The Parable of the Persistent Widow
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He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who 3neither feared God nor respected man.
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And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary. ’
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For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 4‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,
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yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming. ’”
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And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
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And 5will not God give justice to 6his elect, 7who cry to him day and night? 8 9Will he delay long over them?
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I tell you, he will give justice to them 10speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, 11will he find faith on earth? ”
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
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He also told this parable to some 12who trusted 13in themselves that they were righteous, 14and treated others with contempt:
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“Two men 15went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
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The Pharisee, 16standing by himself, prayeda 17thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
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But the tax collector, 20standing far off, 21would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but 22beat his breast, saying, ‘God, 23be merciful to me, a sinner! ’
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I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For 24everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. ”
Let the Children Come to Me
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25Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they 26rebuked them.
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But Jesus called them to him, saying, 27“Let the children come to me, and 28do not hinder them, 29for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
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30Truly, I say to you, whoever does not 31receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. ”
The Rich Ruler
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And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
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You know the commandments: 34‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother. ’”
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And he said, 35“All these I have kept from my youth. ”
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When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. 36Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have 37treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. ”
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38But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.
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Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, 39“How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter 40the kingdom of God!
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For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter 41the kingdom of God. ”
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Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved? ”
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But he said, 42“What is impossible with man is possible with God. ”
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And Peter said, “See, 43we have left our homes and followed you. ”
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And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, 44there is no one who has left house or wife or brothersb or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
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48And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, 49we are going up to Jerusalem, and 50everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.
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For he will be 51delivered over to the Gentiles and will be 52mocked and shamefully treated and 53spit upon.
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And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on 54the third day he will rise. ”
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55But they understood none of these things. 56This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar
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And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant.
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They told him, 59“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. ”
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And he cried out, “Jesus, 60Son of David, have mercy on me! ”
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And those who were in front 61rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me! ”
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And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him,
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62“What do you want me to do for you? ”He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight. ”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)