Now all the tax-collectors and notorious sinners were crowding around Him to listen to Him.

So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, and he sent him to his fields to feed hogs.

And often he craved to fill himself with the carob-pods which the hogs were eating, and nobody gave him a bite.

I will get up and go to my father, and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your opinion;

So he got up and went to his father. But, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and his heart was moved with pity for him, and he ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him affectionately.

His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your opinion; I no longer deserve to be called your son; just treat me like one of your hired men.'

But his father said to his slaves, 'Bring out at once a robe, yes, the finest one, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet;

Then he called one of the servant-boys and asked him what this meant.

He said to him, 'Your brother has come back, and your father has killed the fattening calf, because he has gotten him back safe and sound.'

So he became angry and would not go into the house. Then his father came out and began to plead with him.

But when this son of yours arrives, who has eaten up your property with immoral women, you have killed for him the fattening calf.'

Then he said to him, 'My child, you have been with me all the time, and all I have is yours.

So he called the manager to him and said, 'What is this that I am hearing about you? Balance your accounts and show how you are conducting my affairs, for you cannot be manager any longer.'

He answered, 'Nine hundred gallons of oil.' Then he said to him, 'Take your bill and sit right down and write four hundred and fifty.'

Then he asked another, 'And how much do you owe?' He answered, 'Twelve hundred bushels of wheat:' He said to him, 'Take your bill and write nine hundred and sixty.'

Now the Pharisees who were lovers of money had been listening to all this, and they began to ridicule Him.

Then he said, 'For this reason, I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house

It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck, and he be hurled into the sea, than for him to ensnare one of these lowly ones.

"Be always looking out for another. If your brother ever sins, reprove him, and if he repents, forgive him.

Even if he sins against you seven times in a day and seven times turns to you and says, 'I am sorry,' you must forgive him."

"What man among you, if he has a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he comes in from the field, 'Come at once and take your seat at the table,'

but will not rather say to him, 'Get my supper ready, and dress yourself and wait on me until I eat and drink, and you yourself can eat and drink afterward'?

And as He was going into one village, ten lepers met Him, who got up at some distance from Him,

and fell on his face at Jesus' feet, and continued to thank Him. Now he was a Samaritan.

Then He said to him, "Get up and go on your way. Your faith has cured you."

And men will say to you, 'Look! There he is!' or, 'Look! Here He is!' Do not start in pursuit of Him,

Then they asked Him, "Where, Lord, will this be?" And He said to them, "Wherever there is carrion the vultures will flock."

And in that city there was a widow who continued to come to him and say, 'Give me justice and protection from my opponent.'

And will not God give justice and protection to His chosen people who continue to cry to Him day and night, since He is so patient with them?

Now some people were bringing even their babies to Him to have Him touch them, but the disciples, when they saw it, reproved them for it.

But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and stop preventing them from it, for to such as these the kingdom of God belongs.

Then a certain member of the council asked Him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to get possession of eternal life?"

Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me perfectly good? No one is perfectly good but God Himself.

When Jesus heard this, He said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell everything you have, and distribute the money among the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come back and follow me."

Then Peter said to Him, "We have left our very own, homes and all, and have followed you."

For He will be turned over to the heathen and sport made of Him, He will be insulted and spit upon,

and then they will flog Him and kill Him, but on the third day He will rise again."

They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was coming by.

But those who were marching in front reproved him and told him to keep quiet, but he cried out all the louder, "O Son of David, do pity me!"

Then Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought to Him. And when he approached Jesus, He said to him,

Then Jesus said to him, "See again! Your faith has cured you."

So at once he saw again, and began to follow Him, giving thanks to God. And all the people saw it and gave praise to God.

So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a mulberry tree, just to get a glimpse of Him, for Jesus was coming through on that street.

And as Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zaccheus, come down quickly! for today I must stop at your house."

So in haste he came down, and with gladness welcomed Him.

Then Zaccheus got up and said to the Lord, "Listen, Lord! I now give to the poor half of my property, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay him back four times as much."

Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this home, for he too is a real descendant of Abraham.

But his citizens continued to hate him, and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We do not want this man to become king over us.'

So he said to him, 'Well done, my good slave! Because you have proven dependable in a very small business, be governor of ten cities!'

