Lukas 18 | King James Version

1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? 9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. 18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. 20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. 21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. 22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. 23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. 24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? 27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. 28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. 29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, 30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. 31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. 35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

New International Reader’s Version

The story of the widow who would not give up

1 Jesus told his disciples a story. He wanted to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said, ‘In a certain town there was a judge. He didn’t have any respect for God or care about what people thought. 3 A widow lived in that town. She came to the judge again and again. She kept begging him, “Make things right for me. Someone is treating me badly.” 4 ‘For some time the judge refused. But finally he said to himself, “I don’t have any respect for God. I don’t care about what people think. 5 But this widow keeps bothering me. So I will see that things are made right for her. If I don’t, she will someday come and attack me!” ’ 6 The Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unfair judge says. 7 God’s chosen people cry out to him day and night. Won’t he make things right for them? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, God will see that things are made right for them. He will make sure it happens quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find people on earth who have faith?’

The story of the Pharisee and the tax collector

9 Jesus told a story to some people who were sure they were right with God. They looked down on everyone else. 10 He said to them, ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee. The other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed. “God, I thank you that I am not like other people,” he said. “I am not like robbers or those who do other evil things. I am not like those who commit adultery. I am not even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week. And I give a tenth of all I get.” 13 ‘But the tax collector stood further away than the Pharisee. He would not even look up to heaven. He brought his hand to his heart and prayed. He said, “God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner.” 14 ‘I tell you, the tax collector went home accepted by God. But not the Pharisee. All those who lift themselves up will be made humble. And those who make themselves humble will be lifted up.’

Little children are brought to Jesus

15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus. They wanted him to place his hands on the babies. When the disciples saw this, they told the people to stop. 16 But Jesus asked the children to come to him. ‘Let the little children come to me,’ he said. ‘Don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to people like them. 17 What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who will not receive God’s kingdom like a little child will never enter it.’

Rich people and the kingdom of God

18 A certain ruler asked Jesus a question. ‘Good teacher’, he said, ‘what must I do to receive eternal life?’ 19 ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good except God. 20 You know what the commandments say. “Do not commit adultery. Do not commit murder. Do not steal. Do not be a false witness. Honour your father and mother.” ’ 21 ‘I have obeyed all those commandments since I was a boy,’ the ruler said. 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘You are still missing one thing. Sell everything you have. Give the money to those who are poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.’ 23 When the ruler heard this, he became very sad. He was very rich. 24 Jesus looked at him. Then he said, ‘How hard it is for rich people to enter God’s kingdom! 25 Is it hard for a camel to go through the eye of a needle? It is even harder for someone who is rich to enter God’s kingdom!’ 26 Those who heard this asked, ‘Then who can be saved?’ 27 Jesus replied, ‘Things that are impossible with people are possible with God.’ 28 Peter said to him, ‘We have left everything we had in order to follow you!’ 29 ‘What I’m about to tell you is true,’ Jesus said to them. ‘Has anyone left home or wife or husband or brothers or sisters or parents or children for God’s kingdom? 30 They will receive many times as much in this world. In the world to come they will receive eternal life.’

Jesus speaks a third time about his coming death

31 Jesus took the 12 disciples to one side. He told them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem. Everything that the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will come true. 32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will make fun of him. They will laugh at him and spit on him. 33 They will whip him and kill him. On the third day, he will rise from the dead!’ 34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them. So they didn’t know what Jesus was talking about.

A blind beggar receives his sight

35 Jesus was approaching Jericho. A blind man was sitting by the side of the road begging. 36 The blind man heard the crowd going by. He asked what was happening. 37 They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’ 38 So the blind man called out, ‘Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!’ 39 Those who led the way commanded him to stop. They told him to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, ‘Son of David! Have mercy on me!’ 40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When the man came near, Jesus spoke to him. 41 ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked. ‘Lord, I want to be able to see,’ the blind man replied. 42 Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you.’ 43 Right away he could see. He followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Lukas 18 | King James Version New International Reader’s Version