1 When he had finished what he had to say in the hearing of the people, he went into Capharnahum.
2 Now there was an army-captain who had a servant ill whom he valued very highly. This man was at the point of death;
3 so, when the captain heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and make his servant well.
4 When they reached Jesus they asked him earnestly to do this. "He deserves to have this favour from you," they said,
5 "for he is a lover of our nation; it was he who built our synagogue."
6 So Jesus went with them. But he was not far from the house when the captain sent some friends to tell him, "Do not trouble yourself, sir, I am not fit to have you under my roof,
7 and so I did not consider myself fit even to come to you. Just say the word, and let my servant be cured.
8 For though I am a man under authority myself, I have soldiers under me; I tell one man to go, and he goes, I tell another to come, and he comes, I tell my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9 When Jesus heard this he marvelled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed he said, "I tell you, I have never met faith like this anywhere even in Israel."
10 Then the messengers went back to the house and found the sick servant was quite well.
11 It was shortly afterwards that he made his way to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd.
12 Just as he was near the gate of the town, there was a dead man being carried out; he was the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the town were with her.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he felt pity for her and said to her, "Do not weep."
14 Then he went forward and touched the bier; the bearers stopped, and he said, "Young man, I bid you rise."
15 Then the corpse sat up and began to speak; and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 All were seized with awe and glorified God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said, "God has visited his people."
17 And this story of Jesus spread through the whole of Judaea and all the surrounding country.
18 John's disciples reported all this to him.
19 So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, "Are you the Coming One? Or are we to look out for someone else?"
20 When the men reached Jesus they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask if you are the Coming One or if we are to look out for someone else?"
21 Jesus at that moment was healing many people of diseases and complaints and evil spirits; he also bestowed sight on many blind folk.
22 So he replied, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard; that the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and to the poor the gospel is preached.
23 And blessed is he who is repelled by nothing in me!"
24 When John's messengers had gone, he proceeded to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
25 Come, what did you go out to see? A man arrayed in soft robes? Those who are gorgeously dressed and luxurious live in royal palaces.
26 Come, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet.
27 This is he of whom it is written, Here I send my messenger before your face, to prepare the way for you.
28 I tell you, among the sons of women there is none greater than John, and yet the least in the Realm of God is greater than he is."
29 (On hearing this all the people and the taxgatherers acknowledged the justice of God, as they had been baptized with the baptism of John;
30 but the Pharisees and jurists, who had refused his baptism, frustrated God's purpose for themselves.)
31 "To what then shall I compare the men of this generation? What are they like?
32 Like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, 'We piped to you and you would not dance, we lamented and you would not weep.'
33 For John the Baptist has come, eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a devil';
34 the Son of man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of taxgatherers and sinners!'
35 Nevertheless, Wisdom is vindicated by all her children."
36 One of the Pharisees asked him to dinner, and entering the house of the Pharisee he reclined at table.
37 Now there was a woman in the town who was a sinner, and when she found out that Jesus was at table in the house of the Pharisee, she brought an alabaster flask of perfume
38 and stood behind him at his feet in tears; her tears began to wet his feet, so she wiped them with the hair of her head, pressed kisses on them, and anointed them with the perfume.
39 When his host the Pharisee noticed this, he said to himself, "If he was a prophet he would know what sort of a woman this is who is touching him; for she is a sinner."
40 Then Jesus addressed him. "Simon," he said, "I have something to say to you." "Speak, teacher," he said.
41 "There was a moneylender who had two debtors; one owed him fifty pounds, the other five.
42 As they were unable to pay, he freely forgave them both. Tell me, now, which of them will love him most?"
43 "I suppose," said Simon, "the man who had most forgiven." "Quite right," he said.
44 Then turning to the woman he said to Simon, "You see this woman? When I came into your house, you never gave me water for my feet, while she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair;
45 you never gave me a kiss, while ever since she came in she has kept pressing kisses on my feet;
46 you never anointed my head with oil, while she has anointed my feet with perfume.
47 Therefore I tell you, many as her sins are, they are forgiven, for her love is great; whereas he to whom little is forgiven has but little love."
48 And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."