The New Testament

The New Testament › Luke

Luke 10

1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them ahead of him two by two to every town and place he himself was about to visit. 2He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest. 3Go! Look, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. 4Carry no money bag, no travel bag, no sandals, and greet no one along the road. 5Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; otherwise, it will return to you. 7Stay in that same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move from house to house. 8Whenever you enter a town and they welcome you, eat what is set before you. 9Heal the sick in it and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’ 10But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11‘Even the dust from your town that has clung to our feet, we wipe off against you. Still, know this: the kingdom of God has drawn near.’ 12I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom on that day than for that town.

13“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done among you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15And you, Capernaum, will you be raised to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades! 16Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

17The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!” 18He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19Look, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you. 20Still, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits submit to you; rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

21At that very hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you hid these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure. 22Everything has been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 23Turning to the disciples, he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it.”

25And look, an expert in the law stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” 27He answered, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” 28He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.” 29But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31By chance a priest was going down that road; when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32Likewise a Levite came to the place, saw him, and passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan traveling along came to him, and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. 34He came near and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and cared for him. 35The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Care for him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I return.’ 36Which of these three, do you think, became a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

38As they went on their way, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him. 39She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus' feet and listened to his word. 40But Martha was distracted by much serving. She came up and said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!” 41The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, 42but few things are needed—or one. For Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Translation notes 7

10:1, 17 — Seventy-two. Many witnesses read “seventy.” Both readings have substantial support; this draft follows the seventy-two of SBLGNT at both occurrences.

10:6 — Son of peace. A gendered expression for someone receptive to the greeting of peace, not a literal parent-child relationship. It does not restrict hospitality to men.

10:15 — Hades. Hades is the realm of the dead, here contrasting with heaven in a warning of Capernaum's downfall. NIV (2011) and NASB also use “Hades”; KJV uses “hell.” Retaining the Greek name distinguishes this term from Gehenna at 12:5 instead of treating every judgment expression as interchangeable.

10:18–20 — Satan and authority. The falling and heavenly record are retained as images. The passage does not explicitly say when Satan's fall occurred relative to every other event; the report is connected here with the disciples' mission.

10:27, 35 — Love and money. The answer joins Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Denarii were silver coins; the note does not convert them into a modern dollar amount.

10:36 — Became a neighbor. Jesus turns the question from identifying which people qualify as neighbors to the conduct of someone who acts as a neighbor.

10:42 — Few things—or one. The Greek base has this longer wording; many witnesses instead have “one thing is needed.” The longer reading can begin with the simplicity of a meal and lead to the single priority illustrated by Mary's listening. “Good portion” preserves the portion image without adding that Martha's service itself was bad.