Luke 23

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The Widow’s Offering

21 yJesus1 looked up and saw the rich zputting their gifts into athe offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two bsmall copper coins.2 And he said, Truly, I tell you, cthis poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her dpoverty put in all eshe had to live on.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

fAnd while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, As for these things that you see, gthe days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. And they asked him, Teacher, hwhen will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place? And he said, iSee that you are not led astray. For jmany will come in my name, saying, kI am he! and, lThe time is at hand! Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be mterrified, for these things nmust first take place, but the end will not be at once.

Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution

10 Then he said to them, oNation will rise against nation, and pkingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great qearthquakes, and in various places rfamines and pestilences. And there will be sterrors and great tsigns from heaven. 12 But before all this uthey will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to vthe synagogues and wprisons, and you xwill be brought before ykings and zgovernors for my name’s sake. 13 aThis will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds bnot to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for cI will give you a mouth and dwisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or econtradict. 16 You will be delivered up feven by parents and brothers3 and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17 gYou will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18 But hnot a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your iendurance you will gain your lives.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem

20 But jwhen you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that kits desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are ldays of mvengeance, to fulfill nall that is written. 23 oAlas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and pwrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and qbe led captive among all nations, and rJerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, suntil the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man

25 And tthere will be signs in sun and moon uand stars, and on the earth vdistress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For wthe powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see xthe Son of Man coming in a cloud ywith power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and zraise your heads, because ayour redemption is drawing near.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

29 And he told them a parable: Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see bfor yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 cTruly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 dHeaven and earth will pass away, but emy words will not pass away.

Watch Yourselves

34 But watch yourselves flest gyour hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and hcares of this life, and ithat day come upon you suddenly jlike a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But kstay awake at all times, lpraying that you may mhave strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and nto stand before the Son of Man.

37 And oevery day he was teaching in the temple, but pat night he went out and lodged on qthe mount called Olivet. 38 And early in the morning oall the people came to him in the temple to hear him.

The Plot to Kill Jesus

22 rNow the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called sthe Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes twere seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.

Judas to Betray Jesus

uThen vSatan entered into wJudas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and xofficers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to ybetray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

The Passover with the Disciples

zThen came athe day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus1 sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it. They said to him, Where will you have us prepare it? 10 He said to them, Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters 11 and tell the master of the house, bThe Teacher says to you, Where is cthe guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? 12 And he will show you da large upper room furnished; prepare it there. 13 And they went and found it ejust as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

14 fAnd when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it2 guntil it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took a cup, and hwhen he had given thanks he said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 iFor I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine guntil the kingdom of God comes. 19 jAnd he took bread, and hwhen he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, kThis is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, kThis cup that is poured out for you is lthe new mcovenant in my blood.3 21 nBut behold, the hand of him who betrays me is owith me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes pas it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed! 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

Who Is the Greatest?

24 qA dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 rAnd he said to them, The kings of the Gentiles sexercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 tBut not so with you. Rather, let sthe greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, uone who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But vI am among you as the one who serves.

28 You are those who have stayed with me win my trials, 29 and xI assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 ythat you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and zsit on thrones judging athe twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

31 Simon, Simon, behold, bSatan demanded to have you,4 cthat he might sift you like wheat, 32 but dI have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, estrengthen your brothers. 33 Peter5 said to him, Lord, I am ready to go with you both fto prison and gto death. 34 hJesus6 said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.

Scripture Must Be Fulfilled in Jesus

35 And he said to them, iWhen I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything? They said, Nothing. 36 He said to them, But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that jthis Scripture must be fulfilled in me: kAnd he was numbered with the transgressors. For lwhat is written about me has its fulfillment. 38 And they said, Look, Lord, here are two mswords. And he said to them, nIt is enough.

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

39 oAnd he came out and went, pas was his custom, to qthe Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 rAnd when he came to sthe place, he said to them, tPray that you may not uenter into temptation. 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and vknelt down and prayed, 42 saying, wFather, if you are willing, remove xthis cup from me. yNevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. 43 And there appeared to him zan angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And wbeing in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.7 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, Why are you sleeping? Rise and apray that you may not enter into temptation.

