The Gospel According to Luke, chapters 7 - 11
7 When he had finished addressing the people, he went to Capernaum.
A centurion there had a servant whom he valued highly; this servant was
ill and near to death. Hearing about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders with
the request that he would come and save his servant's life. They approached
Jesus and pressed their petition earnestly: 'He deserves this favour from
you,' they said, 'for he is a friend of our nation and it is he who built us our
synagogue.' Jesus went with them; but when he was not far from the
house, the centurion sent friends with this message: 'Do not trouble
further, sir; it is not for me to have you under my roof, and that is why I
did not presume to approach you in person. But say the word and my
servant will be cured. I know, for in my position I am myself under orders,
with soldiers under me. I say to one, "Go", and he goes; to another, "Come
here", and he comes; and to my servant, "Do this", and he does it.' When
Jesus heard this, he admired the man, and turning to the crowd that was
following him, he said, 'i tell you, nowhere, even in Israel, have I found
faith like this.' And the messengers returned to the house and found the
servant in good health.
Afterwards Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his
disciples and a large crowd. As he approached the gate of the town he met
a funeral. The dead man was the only son of his widowed mother; and
many of the townspeople were there with her. When the Lord saw her his
heart went out to her, and he said, 'Weep no more.' With that he stepped
forward and laid his hand on the bier; and the bearers halted. Then he
spoke: 'Young man, rise up!' The dead man sat up and began to speak;
and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Deep awe fell upon them all, and
they praised God. 'A great prophet has arisen among us', they said, and
again, 'God has shown his care for his people.' The story of what he had
done ran through all parts of Judaea and the whole neighbourhood.
John too was informed of all this by his disciples. Summoning two of
their number he sent them to the Lord with this message: 'Are you the one
who is to come, or are we to expect some other?' The messengers made
their way to Jesus and said, 'John the Baptist has sent us to you: he asks,
"Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect some other"" ' There
and then he cured many sufferers from diseases, plagues, and evil spirits;
'Go', he said, 'and tell John what you have seen and heard: how the blind
recover their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, the deaf hear,
the dead are raised to life, the poor are hearing the good news — and happy
is the man who does not find me a stumbling-block.'
After John's messengers had left, Jesus began to speak about him to the
crowds: 'What was the spectacle that drew you to the wilderness? A reed-
bed swept by the wind? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man
dressed in silks and satins? Surely you must look in palaces for grand
clothes and luxury. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes indeed,
and far more than a prophet. He is the man of whom Scripture says,
"Here is my herald, whom I sent on ahead of you,
and he will prepare your way before you."
I tell you, there is not a mother's son greater than John, and yet the least
in the kingdom of God is greater than he.'
When they heard him, all the people, including the tax-gatherers,
praised God, for they had accepted John's baptism; but the Pharisees and
lawyers, who refused his baptism, had rejected God's purpose for
themselves.
'How can I describe the people of this generation? What are they like?
They are like children sitting in the market-place and shouting at each other,
"We piped for you and you would not dance."
"We wept and wailed, and you would not mourn."
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and
you say, "He is possessed." The Son of Man came eating and drinking,
and you say, "Look at him! a glutton and a drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers
and sinners!" And yet God's wisdom is proved right by all who are her
children.'
One of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him; he went to the Pharisee's
house and took his place at table. A woman who was living an immoral life
in the town had learned that Jesus was at table in Pharisee's house and
had brought oil of myrrh in a small flask. She took her place behind him,
by his feet, weeping. His feet were wetted with her tears and she wiped
them with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the myrrh.
