1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought 1always to pray and not 2lose heart.
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He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who 3neither feared God nor respected man.
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And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.'
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For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 4'Though I neither fear God nor respect man,
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yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'"
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And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
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And 5will not God give justice to 6his elect, 7who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?
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I tell you, he will give justice to them 8speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, 9will he find faith on earth?"
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 He also told this parable to some 10who trusted 11in themselves that they were righteous, 12and treated others with contempt:
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"Two men 13went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
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The Pharisee, 14standing by himself, prayed[a]15thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
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16I fast twice a week; 17I give tithes of all that I get.'
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But the tax collector, 18standing far off, 19would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but 20beat his breast, saying, 'God, 21be merciful to me, a sinner!'
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I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For 22everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
Let the Children Come to Me
1523Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they 24rebuked them.
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But Jesus called them to him, saying, 25"Let the children come to me, and 26do not hinder them, 27for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
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28Truly, I say to you, whoever does not 29receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."
The Rich Ruler
1830And a ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to 31inherit eternal life?"