18:1 Then 10 Jesus 11 told them a parable to show them they should always 12 pray and not lose heart. 13 18:2 He said, 14 “In a certain city 15 there was a judge 16 who neither feared God nor respected people. 17 18:3 There was also a widow 18 in that city 19 who kept coming 20 to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 18:4 For 21 a while he refused, but later on 22 he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people, 23 18:5 yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out 24 by her unending pleas.’” 25 18:6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says! 26 18:7 Won’t 27 God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out 28 to him day and night? 29 Will he delay 30 long to help them? 18:8 I tell you, he will give them justice speedily. 31 Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith 32 on earth?”
18:9 Jesus 33 also told this parable to some who were confident that they were righteous and looked down 34 on everyone else. 18:10 “Two men went up 35 to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee 36 and the other a tax collector. 37 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: 38 ‘God, I thank 39 you that I am not like other people: 40 extortionists, 41 unrighteous people, 42 adulterers – or even like this tax collector. 43 18:12 I fast twice 44 a week; I give a tenth 45 of everything I get.’ 18:13 The tax collector, however, stood 46 far off and would not even look up 47 to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful 48 to me, sinner that I am!’ 49 18:14 I tell you that this man went down to his home justified 50 rather than the Pharisee. 51 For everyone who exalts 52 himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
18:15 Now people 53 were even bringing their babies 54 to him for him to touch. 55 But when the disciples saw it, they began to scold those who brought them. 56 18:16 But Jesus called for the children, 57 saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God 58 belongs to such as these. 59 18:17 I tell you the truth, 60 whoever does not receive 61 the kingdom of God like a child 62 will never 63 enter it.”
18:18 Now 64 a certain ruler 65 asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 66 18:19 Jesus 67 said to him, “Why do you call me good? 68 No one is good except God alone. 18:20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” 69 18:21 The man 70 replied, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed 71 all these laws 72 since my youth.” 73 18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have 74 and give the money 75 to the poor, 76 and you will have treasure 77 in heaven. Then 78 come, follow me.” 18:23 But when the man 79 heard this he became very sad, 80 for he was extremely wealthy. 18:24 When Jesus noticed this, 81 he said, “How hard 82 it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 83 18:25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle 84 than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 18:26 Those who heard this said, “Then 85 who can be saved?” 86 18:27 He replied, “What is impossible 87 for mere humans 88 is possible for God.” 18:28 And Peter said, “Look, we have left everything we own 89 to follow you!” 90 18:29 Then 91 Jesus 92 said to them, “I tell you the truth, 93 there is no one who has left home or wife or brothers 94 or parents or children for the sake of God’s kingdom 18:30 who will not receive many times more 95 in this age 96 – and in the age to come, eternal life.” 97
18:31 Then 98 Jesus 99 took the twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, 100 and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 101 18:32 For he will be handed over 102 to the Gentiles; he will be mocked, 103 mistreated, 104 and spat on. 105 18:33 They will flog him severely 106 and kill him. Yet 107 on the third day he will rise again.” 18:34 But 108 the twelve 109 understood none of these things. This 110 saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp 111 what Jesus meant. 112
18:35 As 113 Jesus 114 approached 115 Jericho, 116 a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 18:36 When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was going on. 18:37 They 117 told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is passing by.” 18:38 So 118 he called out, 119 “Jesus, Son of David, 120 have mercy 121 on me!” 18:39 And those who were in front 122 scolded 123 him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted 124 even more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 18:40 So 125 Jesus stopped and ordered the beggar 126 to be brought to him. When the man 127 came near, Jesus 128 asked him, 18:41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, 129 “Lord, let me see again.” 130 18:42 Jesus 131 said to him, “Receive 132 your sight; your faith has healed you.” 133 18:43 And immediately he regained 134 his sight and followed Jesus, 135 praising 136 God. When 137 all the people saw it, they too 138 gave praise to God.