When his host the Pharisee saw this he said to himself, 'If this fellow were
a real prophet, he would know who this woman is that touches him, and
what sort of a woman she is, a sinner.' Jesus took him up and said, 'Simon,
I have something to say to you.' 'Speak on, Master', said he. 'Two men were
in debt to a money-lender: one owed him five hundred silver pieces, the
other fifty. As neither had anything to pay with he let them both off. Now,
which will love him most?' Simon replied, 'I should think the one that was
let off most.' 'You are right', said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, he
said to Simon, 'You see this woman? I came to your house: you provided
no water for my feet; but this woman has made my feet wet with her tears
and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss; but she has been kissing
my feet ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil; but she
has anointed my feet with myrrh. And so, I tell you, her great love proves
that her many sins have been forgiven; where little has been forgiven, little
love is shown.' Then he said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.' The other
guests began to ask themselves, 'Who is this, that he can forgive sins?' But
he said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace.'
8 After this he went journeying from town to town and village to village,
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. With him were the
Twelve and a number of women who had been set free from evil spirits
and infirmities: Mary, known as Mary of Magdala, from whom seven
devils had come out, Joanna, the wife of Chuza a steward of Herod's,
Susanna, and many others. These women provided for them out of their
own resources.
People were now gathering in large numbers, and as they made their
way to him from one town after another, he said in parable: 'A sower
went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the foot-
path, where it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some seed fell on
rock and, after coming up, withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell
in among thistles, and the thistles grew up with it and choked it. And some
of the seed fell on good soil, and grew, and yielded a hundredfold.' As
he said this he called out, 'If you have ears to hear, then hear.'
His disciples asked him what this parable meant, and he said, 'It has been
granted to you to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but the others
have only parables, so that they may look but see nothing, hear but under-
stand nothing.
'This is what the parable means. The seed is the word of God. Those
along the footpath are the men who hear it, and then the devil comes and
carries off the word from their hearts for fear they should believe and be
saved. The seed sown on rock stands for those who receive the word with
joy when they hear it, but have no root; they are believers for a while, but
in the time of testing they desert. That which fell among thistles represents
those who hear, but their further growth is choked by cares and wealth
and the pleasures of life, and they bring nothing to maturity. But the seed
in good soil represents those who bring a good and honest heart to the
hearing of the word, hold it fast, and by their perseverance yield a harvest.
'Nobody lights a lamp and then covers it with a basin or puts it under the
bed. On the contrary, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that those who come in
may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become public,
nothing under cover that will not be made known and brought into the
open.
'Take care, then, how you listen; for the man who has will be given more,
and the man who has not will forfeit even what he thinks he has.'
His mother and his brothers arrived but could not get to him for the
crowd. He was told, 'Your mother and brothers are standing outside, and
they want to see you.' He replied, 'My mother and my brothers — they are
those who hear the word of God and act upon it.'
One day he got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, 'Let us
cross over to the other side of the lake.' So they put out; and as they sailed
along he went to sleep. Then a heavy squall struck the lake; they began to
ship water and were in grave danger. They went to him, and roused him,
crying, 'Master, Master, we are sinking!' He awoke, and rebuked the
wind and the turbulent waters. The storm subsided and all was calm.
'Where is your faith?' he asked. In fear and astonishment they said to one
another, 'Who can this be? He gives his orders to wind and waves, and
they obey him.'
So they landed in the country of the Gergesenes, which is opposite
Galilee. As he stepped ashore he was met by a man from the town who was
possessed by devils. For a long time he had neither worn clothes nor lived
in a house, but stayed among the tombs. When he saw Jesus he cried out,
and fell at his feet shouting, 'What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the
Most High God? I implore you, do not torment me.'
For Jesus was already ordering the unclean spirit to come out of the man.
Many a time it had seized him, and then, for safety's sake, they would
secure him with chains and fetters; but each time he broke loose, and with
the devil in charge made off to the solitary places.
Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?' 'Legion', he replied. This was
because so many devils had taken possession of him. And they begged him
not to banish them to the Abyss.
There happened to be a large herd of pigs nearby, feeding on the hill;
and the spirit begged him to let them go into these pigs. He gave them
leave; the devils came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd
rushed over the edge into the lake and were drowned.
