Luk 18 | ESV | STEP | And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart .

1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought ^aalways to pray and not ^blose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who ^cneither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ^d‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And ^ewill not God give justice to ^fhis elect, ^gwho cry to him day and night? ^h, ⁱWill he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them ^jspeedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, ^kwill he find faith on earth?”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 He also told this parable to some ^lwho trusted ^min themselves that they were righteous, ⁿand treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men ^owent up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, ^pstanding by himself, prayed ^{▼▼Or standing, prayed to himself} ^rthus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ^sI fast twice a week; ^tI give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, ^ustanding far off, ^vwould not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but ^wbeat his breast, saying, ‘God, ^xbe merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For ^yeveryone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Let the Children Come to Me

15 ^zNow they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they ^aarebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, ^ab“Let the children come to me, and ^acdo not hinder them, ^adfor to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 ^aeTruly, I say to you, whoever does not ^afreceive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

The Rich Ruler

18 ^agAnd a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ^ahinherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ^ai‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, ^aj“All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. ^akSell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have ^altreasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 ^amBut when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, ^an“How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter ^aothe kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter ^apthe kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, ^aq“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “See, ^arwe have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, ^asthere is no one who has left house or wife or brothers ^{▼▼Or wife or brothers and sisters} or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive ^aumany times more ^avin this time, and in ^awthe age to come eternal life.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

31 ^axAnd taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, ^aywe are going up to Jerusalem, and ^azeverything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be ^badelivered over to the Gentiles and will be ^bbmocked and shamefully treated and ^bcspit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on ^bdthe third day he will rise.” 34 ^beBut they understood none of these things. ^bfThis saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

35 ^bgAs he drew near to Jericho, ^bha blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, ^bi“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, ^bjSon of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front ^bkrebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 ^bl“What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; ^bmyour faith has ^bnmade you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, ^boglorifying God. And ^bpall the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.