Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two1 others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, l“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of mwolves. 4 Carry nno moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and ogreet no one on the road. 5 Whatever phouse you enter, first say, q‘Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for rthe laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, seat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, t‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we uwipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be vmore bearable on that day for wSodom than for that town.
Woe to Unrepentant Cities
13 x“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! 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. 14 But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be yexalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to zHades.
16 a“The one who hears you hears me, and bthe one who rejects you rejects me, and cthe one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
The Return of the Seventy-Two
17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the ddemons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan efall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to ftread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your gnames are written in hheaven.”
Jesus Rejoices in the Father’s Will
21 iIn that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the jwise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.2 22 kAll things have been handed over to me by my Father, and lno one knows who the Son is except the Father, or mwho the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to nreveal him.”
23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, o“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings pdesired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 qAnd behold, a lawyer stood up to rput him to the test, saying, “Teacher, swhat shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, t“You shall ulove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, vand your wneighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; xdo this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to yjustify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 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. 31 Now by chance a zpriest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil 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 adenarii3 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.”
Martha and Mary
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus4 entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But bMartha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, c“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but done thing is necessary.5 Mary has chosen the egood portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
The Lord’s Prayer
11 fNow Jesus1 was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, ghallowed be your name.
Your hkingdom come.
3 Give us each day our idaily bread,2
4 and jforgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And klead us not into temptation.”
5 And he said to them, l“Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 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’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence3 he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 mAnd I tell you, nask, and it will be given to you; oseek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for4 a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, phow much more qwill the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Jesus and Beelzebul
14 rNow he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people smarveled. 15 But some of them said, t“He casts out demons by uBeelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the vfinger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a wstrong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 xWhoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Return of an Unclean Spirit
24 y“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the zlast state of that person is worse than the first.”
True Blessedness
27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, a“Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who bhear the word of God and keep it!”
The Sign of Jonah
29 cWhen the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. dIt seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For eas Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for fshe came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for gthey repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
The Light in You
33 h“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. 36 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.”
Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers
37 iWhile Jesus5 was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first jwash before dinner. 39 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 kgreed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, leverything is clean for you.
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you mtithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect njustice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the obest seat in the synagogues and pgreetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! For you are like qunmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”
45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” 46 And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and ryou yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers skilled. 48 So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and tapostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51 from the blood of uAbel to the blood of vZechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. 52 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.”
53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, 54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.
Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees
12 wIn the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, x“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 yNothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 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 on the housetops.
Have No Fear
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: zfear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.1 Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?2 And anot one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Acknowledge Christ Before Men
8 “And I tell you, everyone who backnowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will cacknowledge before the angels of God, 9 but the one who ddenies me before men will be edenied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who fblasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, gdo not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the hHoly Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all icovetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, j“Soul, you have ample goods laid up kfor many years; relax, leat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, m‘Fool! nThis night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, owhose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up ptreasure for himself and is not qrich toward God.”
Do Not Be Anxious
22 rAnd he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be sanxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the travens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of uhow much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can vadd a single hour to his span of life?3 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even wSolomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the xgrass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, yO you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and zyour Father knows that you need them. 31 aInstead, seek his4 kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
32 b“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 cSell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
You Must Be Ready
35 d“Stay dressed for action5 and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 eBlessed are those servants6 whom the master finds fawake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, ghe will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that hif the master of the house had iknown at what hour the jthief was coming, he7 would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is kcoming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 lPeter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise mmanager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant8 whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 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 cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a nsevere beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a olight beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Not Peace, but Division
49 p“I came to cast qfire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a rbaptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, sfather against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Interpreting the Time
54 tHe also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 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?
Settle with Your Accuser
57 u“And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, vmake 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. 59 I tell you, you will never get out wuntil you have paid the very last penny.”9
Repent or Perish
13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “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 xrepent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam 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 repent, you will all likewise perish.”
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 And he told this parable: “A man had a yfig 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. Cut 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 he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a 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 laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she zglorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are asix 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 bhypocrites! Does not each of you con the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all his dadversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
18 eHe said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the fbirds of the air made nests in its branches.”
20 gAnd again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
The Narrow Door
22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be hfew?” And he said to them, 24 i“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When 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, j‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, k‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. lDepart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 mIn that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come nfrom east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, osome 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 here, for Herod 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 I finish my course. 33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a pprophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ 34 qO Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that rkills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a shen gathers her brood under her wings, and tyou were not willing! 35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, u‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Healing of a Man on the Sabbath
14 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the vPharisees, they were wwatching him carefully. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, x“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, “Which of you, yhaving a son1 or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately zpull him out?” 6 And 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 how 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 aplace 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, so that when your host comes he may say to you, b‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For ceveryone who exalts himself will be humbled, and dhe who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The Parable of the Great Banquet
12 eHe said also to the man who had invited him, f“When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers2 or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be grepaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the hjust.”
15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, i“Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great jbanquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant3 to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make kexcuses. 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, l‘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 the 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 mnone of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”
The Cost of Discipleship
25 nNow great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own ofather and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and peven his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not qbear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and rcount 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 sit down first and sdeliberate 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 So therefore, any one of you who does not trenounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Salt Without Taste Is Worthless
34 u“Salt is good, but 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. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
