Luke 19

International Standard Version

Jesus and Zacchaeus

19 As Jesus^[a] entered Jericho and was passing through it, ² a man named Zacchaeus appeared. He was a leading tax collector, and a rich one at that! ³ He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he couldn’t do so due to the crowd, since he was a short man. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus,^[b] who was going to pass that way.

⁵ When Jesus came to the tree,^[c] he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ Zacchaeus^[d] came down quickly and was glad to welcome him into his home.^[e]

⁷ But all the people who saw this began to complain: “Jesus^[f] is going to be the guest of a notorious^[g] sinner!”

⁸ Later, Zacchaeus stood up and announced to the Lord, “Look! I’m giving half of my possessions to the destitute, and if I have accused anyone falsely, I’m repaying four times as much as I owe.”^[h]

⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Today salvation has come to this home, because this man^[i] is also a descendant of Abraham, ¹⁰ and the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

The Parable about the Coins

¹¹ As they were listening to this, Jesus^[j] went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and because the people^[k] thought that the kingdom of God would appear immediately. ¹² So he said, “A prince went to a distant country to be appointed king and then to return. ¹³ He called ten of his servants and gave them ten coins.^[l] He told them, ‘Invest this money until I come back.’ ¹⁴ But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation to follow him and to announce, ‘We don’t want this man to rule over us!’

¹⁵ “After he was appointed king, the prince^[m] came back. He ordered the servants to whom he had given the money to be called so he could find out what they had earned by investing. ¹⁶ The first servant^[n] came and said, ‘Sir, your coin has earned ten more coins.’ ¹⁷ The king^[o] told him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.’

¹⁸ “The second servant^[p] came and said, ‘Your coin, sir, has earned five coins.’ ¹⁹ The king^[q] told him, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

²⁰ “Then the other servant^[r] came and said, ‘Sir, look! Here’s your coin. I’ve kept it in a cloth for safekeeping ²¹ because I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You withdraw what you didn’t deposit and harvest what you didn’t plant.’ ²² The king^[s] told him, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you evil servant! You knew, did you, that I was a hard man, and that I withdraw what I didn’t deposit and harvest what I didn’t plant? ²³ Then why didn’t you put my money in the bank? When I returned, I could have collected it with interest.’

²⁴ “So the king^[t] told those standing nearby, ‘Take the coin away from him and give it to the man who has the ten coins.’ ²⁵ They answered him, ‘Sir, he already^[u] has ten coins!’ ²⁶ ‘I tell you, to everyone who has something, more will be given, but from the person who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷ But as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king—bring them here and slaughter them in my presence!’”

The King Enters Jerusalem^(A)

²⁸ After Jesus^[v] had said this, he traveled on and went up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples on ahead. ³⁰ “Go into the village ahead of you,” he said. “As you enter, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever ridden.^[w] Untie it and bring it along. ³¹ If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say this: ‘The Lord needs it.’”

³² So those who were sent went off and found it as Jesus^[x] had told them. ³³ While they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

³⁴ The disciples^[y] answered, “The Lord needs it.” ³⁵ Then they brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and Jesus sat upon it.

³⁶ As he was riding along, people^[z] kept spreading their coats on the road. ³⁷ He was now approaching the descent from the Mount of Olives. The whole crowd of disciples began to rejoice and to praise God with a loud voice because of all the miracles they had seen. ³⁸ They said,

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd told Jesus,^[ab] “Teacher, tell your disciples to be quiet.”

⁴⁰ He replied, “I tell you, if they were quiet, the stones would cry out!”

⁴¹ When he came closer and saw the city, he began to grieve over it: ⁴² “If you^[ac] had only known today what could have brought you peace! But now it is hidden from your sight, ⁴³ because the days will come^[ad] when your enemies will build walls around you, surround you, and close you in on every side. ⁴⁴ They will level you to the ground—you and those who live^[ae] within your city limits.^[af] They will not leave one stone on another within your walls,^[ag] because you didn’t recognize the time when you were visited.”^[ah]

Confrontation in the Temple over Money^(B)

⁴⁵ Then Jesus^[ai] went into the Temple and began to throw out those who were selling things. ⁴⁶ He told them, “It is written, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer,’^[aj] but you have turned it into a hideout^[ak] for bandits!”

⁴⁷ Then he began teaching in the Temple every day. The high priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him, ⁴⁸ but they couldn’t find a way to do it, because all the people were eager to hear him.