English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.
22
He went on teaching from town to village, village to town, but keeping on a steady course toward Jerusalem.
23 And someone said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them,
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A bystander said, "Master, will only a few be saved?"
24 "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
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"Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life - to God! - is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you'll sit down to God's salvation banquet just because you've been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives.
25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.'
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Well, one day you're going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you'll find the door locked and the Master saying, 'Sorry, you're not on my guest list.'
26 Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.'
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"You'll protest, 'But we've known you all our lives!'
27 But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!'
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only to be interrupted with his abrupt, 'Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don't know the first thing about me.'
28 In 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 you yourselves cast out.
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"That's when you'll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You'll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God's kingdom.
29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.
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You'll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God's kingdom. And all the time you'll be outside looking in - and wondering what happened.
30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."
30
This is the Great Reversal: the last in line put at the head of the line, and the so-called first ending up last.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.