So he went and forced himself on one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

And so great was his need that he would have been glad to take the pigs' food, and no one gave him anything.

And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast,

because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.

"Now the father's older son was in the field. As he was coming back to the house, he heard music and dancing.

So he summoned one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

But he became angry and did not want to go in. So his father came out [and] began to implore him.

But he answering said to his father, Behold, so many years I serve thee, and never have I transgressed a commandment of thine; and to me hast thou never given a kid that I might make merry with my friends:

Now Jesus was also saying to the disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager [of his estate], and accusations [against this man] were brought to him, that this man was squandering his [master’s] possessions.

So he called the manager in and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be my manager.’

'What am I to do,' the steward asked himself, 'now that my master is taking the steward's place away from me? I have not strength to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.

I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from the management, people [who are my master’s debtors] will welcome me into their homes.’

So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

And he said, 'A hundred measures of olive oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your promissory note and sit down quickly [and] write fifty.'

The master praised the dishonest servant manager for being so clever, because worldly people are more clever than enlightened people in dealing with their own.

And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

So if you have not been faithful with the unrighteous money, who will trust you with what is genuine?

And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

And He told them: “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God’s sight.

“The Law and the [writings of the] Prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God has been and continues to be preached, and everyone tries forcefully to go into it.

But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away [i.e., to be destroyed. See II Pet. 3:3], than for one portion of a letter of the law of Moses to be dropped.

Every man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and he who marries her when so divorced from her husband commits adultery.

And a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was full of sores, was laid at the rich man's doorway.

And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

and in the hades having lifted up his eyes, being in torments, he doth see Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom,

And he called out [and] said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he could dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am suffering pain in this flame!'

And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

for I have five brothers, so that he may earnestly testify to them, that they also may not come to this place of torment.

But Abraham said, They have Moses and the prophets; let them give ear to what they say.

But he said, Not so, Father Abraham; but if one should go to them from the dead, they would repent.

It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Pay attention and always be on guard [looking out for one another]! If your brother sins and disregards God’s precepts, solemnly warn him; and if he repents and changes, forgive him.

And if he sin against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to you and say, I repent, you shall forgive him.

And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

And as He entered a certain village, He was met by ten men with infectious skin diseases, who were standing some distance away [Note: Restrictions in the Jewish law prevented contact with persons having infectious diseases. See Lev. 13:45ff],

And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

So Jesus answered [and] said, "Were not ten cleansed? And where [are] the nine?

Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God was coming, He answered, "The Kingdom of God does not so come that you can stealthily watch for it.

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.

And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.

For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

It was the same as it was in the days of Lot. People were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building [carrying on business as usual, without regard for their sins];

Exactly so will it be on the day that the veil is lifted from the Son of Man.

"The person who is on the housetop that day must not come down to get his belongings out of his house. The person in the field, too, must not turn back to what's left behind.

Remember Lot's wife.

I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

There will be two men in a field [i.e., doing farm work]; one will be taken [i.e., to be with the Lord], while the other one will be left [i.e., to be punished by the Lord]." See Matt. 24:40}}

And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is , thither will the eagles also be gathered together.

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 he would not do so for a time. But afterward he said within himself, Though I do not fear God nor regard man,

yet because this widow is causing trouble for me, I will grant her justice, so that she does not wear me down in the end [by her] coming back!'"

And will not God surely {see to it that justice is done} to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night, and will he delay toward them?

I say unto you, that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

I fast [i.e., going without food and/or drink for religious reasons] twice a week and I give [to God's work] a tenth of everything I get.'

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

I say unto you, This man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

But Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, "Allow these little children to come to me and stop trying to prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these [i.e., humble ones. See Matt. 19:14].

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

A certain ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher [You who are essentially and morally good], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?”

And Jesus said to him, Why do you say that I am good? No one is good, but only God.

You know the commandments--'Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not say what is false about others, Honor thy father and thy mother.'"

But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.

And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

So those who heard [this] said, "And who can be saved?"

So He said, "The things impossible for men are possible for God."

Peter said, “Look, we have left all [things—homes, families, businesses] and followed You.”

And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,

who does not receive ever so much more in this present world, and in the world to come life eternal."

Then He drew the Twelve to Him and said, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything written in the Prophets which refers to the Son of Man will be fulfilled.

Nothing of this did they understand. The words were a mystery to them, nor could they see what He meant.

So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

So Jesus stopped [and] ordered him to be brought to him. And [when] he approached, he asked him,

What wilt thou that I shall do to thee? And he said, Lord, that I may see.

And Jesus said to him, See: thy faith has healed thee.

And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

So He entered Jericho and was passing through the town.

And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

So Zaccheus hurried and came down, and welcomed Jesus with joy.

And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “See, Lord, I am [now] giving half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will give back four times as much.”

As the people were listening to this, Jesus went on to tell them a parable. He did so because he was near Jerusalem, and because they thought that the Kingdom of God was going to be proclaimed at once.

So He said to them, "A man of noble family travelled to a distant country to obtain the rank of king, and to return.

So, he called ten of his slaves and gave each of them a sum of money [Note: The amount of each sum was equivalent to one hundred days of a farm laborer's pay, or about $7,000 in 1994]. [Then] he said to them, 'Invest this money until I return.'

But his citizens [the residents of his new kingdom] hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to be a king over us.’