So he said to him too, 'Be governor of five cities?

He said to him, 'On the ground of what you say I will sentence you, you wicked slave! You knew that I was a stern man, that I picked up what I did not put down, and reaped what I did not sow.

So he said to the bystanders, 'Take the twenty dollars away from him and give it to the man who has the two hundred.'

'I tell you, the man who gets will have more given to him, but the man who does not get will have even what he has taken away from him!

Then they threw their coats upon it and mounted Jesus upon it. As He was going on, the people continued to spread their coats under Him on the road.

Then some Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, reprove your disciples."

So He was teaching daily in the temple, and the high priests and the scribes and the leading men of the people were trying to destroy Him,

but they could not find, as hard as they tried, what to do with Him, for all the people continued to hang on His words.

One day while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the good news, the high priests and the scribes, together with the elders, took a stand against Him,

and said to Him, "Tell us what sort of authority you have for doing as you do, or who is it that gave you such authority?"

And they argued with one another, and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why did you not believe him?'

So at the proper time He sent a slave to the tenants, that they might pay him his part of the grape-crop, but the tenants beat him and sent him back empty-handed.

Then again he sent another slave, and they beat him and insulted him, and sent him back empty-handed.

And again he sent a third slave, and they wounded him and threw him out of the vineyard.

Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my dearly loved son. They will, I should think, respect him.'

But when the tenants saw him, they argued among themselves, 'This is the heir; let us kill him, so that what he inherits may be ours.'

So they drove him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

Then the scribes and the high priests tried to arrest Him at that very hour, but they were afraid of the people, for they knew that He meant this story for them.

So they closely watched and sent spies who pretended to be upright men, to catch Him in His conversation, so as to turn Him over to the power and authority of the governor.

They asked Him, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and show no favors to anyone, but teach the way of God honestly.

Then some of the Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, came up and asked Him,

He is not the God of dead but of living people, for all live to Him."

Then some of the scribes answered Him, "Teacher, you have given a fine answer."

For they did not dare to ask Him any more questions.

So David calls Him Lord, then how can He be his Son?"

Then they asked Him, "Teacher, when will this be? And what is the sign that it is about to take place?"

while all the people would rise early in the mornings and come to listen to Him in the temple.

So the high priests and the scribes continued to seek how they might put Him to death, for they were afraid of the people.

So he went off and discussed with the high priests and captains of the temple how he could betray Him to them.

They were delighted and made a bargain to pay him for it.

He in turn accepted their offer and began to seek a favorable opportunity to betray Him to them without exciting an uprising.

They asked Him, "Where do you wish us to prepare it?"

He answered them, "Just after you enter the city, a man with a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him into the house which he enters

Now when the hour came, He took His place at the table, with the apostles about Him.

Which one, indeed, is the greater, the guest at the table or the servant who waits on him? Is it not the guest at the table? But I am among you as the servant who waits on you.

But Peter said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go even to prison and to death with you!"

Then He went out of the city and up the Mount of Olives, as He was in the habit of doing; and His disciples, too, followed Him there.

While He was still speaking, look! a crowd had come up, and Judas, one of the Twelve, was their guide; and he stepped up to Jesus to kiss Him.

Then Jesus said to him, "Judas, will you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?"

Those who were about Him saw what was about to take place, and said, "Lord, shall we use our swords now?"

But Jesus said, "Permit me to go as far as this!" So He touched his ear and healed him.

Then Jesus said to the high priests, captains of the temple, and elders, who had come to take Him, "Have you come out with swords and clubs as though I were a robber?

Then they arrested Him and led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest. Peter was following at a distance.

A servant girl saw him sitting by the fire and fixed her eyes on him and said, "This fellow was with Him too."

But he denied it and said, "I do not know Him, woman."

A little later a man looked at him and said, "You are one of them too." But Peter said, "Man, I am not."

About an hour later another man emphatically asserted, "He certainly was with Him, for he is a Galilean!"

Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter, and Peter was reminded of the word that the Lord had spoken to him, "Before a cock crows today, you will disown me three times."

Then the men who held Him in custody flogged Him and made sport of Him,

and after blindfolding Him they asked Him, "Play the prophet and tell us who it is that struck you!"

And they continued to say many other abusive things to Him.