Luke 7:1-50
7 After he had finished speaking all his words in the hearing of the people, he came into Capernaum.
2 And a certain centurion’s servant, whom he prized highly, was ill and ready to die;
3 and, hearing about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and save his servant’s life;
4 and they came to Jesus and appealed to him earnestly, saying “He deserves to have you do this for him;
5 for he loves our nation, and it was he who built us the synagogue.”
6 And Jesus went with them. But when he was now not far from the house the centurion sent friends to him with the message “Sir, do not put yourself out, for I am not fit to have you come under my roof—
7 * that is the reason why I did not presume to come to you myself—but say the word, and let my boy be healed.
8 For I too am a man in a position under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
9 And Jesus, hearing this, wondered at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following him “I tell you, I have not found so much faith even in Israel.”
10 And the men that had been sent to him returned to the house and found the servant well.
11 * And before long he went to a city named Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd were going along with him;
12 and when he drew near the gate of the city, there was a man being carried out dead who was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and there was quite a crowd from the city with her.
13 And at seeing her the Lord was sorry for her and said to her “Do not weep,”
14 * and went up and touched the coffin; and the bearers stopped, and he said “Young man—I am speaking to you—rise!”
15 and the dead man sat up and began to speak; and he gave him to his mother.
16 And fear came over them all, and they glorified God, saying “a great prophet has arisen among us” and “God has visited his people”;
17 and this talk about him went out all over Palestine and all its neighborhood.
18 And John’s disciples reported to him about all this;
19 and John called to him two disciples of his and sent them to the Lord with the message “Are you the Coming One or are we to expect another?”
20 And the men came to him and said “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, are you the Coming One or are we to expect another?”
21 Thereupon he cured many of diseases and defects and evil spirits, and granted sight to many blind men,
22 and answered them by saying “Go and report to John what you saw and heard: blind men are recovering their sight, cripples are walking, lepers are being cleansed and deaf men are hearing, dead men are being raised, poor men are being given the gospel;
23 and happy is anyone who is not staggered over me.”
24 ** And when John’s messengers had gone Jesus began to say to the crowds about John “What did you go out into the wilderness for? to gaze at reeds shaking in the wind?
25 But what did you go out for? to see a man robed in soft fabrics? for those who are in magnificent clothing and in luxury, go to royal palaces.
26 But what did you go out for? to see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet;
27 this is he of whom it is written ‘Lo, I am sending before your face my messenger who shall prepare your road before you.’
28 * I tell you, among all that are born of women no one is greater than John; but the littlest in the Reign of God is greater than he.
29 And all the people and the customhouse officers, when they heard, justified God, receiving John’s baptism;
30 but the Pharisees and the legists set aside God’s plan for themselves, not receiving baptism from him.
31 To what, then, shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like?
32 they are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other, that say ‘We played to you and you did not dance, we lamented and you did not weep.’
33 For John the Baptist has come not eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say ‘He has a demon’;
34 the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say ‘Here is a gormandizer and a drinker, a friend of customhouse officers and people of bad character’;
35 and wisdom is justified by all her children.”
36 And one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took a place at the table.
37 Now a sinful woman in the city, having ascertained that he was at the table in the Pharisee’s house, got an alabaster vial of perfume
38 and stood behind him by his feet weeping, and began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them off with the hair of her head, and kept kissing his feet and rubbing them with the perfume.
39 * And when the Pharisee that had invited him saw it he thought to himself “If this man were a prophet he would know who and what the woman that is touching him is, that she is a sinner.”
40 And Jesus answered him “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he said “Say it, sir.”
41 “Once upon a time there was a lender who had two debtors: the one owed five hundred denarii and the other fifty.
42 As they were not able to pay, he gave them both a release. Then which of the two will love him the most?”
43 Simon answered “I suppose, the one to whom he gave the release for most.” And he said to him “You judge rightly.”
44 * And, turning to the woman, he said to Simon “Do you see this woman? I came into your house; you did not give me water for my feet; but she wetted my feet with her tears and wiped them off with her hair.
45 You did not give me a kiss; but she has kept kissing my feet without a pause ever since I came in.
46 You did not put oil on my head; but she has been putting perfume on my feet.
47 For which reason I tell you her many sins are forgiven; because she has loved much, but he who is forgiven little loves little.”
48 And he said to her “Your sins are forgiven”;
49 and those who were at the table with him began to say to themselves “Who is this that even forgives sins?”
50 But he said to the woman “Your faith has saved you; go, and good betide you.”
Footnotes
^ 7:7 Lit. say by speech, and
^ 7:11 Var. And the next day he
^ 7:14 Or bier
^ 7:24 Lit. he began
^ 7:24 Or a reed
^ 7:28 Var. no one is a greater prophet than
^ 7:39 Var. the prophet
^ 7:44 Var. did not put water on my feet
