Parable of the Persistent Widow
1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
The Pharisee and Tax Collector
9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The 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. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And 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. 14I 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.
Jesus Blesses the Children
(Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16)
15And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16But 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. 17Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
The Rich Young Ruler
(Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31)
18And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. 20Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. 21And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. 22Now 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. 23And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. 24And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 25For 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. 26And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? 27And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
28Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. 29And 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, 30Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
Jesus Again Predicts His Death
(Luke 9:43-45)
31Then 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. 32For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar
(Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52)
35And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 39And 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. 40And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
1 He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up,
2 saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who didn’t fear God, and didn’t respect man. 3 A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ 4 He wouldn’t for a while, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God, nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.’” 6 The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. 7 Won’t God avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others.
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat 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 everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus Blesses the Children
(Matthew 19:13–15; Mark 10:13–16)
15 They were also bringing their babies to him, that he might touch them. But when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 Jesus summoned them, saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Most certainly, I tell you, whoever doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.”
The Rich Young Ruler
(Matthew 19:16–30; Mark 10:17–31)
18 A certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall 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: ‘Don’t commit adultery,’ ‘Don’t murder,’ ‘Don’t steal,’ ‘Don’t give false testimony,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’” 21 He said, “I have observed all these things from my youth up.” 22 When Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have, and distribute it to the poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was very rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he became very sad, said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into the Kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
28 Peter said, “Look, we have left everything, and followed you.” 29 He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for the Kingdom of God’s sake, 30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the world to come, eternal life.”
The Third Prediction of the Passion
(Matthew 20:17–19; Mark 10:32–34)
31 He took the twelve aside, and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be completed. 32 For he will be delivered up to the Gentiles, will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit on. 33 They will scourge and kill him. On the third day, he will rise again.” 34 They understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they didn’t understand the things that were said.
Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar
(Matthew 20:29–34; Mark 10:46–52)
35 It happened, as he came near Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the road, begging. 36 Hearing a multitude going by, he asked what this meant. 37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 He cried out, “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way rebuked him, that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 Standing still, Jesus commanded him to be brought to him. When he had come near, he asked him,
41 “What do you want me to do?” He said, “Lord, that I may see again.” 42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw it, praised God.
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart: 2 “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
4 For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men, 5 yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Then she will stop wearing me out with her perpetual requests.’ ”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to the words of the unjust judge. 7 Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help? 8 I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, a ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’
13 But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus Blesses the Children
(Matthew 19:13–15; Mark 10:13–16)
15 Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them.
16 But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
The Rich Young Ruler
(Matthew 19:16–30; Mark 10:17–31)
18 Then a certain ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’ b”
21 “All these I have kept from my youth,” he said.
22 On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
23 But when the ruler heard this, he became very sad, because he was extremely wealthy.
24 Seeing the man’s sadness, c Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
27 But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
28 “Look,” said Peter, “we have left all we had d to follow You.”
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times more in this age—and in the age to come, eternal life.”
The Third Prediction of the Passion
(Matthew 20:17–19; Mark 10:32–34)
31 Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. 33 They will flog Him and kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again.”
34 But the disciples did not understand any of these things. The meaning was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what He was saying.
Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar
(Matthew 20:29–34; Mark 10:46–52)
35 As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting beside the road, begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.
37 “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him.
38 So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who led the way admonished him to be silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and directed that the man be brought to Him. When he had been brought near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?”
“Lord,” he said, “let me see again.”
42 “Receive your sight!” Jesus replied. “Your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, glorifying God. And all the people who saw this gave praise to God.
Footnotes:
11 a Or stood and prayed to himself
20 b Exodus 20:12–16; Deuteronomy 5:16–20
24 c Literally Seeing that he had become sorrowful ; SBL, NE, and WH Seeing him
28 d Literally left our own ; BYZ and TR left all
Parable of the Persistent Widow
1And he spake also a simile to them, that it behoveth us always to pray, and not to faint, 2saying, 'A certain judge was in a certain city -- God he is not fearing, and man he is not regarding -- 3and a widow was in that city, and she was coming unto him, saying, Do me justice on my opponent, 4and he would not for a time, but after these things he said in himself, Even if God I do not fear, and man do not regard, 5yet because this widow doth give me trouble, I will do her justice, lest, perpetually coming, she may plague me.' 6And the Lord said, 'Hear ye what the unrighteous judge saith: 7and shall not God execute the justice to His choice ones, who are crying unto Him day and night -- bearing long in regard to them? 8I say to you, that He will execute the justice to them quickly; but the Son of Man having come, shall he find the faith upon the earth?'
