Good News Translation (GNT)

The Parable of the Widow and the Judge

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to teach them that they should always pray and never become discouraged.

2 “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people.

3 And there was a widow in that same town who kept coming to him and pleading for her rights, saying, ‘Help me against my opponent!’

4 For a long time the judge refused to act, but at last he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people,

5 yet because of all the trouble this widow is giving me, I will see to it that she gets her rights. If I don’t, she will keep on coming and finally wear me out!’”

6 And the Lord continued, “Listen to what that corrupt judge said.

7 Now, will God not judge in favor of his own people who cry to him day and night for help? Will he be slow to help them?

8 I tell you, he will judge in their favor and do it quickly. But will the Son of Man find faith on earth when he comes?”

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 Jesus also told this parable to people who were sure of their own goodness and despised everybody else.

10 “Once there were two men who went up to the Temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed,‘I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there.

12 I fast two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all my income.’

13 But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even raise his face to heaven, but beat on his breast and said, ‘God, have pity on me, a sinner!’

14 I tell you,” said Jesus, “the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, was in the right with God when he went home. For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.”

Jesus Blesses Little Children

15 Some people brought their babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. The disciples saw them and scolded them for doing so,

16 but Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

17 Remember this! Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

The Rich Man

18 A Jewish leader asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?”

19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone.

20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery; do not commit murder; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely; respect your father and your mother.’”

21 The man replied, “Ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commandments.”

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one more thing you need to do. Sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me.”

23 But when the man heard this, he became very sad, because he was very rich.

24 Jesus saw that he was sad and said, “How hard it is for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God!

25 It is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.”

26 The people who heard him asked, “Who, then, can be saved?”

27 Jesus answered, “What is humanly impossible is possible for God.”

28 Then Peter said, “Look! We have left our homes to follow you.”

29 “Yes,” Jesus said to them, “and I assure you that anyone who leaves home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the Kingdom of God

30 will receive much more in this present age and eternal life in the age to come.”

Jesus Speaks a Third Time about His Death

31 Jesus took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, “Listen! We are going to Jerusalem where everything the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will come true.

32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles, who will make fun of him, insult him, and spit on him.

33 They will whip him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life.”

34 But the disciples did not understand any of these things; the meaning of the words was hidden from them, and they did not know what Jesus was talking about.

Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar

35 As Jesus was coming near Jericho, there was a blind man sitting by the road, begging.

36 When he heard the crowd passing by, he asked, “What is this?”

37 “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him.

38 He cried out, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!”

39 The people in front scolded him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David! Have mercy on me!”

40 So Jesus stopped and ordered the blind man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,

41 “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Sir,” he answered, “I want to see again.”

42 Jesus said to him, “Then see! Your faith has made you well.”

43 At once he was able to see, and he followed Jesus, giving thanks to God. When the crowd saw it, they all praised God.

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Jesus and Zacchaeus

1 Jesus went on into Jericho and was passing through.

2 There was a chief tax collector there named Zacchaeus, who was rich.

3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was a little man and could not see Jesus because of the crowd.

4 So he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus, who was going to pass that way.

5 When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to Zacchaeus, “Hurry down, Zacchaeus, because I must stay in your house today.”

6 Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed him with great joy.

7 All the people who saw it started grumbling, “This man has gone as a guest to the home of a sinner!”

8 Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Listen, sir! I will give half my belongings to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times as much.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Salvation has come to this house today, for this man, also, is a descendant of Abraham.

10 The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

The Parable of the Gold Coins

11 While the people were listening to this, Jesus continued and told them a parable. He was now almost at Jerusalem, and they supposed that the Kingdom of God was just about to appear.

12 So he said, “There was once a man of high rank who was going to a country far away to be made king, after which he planned to come back home.

13 Before he left, he called his ten servants and gave them each a gold coin and told them, ‘See what you can earn with this while I am gone.’

14 Now, his own people hated him, and so they sent messengers after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

15 “The man was made king and came back. At once he ordered his servants to appear before him, in order to find out how much they had earned.

16 The first one came and said, ‘Sir, I have earned ten gold coins with the one you gave me.’

17 ‘Well done,’ he said; ‘you are a good servant! Since you were faithful in small matters, I will put you in charge of ten cities.’

18 The second servant came and said, ‘Sir, I have earned five gold coins with the one you gave me.’

19 To this one he said, ‘You will be in charge of five cities.’

20 Another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it hidden in a handkerchief.

21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take what is not yours and reap what you did not plant.’