The men in charge of them saw what had happened, and, taking to their
heels, they carried the news to the town and country-side; and the people
came out to see for themselves. When they came to Jesus, and found the
man from whom the devils had gone out sitting at his feet clothed and in
his right mind, they were afraid. The spectators told them how the madman
had been cured. Then the whole population of the Gergesene district
asked him to go, for they were in the grip of a great fear. So he got into the
boat and returned. The man from whom the devils had gone out begged
leave o go with him, but Jesus sent him away: 'Go back home,' he said,
'and tell them everything that God has done for you.' The man went all over
the town spreading the news of what Jesus had done for him.
When Jesus returned, the people welcomed him, for they were all
expecting him. Then a man appeared — Jairus was his name and he was
president of the synagogue. Throwing himself down at Jesus's feet he
begged him to come to his house, because he had an only daughter, about
twelve years old, who was dying. And while Jesus was on his way he could
hardly breathe for the crowds.
Among them was a woman who had suffered from haemorrhages for
twelve years; and nobody had been able to cure her. She came up from
behind and touched the edge of his cloak, and at once her haemorrhage
stopped. Jesus said, 'Who was it that touched me?' All disclaimed it, and
Peter and his companions said, 'Master, the crowds are hemming you in
and pressing upon you!' But Jesus said, 'Someone did touch me, for I felt
that power had gone out from me.' Then the woman, seeing that she was
detected, came trembling and fell at his feet. Before all the people she
explained why she had touched him and how she had been instantly cured.
He said to her, 'My daughter, your faith has cured you. Go in peace.'
While he was still speaking, a man came from the president's house with
the message, 'Your daughter is dead; trouble the Rabbi no further.' But
Jesus heard, and interposed. 'Do not be afraid,' he said; 'only show faith
and she will be well again.' On arrival at the house he allowed no one to go
in with him except Peter, John, and James, and the child's father and
mother. And all were weeping and lamenting for her. He said, 'Weep no
more; she is not dead. But Jesus took hod of her hand and called her:
'Get up, my child.' Her spirit returned, she stood up immediately, and
he told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astounded;
but he forbade them to tell anyone what had happened.
9 He now called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority
to overcome all the devils and to cure diseases, and sent them to proclaim
the kingdom of God and to heal. 'Take nothing for the journey,' he told
them, 'neither stick nor pack, neither bread nor money; nor are you each
to have a second coat. When you are admitted to a house, stay there,
and go on from there. As for those who will not receive you, when you leave
their town shake the dust off your feet as a warning to them.' So they set
out and travelled from village to village, and everywhere they told the good
news and healed the sick.
Now Prince Herod heard of all that was happening, and did not know
what to make of it; for some were saying that John had been raised from
the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, others again that one of the old
prophets had come back to life. Herod said, 'As for John, I beheaded him
myself; but who is this I hear such talk about?' And he was anxious to
see him.
On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done; and he took
them with him and withdrew privately to a town called Bethsaida. But the
crowds found out and followed him. He welcomed them, and spoke to
them about the kingdom of God, and cured those who were in need of
healing. When evening was drawing on, the Twelve came up to him and
said, 'Send these people away; then they can go into the villages and farms
round about to find food and lodging; for we are in a lonely place here.'
'Give them something to eat yourselves', he replied. But they said, 'All
we have is five loaves and two fishes, nothing more — unless perhaps we
ourselves are to go and buy provisions for all this company.' (There were
about five thousand men.) He said to his disciples, 'Make them sit down
in groups of fifty or so.' They did so and got them all seated. Then, taking
the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, said the blessing
over them, broke them, and gave them' to the disciples to distribute to the
people. They all ate to their hearts' content; and when the scraps they left
were picked up, they filled twelve great baskets.
One day when he was praying alone in the presence of his disciples, he
asked them, 'Who do the people say I am?' They answered, 'Some say
John the Baptist, others Elijah, others that one of the old prophets has come
back to life.' 'And you,' he said, 'who do you say I am?' Peter answered,
'God's Messiah.' Then he gave them strict orders not to tell this to anyone.