The Pharisee and Tax Collector
9And he spake also unto certain who have been trusting in themselves that they were righteous, and have been despising the rest, this simile: 10'Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer; 11the Pharisee having stood by himself, thus prayed: God, I thank Thee that I am not as the rest of men, rapacious, unrighteous, adulterers, or even as this tax-gatherer; 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all things -- as many as I possess. 13'And the tax-gatherer, having stood afar off, would not even the eyes lift up to the heaven, but was smiting on his breast, saying, God be propitious to me -- the sinner! 14I say to you, this one went down declared righteous, to his house, rather than that one: for every one who is exalting himself shall be humbled, and he who is humbling himself shall be exalted.'
Jesus Blesses the Children
(Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16)
15And they were bringing near also the babes, that he may touch them, and the disciples having seen did rebuke them, 16and Jesus having called them near, said, 'Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the reign of God; 17verily I say to you, Whoever may not receive the reign of God as a little child, may not enter into it.'
The Rich Young Ruler
(Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31)
18And a certain ruler questioned him, saying, 'Good teacher, what having done -- shall I inherit life age-during?' 19And Jesus said to him, 'Why me dost thou call good? no one is good, except One -- God; 20the commands thou hast known: Thou mayest not commit adultery, Thou mayest do no murder, Thou mayest not steal, Thou mayest not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.' 21And he said, 'All these I did keep from my youth;' 22and having heard these things, Jesus said to him, 'Yet one thing to thee is lacking; all things -- as many as thou hast -- sell, and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, be following me;' 23and he, having heard these things, became very sorrowful, for he was exceeding rich. 24And Jesus having seen him become very sorrowful, said, 'How hardly shall those having riches enter into the reign of God! 25for it is easier for a camel through the eye of a needle to enter, than for a rich man into the reign of God to enter.' 26And those who heard, said, 'And who is able to be saved?' 27and he said, 'The things impossible with men are possible with God.'
28And Peter said, 'Lo, we left all, and did follow thee;' 29and he said to them, 'Verily I say to you, that there is not one who left house, or parents, or brothers, or wife, or children, for the sake of the reign of God, 30who may not receive back manifold more in this time, and in the coming age, life age-during.'
Jesus Again Predicts His Death
(Luke 9:43-45)
31And having taken the twelve aside, he said unto them, 'Lo, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things shall be completed -- that have been written through the prophets -- to the Son of Man, 32for he shall be delivered up to the nations, and shall be mocked, and insulted, and spit upon, 33and having scourged they shall put him to death, and on the third day he shall rise again.' 34And they none of these things understood, and this saying was hid from them, and they were not knowing the things said.
Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar
(Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52)
35And it came to pass, in his coming nigh to Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting beside the way begging, 36and having heard a multitude going by, he was inquiring what this may be, 37and they brought him word that Jesus the Nazarene doth pass by, 38and he cried out, saying, 'Jesus, Son of David, deal kindly with me;' 39and those going before were rebuking him, that he might be silent, but he was much more crying out, 'Son of David, deal kindly with me.' 40And Jesus having stood, commanded him to be brought unto him, and he having come nigh, he questioned him, 41saying, 'What wilt thou I shall do to thee?' and he said, 'Sir, that I may receive sight.' 42And Jesus said to him, 'Receive thy sight; thy faith hath saved thee;' 43and presently he did receive sight, and was following him, glorifying God; and all the people, having seen, did give praise to God.
The Favor of God Message paraphrase
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
¹ Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ² He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally, he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘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 and give a tenth of all I get.’ ¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Jesus Blesses the Little Children
¹⁵ People were also bringing babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷ Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
The Rich and the Kingdom of God
¹⁸ A certain ruler asked Him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
¹⁹ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 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.’”
²¹ “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
²² When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
²³ When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.
²⁴ Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
²⁶ Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
²⁷ Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
²⁸ Peter said to Him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”
²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God ³⁰ will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
³¹ Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. ³² He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him, insult Him and spit on Him; ³³ they will flog Him and kill Him. On the third day He will rise again.” ³⁴ The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about.
A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight
³⁵ As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶ When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
³⁸ He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
³⁹ Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted 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, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
⁴² Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” ⁴³ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
Footnotes:
18:1: The parable of the persistent widow encourages relentless faith and perseverance in prayer, trusting that God will deliver justice.
18:11: The Pharisee’s prayer reflects a self-righteous attitude that contrasts sharply with the tax collector’s humble repentance.
18:16: Jesus’ love for children underscores the importance of humility, trust, and openness in receiving God’s kingdom.
18:25: The metaphor of the camel and the needle illustrates the profound challenge wealth can present in pursuing God wholeheartedly.
18:31: Jesus’ prediction of His suffering aligns with the prophecies in Scripture, emphasizing His fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan.
18:33: The third-day resurrection signifies Jesus’ victory over death and the pivotal moment of hope for believers.
18:42: The healing of the blind man highlights the power of faith and the mercy of Jesus, who responds to those who seek Him earnestly.
