him , "
Lord ,
teach us to pray ,
as John taught his disciples ."
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And he said to them , "
When you pray ,
say : "
Father ,
hallowed be thy name .
Thy kingdom come .
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Give us each day our daily bread ;
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and forgive us our sins ,
for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us ;
and lead us not into temptation ."
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And he said to them , "
Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him , `
Friend ,
lend me three loaves ;
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for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey ,
and I have nothing to set before him ';
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and he will answer from within , `
Do not bother me ;
the door is now shut ,
and my children are with me in bed ;
I cannot get up and give you anything '?
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I tell you ,
though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend ,
yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs .
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And I tell you ,
Ask ,
and it will be given you ;
seek ,
and you will find ;
knock ,
and it will be opened to you .
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For every one who asks receives ,
and he who seeks finds ,
and to him who knocks it will be opened .
*
What father among you ,
if his son asks for a fish ,
will instead of a fish give him a serpent ;
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or if he asks for an egg ,
will give him a scorpion ?
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If you then ,
who are evil ,
know how to give good gifts to your children ,
how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him !"
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Now he was casting out a demon that was dumb ;
when the demon had gone out ,
the dumb man spoke ,
and the people marveled .
*
But some of them said , "
He casts out demons by Be-el '
zebul ,
the prince of demons ";
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while others ,
to test him ,
sought from him a sign from heaven .
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But he ,
knowing their thoughts ,
said to them , "
Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste ,
and a divided household falls .
*
And if Satan also is divided against himself ,
how will his kingdom stand ?
For you say that I cast out demons by Be-el '
zebul .
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And if I cast out demons by Be-el '
zebul ,
by whom do your sons cast them out ?
Therefore they shall be your judges .
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But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons ,
then the kingdom of God has come upon you .
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When a strong man ,
fully armed ,
guards his own palace ,
his goods are in peace ;
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but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him ,
he takes away his armor in which he trusted ,
and divides his spoil .
*
He who is not with me is against me ,
and he who does not gather with me scatters .
* "
When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man ,
he passes through waterless places seeking rest ;
and finding none he says , `
I will return to my house from which I came .'
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And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order .
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Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself ,
and they enter and dwell there ;
and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first ."
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As he said this ,
a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him , "
Blessed is the womb that bore you ,
and the breasts that you sucked !"
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But he said , "
Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it !"
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When the crowds were increasing ,
he began to say , "
This generation is an evil generation ;
it seeks a sign ,
but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah .
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For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nin '
eveh ,
so will the Son of man be to this generation .
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The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them ;
for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ,
and behold ,
something greater than Solomon is here .
*
The men of Nin '
eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it ;
for they repented at the preaching of Jonah ,
and behold ,
something greater than Jonah is here .
* "
No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a bushel ,
but on a stand ,
that those who enter may see the light .
*
Your eye is the lamp of your body ;
when your eye is sound ,
your whole body is full of light ;
but when it is not sound ,
your body is full of darkness .
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Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness .
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If then your whole body is full of light ,
having no part dark ,
it will be wholly bright ,
as when a lamp with its rays gives you light ."
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While he was speaking ,
a Pharisee asked him to dine with him ;
so he went in and sat at table .
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The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner .
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And the Lord said to him , "
Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish ,
but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness .
*
You fools !
Did not he who made the outside make the inside also ?
*
But give for alms those things which are within ;
and behold ,
everything is clean for you .
* "
But woe to you Pharisees !
for you tithe mint and rue and every herb ,
and neglect justice and the love of God ;
these you ought to have done ,
without neglecting the others .
*
Woe to you Pharisees !
for you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places .
*
Woe to you !
for you are like graves which are not seen ,
and men walk over them without knowing it ."
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One of the lawyers answered him , "
Teacher ,
in saying this you reproach us also ."
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And he said , "
Woe to you lawyers also !
for you load men with burdens hard to bear ,
and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers .
*
Woe to you !
for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed .
*
So you are witnesses and consent to the deeds of your fathers ;
for they killed them ,
and you build their tombs .