And he said, 'The Son of Man has to undergo great sufferings, and to be
rejected by the elders, chief priests, and doctors of the law, to be put to
death and to be raised again on the third day.'
And to all he said, 'If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must
leave self behind; day after day he must take up his cross, and come with me.
Whoever cares for his own safety is lost; but if a man will let himself be lost
for my sake, that man is safe. What will a man gain by winning the whole
world, at the cost of his true self? For whoever is ashamed of me and mine,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes in his glory and
the glory of the Father and the holy angels. And I tell you this: there are
some of those standing here who will not taste death before they have seen
the kingdom of God.'
About eight days after this conversation he took Peter, John, and James
with him and went up into the hills to pray. And while he was praying the
appearance of his face changed and his clothes became dazzling white.
Suddenly there were two men talking with him; these were Moses and
Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, the destiny he
was to fulfil in Jerusalem. Meanwhile Peter and his companions had been
in a deep sleep; but when they awoke, they saw his glory and the two men
who stood beside him. And as these were moving away from Jesus, Peter
said to him, 'Master, how good it is that we are here! Shall we make three
shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah?'; but he spoke
without knowing what he was saying. The words were still on his lips,
when there came a cloud which cast a shadow over them; they were afraid
as they entered the cloud, and from it came a voice: 'This is my Son, my
Chosen; listen to him.' When the voice had spoken, Jesus was seen to be
alone. The disciples kept silence and at that time told nobody anything of
what they had seen.
Next day when they came down from the hills he was met by a large
crowd. All at once there was a shout from a man in the crowd: 'Master, look
at my son, I implore you, my only child. From time to time a spirit seizes
him, gives a sudden scream, and throws him into convulsions with foaming
at the mouth, and it keeps on mauling him and will hardly let him go. I
asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.' Jesus answered,
'What an unbelieving and perverse generation! How long shall I be with
you and endure you all? Bring your son here.' But before the boy could
reach him the devil dashed him to the ground and threw him into con-
vulsions. Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, cured the boy, and gave him
back to his father. And they were all struck with awe at the majesty of God.
Amid the general wonder and admiration at all he was doing, Jesus said to
his disciples, 'What I now say is for you: ponder my words. The Son of
Man is to be given up into the power of men.' But they did not understand
this saying; it had been hidden from them, so that they should not grasp
its meaning, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
A dispute arose among them: which of them was the greatest? Jesus
knew what was passing in their minds, so he took a child by the hand and
stood him at his side, and said, 'Whoever receives this child in my name
receives me; and whoever receives me receives the One who sent me. For
the least among you all — he is the greatest.'
'Master,' said John, 'we saw a man driving out devils in your name, but
as he is not one of us we tried to stop him.' Jesus said to him, 'Do not stop
him, for he who is not against you is on your side.
As the time approached when he was to be taken up to heaven, he
set his face resolutely towards Jerusalem, and sent messengers ahead.
They set out and went into a Samaritan village to make arrangements for
him; but the villagers would not have him because he was making for
Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they said, 'Lord,
may we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?' But he turned and
rebuked them, and they went on to another village.
As they were going along the road a man said to him, 'I will follow you
wherever you go.' Jesus answered, 'Foxes have their holes , the birds their
roosts; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.' To another he
said, 'Follow me', but the man replied, 'Let me go and bury my father
first.' Jesus said, 'Leave the dead to bury their dead; you must go and
announce the kingdom of God.'
Yet another said, 'I will follow you, sire; but let me first say good-bye to my
people at home.' To him Jesus said, 'No one who sets his hand to the plough
and then keeps looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.'
10 After this the Lord appointed a further seventy-two and sent them on
ahead in pairs to every town and place he was going to visit himself. He
said to them: 'The crop is heavy, but labourers are scarce; you must there-
fore beg the owner to send labourers to harvest his crop. Be on your way.
