Luke 17
1 [One day Jesus] said to his disciples, “Things that will tempt [people] to sin are certain to happen, but it will be terrible for anyone who causes them to happen!
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘It is inevitable that there should be temptations but sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!
2 Suppose you caused one of these people who [do not believe in me very strongly] to sin. If a huge stone was fastened {someone fastened a huge stone} around your neck and you were thrown {and threw you} into the sea, [you would consider that a severe punishment, but God will punish] you even more severely [if you cause someone to sin!]
It would be better for them if they had been flung into the sea with a millstone round their neck, rather than that they should cause even one of these little ones to stumble.
3 Be careful [how you act]. If you [know about] a fellow believer who sins, you [(sg)] should rebuke him. If he [says that he] is sorry for having sinned [and asks you to forgive him], forgive him.
Be on your guard! If your brother or sister does wrong, rebuke them; but if they repent, forgive them.
4 Even if he sins against you [(sg)] seven times in one day, if he comes to you each time and says, ‘I am sorry for what I did’, you must continue forgiving him.”
Even if they wrong you seven times a day, but turns to you every time and says “I am sorry,” you must forgive them.’
5 [One day] the apostles said to the Lord, “Help us to trust [in you] (OR, [in God]) more strongly!”
‘Give us more faith,’ said the apostles to the Master;
6 The Lord replied, “Mustard [seeds are very small, but in this area they grow and produce large] [MET] [plants]. [Similarly], if your faith grows until you truly believe that God [will do what you ask him to, you will be able to do anything]. You could [even] say to this mulberry tree, ‘Pull yourself out [with your roots] and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it would obey you!”
but the Master said, ‘If your faith were only like a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.
7 [Jesus also said], “Suppose that one of you had a servant who was plowing [your fields] or taking care of your sheep. After he comes into the house from the field, you [(sg)] would not say [RHQ], ‘Sit down and eat immediately!’
Which of you, if he had a servant ploughing, or tending the sheep, would say to him, when he came in from the fields, “Come at once and take your place at the table,”
8 Instead, you would say to him, ‘Put on your apron and prepare a meal for me! Then serve it to me so that I can eat and drink! Afterwards you [(sg)] can eat and drink.’
Instead of saying “Prepare my dinner, and then make yourself ready and serve me while I am eating and drinking, and after that you will eat and drink yourself”?
9 (You will not thank your servant for doing the work that he had been told {you had told him} to do!/Would you thank your servant because he did the work that he had been told {you had told him} to do?) [RHQ]
Does he feel grateful to his servant for doing what he is told?
10 Similarly, when you [(pl)] have done everything that [God] has told you to do, you should say, ‘We [(inc)] are not worthy [of God thanking us] {[being thanked]}. We are only God’s servants. We have only done the things that he told us to do.’”
And so with you – when you have done all that you have been told, still say “We are but useless servants; we have done no more than we ought to have done.”’
11 As [Jesus and his disciples] were walking along the road to Jerusalem, they were going through [the region] between Samaria and Galilee [districts].
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus passed between Samaria and Galilee.
12 As they entered one village, ten lepers came near the road. [Because lepers were not permitted to come near other people], they stood at some distance
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
13 and called out, “Jesus, Master, pity us [and heal us]!”
Standing still, some distance off, they called out loudly, ‘Jesus! Sir! Pity us!’
14 When he saw them, he said [to them], “Each of you should go and show yourself to a priest [in Jerusalem so that he can see if you are healed].” As they were going [there], they were healed.
When Jesus saw them, he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priest.’ And, as they were on their way, they were made clean.
15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God loudly.
One of them, finding he was cured, came back, praising God loudly,
16 He [came to Jesus], prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet, and thanked him. This man was a Samaritan, [not a Jew].
and threw himself on his face at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done; and this man was a Samaritan.
17 Then Jesus said, “[I] healed ten [lepers] (I am disappointed that the other nine did not come back!/Where are the other nine?) [RHQ]
‘Were not all the ten made clean? exclaimed Jesus. But the nine – where are they?
18 I am disappointed [RHQ] that this non-Jewish man was the only one who returned to thank God; none of the others came back to me!”
Were there none to come back and praise God except this foreigner?
19 Then he said to the man, “Get up and continue on your journey. [God] [PRS] [has saved you and] healed you [(sg)] because you trusted [in me].”