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Therefore also the Wisdom of God said , `
I will send them prophets and apostles ,
some of whom they will kill and persecute ,'
*
that the blood of all the prophets ,
shed from the foundation of the world ,
may be required of this generation ,
*
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechari '
ah ,
who perished between the altar and the sanctuary .
Yes ,
I tell you ,
it shall be required of this generation .
*
Woe to you lawyers !
for you have taken away the key of knowledge ;
you did not enter yourselves ,
and you hindered those who were entering ."
*
As he went away from there ,
the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard ,
and to provoke him to speak of many things ,
*
lying in wait for him ,
to catch at something he might say .
*
In the meantime ,
when so many thousands of the multitude had gathered together that they trod upon one another ,
he began to say to his disciples first , "
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees ,
which is hypocrisy .
*
Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed ,
or hidden that will not be known .
*
Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light ,
and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops .
* "
I tell you ,
my friends ,
do not fear those who kill the body ,
and after that have no more that they can do .
*
But I will warn you whom to fear :
fear him who ,
after he has killed ,
has power to cast into hell ;
yes ,
I tell you ,
fear him !
*
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies ?
And not one of them is forgotten before God .
*
Why ,
even the hairs of your head are all numbered .
Fear not ;
you are of more value than many sparrows .
* "
And I tell you ,
every one who acknowledges me before men ,
the Son of man also will acknowledge before the angels of God ;
*
but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God .
*
And every one who speaks a word against the Son of man will be forgiven ;
but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven .
*
And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities ,
do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say ;
*
for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say ."
*
One of the multitude said to him , "
Teacher ,
bid my brother divide the inheritance with me ."
*
But he said to him , "
Man ,
who made me a judge or divider over you ?"
*
And he said to them , "
Take heed ,
and beware of all covetousness ;
for a man '
s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions ."
*
And he told them a parable ,
saying , "
The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully ;
*
and he thought to himself , `
What shall I do ,
for I have nowhere to store my crops ?'
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And he said , `
I will do this :
I will pull down my barns ,
and build larger ones ;
and there I will store all my grain and my goods .
*
And I will say to my soul ,
Soul ,
you have ample goods laid up for many years ;
take your ease ,
eat ,
drink ,
be merry .'
*
But God said to him , `
Fool !
This night your soul is required of you ;
and the things you have prepared ,
whose will they be ?'
*
So is he who lays up treasure for himself ,
and is not rich toward God ."
*
And he said to his disciples , "
Therefore I tell you ,
do not be anxious about your life ,
what you shall eat ,
nor about your body ,
what you shall put on .
*
For life is more than food ,
and the body more than clothing .
*
Consider the ravens :
they neither sow nor reap ,
they have neither storehouse nor barn ,
and yet God feeds them .
Of how much more value are you than the birds !
*
And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life ?
*
If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that ,
why are you anxious about the rest ?
*
Consider the lilies ,
how they grow ;
they neither toil nor spin ;
yet I tell you ,
even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these .
*
But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven ,
how much more will he clothe you ,
O men of little faith !
*
And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink ,
nor be of anxious mind .
*
For all the nations of the world seek these things ;
and your Father knows that you need them .
*
Instead ,
seek his kingdom ,
and these things shall be yours as well .
* "
Fear not ,
little flock ,
for it is your Father '
s good pleasure to give you the kingdom .
*
Sell your possessions ,
and give alms ;
provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old ,
with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail ,
where no thief approaches and no moth destroys .
*
For where your treasure is ,
there will your heart be also .
* "
Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning ,
*
and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast ,
so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks .
*
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes ;
truly ,
I say to you ,
he will gird himself and have them sit at table ,
and he will come and serve them .
*
If he comes in the second watch ,
or in the third ,
and finds them so ,
blessed are those servants !
*
But know this ,
that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming ,
he would not have left his house to be broken into .
*
You also must be ready ;
for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour ."
*
Peter said , "
Lord ,
are you telling this parable for us or for all ?"
*
And the Lord said , "
Who then is the faithful and wise steward ,
whom his master will set over his household ,
to give them their portion of food at the proper time ?