And look, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse or
pack, and travel barefoot. Exchange no greetings on the road. When you
go into a house, let your first words be, "Peace to this house." If there is a
man of peace there, your peace will rest upon him; if not, it will return and
rest upon you. Stay in that one house, sharing their food and drink; for the
worker earns his pay. Do not move from house to house. When you come
into a town and they make you welcome, eat the food provided for you;
heal the sick there, and say, "The kingdom of God has come close to you."
When you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out to its
streets and say, "The very dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe
off to your shame. Only take note of this: the kingdom of God has come
close." I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom on the great Day than
for that town.
'Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that
were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more
bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the Judgement than for you. And as for you,
Capernaum, will you be exalted to the skies? No, brought down to the
depths!
'Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the One who sent me.'
The seventy-two came back jubilant. 'In your name, Lord,' they said,
'even the devils submit to us.' He replied, 'I watched how Satan fell, like
lightning, out of the sky. And now you see that I have given you the power
to tread underfoot snakes and scorpions and all the forces of the enemy,
and nothing will ever harm you. Nevertheless, what you should rejoice
over is not that the spirits submit to you, but that your names are enrolled
in heaven.'
At that moment Jesus exulted in the Holy Spirit and said, 'I thank thee,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the learned
and wise, and revealing them to the simple. Yes, Father, such was thy
choice.' Then turning to his disciples he said, 'Everything is entrusted to
me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, or who
the Father is but the Son, and those to whom the Son may choose to
reveal him.'
Turning to his disciples in private he said, 'Happy the eyes that see what
you are seeing! I tell you, many prophets and kings wished to see what you
now see, yet never saw it; to hear what you hear, yet never heard it.'
On one occasion a lawyer came forward to put this test question to
him: 'Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' Jesus said, 'What is
written in the Law? What is your reading of it?' He replied, 'Love the
Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength,
with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.' 'That is the right
answer,' said Jesus; 'do that and you will live.'
But he wanted to vindicate himself, so he said to Jesus, 'And who is my
neighbour?' Jesus replied, 'A man was on his way from Jerusalem down to
Jericho when he fell in with robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and
went off leaving him half dead. It so happened that a priest was going down
by the same road; but when he saw him, he went past on the other side.
So too a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him went past on the
other side. But a Samaritan who was making the journey came upon him,
and when he saw him was moved to pity. He went up and bandaged his
wounds, bathing them with oil and wine. Then he lifted him on to his own
beast, brought him to an inn, and looked after him there. Next day he pro-
duced two silver pieces and gave them to the innkeeper, and said "Look
after him; and if you spend any more, I will repay you on my way back."
Which of these three do you think was neighbour to the man who fell into
the hands of the robbers?' He answered, 'The one who showed him kind-
ness.' Jesus said, 'Go and do as he did.'
While they were on their way Jesus came to a village where a woman
named Martha made him welcome in her home. She had a sister, Mary,
who seated herself at the Lord's feet and stayed there listening to his words.
Now Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and said,
'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to get on with the work by
myself? Tell her to come and lend a hand.' But the Lord answered,
'Martha, Martha, you are fretting and fussing about so many things; but
few things are necessary. The part that Mary has chosen is best; and it shall
not be taken away from her.'
11 Once, in a certain place, Jesus was at prayer. When he ceased, one of his
disciples said, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.' He
answered, 'When you pray, say,
"Father, thy name be hallowed;
thy kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we too forgive all who have done us wrong.
And do not bring us to the test." '
Then he said to them, 'Suppose one of you has a friend who comes to
him in the middle of the night and says, "My friend, lend me three loaves,
for a friend of mine on a journey has turned up at my house, and I have
nothing to offer him" ; and he replies from inside, "Do not bother me. The
door is shut for the night; my children and I have gone to bed; and I can-
not get up and give you what you want." I tell you that even if he will not
provide for him out of friendship, the very shamelessness of the request
will make him get up and give him all he needs. And so I say to you, ask,
and you will receive, seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be
opened. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him
who knocks, the door will be opened.
