Parables of Jesus

¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. ¹⁶Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

²¹He said to them, “Is the lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a stand? ²²For there is nothing hidden, except that it should be made known; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light. ²³If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.” ²⁴He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you who hear.

²⁵For whoever has, to him will more be given, and he who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him.”

¹⁶“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a container, or puts it under a bed; but puts it on a stand, that those who enter in may see the light. ¹⁷For nothing is hidden, that will not be revealed; nor anything secret, that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸Be careful therefore how you hear. For whoever has, to him will be given; and whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he thinks he has.”

¹³“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.

⁴⁹For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. ⁵⁰Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

³⁴Salt is good, but if the salt becomes flat and tasteless, with what do you season it? ³⁵It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁶By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. ¹⁸A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that doesn’t grow good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. ²⁰Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

⁴³For there is no good tree that produces rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that produces good fruit. ⁴⁴For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don’t gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. ⁴⁵The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.

²⁴“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. ²⁵The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock. ²⁶Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

⁴⁶“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say? ⁴⁷Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show you who he is like. ⁴⁸He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. ⁴⁹But he who hears, and doesn’t do, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

³Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? ⁴Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye;’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.

⁴¹Why do you see the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? ⁴²Or how can you tell your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck of chaff that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye.

²⁵Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?

²⁷“Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan? ²⁸Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin, ²⁹yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?

³¹“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.

²²He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear. ²³Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds! ²⁵Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height? ²⁶If then you aren’t able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest?

²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith? ²⁹Don’t seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious. ³⁰For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things.

³¹But seek God’s Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you. ³²Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.

¹⁴Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

³⁹He spoke a parable to them. “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit?

¹²When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. ¹³But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

¹⁷When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

³¹Jesus answered them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. ³²I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

¹⁴Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?” ¹⁵Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

¹⁸John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they came and asked him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?” ¹⁹Jesus said to them, “Can the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they can’t fast. ²⁰But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then will they fast in that day.

³³They said to him, “Why do John’s disciples often fast and pray, likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink?” ³⁴He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast, while the bridegroom is with them? ³⁵But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast in those days.”

¹⁶No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made. ¹⁷Neither do people put new wine into old wine skins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved.”

²¹No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made. ²²No one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine pours out, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.”

³⁶He also told a parable to them. “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old garment, or else he will tear the new, and also the piece from the new will not match the old. ³⁷No one puts new wine into old wine skins, or else the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. ³⁸But new wine must be put into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved. ³⁹No man having drunk old wine immediately desires new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

¹⁶“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call to their companions ¹⁷and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you didn’t dance. We mourned for you, and you didn’t lament.’ ¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

³¹“To what then will I liken the people of this generation? What are they like? ³²They are like children who sit in the marketplace, and call to one another, saying, ‘We piped to you, and you didn’t dance. We mourned, and you didn’t weep.’ ³³For John the Baptizer came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard; a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

³⁵Wisdom is justified by all her children.”

⁴¹“A certain lender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²When they couldn’t pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him most?” ⁴³Simon answered, “He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most.” He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”

⁴⁴Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. ⁴⁵You gave me no kiss, but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. ⁴⁶You didn’t anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

³He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, a farmer went out to sow. ⁴As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn’t have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. ⁶When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away. ⁷Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them.

⁸Others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. ⁹He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁸“Hear, then, the parable of the farmer. ¹⁹When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside. ²⁰What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it; ²¹yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

²²What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. ²³What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most certainly bears fruit, and produces, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.”

³“Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow, ⁴and as he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil. ⁶When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. ⁷Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

⁸Others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much.” ⁹He said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹³He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables? ¹⁴The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes, and takes away the word which has been sown in them. ¹⁶These in the same way are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy. ¹⁷They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.

¹⁸Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word, ¹⁹and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times.”

⁵“The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. ⁶Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it. ⁸Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and produced one hundred times as much fruit.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

¹¹Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹²Those along the road are those who hear, then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation. ¹⁴That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

¹⁵Those in the good ground, these are those who with an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it tightly, and produce fruit with perseverance.

²⁶He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth, ²⁷and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, though he doesn’t know how. ²⁸For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. ²⁹But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

²⁴He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, ²⁵but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds also among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶But when the blade sprang up and produced fruit, then the darnel weeds appeared also. ²⁷The servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did these darnel weeds come from?’

²⁸“He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them up?’

²⁹“But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

³⁶Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field.” ³⁷He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one. ³⁹The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

⁴⁰As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity, ⁴²and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth. ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

³¹He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; ³²which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.”

³⁰He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it? ³¹It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth, ³²yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”

¹⁸He said, “What is God’s Kingdom like? To what shall I compare it? ¹⁹It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky live in its branches.”

³³He spoke another parable to them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened.”