22 He said to him, ‘You bad servant! I will use your own words to condemn you! You know that I am a hard man, taking what is not mine and reaping what I have not planted.

23 Well, then, why didn’t you put my money in the bank? Then I would have received it back with interest when I returned.’

24 Then he said to those who were standing there, ‘Take the gold coin away from him and give it to the servant who has ten coins.’

25 But they said to him, ‘Sir, he already has ten coins!’

26 ‘I tell you,’ he replied, ‘that to those who have something, even more will be given; but those who have nothing, even the little that they have will be taken away from them.

27 Now, as for those enemies of mine who did not want me to be their king, bring them here and kill them in my presence!’”

The Triumphant Approach to Jerusalem

28 After Jesus said this, he went on in front of them toward Jerusalem.

29 As he came near Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead

30 with these instructions: “Go to the village there ahead of you; as you go in, you will find a colt tied up that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

31 If someone asks you why you are untying it, tell him that the Masterneeds it.”

32 They went on their way and found everything just as Jesus had told them.

33 As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying it?”

34 “The Master needs it,” they answered,

35 and they took the colt to Jesus. Then they threw their cloaks over the animal and helped Jesus get on.

36 As he rode on, people spread their cloaks on the road.

37 When he came near Jerusalem, at the place where the road went down the Mount of Olives, the large crowd of his disciples began to thank God and praise him in loud voices for all the great things that they had seen:

38 “God bless the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to God!”

39 Then some of the Pharisees in the crowd spoke to Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “command your disciples to be quiet!”

40 Jesus answered, “I tell you that if they keep quiet, the stones themselves will start shouting.”

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

41 He came closer to the city, and when he saw it, he wept over it,

42 saying, “If you only knew today what is needed for peace! But now you cannot see it!

43 The time will come when your enemies will surround you with barricades, blockade you, and close in on you from every side.

44 They will completely destroy you and the people within your walls; not a single stone will they leave in its place, because you did not recognize the time when God came to save you!”

Jesus Goes to the Temple

45 Then Jesus went into the Temple and began to drive out the merchants,

46 saying to them, “It is written in the Scriptures that God said, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer.’ But you have turned it into a hideout for thieves!”

47 Every day Jesus taught in the Temple. The chief priests, the teachers of the Law, and the leaders of the people wanted to kill him,

48 but they could not find a way to do it, because all the people kept listening to him, not wanting to miss a single word.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LUK/19-2dcd01ca7688771df7a36b3fa352dccd.mp3?version_id=68—

The Question about Jesus’ Authority

1 One day when Jesus was in the Temple teaching the people and preaching the Good News, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, together with the elders, came

2 and said to him, “Tell us, what right do you have to do these things? Who gave you such right?”

3 Jesus answered them, “Now let me ask you a question. Tell me,

4 did John’s right to baptize come from God or from human beings?”

5 They started to argue among themselves, “What shall we say? If we say, ‘From God,’ he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe John?’

6 But if we say, ‘From human beings,’ this whole crowd here will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

7 So they answered, “We don’t know where it came from.”

8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.”

The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard

9 Then Jesus told the people this parable: “There was once a man who planted a vineyard, rented it out to tenants, and then left home for a long time.

10 When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest. But the tenants beat the slave and sent him back without a thing.

11 So he sent another slave; but the tenants beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him back without a thing.

12 Then he sent a third slave; the tenants wounded him, too, and threw him out.

13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my own dear son; surely they will respect him!’

14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the owner’s son. Let’s kill him, and his property will be ours!’

15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to the tenants?” Jesus asked.

16 “He will come and kill those men, and turn the vineyard over to other tenants.”

When the people heard this, they said, “Surely not!”

17 Jesus looked at them and asked, “What, then, does this scripture mean?

‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless

turned out to be the most important of all.’

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be cut to pieces; and if that stone falls on someone, that person will be crushed to dust.”

The Question about Paying Taxes

19 The teachers of the Law and the chief priests tried to arrest Jesus on the spot, because they knew that he had told this parable against them; but they were afraid of the people.

20 So they looked for an opportunity. They bribed some men to pretend they were sincere, and they sent them to trap Jesus with questions, so that they could hand him over to the authority and power of the Roman Governor.

21 These spies said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is right. We know that you pay no attention to anyone’s status, but teach the truth about God’s will for people.

