The Parable of the Persistent Widow

1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought ^ralways to pray and not ^slose heart.

2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who ^tneither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ^u‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And ^vwill not God give justice to ^whis elect, ^xwho cry to him day and night? ^yzWill he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them ^aspeedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, ^bwill he find faith on earth?”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 He also told this parable to some ^cwho trusted ^din themselves that they were righteous, ^eand treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men ^fwent up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, ^gstanding by himself, prayed^{1 h}thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ⁱI fast twice a week; ^jI give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, ^gstanding far off, ^kwould not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but ^lbeat his breast, saying, ‘God, ^mbe merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For ⁿeveryone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Let the Children Come to Me

15 ^oNow they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they ^prebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, ^q“Let the children come to me, and ^rdo not hinder them, ^qfor to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 ^sTruly, I say to you, whoever does not ^treceive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”