²⁰Again he said, “To what shall I compare God’s Kingdom? ²¹It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”

⁴⁴“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

⁴⁵“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls, ⁴⁶who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

⁴⁷“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind, ⁴⁸which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away. ⁴⁹So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked from among the righteous, ⁵⁰and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”

⁵¹Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They answered him, “Yes, Lord.” ⁵²He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things.”

²⁵Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁸But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come upon you.

²⁹Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house.

³⁰“He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters.

²³He summoned them, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end. ²⁷But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder, unless he first binds the strong man; and then he will plunder his house.

¹⁷But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself falls. ¹⁸If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹But if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore will they be your judges. ²⁰But if I by God’s finger cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come to you.

²¹“When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe. ²²But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him his whole armor in which he trusted, and divides his plunder.

²³“He that is not with me is against me. He who doesn’t gather with me scatters.

⁴³When an unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and doesn’t find it. ⁴⁴Then he says, ‘I will return into my house from which I came out,’ and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even so will it be also to this evil generation.”

²⁴The unclean spirit, when he has gone out of the man, passes through dry places, seeking rest, and finding none, he says, ‘I will turn back to my house from which I came out.’ ²⁵When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order. ²⁶Then he goes, and takes seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

¹⁰He summoned the multitude, and said to them, “Hear, and understand. ¹¹That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” ¹²Then the disciples came, and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying?” ¹³But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

¹⁵Peter answered him, “Explain the parable to us.” ¹⁶So Jesus said, “Do you also still not understand? ¹⁷Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body? ¹⁸But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man. ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. ²⁰These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.”

¹⁴He called all the multitude to himself, and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. ¹⁵There is nothing from outside of the man, that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man. ¹⁶If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” ¹⁷When he had entered into a house away from the multitude, his disciples asked him about the parable. ¹⁸He said to them, “Are you also without understanding? Don’t you perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside can’t defile him, ¹⁹because it doesn’t go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine, thus purifying all foods?”

²⁰He said, “That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man. ²¹For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, ²²covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. ²³All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

¹²“What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? ¹³If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. ¹⁴Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

³He told them this parable.

⁴“Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? ⁵When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ⁷I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

²¹Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?” ²²Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.

²³Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants. ²⁴When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵But because he couldn’t pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶The servant therefore fell down and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!’

²⁷The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

²⁸“But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’

²⁹“So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you!’ ³⁰He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due. ³¹So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told their lord all that was done. ³²Then his lord called him in, and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.

³³Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him. ³⁵So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don’t each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds.”

¹“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ²When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. ⁴He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went their way.

⁵Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. ⁶About the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle. He said to them, ‘Why do you stand here all day idle?’

⁷“They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ “He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is right.’ ⁸When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’

⁹“When those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius. ¹⁰When the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise each received a denarius. ¹¹When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household, ¹²saying, ‘These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’

¹³“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴Take that which is yours, and go your way. It is my desire to give to this last just as much as to you. ¹⁵Isn’t it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?’ ¹⁶So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

²⁸But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’ ²⁹He answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind, and went. ³⁰He came to the second, and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I’ m going, sir,’ but he didn’t go. ³¹Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering into God’s Kingdom before you.

³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn’t believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. When you saw it, you didn’t even repent afterward, that you might believe him.

³³“Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household, who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a wine press in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went into another country. ³⁴When the season for the fruit came near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive his fruit. ³⁵The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they treated them the same way.

³⁷But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and seize his inheritance.’ ³⁹So they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. ⁴⁰When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?” ⁴¹They told him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in its season.”

⁴²Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes?’

⁴³“Therefore I tell you, God’s Kingdom will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation producing its fruit. ⁴⁴He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust.”

¹He began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a pit for the wine press, built a tower, rented it out to a farmer, and went into another country. ²When it was time, he sent a servant to the farmer to get from the farmer his share of the fruit of the vineyard. ³They took him, beat him, and sent him away empty. ⁴Again, he sent another servant to them; and they threw stones at him, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.

⁵Again he sent another; and they killed him; and many others, beating some, and killing some. ⁶Therefore still having one, his beloved son, he sent him last to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ⁷But those farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸They took him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. ⁹What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.

¹⁰Haven’t you even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner. ¹¹This was from the Lord, it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

⁹He began to tell the people this parable. “A man planted a vineyard, and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time. ¹⁰At the proper season, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him, and sent him away empty. ¹¹He sent yet another servant, and they also beat him, and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. ¹²He sent yet a third, and they also wounded him, and threw him out.

¹³The lord of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be that seeing him, they will respect him.’

¹⁴“But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵They threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!” ¹⁷But he looked at them, and said, “Then what is this that is written, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the chief cornerstone?’

¹⁸Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust.”