22 Tell us, is it against our Law for us to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, or not?”

23 But Jesus saw through their trick and said to them,

24 “Show me a silver coin. Whose face and name are these on it?”

“The Emperor’s,” they answered.

25 So Jesus said, “Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God.”

26 There before the people they could not catch him in a thing, so they kept quiet, amazed at his answer.

The Question about Rising from Death

27 Then some Sadducees, who say that people will not rise from death, came to Jesus and said,

28 “Teacher, Moses wrote this law for us: ‘If a man dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man’s brother must marry the widow so that they can have children who will be considered the dead man’s children.’

29 Once there were seven brothers; the oldest got married and died without having children.

30 Then the second one married the woman,

31 and then the third. The same thing happened to all seven—they died without having children.

32 Last of all, the woman died.

33 Now, on the day when the dead rise to life, whose wife will she be? All seven of them had married her.”

34 Jesus answered them, “The men and women of this age marry,

35 but the men and women who are worthy to rise from death and live in the age to come will not then marry.

36 They will be like angels and cannot die. They are the children of God, because they have risen from death.

37 And Moses clearly proves that the dead are raised to life. In the passage about the burning bush he speaks of the Lord as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’

38 He is the God of the living, not of the dead, for to him all are alive.”

39 Some of the teachers of the Law spoke up, “A good answer, Teacher!”

40 For they did not dare ask him any more questions.

The Question about the Messiah

41 Jesus asked them, “How can it be said that the Messiah will be the descendant of David?

42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms,

‘The Lord said to my Lord:

Sit here at my right side

43 until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet.’

44 David called him ‘Lord’; how, then, can the Messiah be David’s descendant?”

Jesus Warns against the Teachers of the Law

45 As all the people listened to him, Jesus said to his disciples,

46 “Be on your guard against the teachers of the Law, who like to walk around in their long robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplace; who choose the reserved seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts;

47 who take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers! Their punishment will be all the worse!”

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The Widow’s Offering

1 Jesus looked around and saw rich people dropping their gifts in the Temple treasury,

2 and he also saw a very poor widow dropping in two little copper coins.

3 He said, “I tell you that this poor widow put in more than all the others.

4 For the others offered their gifts from what they had to spare of their riches; but she, poor as she is, gave all she had to live on.”

Jesus Speaks of the Destruction of the Temple

5 Some of the disciples were talking about the Temple, how beautiful it looked with its fine stones and the gifts offered to God. Jesus said,

6 “All this you see—the time will come when not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one will be thrown down.”

Troubles and Persecutions

7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will this be? And what will happen in order to show that the time has come for it to take place?”

8 Jesus said, “Watch out; don’t be fooled. Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t follow them.

9 Don’t be afraid when you hear of wars and revolutions; such things must happen first, but they do not mean that the end is near.”

10 He went on to say, “Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another.

11 There will be terrible earthquakes, famines, and plagues everywhere; there will be strange and terrifying things coming from the sky.

12 Before all these things take place, however, you will be arrested and persecuted; you will be handed over to be tried in synagogues and be put in prison; you will be brought before kings and rulers for my sake.

13 This will be your chance to tell the Good News.

14 Make up your minds ahead of time not to worry about how you will defend yourselves,

15 because I will give you such words and wisdom that none of your enemies will be able to refute or contradict what you say.

16 You will be handed over by your parents, your brothers, your relatives, and your friends; and some of you will be put to death.

17 Everyone will hate you because of me.

18 But not a single hair from your heads will be lost.

19 Stand firm, and you will save yourselves.

Jesus Speaks of the Destruction of Jerusalem

20 “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that it will soon be destroyed.

21 Then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills; those who are in the city must leave, and those who are out in the country must not go into the city.

22 For those will be ‘The Days of Punishment,’ to make come true all that the Scriptures say.

23 How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies! Terrible distress will come upon this land, and God’s punishment will fall on this people.

24 Some will be killed by the sword, and others will be taken as prisoners to all countries; and the heathen will trample over Jerusalem until their time is up.

The Coming of the Son of Man

25 “There will be strange things happening to the sun, the moon, and the stars. On earth whole countries will be in despair, afraid of the roar of the sea and the raging tides.

26 People will faint from fear as they wait for what is coming over the whole earth, for the powers in space will be driven from their courses.

27 Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in a cloud with great power and glory.