'Is there a father among you who will offer his son a snake when he asks
for fish, or a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you, then, bad as you are,
know how to give your children what is good for them, how much more will
the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'
He was driving out a devil which was dumb; and when the devil had
come out, the dumb man began to speak. The people were astonished,
but some of them said, 'It is by Beelzebub prince of devils that he drives
the devils out.' Others, by way of a test, demanded of him a sign from
heaven. But he knew what was in their minds, and said, 'Every kingdom
divided against itself goes to ruin, and a divided household falls. Equally
if Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? — since,
as you would have it, I drive out the devils by Beelzebub. If it is by Beelze-
bub that I cast out devils, by whom do your own people drive them out?
If this is your argument, they themselves will refute you. But if it is by the
finger of God that I drive out the devils, then be sure the kingdom of God
has already come upon you.
'When a strong man fully armed is on guard over his castle his posses-
sions are safe. But when someone stronger comes upon him and over-
powers him, he carries off the arms and armour on which the man had
relied and divides the plunder.
'He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with
me scatters.
'When an unclean spirit comes out of a man it wanders over the deserts
seeking a resting-place; and if it finds none, it says, "I will go back to the
home I left." So it returns and finds the house swept clean, and tidy. Off
it goes and collects seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they all
come in and settle down; and in the end the man's plight is worse than
before.'
While he was speaking thus, a woman in the crowd called out, 'Happy
the womb that carried you and the breasts that suckle you!' He rejoined,
'No, happy are those who hear the word of God and keep it.'
With the crowd swarming round him he went on to say: 'This is a
wicked generation. It demands a sign, and the only sign that will be given
it is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so will
the Son of Man be to this generation. At the Judgement, when the men of
this generation are on trial, the Queen of the South will appear against
them and ensure their condemnation, for she came from the ends of the
earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and what is here is greater than
Solomon. The men of Nineveh will appear at the Judgement when this
generation is on trial, and ensure its condemnation, for they repented at
the preaching of Jonah; and what is here is greater than Jonah.
'No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar, but rather on the lamp-
stand so that those who enter may see the light. The lamp of your body is
the eye. When your eyes are sound, you have light for your whole body;
but when the eyes are bad, you are in darkness. See to it then that the light
you have is not darkness. If you have light for your whole body with no
trace of darkness, it will all be as bright as when a lamp flashes its rays
upon you.'
When he had finished speaking, a Pharisee invite him to a meal.
He came in and sat down. The Pharisee noticed with surprise that he had
not begun by washing before the meal. But the Lord said to him, 'You
Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup and plate; but inside you there is
nothing but greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the
outside make the inside too? But let what is in the cup be given in charity,
and all is clean.
'Alas for you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and rue and every
garden-herb, but have no care for justice and the love of God.
'Alas for you Pharisees! You love the seats of honour in synagogues, and
salutations in the market-places.
'Alas, alas, you are like unmarked graves over which men may walk with-
out knowing it.'
In reply to this one of the lawyers said, 'Master, when you say things
like this you are insulting us too.' Jesus rejoined: 'Yes, you lawyers, it is
no better with you! For you load men with intolerable burdens, and will
not put a single finger to the load.
'Alas, you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers murdered,
and so testify that you approve of the deeds your fathers did; they com-
mitted the murders and you provided the tombs.
This is why the Wisdom of God said, "I will send them prophets and
messengers; and some of these they will persecute and kill"; so that this
generation will have to answer for the blood of all the prophets shed since
the foundation of the world; from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zecha-
riah who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. I tell you, this
generation will have to answer for it all.
'Alas for you lawyers! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You
did not go in yourselves, and those who were on their way in, you stopped.'
After he had left the house, the lawyers and Pharisees began to assail
him fiercely and to ply him with a host of questions, laying snares to catch
him with his own words.
The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970
Posted Jun 14, 2018, 5:04 PM UTC · edited
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