Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech, Luke Part 4

009:045 But they did not understand His meaning: it was veiled from them that they might not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

009:046 Now there arose a dispute among them, which of them was to be the greatest.

009:047 And Jesus, knowing the reasoning that was in their hearts, took a young child and made him stand by His side 009:048 and said to them, "Whoever for my sake receives this little child, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives Him who sent me.

For the lowliest among you all--he is the greatest."

009:049 "Rabbi," replied John, "we have seen a man making use of your name to expel demons; and we forbad him, because he does not come with us."

009:050 "Do not forbid him," said Jesus, "for he who is not against you is on your side."

009:051 Now when the time drew near for Him to be received up again into Heaven, He proceeded with fixed purpose towards Jerusalem, and sent messengers before Him.

009:052 They went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for Him.

009:053 But the people there would not receive Him, because He was evidently going to Jerusalem.

009:054 When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Master, do you wish us to order fire to come down from Heaven and consume them?"

009:055 But He turned and rebuked them.

009:056 And they went to another village.

009:057 And, as they proceeded on their way, a man came to Him and said, "I will follow you wherever you go."

009:058 "The foxes have holes," said Jesus, "and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

009:059 "Follow me," He said to another. "Master," the man replied, "allow me first to go and bury my father."

009:060 "Leave the dead," Jesus rejoined, "to bury their own dead; but you must go and announce far and wide the coming of the Kingdom of G.o.d."

009:061 "Master," said yet another, "I will follow you; but allow me first to go and say good-bye to my friends at home."

009:062 Jesus answered him, "No one who has put his hand to the plough, and then looks behind him, is fit for the Kingdom of G.o.d.

010:001 After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them before Him, by twos, to go to every town or place which He Himself intended to visit.

010:002 And He addressed them thus: "The harvest is abundant, but the reapers are few: therefore entreat the Owner of the harvest to send out more reapers into His fields.

And now go.

010:003 Remember that I am sending you out as lambs into the midst of wolves.

010:004 Carry no purse, bag, nor change of shoes; and salute no one on your way."

010:005 "Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!'

010:006 And if there is a lover of peace there, your peace shall rest upon it; otherwise come back upon you.

010:007 And in that same house stay, eating and drinking at their table; for the labourer deserves his wages. Do not move from one house to another.

010:008 "And whatever town you come to and they receive you, eat what they put before you.

010:009 Cure the sick in that town, and tell them, "'The Kingdom of G.o.d is now at your door.'

010:010 "But whatever town you come to and they will not receive you, go out into the broader streets and say, 010:011 "'The very dust of your town that hangs about us we wipe off as a protest. Only be sure of this, that the Kingdom of G.o.d is close at hand.'

010:012 "I tell you that it will be more endurable for Sodom on the great day than for that town.

010:013 "Alas for thee, Chorazin! Alas for thee, Bethsaida! For had the miracles been performed in Tyre and Sidon which have been performed in you, long ere now they would have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

010:014 However, for Tyre and Sidon it will be more endurable at the Judgement than for you.

010:015 And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be lifted high as Heaven? Thou shalt be driven down as low as Hades.

010:016 "He who listens to you listens to me; and he who disregards you disregards me, and he who disregards me disregards Him who sent me."

010:017 When the Seventy returned, they exclaimed joyfully, "Master, even the demons submit to us when we utter your name."

010:018 "I saw Satan fall like a lightning-flash out of Heaven," He replied.

010:019 "I have given you power to tread serpents and scorpions underfoot, and to trample on all the power of the Enemy; and in no case shall anything do you harm.

010:020 Nevertheless rejoice not at this, that the spirits submit to you; but rejoice that your names are registered in Heaven."

010:021 On that same occasion Jesus was filled by the Holy Spirit with rapturous joy. "I give Thee fervent thanks,"

He exclaimed, "O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that Thou hast hidden these things from sages and men of understanding, and hast revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, for such has been Thy gracious will.

010:022 All things are delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, nor who the Father is but the Son, and he to whom the Son may choose to reveal Him."

010:023 And He turned towards His disciples and said to them apart, "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see!

010:024 For I tell you that many Prophets and kings have desired to see the things you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things you hear, and have not heard them."

010:025 Then an expounder of the Law stood up to test Him with a question.

"Rabbi," he asked, "what shall I do to inherit the Life of the Ages?"

010:026 "Go to the Law," said Jesus; "what is written there? how does it read?"

010:027 "'Thou shalt love the Lord thy G.o.d,'" he replied, "'with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole strength, and thy whole mind; and thy fellow man as much as thyself.'"

010:028 "A right answer," said Jesus; "do that, and you shall live."

010:029 But he, desiring to justify himself, said, "But what is meant by my 'fellow man'?"

010:030 Jesus replied, "A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell among robbers, who after both stripping and beating him went away, leaving him half dead.

010:031 Now a priest happened to be going down that way, and on seeing him pa.s.sed by on the other side.

010:032 In like manner a Levite also came to the place, and seeing him pa.s.sed by on the other side.

010:033 But a certain Samaritan, being on a journey, came where he lay, and seeing him was moved with pity.