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 bWhile he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called cJudas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, Lord, shall we strike dwith the sword? 50 And one of them struck the servant8 of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, No more of this! And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and eofficers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When fI was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is gyour hour, and hthe power of darkness.

Peter Denies Jesus

54 iThen they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, jand Peter was following at a distance. 55 kAnd when they had kindled a fire in the middle of lthe courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, This man also was with him. 57 But he denied it, saying, Woman, I do not know him. 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, You also are one of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not. 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another minsisted, saying, Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean. 60 But Peter said, Man, I do not know what you are talking about. And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and nlooked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, oBefore the rooster crows today, you will pdeny me three times. 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Is Mocked

63 qNow the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 qThey also blindfolded him and kept asking him, rProphesy! rWho is it that struck you? 65 And they said many other things against him, sblaspheming him.

Jesus Before the Council

66 tWhen day came, uthe assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their vcouncil, and they wsaid, 67 xIf you are ythe Christ, tell us. But he said to them, If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated zat the right hand of the power of God. 70 So they all said, Are you athe Son of God, then? And he said to them, bYou say that I am. 71 Then they said, What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.

Jesus Before Pilate

23 cThen the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this man dmisleading our nation and eforbidding us to give tribute to fCaesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, ga king. hAnd Pilate asked him, iAre you the King of the Jews? And he answered him, jYou have said so. Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, kI find no guilt in this man. But they were urgent, saying, He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, lfrom Galilee even to this place.

Jesus Before Herod

When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he belonged to mHerod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, nfor he had long desired to see him, obecause he had heard about him, and he was hoping pto see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers qtreated him with contempt and rmocked him. Then, sarraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And tHerod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and uthe rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, You brought me this man vas one who was misleading the people. And wafter examining him before you, behold, I xdid not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. 15 Neither did Herod, for yhe sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. 16 zI will therefore punish and release him.1

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

18 aBut they all cried out together, bAway with this man, and release to us Barabbas 19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and cfor murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, 21 but they kept shouting, Crucify, crucify him! 22 A third time he said to them, Why? dWhat evil has he done? eI have found in him no guilt deserving death. fI will therefore punish and release him. 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison gfor insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, hbut he delivered Jesus over to their will.

The Crucifixion

26 iAnd as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were jmourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, kthe days are coming when they will say, lBlessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed! 30 mThen they will begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills, Cover us. 31 For nif they do these things when othe wood is green, what will happen owhen it is dry?

32 pTwo others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 qAnd when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, pone on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, Father, rforgive them, sfor they know not what they do.2 And they cast lots tto divide his garments. 35 And uthe people stood by, watching, vbut wthe rulers xscoffed at him, saying, yHe saved others; zlet him save himself, aif he is bthe Christ of God, chis Chosen One! 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and doffering him sour wine 37 and saying, eIf you are fthe King of the Jews, save yourself! 38 gThere was also an inscription over him,3 This is fthe King of the Jews.

39 hOne of the criminals who were hanged irailed at him,4 saying, Are you not jthe Christ? Save yourself and us! 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong. 42 And he said, Jesus, remember me kwhen you come into your kingdom. 43 And he said to him, Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in lparadise.

The Death of Jesus

44 mIt was now about the sixth hour,5 and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,6 45 while the sun’s light failed. And nthe curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, ocalling out with a loud voice, said, Father, pinto your hands I qcommit my spirit! And having said this rhe breathed his last. 47 Now swhen the centurion saw what had taken place, the praised God, saying, Certainly this man was innocent! 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home ubeating their breasts. 49 And all vhis acquaintances and wthe women who had followed him from Galilee xstood at a distance watching these things.

Jesus Is Buried

50 yNow there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he zwas looking for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and alaid him in a tomb cut in stone, bwhere no one had ever yet been laid. 54 It was the day of cPreparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.7 55 dThe women ewho had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and fprepared spices and ointments.

On the Sabbath they rested gaccording to the commandment.

