Luke 18

Evangelical Heritage Version

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Jesus told them a parable about the need to always pray and not lose heart: ² “There was a judge in a certain town who did not fear God and did not care about people. ³ There was a widow in that town, and she kept going to him, saying, ‘Give me justice from my adversary!’ ⁴ For some time he refused, but after a while he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God or care about people, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice so that she will not wear me out with her endless pleading.’”

⁶ The Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ Will not God give justice to his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night? Will he put off helping them? ⁸ I tell you that he will give them justice quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ Jesus told this parable to certain people who trusted in themselves (that they were righteous) and looked down on others: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple courts to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week. I give a tenth of all my income.’

¹³ “However the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even lift his eyes up to heaven, but was beating his chest and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

¹⁴ “I tell you, this man went home justified rather than the other, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus Loves Little Children

¹⁵ People were bringing even their babies to Jesus, so that he would touch them. When the disciples saw this, they began to rebuke them. ¹⁶ But Jesus invited them, saying, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷ Amen I tell you: Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

The Rich Young Ruler

¹⁸ A certain ruler asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹ Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one—God. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery. You shall not murder. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony. Honor your father and mother.’”^[a]

²¹ “I have kept all these since I was a child,” he said.

²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²³ But when the ruler heard these words, he became very sad, because he was very rich.

²⁴ When Jesus saw that the man became very sad, he said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ In fact, 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.”

²⁶ Those who heard this said, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁷ He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible for God.”

²⁸ And Peter said, “Look, we have left our possessions^[b] and followed you.”

²⁹ He said to them, “Amen I tell you: Anyone who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ³⁰ will most certainly receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come, eternal life.”

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection Again

³¹ He took the Twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. ³² Indeed, he will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, mistreat him, spit on him, ³³ flog him, and kill him. On the third day, he will rise again.”

³⁴ They did not understand any of these things. What he said was hidden from them, and they did not understand what was said.

Blind Bartimaeus

³⁵ As he approached Jericho, a blind man sat by the road, begging. ³⁶ When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by. ³⁸ He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹ Those who were at the front of the crowd rebuked him, telling him to be quiet. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰ Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, he asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?”

He said, “Lord, I want to see again.”

⁴² Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.”

⁴³ Immediately he received his sight and began following Jesus, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw this, gave praise to God.