¹Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, ²“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, ³and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come. ⁴Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast!”’

⁵But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise, ⁶and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. ⁷When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

⁸“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. ⁹Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.’ ¹⁰Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests. ¹¹But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, ¹²and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless.

¹³Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ ¹⁴For many are called, but few chosen.”

¹“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, ⁴but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. ⁶But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’

⁷Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹But the wise answered, saying, ‘What if there isn’t enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. ¹¹Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’

¹²But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ ¹³Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

¹⁴“For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. ¹⁷In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two. ¹⁸But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

¹⁹“Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reconciled accounts with them. ²⁰He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents besides them.’

²¹“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

²²“He also who got the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents besides them.’

²³“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

²⁴“He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter. ²⁵I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’

²⁶“But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter. ²⁷You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. ²⁸Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. ²⁹For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away.

³⁰Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

³¹“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. ³²Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in.

³⁶I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’

³⁷“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? ³⁸When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’

⁴⁰“The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ ⁴¹Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴²for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; ⁴³I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

⁴⁴“Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’

⁴⁵“Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’ ⁴⁶These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

³²“Now from the fig tree learn this parable. When its branch has now become tender, and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near. ³³Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. ³⁴Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all these things are accomplished. ³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

²⁸“Now from the fig tree, learn this parable. When the branch has now become tender, and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near; ²⁹even so you also, when you see these things coming to pass, know that it is near, at the doors. ³⁰Most certainly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen. ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

²⁹He told them a parable. “See the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰When they are already budding, you see it and know by your own selves that the summer is already near. ³¹Even so you also, when you see these things happening, know that God’s Kingdom is near. ³²Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things are accomplished. ³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.

⁴²Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes. ⁴³But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.

³³Watch, keep alert, and pray; for you don’t know when the time is.

³⁴“It is like a man, traveling to another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, and to each one his work, and also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. ³⁵Watch therefore, for you don’t know when the lord of the house is coming, whether at evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning; ³⁶lest coming suddenly he might find you sleeping. ³⁷What I tell you, I tell all: Watch.”

³⁵“Let your waist be dressed and your lamps burning. ³⁶Be like men watching for their lord, when he returns from the marriage feast; that, when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open to him. ³⁷Blessed are those servants, whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Most certainly I tell you, that he will dress himself, and make them recline, and will come and serve them. ³⁸They will be blessed if he comes in the second or third watch, and finds them so.

³⁹But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don’t expect him.”

⁴⁵“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? ⁴⁶Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes. ⁴⁷Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has. ⁴⁸But if that evil servant should say in his heart, ‘My lord is delaying his coming,’ ⁴⁹and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards, ⁵⁰the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect it, and in an hour when he doesn’t know it, ⁵¹and will cut him in pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.

⁴²The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the right times? ⁴³Blessed is that servant whom his lord will find doing so when he comes. ⁴⁴Truly I tell you, that he will set him over all that he has. ⁴⁵But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My lord delays his coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken, ⁴⁶then the lord of that servant will come in a day when he isn’t expecting him, and in an hour that he doesn’t know, and will cut him in two, and place his portion with the unfaithful.

⁴⁷That servant, who knew his lord’s will, and didn’t prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes, ⁴⁸but he who didn’t know, and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes. To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.

²⁵Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” ²⁷He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.” ²⁹But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

³⁰Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, ³⁴came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

³⁵On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ ³⁶Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

⁷“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. ⁹Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? ¹¹If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

⁵He said to them, “Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight, and tell him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,’ ⁷and he from within will answer and say, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give it to you’? ⁸I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as many as he needs.

⁹“I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.

¹¹“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won’t give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? ¹²Or if he asks for an egg, he won’t give him a scorpion, will he? ¹³If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

¹³One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.” ¹⁶He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly. ¹⁷He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’

¹⁸He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”’

²⁰“But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’ ²¹So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

⁶He spoke this parable. “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none. ⁷He said to the vine dresser, ‘Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why does it waste the soil?’ ⁸He answered, ‘Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it, and fertilize it. ⁹If it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut it down.’”

⁷He spoke a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them, ⁸“When you are invited by anyone to a marriage feast, don’t sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honorable than you might be invited by him, ⁹and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, ‘Make room for this person.’ Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest place. ¹⁰But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.

¹¹For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” ¹²He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you make a dinner or a supper, don’t call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back. ¹³But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind; ¹⁴and you will be blessed, because they don’t have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.”

¹⁵When one of those who sat at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is he who will feast in God’s Kingdom!” ¹⁶But he said to him, “A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people. ¹⁷He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’ ¹⁸They all as one began to make excuses. “The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused.’

¹⁹“Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go try them out. Please have me excused.’

²⁰“Another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I can’t come.’

²¹“That servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’

²²“The servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.’

²³“The lord said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. ²⁴For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper.’”