The Resurrection

24 hBut on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, itaking the spices they had prepared. And they found jthe stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, ktwo lmen stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were mfrightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, nwhile he was still in Galilee, nthat the Son of Man omust be delivered into the hands of sinful men and pbe crucified and on qthe third day rise. And rthey remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they stold all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was tMary Magdalene and uJoanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and vthey did not believe them. 12 But wPeter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw xthe linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

On the Road to Emmaus

13 That very day ytwo of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles1 from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 zBut their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk? And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? 19 And he said to them, What things? And they said to him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was aa prophet bmighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and chow our chief priests and drulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was ethe one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now fthe third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. gThey were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and hwhen they did not find his body, they came back saying that ithey had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 jSome of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see. 25 And he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 kWas it not necessary that lthe Christ should suffer these things and enter into mhis glory? 27 And nbeginning with oMoses and pall the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. qHe acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, Stay with us, for it is toward evening and rthe day is now far spent. So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and sblessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 tAnd their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And uhe vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, vDid not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he wopened to us the Scriptures? 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they xfound the eleven and ythose who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, The Lord has risen indeed, and zhas appeared to Simon! 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and ahow he was known to them in bthe breaking of the bread.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

36 As they were talking about these things, cJesus himself stood among them, and said to them, Peace to you! 37 But they were dstartled and efrightened and fthought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. gTouch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. 40 And when he had said this, hhe showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved ifor joy and were marveling, jhe said to them, Have you anything here to eat? 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,2 43 and he took it and ate before them.

44 Then he said to them, kThese are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, lthat everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. 45 Then mhe opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, Thus nit is written, othat the Christ should suffer and on the third day prise from the dead, 47 and that qrepentance for3 the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed rin his name sto all nations, tbeginning from Jerusalem. 48 uYou are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending vthe promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you ware clothed with xpower yfrom on high.

The Ascension

50 And zhe led them out as far as aBethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, bhe parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they cworshiped him and zreturned to Jerusalem dwith great joy, 53 and ewere continually in the temple fblessing God.

John Illustration

John

The Word Became Flesh

aIn the beginning was bthe Word, and cthe Word was with God, and dthe Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. eAll things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. fIn him was life,1 and gthe life was the light of men. hThe light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man isent from God, whose name was jJohn. He came as a kwitness, to bear witness about the light, lthat all might believe through him. mHe was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

nThe true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet othe world did not know him. 11 He came to phis own,2 and qhis own people3 rdid not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, swho believed in his name, the gave the right uto become vchildren of God, 13 who wwere born, xnot of blood ynor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And zthe Word abecame flesh and bdwelt among us, cand we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son4 from the Father, full of dgrace and etruth. 15 (fJohn bore witness about him, and cried out, This was he of whom I said, gHe who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.) 16 For from hhis fullness we have all received, igrace upon grace.5 17 For jthe law was given through Moses; kgrace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 lNo one has ever seen God; mthe only God,6 who is at the Father’s side,7 nhe has made him known.

The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 And this is the otestimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, pWho are you? 20 qHe confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? rAre you Elijah? He said, I am not. Are you sthe Prophet? And he answered, No. 22 So they said to him, Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? 23 He said, I am tthe voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Make straight8 the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said.

24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, uThen why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet? 26 John answered them, vI baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even whe who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Behold, the Lamb of God

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold, xthe Lamb of God, who ytakes away the sin zof the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, aAfter me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me. 31 I myself did not know him, but bfor this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel. 32 And John cbore witness: dI saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and eit remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but fhe who sent me to baptize gwith water said to me, He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, hthis is he who baptizes gwith the Holy Spirit. 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son9 of God.

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, Behold, ithe Lamb of God! 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, jWhat are you seeking? And they said to him, kRabbi (which means Teacher), where are you staying? 39 He said to them, Come and you will see. So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.10 40 lOne of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus11 was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found mthe Messiah (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon the son of nJohn. You shall be called oCephas (which means pPeter12).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 qThe next day Jesus decided rto go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, Follow me. 44 Now sPhilip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found tNathanael and said to him, We have found him of whom uMoses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus vof Nazareth, wthe son of Joseph. 46 Nathanael said to him, xCan anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, Behold, yan Israelite indeed, zin whom there is no deceit! 48 Nathanael said to him, How ado you know me? Jesus answered him, Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. 49 Nathanael answered him, bRabbi, cyou are the Son of God! You are the dKing of Israel! 50 Jesus answered him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these. 51 And he said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you,13 you will see eheaven opened, and fthe angels of God ascending and descending on gthe Son of Man.