010:034 He went to him, and dressed his wounds with oil and wine and bound them up. Then placing him on his own mule he brought him to an inn, where he bestowed every care on him.

010:035 The next day he took out two s.h.i.+llings and gave them to the innkeeper. "'Take care of him,' he said, 'and whatever further expense you are put to, I will repay it you at my next visit.'

010:036 "Which of those three seems to you to have acted like a fellow man to him who fell among the robbers?"

010:037 "The one who showed him pity," he replied. "Go," said Jesus, "and act in the same way."

010:038 As they pursued their journey He came to a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed Him to her house.

010:039 She had a sister called Mary, who seated herself at the Lord's feet and listened to His teaching.

010:040 Martha meanwhile was busy and distracted in waiting at table, and she came and said, "Master, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do all the waiting? Tell her to a.s.sist me."

010:041 "Martha, Martha," replied Jesus, "you are anxious and worried about a mult.i.tude of things; 010:042 and yet only one thing is really necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion and she shall not be deprived of it."

011:001 At one place where He was praying, when He rose from His knees one of His disciples said to Him, "Master, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

011:002 So He said to them, "When you pray, say, 'Father may Thy name be kept holy; let Thy Kingdom come; 011:003 give us day after day our bread for the day; 011:004 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive every one who fails in his duty to us; and bring us not into temptation.'"

011:005 And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend and shall go to him in the middle of the night and say, "'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 011:006 for a friend of mine has just come to my house from a distance, and I have nothing for him to eat'?

011:007 "And he from indoors shall answer, "'Do not pester me.

The door is now barred, and I am here in bed with my children.

I cannot get up and give you bread.'

011:008 "I tell you that even if he will not rise and give him the loaves because he is his friend, at any rate because of his persistency he will rouse himself and give him as many as he requires.

011:009 "So I say to you, 'Ask, and what you ask for shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you.'

011:010 For every one who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door shall be opened.

011:011 And what father is there among you, who, if his son asks for a slice of bread, will offer him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish offer him a snake?

011:012 or if he asks for an egg, will offer him a scorpion?

011:013 If you then, with all your human frailty, know how to give your children gifts that are good for them, how much more certainly will your Father who is in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

011:014 On once occasion He was expelling a dumb demon; and when the demon was gone out the dumb man could speak, and the people were astonished.

011:015 But some among them said, "It is by the power of Baal-zebul, the Prince of the demons, that he expels the demons."

011:016 Others, to put Him to the test, asked Him for a sign in the sky.

011:017 And, knowing their thoughts, He said to them, "Every kingdom in which civil war rages goes to ruin: family attacks family and is overthrown.

011:018 And if Satan really has engaged in fierce conflict with himself, how shall his kingdom stand?--because you say that I expel demons by the power of Baal-zebul.

011:019 And if it is by the power of Baal-zebul that I expel the demons, by whom do your disciples expel them? They therefore shall be your judges.

011:020 But if it is by the power of G.o.d that I drive out the demons, it is evident that the Kingdom of G.o.d has come upon you.

011:021 "Whenever a strong man, fully armed and equipped, is guarding his own castle, he enjoys peaceful possession of his property; 011:022 but as soon as another stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away that complete armour of his in which he trusted, and distributes the plunder he has collected.

011:023 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever is not gathering with me is scattering abroad.

011:024 "When a foul spirit has left a man, it roams about in the Desert, seeking a resting-place; but, unable to find any, it says, 'I will return to the house I have left;"

011:025 and when it comes, it finds the house swept clean and in good order.

011:026 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more malignant than itself, and they enter and dwell there; and in the end that man's condition becomes worse than it was at first.

011:027 As He thus spoke a woman in the crowd called out in a loud voice, "Blessed is the mother who carried you, and the b.r.e.a.s.t.s that you have sucked."

011:028 "Nay rather," He replied, "they are blessed who hear G.o.d's Message and carefully keep it."

011:029 Now when the crowds came thronging upon Him, He proceeded to say, "The present generation is a wicked generation: it requires some sign, but no sign shall be given to it except that of Jonah.

011:030 For just as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a token to the present generation.

011:031 The Queen of the South will awake at the Judgement together with the men of the present generation, and will condemn them; because she came from the extremity of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; but mark! One greater than Solomon is here.

011:032 There will stand up men of Nineveh at the Judgement together with the present generation, and will condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and mark!

One greater than Jonah is here.

011:033 "When any one lights a lamp, he never puts it in the cellar or under the bushel, but on the lampstand, that people who come in may see the light.

011:034 The lamp of the body is the eye. When your eyesight is good, your whole body also is lighted up; but when it is defective, your body is darkened.

011:035 Consider therefore whether the light that is in you is anything but mere darkness.

011:036 If, however, your whole body is penetrated with light, and has no part dark, it will be so lighted, all of it, as when the lamp with its bright s.h.i.+ning gives you light."

011:037 When He had thus spoken, a Pharisee invited Him to breakfast at his house; so He entered and took His place at table.

011:038 Now the Pharisee saw to his surprise that He did not wash His hands before breakfasting.

011:039 The Master however said to him, "Here we see how you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup or plate, while your secret hearts are full of greed and selfishness.

011:040 Foolish men! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?