28 When these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your salvation is near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

29 Then Jesus told them this parable: “Think of the fig tree and all the other trees.

30 When you see their leaves beginning to appear, you know that summer is near.

31 In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that the Kingdom of God is about to come.

32 “Remember that all these things will take place before the people now living have all died.

33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Need to Watch

34 “Be careful not to let yourselves become occupied with too much feasting and drinking and with the worries of this life, or that Day may suddenly catch you

35 like a trap. For it will come upon all people everywhere on earth.

36 Be on watch and pray always that you will have the strength to go safely through all those things that will happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”

37 Jesus spent those days teaching in the Temple, and when evening came, he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives.

38 Early each morning all the people went to the Temple to listen to him.

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The Plot against Jesus

1 The time was near for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover.

2 The chief priests and the teachers of the Law were afraid of the people, and so they were trying to find a way of putting Jesus to death secretly.

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

3 Then Satan entered into Judas, called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples.

4 So Judas went off and spoke with the chief priests and the officers of the Temple guard about how he could betray Jesus to them.

5 They were pleased and offered to pay him money.

6 Judas agreed to it and started looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them without the people knowing about it.

Jesus Prepares to Eat the Passover Meal

7 The day came during the Festival of Unleavened Bread when the lambs for the Passover meal were to be killed.

8 Jesus sent Peter and John with these instructions: “Go and get the Passover meal ready for us to eat.”

9 “Where do you want us to get it ready?” they asked him.

10 He answered, “As you go into the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters,

11 and say to the owner of the house: ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the room where my disciples and I will eat the Passover meal?’

12 He will show you a large furnished room upstairs, where you will get everything ready.”

13 They went off and found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

The Lord’s Supper

14 When the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table with the apostles.

15 He said to them, “I have wanted so much to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer!

16 For I tell you, I will never eat it until it is given its full meaning in the Kingdom of God.”

17 Then Jesus took a cup, gave thanks to God, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves.

18 I tell you that from now on I will not drink this wine until the Kingdom of God comes.”

19 Then he took a piece of bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.”

20 In the same way, he gave them the cup after the supper, saying, “This cup is God’s new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out for you.

21 “But, look! The one who betrays me is here at the table with me!

22 The Son of Man will die as God has decided, but how terrible for that man who betrays him!”

23 Then they began to ask among themselves which one of them it could be who was going to do this.

The Argument about Greatness

24 An argument broke out among the disciples as to which one of them should be thought of as the greatest.

25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the pagans have power over their people, and the rulers claim the title ‘Friends of the People.’

26 But this is not the way it is with you; rather, the greatest one among you must be like the youngest, and the leader must be like the servant.

27 Who is greater, the one who sits down to eat or the one who serves? The one who sits down, of course. But I am among you as one who serves.

28 “You have stayed with me all through my trials;

29 and just as my Father has given me the right to rule, so I will give you the same right.

30 You will eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and you will sit on thrones to rule over the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

31 “Simon, Simon! Listen! Satan has received permission to test all of you, to separate the good from the bad, as a farmer separates the wheat from the chaff.

32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you turn back to me, you must strengthen your brothers.”

33 Peter answered, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you and to die with you!”

34 “I tell you, Peter,” Jesus said, “the rooster will not crow tonight until you have said three times that you do not know me.”

Purse, Bag, and Sword

35 Then Jesus asked his disciples, “When I sent you out that time without purse, bag, or shoes, did you lack anything?”

“Not a thing,” they answered.

36 “But now,” Jesus said, “whoever has a purse or a bag must take it; and whoever does not have a sword must sell his coat and buy one.

37 For I tell you that the scripture which says, ‘He shared the fate of criminals,’ must come true about me, because what was written about me is coming true.”

38 The disciples said, “Look! Here are two swords, Lord!”

“That is enough!”he replied.

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

39 Jesus left the city and went, as he usually did, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples went with him.

40 When he arrived at the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”

41 Then he went off from them about the distance of a stone’s throw and knelt down and prayed.

42 “Father,” he said, “if you will, take this cup of suffering away from me. Not my will, however, but your will be done.”

43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.

44 In great anguish he prayed even more fervently; his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

45 Rising from his prayer, he went back to the disciples and found them asleep, worn out by their grief.

46 He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not fall into temptation.”

The Arrest of Jesus

47 Jesus was still speaking when a crowd arrived, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. He came up to Jesus to kiss him.