Get up,’ he said to him, ‘and go on your way. Your faith has delivered you.’
20 [One day] Jesus was asked by [some] Pharisees [SYN] {[some] Pharisees [SYN] asked [Jesus]}, “When is God [going] to rule as king?” He replied, “God’s ruling [MET] is not something people will be able to see with their eyes.
Being once asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus answered, ‘The kingdom of God does not come in a way that can be seen,
21 And people will not be able to say, ‘Look! He is [ruling] here!’ Or ‘He is [ruling] over there!’ because, [contrary to what you think], God’s ruling is people’s inner beings (OR, is already happening among you).”
nor will people say “Look, here it is!” or “There it is!”; for the kingdom of God is within you!
22 [Jesus] said to his disciples, “There will be a time when you will want to see [me] [MTY], the one who came from heaven, [ruling powerfully]. But you will not see that.
The day will come,’ he said to his disciples, ‘when you will long to see but one of the days of the Son of Man, and will not see it.
23 [Some] people will say to you, ‘Look, [the Messiah] is over there!’ or [they will say] ‘Look, he is here!’ When they say that, do not believe them. Do not follow them [to go see the Messiah].
People will say to you “There he is!” Or “Here he is!” Do not go and follow them.
24 Because when the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, [everyone can see it. Similarly] [SIM], at the time [MTY] when [I], the one who came from heaven, come back again, [everyone will see me].
For, just as lightning will lighten and flare from one side of the heavens to the other, so will it be with the Son of Man.
25 But before that happens, I must suffer in many ways (OR, very much). And I will be rejected by people {people will reject me}, [even though] they [have observed me doing good for people].
But first he must undergo much suffering, and he must be rejected by the present generation.
26 But when [I], the one who came from heaven, [come again, people] will be doing things just like people were doing at the time when [MTY] Noah [lived].
As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be again in the days of the Son of Man.
27 [At that time] people ate and drank [as usual], and they got married [as usual], up until the day when Noah [and his family] entered the big boat. But then the flood came and destroyed all those [who were not in the boat].
They were eating and drinking and marrying and being married, up to the very day on which Noah entered the ark, and then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 Similarly, when Lot lived [in Sodom city], people [there] ate and drank [as usual]. They bought things and they sold things. They planted [crops] and they built [houses as usual].
So, too, in the days of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building;
29 But on the day that Lot [and his family] left Sodom, fire and [burning] sulfur came down from the sky and destroyed all those [who stayed in the city].
but, on the very day on which Lot came out of Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from the skies and destroyed them all.
30 Similarly, when [I], the one who came from heaven, return to earth, [people will be unprepared] (OR, [enjoying normal life]).
It will be the same on the day on which the Son of Man reveals himself.
31 On that day, those who are outside their houses, with all the things that they own inside [the houses], must not go [in] to take them away, [because there will not be enough time to do that]. Similarly, those who are working in a field must not go back home [to get anything]; [they must flee immediately].
On that day, if a person is on their house-top and their goods in the house, they must not go down to get them; nor again must one who is on the farm turn back.
32 Remember Lot’s wife! [Because she turned back and wanted to get some of her things from Sodom, she died immediately and became a pillar of salt].
Remember Lot’s wife.
33 Anyone who wants to hold onto his life [and his possessions] will not [receive eternal] life. But anyone who is [willing to] die [for my sake] will live [eternally].
Whoever is eager to get the most out of their life will lose it; but whoever will lose it will preserve it.
34 I tell you this: On the night [when I return], there will be two people [sleeping] in one bed. The one [who believes in me] will be taken {[God] will take the one [who believes in me]} [to heaven], and the other one will be left [behind and punished] {and [he] will leave the other one [behind and punish him]}.
On that night, I tell you, of two people on the same bed, one will be taken and the other left;
35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left {[God] will take one and leave the other} [behind].”
of two women grinding grain together, one will be taken and the other left.’
37 [His disciples] said to him, “Lord, where [will this happen]?” He replied to them, “Wherever there is an animal carcass, the vultures will gather [to eat it] [MET]. [Similarly, wherever there are people who are spiritually dead, God will punish them].”
‘Where will it be, Master?’ asked the disciples. ‘Where there is a body,’ said Jesus, ‘there will the vultures flock.’