*
Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing .
*
Truly ,
I say to you ,
he will set him over all his possessions .
*
But if that servant says to himself , `
My master is delayed in coming ,'
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants ,
and to eat and drink and get drunk ,
*
the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know ,
and will punish him ,
and put him with the unfaithful .
*
And that servant who knew his master '
s will ,
but did not make ready or act according to his will ,
shall receive a severe beating .
*
But he who did not know ,
and did what deserved a beating ,
shall receive a light beating .
Every one to whom much is given ,
of him will much be required ;
and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more .
* "
I came to cast fire upon the earth ;
and would that it were already kindled !
*
I have a baptism to be baptized with ;
and how I am constrained until it is accomplished !
*
Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth ?
No ,
I tell you ,
but rather division ;
*
for henceforth in one house there will be five divided ,
three against two and two against three ;
*
they will be divided ,
father against son and son against father ,
mother against daughter and daughter against her mother ,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law ."
*
He also said to the multitudes , "
When you see a cloud rising in the west ,
you say at once , `
A shower is coming ';
and so it happens .
*
And when you see the south wind blowing ,
you say , `
There will be scorching heat ';
and it happens .
*
You hypocrites !
You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky ;
but why do you not know how to interpret the present time ?
* "
And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right ?
*
As you go with your accuser before the magistrate ,
make an effort to settle with him on the way ,
lest he drag you to the judge ,
and the judge hand you over to the officer ,
and the officer put you in prison .
*
I tell you ,
you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper ."
*
There were some present at that very time who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices .
*
And he answered them , "
Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans ,
because they suffered thus ?
*
I tell you ,
No ;
but unless you repent you will all likewise perish .
*
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 ?
*
I tell you ,
No ;
but unless you repent you will all likewise perish ."
*
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 .
*
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 ?'
*
And he answered him , `
Let it alone ,
sir ,
this year also ,
till I dig about it and put on manure .
*
And if it bears fruit next year ,
well and good ;
but if not ,
you can cut it down .'"
*
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath .
*
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 .
*
And when Jesus saw her ,
he called her and said to her , "
Woman ,
you are freed from your infirmity ."
*
And he laid his hands upon her ,
and immediately she was made straight ,
and she praised God .
*
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 ."
*
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 ?
*
And ought not this woman ,
a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years ,
be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day ?"
*
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 .
*
He said therefore , "
What is the kingdom of God like ?
And to what shall I compare it ?
*
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 ."
*
And again he said , "
To what shall I compare the kingdom of God ?
*
It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour ,
till it was all leavened ."
*
He went on his way through towns and villages ,
teaching ,
and journeying toward Jerusalem .
*
And some one said to him , "
Lord ,
will those who are saved be few ?"
And he said to them ,
* "
Strive to enter by the narrow door ;
for many ,
I tell you ,
will seek to enter and will not be able .
*
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 .'
*
Then you will begin to say , `
We ate and drank in your presence ,
and you taught in our streets .'
*
But he will say , `
I tell you ,
I do not know where you come from ;
depart from me ,
all you workers of iniquity !'
*
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 .
*
And men will come from east and west ,
and from north and south ,
and sit at table in the kingdom of God .
*
And behold ,
some are last who will be first ,
and some are first who will be last ."
*
At that very hour some Pharisees came ,
and said to him , "
Get away from here ,
for Herod wants to kill you ."
*
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 .
*
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 .'
*
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 !
*
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 !'"
*
One sabbath when he went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees ,
they were watching him .
*
And behold ,
there was a man before him who had dropsy .
*
And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees ,
saying , "
Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath ,
or not ?"
*
But they were silent .
Then he took him and healed him ,
and let him go .
*
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 ?"
*
And they could not reply to this .
*
Now he told a parable to those who were invited ,
when he marked how they chose the places of honor ,
saying to them ,
* "
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 ;
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
For every one who exalts himself will be humbled ,
and he who humbles himself will be exalted ."
*
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 .
*
But when you give a feast ,
invite the poor ,
the maimed ,
the lame ,
the blind ,
*
and you will be blessed ,
because they cannot repay you .
