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Luke 24

1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb carrying the spices they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were perplexed about this, look, two men stood beside them in dazzling clothing. 5Frightened, they bowed their faces to the ground. The men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6He is not here, but has been raised. Remember how he spoke to you while he was still in Galilee, 7saying that the Son of Man must be handed over into the hands of sinful people, be crucified, and rise on the third day.” 8They remembered his words. 9Returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the eleven and all the rest. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them like nonsense, and they did not believe them. 12Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself at what had happened.

13And look, that same day two of them were traveling to a village named Emmaus, sixty stadia from Jerusalem. 14They were talking with one another about all these things that had happened. 15While they talked and discussed, Jesus himself came near and walked with them. 16But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17He said to them, “What are these words you are exchanging with one another as you walk?” They stood still, looking sad. 18One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know what has happened there in these days?” 19He said to them, “What things?” They said to him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and rulers handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. 21We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. Besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22Moreover, some women from our group astounded us. They went to the tomb early 23and did not find his body. They came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who say he is alive. 24Some of those with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.”

25He said to them, “You foolish people, slow in heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! 26Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures.

28They drew near the village to which they were traveling, and he acted as though he would go farther. 29They urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is toward evening and the day has already declined.” He went in to stay with them. 30When he reclined at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. 31Their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight. 32They said to one another, “Wasn't our heart burning within us as he spoke to us on the road, as he opened the scriptures to us?” 33They got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and those with them gathered together, 34saying, “The Lord has really been raised, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they themselves recounted what had happened on the road and how he had become known to them in the breaking of the bread.

36While they were speaking of these things, he himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace to you.” 37Startled and frightened, they thought they were seeing a spirit. 38He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your heart? 39Look at my hands and my feet: it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” 40Having said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41While they still disbelieved for joy and marveled, he said to them, “Do you have anything to eat here?” 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish. 43He took it and ate before them.

44He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you: everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then he opened their mind to understand the scriptures. 46He said to them, “Thus it is written: the Messiah is to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be proclaimed in his name to all the nations. Beginning from Jerusalem, 48you are witnesses of these things. 49And look, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

50He led them out as far as the vicinity of Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. 51While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52They worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy 53and were continually in the temple, blessing God.

Translation notes 8

24:3, 36 — Longer readings adopted. “Of the Lord Jesus” in verse 3 and the greeting “and said to them, ‘Peace to you’” in verse 36 depart from SBLGNT's shorter text. Both have early and broad manuscript support, including P75. Some witnesses omit them. They are included without brackets because the evidence favors their belonging to Luke; the study notes document the sources and judgment.

24:6, 12 — Raised and Peter's visit. Some witnesses omit the opening resurrection announcement in verse 6 or Peter's visit in verse 12. Both have broad support and are retained unbracketed with SBLGNT. “Wondering to himself” in verse 12 can also be understood as “went home, wondering”; this is a separate question of how to attach the phrase.

24:10, 13 — Mary and distance. “Mother” is supplied to identify Mary's relationship to James; the Greek simply says “Mary of James.” Sixty stadia is roughly seven miles or eleven kilometers; another textual reading has 160 stadia.

24:16, 25–32 — Recognition. Their eyes are kept from recognition and later opened; no agent or mechanism is added. “Acted as though” preserves Jesus' apparent intention to go farther. The burning heart and opening of scripture remain images rather than being replaced with abstract understanding.

24:33–35 — Who is speaking. The assembled eleven and their companions announce the appearance to Simon; the two travelers then tell their own story. The reading preserves that sequence.

24:40–43 — Hands, feet, and food. SBLGNT brackets verse 40; this draft marks the same verse with double brackets. Broad evidence supports its inclusion, so these brackets do not imply the same level of doubt as at 22:43–44. Some witnesses add honeycomb to the food in verse 42; the base includes only fish.

24:47–49 — Proclamation and clothing. “Repentance and forgiveness” follows the base; “repentance for forgiveness” is another Greek reading. “Beginning from Jerusalem” is attached to the witnesses' role; the Greek changes construction at this point. “The promise of my Father” means what he promised, without replacing the expression by its fulfillment. Being clothed with power remains explicit.

24:51–52 — Ascension and worship. SBLGNT brackets the carrying up and the worship phrase; double brackets mark those precise portions here. Important witnesses omit them, but wide evidence supports inclusion. These passages remain in the reading text, with a different evidential balance from the disputes at 22:43–44 and 23:34. Luke does not state an interval here, and the draft does not insert one from Acts.