Luke 13 (New American Standard)

Call to Repent

1 Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood ¹Pilate had ^amixed with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus said to them, "²Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? 3 "I tell you, no, but unless you ^brepent, you will all likewise perish. 4 "Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in ³Siloam fell and killed them were worse ^c4culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem ? 5 "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." 6 And He began telling this parable : "A man had ⁵a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard ; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. 7 "And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree ^dwithout finding any. ⁶Cut it down ! Why does it even use up the ground ?' 8 "And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer ; 9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.' "

Healing on the Sabbath

10 And He was ⁷teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had ⁸a sickness caused by a spirit ; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your sickness." 13 And He ⁹laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began ¹⁰glorifying God. 14 But ¹¹the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus ¹²had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, "¹³There are six days in which work should be done ; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day." 15 But ¹⁴the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites, ¹⁵does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? 16 "And this woman, ¹⁶a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom ¹⁷Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day ?" 17 As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated ; and ¹⁸the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.

Parables of Mustard Seed and Leaven

18 So ¹⁹He was saying, "²⁰What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? 19 "It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden ; and it grew and became a tree, and ²¹THE BIRDS OF THE ^eAIR NESTED IN ITS BRANCHES." 20 And again He said, "²²To what shall I compare the kingdom of God ? 21 "²³It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in ²⁴three ^fpecks of flour until it was all leavened."

Teaching in the Villages

22 And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and ²⁵proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved ?" And He said to them, 24 "²⁶Strive to enter through the narrow door ; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 "Once the head of the house gets up and ²⁷shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, '²⁸Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, '²⁹I do not know where you are from.' 26 "Then you will ³⁰begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets '; 27 and He will say, 'I tell you, ³¹I do not know where you are from; ³²DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.' 28 "³³In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. 29 "And they ³⁴will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30 "And behold, ³⁵some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last." 31 Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, "Go away, leave here, for ³⁶Herod wants to kill You." 32 And He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I ^g37reach My goal.' 33 "Nevertheless ³⁸I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a ³⁹prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem. 34 "⁴⁰O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, ⁴¹just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! 35 "Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, '⁴²BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD !' "