You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just ."
*
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 !"
*
But he said to him , "
A man once gave a great banquet ,
and invited many ;
*
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 .'
*
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 .'
*
And another said , `
I have bought five yoke of oxen ,
and I go to examine them ;
I pray you ,
have me excused .'
*
And another said , `
I have married a wife ,
and therefore I cannot come .'
*
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 .'
*
And the servant said , `
Sir ,
what you commanded has been done ,
and still there is room .'
*
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 .
*
For I tell you ,
none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet .'"
*
Now great multitudes accompanied him ;
and he turned and said to them ,
* "
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 .
*
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me ,
cannot be my disciple .
*
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 ?
*
Otherwise ,
when he has laid a foundation ,
and is not able to finish ,
all who see it begin to mock him ,
*
saying , `
This man began to build ,
and was not able to finish .'
*
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 ?
*
And if not ,
while the other is yet a great way off ,
he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace .
*
So therefore ,
whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple .
* "
Salt is good ;
but if salt has lost its taste ,
how shall its saltness be restored ?
*
It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill ;
men throw it away .
He who has ears to hear ,
let him hear ."
*
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him .
*
And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured ,
saying , "
This man receives sinners and eats with them ."
*
So he told them this parable :
* "
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 ?
*
And when he has found it ,
he lays it on his shoulders ,
rejoicing .
*
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 .'
*
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 .
* "
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 ?
*
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 .'
*
Just so ,
I tell you ,
there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents ."
*
And he said , "
There was a man who had two sons ;
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
And when he had spent everything ,
a great famine arose in that country ,
and he began to be in want .
*
So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country ,
who sent him into his fields to feed swine .
*
And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate ;
and no one gave him anything .
*
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 !
*
I will arise and go to my father ,
and I will say to him , "
Father ,
I have sinned against heaven and before you ;
*
I am no longer worthy to be called your son ;
treat me as one of your hired servants ."'
*
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 .
*
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 .'
*
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 ;
*
and bring the fatted calf and kill it ,
and let us eat and make merry ;
*
for this my son was dead ,
and is alive again ;
he was lost ,
and is found .'
And they began to make merry .
* "
Now his elder son was in the field ;
and as he came and drew near to the house ,
he heard music and dancing .
*
And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant .
*
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 .'
*
But he was angry and refused to go in .
His father came out and entreated him ,
*
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 .
*
But when this son of yours came ,
who has devoured your living with harlots ,
you killed for him the fatted calf !'
*
And he said to him , `
Son ,
you are always with me ,
and all that is mine is yours .
*
It was fitting to make merry and be glad ,
for this your brother was dead ,
and is alive ;
he was lost ,
and is found .'"
*
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 .
*
And he called him and said to him , `
What is this that I hear about you ?
Turn in the account of your stewardship ,
for you can no longer be steward .'
*
And the steward said to himself , `
What shall I do ,
since my master is taking the stewardship away from me ?
I am not strong enough to dig ,
and I am ashamed to beg .
*
I have decided what to do ,
so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship .'
*
So ,
summoning his master '
s debtors one by one ,
he said to the first , `
How much do you owe my master ?'
*
He said , `
A hundred measures of oil .'
And he said to him , `
Take your bill ,
and sit down quickly and write fifty .'
*
Then he said to another , `
And how much do you owe ?'
He said , `
A hundred measures of wheat .'
He said to him , `
Take your bill ,
and write eighty .'
*
The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness ;
for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light .
*
And I tell you ,
make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon ,
so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations .
* "
He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much ;
and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much .
*
If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon ,
who will entrust to you the true riches ?
*
And if you have not been faithful in that which is another '
s ,
who will give you that which is your own ?
*
No 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 mammon ."
*
The Pharisees ,
who were lovers of money ,
heard all this ,
and they scoffed at him .
*
But he said to them , "
You are those who justify yourselves before men ,
but God knows your hearts ;
for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God .
* "
The law and the prophets were until John ;
since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached ,
and every one enters it violently .