48 But Jesus said, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you betray the Son of Man?”

49 When the disciples who were with Jesus saw what was going to happen, they asked, “Shall we use our swords, Lord?”

50 And one of them struck the High Priest’s slave and cut off his right ear.

51 But Jesus said, “Enough of this!” He touched the man’s ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and the officers of the Temple guard and the elders who had come there to get him, “Did you have to come with swords and clubs, as though I were an outlaw?

53 I was with you in the Temple every day, and you did not try to arrest me. But this is your hour to act, when the power of darkness rules.”

Peter Denies Jesus

54 They arrested Jesus and took him away into the house of the High Priest; and Peter followed at a distance.

55 A fire had been lit in the center of the courtyard, and Peter joined those who were sitting around it.

56 When one of the servant women saw him sitting there at the fire, she looked straight at him and said, “This man too was with Jesus!”

57 But Peter denied it, “Woman, I don’t even know him!”

58 After a little while a man noticed Peter and said, “You are one of them, too!”

But Peter answered, “Man, I am not!”

59 And about an hour later another man insisted strongly, “There isn’t any doubt that this man was with Jesus, because he also is a Galilean!”

60 But Peter answered, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!”

At once, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

61 The Lord turned around and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered that the Lord had said to him, “Before the rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me.”

62 Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Is Mocked and Beaten

63 The men who were guarding Jesus made fun of him and beat him.

64 They blindfolded him and asked him, “Who hit you? Guess!”

65 And they said many other insulting things to him.

Jesus before the Council

66 When day came, the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law met together, and Jesus was brought before the Council.

67 “Tell us,” they said, “are you the Messiah?”

He answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me;

68 and if I ask you a question, you will not answer.

69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right side of Almighty God.”

70 They all said, “Are you, then, the Son of God?”

He answered them, “You say that I am.”

71 And they said, “We don’t need any witnesses! We ourselves have heard what he said!”

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Jesus before Pilate

1 The whole group rose up and took Jesus before Pilate,

2 where they began to accuse him: “We caught this man misleading our people, telling them not to pay taxes to the Emperor and claiming that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”

3 Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“So you say,” answered Jesus.

4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no reason to condemn this man.”

5 But they insisted even more strongly, “With his teaching he is starting a riot among the people all through Judea. He began in Galilee and now has come here.”

Jesus before Herod

6 When Pilate heard this, he asked, “Is this man a Galilean?”

7 When he learned that Jesus was from the region ruled by Herod, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

8 Herod was very pleased when he saw Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been wanting to see him for a long time. He was hoping to see Jesus perform some miracle.

9 So Herod asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus made no answer.

10 The chief priests and the teachers of the Law stepped forward and made strong accusations against Jesus.

11 Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and treated him with contempt; then they put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.

12 On that very day Herod and Pilate became friends; before this they had been enemies.

Jesus Is Sentenced to Death

13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people,

14 and said to them, “You brought this man to me and said that he was misleading the people. Now, I have examined him here in your presence, and I have not found him guilty of any of the crimes you accuse him of.

15 Nor did Herod find him guilty, for he sent him back to us. There is nothing this man has done to deserve death.

16 So I will have him whipped and let him go.”

18 The whole crowd cried out, “Kill him! Set Barabbas free for us!” (

19 Barabbas had been put in prison for a riot that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)

20 Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, so he appealed to the crowd again.

21 But they shouted back, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

22 Pilate said to them the third time, “But what crime has he committed? I cannot find anything he has done to deserve death! I will have him whipped and set him free.”

23 But they kept on shouting at the top of their voices that Jesus should be crucified, and finally their shouting succeeded.

24 So Pilate passed the sentence on Jesus that they were asking for.

25 He set free the man they wanted, the one who had been put in prison for riot and murder, and he handed Jesus over for them to do as they wished.

Jesus Is Crucified

26 The soldiers led Jesus away, and as they were going, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon who was coming into the city from the country. They seized him, put the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.

27 A large crowd of people followed him; among them were some women who were weeping and wailing for him.

28 Jesus turned to them and said, “Women of Jerusalem! Don’t cry for me, but for yourselves and your children.

29 For the days are coming when people will say, ‘How lucky are the women who never had children, who never bore babies, who never nursed them!’

30 That will be the time when people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Hide us!’

31 For if such things as these are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

32 Two other men, both of them criminals, were also led out to be put to death with Jesus.

33 When they came to the place called “The Skull,” they crucified Jesus there, and the two criminals, one on his right and the other on his left.