²⁵Now great multitudes were going with him. He turned and said to them, ²⁶“If anyone comes to me, and doesn’t disregard his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can’t be my disciple. ²⁷Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross, and come after me, can’t be my disciple.

²⁸For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? ²⁹Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him, ³⁰saying, ‘This man began to build, and wasn’t able to finish.’ ³¹Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

³²Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy, and asks for conditions of peace. ³³So therefore whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t be my disciple.

⁸Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn’t light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it? ⁹When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.’ ¹⁰Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.”

¹¹He said, “A certain man had two sons. ¹²The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. ¹³Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. ¹⁴When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

¹⁶He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. ¹⁷But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! ¹⁸I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. ¹⁹I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’

²⁰“He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. ²¹The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²²“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. ²³Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; ²⁴for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate.

²⁵“Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on. ²⁷He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’ ²⁸But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him. ²⁹But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.

³⁰But when this your son came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’

³¹“He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³²But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’”

¹He also said to his disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made to him that this man was wasting his possessions. ²He called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’

³“The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I don’t have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg. ⁴I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, they may receive me into their houses.’ ⁵Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’ ⁶He said, ‘A hundred batos of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’

⁷Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred cors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

⁸“His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light. ⁹I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents. ¹⁰He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

¹¹If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? ¹²If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? ¹³No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve God and Mammon.”

¹⁹“Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. ²⁰A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was taken to his gate, full of sores, ²¹and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²²The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. ²³In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.

²⁴He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’

²⁵“But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted, and you are in anguish. ²⁶Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’

²⁷“He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house; ²⁸for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’

²⁹“But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’

³⁰“He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

³¹“He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”

⁷But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say, when he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down at the table,’ ⁸and will not rather tell him, ‘Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me, while I eat and drink. Afterward you shall eat and drink’? ⁹Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not. ¹⁰Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.’”

¹He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up, ²saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who didn’t fear God, and didn’t respect man. ³A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ ⁴He wouldn’t for a while, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God, nor respect man, ⁵yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.’”

⁶The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷Won’t God avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them? ⁸I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

⁹He 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. ¹¹The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³But 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!’

¹⁴I 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.”

¹¹As they heard these things, he went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately. ¹²He said therefore, “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. ¹³He called ten servants of his, and gave them ten mina coins, and told them, ‘Conduct business until I come.’ ¹⁴But his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us.’

¹⁵“When he had come back again, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by conducting business. ¹⁶The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.’

¹⁷“He said to him, ‘Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

¹⁸“The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, Lord, has made five minas.’

¹⁹“So he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ ²⁰Another came, saying, ‘Lord, behold, your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief, ²¹for I feared you, because you are an exacting man. You take up that which you didn’t lay down, and reap that which you didn’t sow.’

²²“He said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth will I judge you, you wicked servant! You knew that I am an exacting man, taking up that which I didn’t lay down, and reaping that which I didn’t sow. ²³Then why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank, and at my coming, I might have earned interest on it?’ ²⁴He said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina away from him, and give it to him who has the ten minas.’

²⁵“They said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ²⁶‘For I tell you that to everyone who has, will more be given; but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him. ²⁷But bring those enemies of mine who didn’t want me to reign over them here, and kill them before me.’”

⁸The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

²⁹He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. This, my joy, therefore is made full. ³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease.

³⁵Don’t you say, ‘There are yet four months until the harvest?’ Behold, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already. ³⁶He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit to eternal life; that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. ³⁷For in this the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ ³⁸I sent you to reap that for which you haven’t labored. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

¹⁹Jesus therefore answered them, “Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise. ²⁰For the Father has affection for the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. He will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin. ³⁵A bondservant doesn’t live in the house forever. A son remains forever. ³⁶If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

¹“Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. ²But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. ⁴Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

⁵They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.”

⁷Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door. ⁸All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. ⁹I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture. ¹⁰The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. ¹¹I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

¹²He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them. ¹³The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn’t care for the sheep. ¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own; ¹⁵even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.

¹⁷Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. ¹⁸No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”

⁹Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours of daylight? If a man walks in the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world. ¹⁰But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light isn’t in him.”

²⁴Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.

³⁵Jesus therefore said to them, “Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness doesn’t overtake you. He who walks in the darkness doesn’t know where he is going. ³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become children of light.” Jesus said these things, and he departed and hid himself from them.

²In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. ³If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also. ⁴Where I go, you know, and you know the way.”

¹“I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. ²Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. ⁵I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

⁶If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.

⁸“In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.

²⁰Most certainly I tell you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. ²¹A woman, when she gives birth, has sorrow, because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she doesn’t remember the anguish any more, for the joy that a human being is born into the world. ²²Therefore you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

²³“In that day you will ask me no questions. Most certainly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. ²⁴Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.