*
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away ,
than for one dot of the law to become void .
* "
Every one who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery ,
and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery .
* "
There was a rich man ,
who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day .
*
And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz '
arus ,
full of sores ,
*
who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man '
s table ;
moreover the dogs came and licked his sores .
*
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham '
s bosom .
The rich man also died and was buried ;
*
and in Hades ,
being in torment ,
he lifted up his eyes ,
and saw Abraham far off and Laz '
arus in his bosom .
*
And he called out , `
Father Abraham ,
have mercy upon me ,
and send Laz '
arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue ;
for I am in anguish in this flame .'
*
But Abraham said , `
Son ,
remember that you in your lifetime received your good things ,
and Laz '
arus in like manner evil things ;
but now he is comforted here ,
and you are in anguish .
*
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 .'
*
And he said , `
Then I beg you ,
father ,
to send him to my father '
s house ,
*
for I have five brothers ,
so that he may warn them ,
lest they also come into this place of torment .'
*
But Abraham said , `
They have Moses and the prophets ;
let them hear them .'
*
And he said , `
No ,
father Abraham ;
but if some one goes to them from the dead ,
they will repent .'
*
He said to him , `
If they do not hear Moses and the prophets ,
neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead .'"
*
And he said to his disciples , "
Temptations to sin are sure to come ;
but woe to him by whom they come !
*
It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea ,
than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin .
*
Take heed to yourselves ;
if your brother sins ,
rebuke him ,
and if he repents ,
forgive him ;
*
and if he sins against you seven times in the day ,
and turns to you seven times ,
and says , `
I repent ,'
you must forgive him ."
*
The apostles said to the Lord , "
Increase our faith !"
*
And the Lord said , "
If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed ,
you could say to this sycamine tree , `
Be rooted up ,
and be planted in the sea ,'
and it would obey you .
* "
Will any one of you ,
who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep ,
say to him when he has come in from the field , `
Come at once and sit down at table '?
*
Will he not rather say to him , `
Prepare supper for me ,
and gird yourself and serve me ,
till I eat and drink ;
and afterward you shall eat and drink '?
*
Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded ?
*
So you also ,
when you have done all that is commanded you ,
say , `
We are unworthy servants ;
we have only done what was our duty .'"
*
On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Sama '
ria and Galilee .
*
And as he entered a village ,
he was met by ten lepers ,
who stood at a distance
*
and lifted up their voices and said , "
Jesus ,
Master ,
have mercy on us ."
*
When he saw them he said to them , "
Go and show yourselves to the priests ."
And as they went they were cleansed .
*
Then one of them ,
when he saw that he was healed ,
turned back ,
praising God with a loud voice ;
*
and he fell on his face at Jesus '
feet ,
giving him thanks .
Now he was a Samaritan .
*
Then said Jesus , "
Were not ten cleansed ?
Where are the nine ?
*
Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner ?"
*
And he said to him , "
Rise and go your way ;
your faith has made you well ."
*
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming ,
he answered them , "
The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed ;
*
nor will they say , `
Lo ,
here it is !'
or `
There !'
for behold ,
the kingdom of God is in the midst of you ."
*
And he said to the disciples , "
The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man ,
and you will not see it .
*
And they will say to you , `
Lo ,
there !'
or `
Lo ,
here !'
Do not go ,
do not follow them .
*
For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other ,
so will the Son of man be in his day .
*
But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation .
*
As it was in the days of Noah ,
so will it be in the days of the Son of man .
*
They ate ,
they drank ,
they married ,
they were given in marriage ,
until the day when Noah entered the ark ,
and the flood came and destroyed them all .
*
Likewise as it was in the days of Lot--they ate ,
they drank ,
they bought ,
they sold ,
they planted ,
they built ,
*
but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom fire and sulphur rained from heaven and destroyed them all --
*
so will it be on the day when the Son of man is revealed .
*
On that day ,
let him who is on the housetop ,
with his goods in the house ,
not come down to take them away ;
and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back .
*
Remember Lot '
s wife .