34 Jesus said, “Forgive them, Father! They don’t know what they are doing.”

They divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice.

35 The people stood there watching while the Jewish leaders made fun of him: “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah whom God has chosen!”

36 The soldiers also made fun of him: they came up to him and offered him cheap wine,

37 and said, “Save yourself if you are the king of the Jews!”

38 Above him were written these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

39 One of the criminals hanging there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40 The other one, however, rebuked him, saying, “Don’t you fear God? You received the same sentence he did.

41 Ours, however, is only right, because we are getting what we deserve for what we did; but he has done no wrong.”

42 And he said to Jesus, “Remember me, Jesus, when you come as King!”

43 Jesus said to him, “I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with me.”

The Death of Jesus

44-45 It was about twelve o’clock when the sun stopped shining and darkness covered the whole country until three o’clock; and the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two.

46 Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father! In your hands I place my spirit!” He said this and died.

47 The army officer saw what had happened, and he praised God, saying, “Certainly he was a good man!”

48 When the people who had gathered there to watch the spectacle saw what happened, they all went back home, beating their breasts in sorrow.

49 All those who knew Jesus personally, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance to watch.

The Burial of Jesus

50-51 There was a man named Joseph from Arimathea, a town in Judea. He was a good and honorable man, who was waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God. Although he was a member of the Council, he had not agreed with their decision and action.

52 He went into the presence of Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

53 Then he took the body down, wrapped it in a linen sheet, and placed it in a tomb which had been dug out of solid rock and which had never been used.

54 It was Friday, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

55 The women who had followed Jesus from Galilee went with Joseph and saw the tomb and how Jesus’ body was placed in it.

56 Then they went back home and prepared the spices and perfumes for the body.

On the Sabbath they rested, as the Law commanded.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LUK/23-007168755dfe251995a359bd250beae8.mp3?version_id=68—

The Resurrection

1 Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared.

2 They found the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb,

3 so they went in; but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

4 They stood there puzzled about this, when suddenly two men in bright shining clothes stood by them.

5 Full of fear, the women bowed down to the ground, as the men said to them, “Why are you looking among the dead for one who is alive?

6 He is not here; he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was in Galilee:

7 ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, be crucified, and three days later rise to life.’”

8 Then the women remembered his words,

9 returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven disciples and all the rest.

10 The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; they and the other women with them told these things to the apostles.

11 But the apostles thought that what the women said was nonsense, and they did not believe them.

12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; he bent down and saw the grave cloths but nothing else. Then he went back home amazed at what had happened.

The Walk to Emmaus

13 On that same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,

14 and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened.

15 As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them;

16 they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him.

17 Jesus said to them, “What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?”

They stood still, with sad faces.

18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have been happening there these last few days?”

19 “What things?” he asked.

“The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did.

20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified.

21 And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened.

22 Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb,

23 but could not find his body. They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive.

24 Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him.”

25 Then Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said!

26 Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?”

27 And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets.

28 As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther;

29 but they held him back, saying, “Stay with us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark.” So he went in to stay with them.

30 He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to them.

31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight.

32 They said to each other, “Wasn’t it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

33 They got up at once and went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven disciples gathered together with the others

34 and saying, “The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!”

35 The two then explained to them what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized the Lord when he broke the bread.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

36 While the two were telling them this, suddenly the Lord himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

37 They were terrified, thinking that they were seeing a ghost.

38 But he said to them, “Why are you alarmed? Why are these doubts coming up in your minds?

39 Look at my hands and my feet, and see that it is I myself. Feel me, and you will know, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you can see I have.”

40 He said this and showed them his hands and his feet.

41 They still could not believe, they were so full of joy and wonder; so he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”

42 They gave him a piece of cooked fish,

43 which he took and ate in their presence.

44 Then he said to them, “These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the Psalms had to come true.”

45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

46 and said to them, “This is what is written: the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later,

47 and in his name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be preached to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.

48 You are witnesses of these things.

49 And I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you.”

Jesus Is Taken Up to Heaven

50 Then he led them out of the city as far as Bethany, where he raised his hands and blessed them.

51 As he was blessing them, he departed from them and was taken up into heaven.

52 They worshiped him and went back into Jerusalem, filled with great joy,

53 and spent all their time in the Temple giving thanks to God.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LUK/24-7d87791120554969f7f6eabe83de1745.mp3?version_id=68—