*
Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it ,
but whoever loses his life will preserve it .
*
I tell you ,
in that night there will be two in one bed ;
one will be taken and the other left .
*
There will be two women grinding together ;
one will be taken and the other left ."
*
And they said to him , "
Where ,
Lord ?"
He said to them , "
Where the body is ,
there the eagles will be gathered together ."
*
And he told them a parable ,
to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart .
*
He said , "
In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man ;
*
and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying , `
Vindicate me against my adversary .'
*
For a while he refused ;
but afterward he said to himself , `
Though I neither fear God nor regard man ,
*
yet because this widow bothers me ,
I will vindicate her ,
or she will wear me out by her continual coming .'"
*
And the Lord said , "
Hear what the unrighteous judge says .
*
And will not God vindicate his elect ,
who cry to him day and night ?
Will he delay long over them ?
*
I tell you ,
he will vindicate them speedily .
Nevertheless ,
when the Son of man comes ,
will he find faith on earth ?"
*
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others :
* "
Two men went up into the temple to pray ,
one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector .
*
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself , `
God ,
I thank thee that I am not like other men ,
extortioners ,
unjust ,
adulterers ,
or even like this tax collector .
*
I fast twice a week ,
I give tithes of all that I get .'
*
But the tax collector ,
standing far off ,
would not even lift up his eyes to heaven ,
but beat his breast ,
saying , `
God ,
be merciful to me a sinner !'
*
I tell you ,
this man went down to his house justified rather than the other ;
for every one who exalts himself will be humbled ,
but he who humbles himself will be exalted ."
*
Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them ;
and when the disciples saw it ,
they rebuked them .
*
But Jesus called them to him ,
saying , "
Let the children come to me ,
and do not hinder them ;
for to such belongs the kingdom of God .
*
Truly ,
I say to you ,
whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it ."
*
And a ruler asked him , "
Good Teacher ,
what shall I do to inherit eternal life ?"
*
And Jesus said to him , "
Why do you call me good ?
No one is good but God alone .
*
You know the commandments : `
Do not commit adultery ,
Do not kill ,
Do not steal ,
Do not bear false witness ,
Honor your father and mother .'"
*
And he said , "
All these I have observed from my youth ."
*
And when Jesus heard it ,
he said to him , "
One thing you still lack .
Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor ,
and you will have treasure in heaven ;
and come ,
follow me ."
*
But when he heard this he became sad ,
for he was very rich .
*
Jesus looking at him said , "
How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God !
*
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 ."
*
Those who heard it said , "
Then who can be saved ?"
*
But he said , "
What is impossible with men is possible with God ."
*
And Peter said , "
Lo ,
we have left our homes and followed you ."
*
And he said to them , "
Truly ,
I say to you ,
there is no man who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children ,
for the sake of the kingdom of God ,
*
who will not receive manifold more in this time ,
and in the age to come eternal life ."
*
And taking the twelve ,
he said to them , "
Behold ,
we are going up to Jerusalem ,
and everything that is written of the Son of man by the prophets will be accomplished .
*
For he will be delivered to the Gentiles ,
and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon ;
*
they will scourge him and kill him ,
and on the third day he will rise ."
*
But they understood none of these things ;
this saying was hid from them ,
and they did not grasp what was said .
*
As he drew near to Jericho ,
a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging ;
*
and hearing a multitude going by ,
he inquired what this meant .
*
They told him , "
Jesus of Nazareth is passing by ."
*
And he cried , "
Jesus ,
Son of David ,
have mercy on me !"
*
And those who were in front rebuked him ,
telling him to be silent ;
but he cried out all the more , "
Son of David ,
have mercy on me !"
*
And Jesus stopped ,
and commanded him to be brought to him ;
and when he came near ,
he asked him ,
* "
What do you want me to do for you ?"
He said , "
Lord ,
let me receive my sight ."
*
And Jesus said to him , "
Receive your sight ;
your faith has made you well ."
*
And immediately he received his sight and followed him ,
glorifying God ;
and all the people ,
when they saw it ,
gave praise to God .
*
He entered Jericho and was passing through .