Luke 10

After this, the Lord chose seventy more followers. He sent them out two at a time, ahead of himself, into every town and place he planned to visit.

1After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

NoteGreek manuscripts differ here: some read "seventy," others "seventy-two." Both numbers carry an echo of the list of the world's nations in Genesis 10, which the Hebrew text counts as seventy and the old Greek version as seventy-two. Sending messengers in pairs was normal practice, since under Jewish law a matter was established on the word of two witnesses.

2He said to them, "There is a lot of harvest to bring in, but there are only a few workers. So ask the Lord who owns the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.

2Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

3Get going. Listen: I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

3Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

4Do not carry a money bag, or a travel bag, or sandals. Do not stop to greet anyone along the road.

4Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.

NotePurse means a money bag worn at the belt; "scrip" was a traveler's shoulder bag for food and spare goods. The order not to "salute" anyone is not a rule against politeness: a roadside greeting in that culture involved extended inquiries, blessings and sometimes a shared meal. The point is speed.

5Whatever house you go into, say first of all, 'Peace be to this house.'

5And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.

NoteThe greeting is the ordinary Hebrew and Aramaic one, "shalom," wishing wholeness and wellbeing on the household. In this instruction the wish is treated as something real that can settle on a house or come back unclaimed.

6If someone who loves peace lives there, your peace will rest on that person. If not, your peace will come back to you.

6And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.

Note"The son of peace" is a Hebrew way of speaking. To be a son of something is to be characterized by it, so a son of peace is a person whose disposition is peaceable, one who will welcome the messengers.

7Stay in that same house. Eat and drink whatever they give you, because a worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house.

7And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.

Note"Hire" in 1611 English means wages or pay, not the act of employing someone. Moving "from house to house" would mean accepting successive invitations and angling for a better host.

8When you go into a town and the people there welcome you, eat whatever food is put in front of you.

8And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:

9Heal the sick people in that town, and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come close to you.'

9And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

Note"The kingdom of God" is not a territory but God's active rule breaking in. The Greek verb behind "is come nigh" is ambiguous in the same way the English is: it can mean the rule has drawn near, or that it has arrived.

10But when you go into a town and the people there do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say,

10But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,

11'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet, we wipe off as a warning against you. But be sure of this: the kingdom of God has come close to you.'

11Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

NoteShaking or wiping the dust of a place off the feet was a recognized gesture of disowning it, marking the place as foreign ground for which the traveler takes no further responsibility.

12I tell you, on that day of judgment it will be easier for Sodom than for that town.

12But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

NoteSodom is the city destroyed by fire in Genesis 19, which had become the standard shorthand for a community that refused its visitors and was judged for it. "That day" is the day of judgment, named without further description.

13How terrible for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! If the powerful works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, those towns would have turned from their sins long ago, sitting in rough cloth and ashes.

13Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

Note"Woe" here is a cry of grief rather than a curse, the sound a mourner makes. Chorazin and Bethsaida were small towns near Capernaum, in the area where Jesus had done most of his work. Tyre and Sidon were wealthy Phoenician seaports on the coast to the northwest, outside Israel, and the prophets had denounced them for generations, which is what makes the comparison sting. Sitting in sackcloth (coarse goat hair cloth) and ashes was the standard public sign of grief and repentance.

14At the judgment it will be easier for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

14But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.

15And you, Capernaum, lifted up to heaven? No. You will be thrown down to the place of the dead.

15And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.

NoteThe wording plays on Isaiah's taunt against the king of Babylon, who is lifted to heaven and then cast down. The word rendered "hell" is Hades, the Greek name for the underworld where the dead go. It means the grave or the realm of the dead, not the later Christian picture of a place of punishment.

16Whoever listens to you is listening to me. Whoever rejects you is rejecting me. And whoever rejects me is rejecting the one who sent me."

16He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

Note"Despiseth" in 1611 English means rejects or sets aside, a stronger and more active word than the modern "looks down on."

17The seventy came back full of joy. They said, "Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name."

17And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

Note"Devils" is the King James rendering of the Greek word "daimonia," which modern translations give as demons. The one Devil, Satan, is a separate word. To act "through thy name" means on someone's authority, the way an officer acts in the name of a king.

18He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.

18And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

19Listen: I have given you authority to step on snakes and scorpions, and power over all the strength of the enemy. Nothing will hurt you in any way.

19Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

NoteThe Greek uses two different words that the King James both renders with "power": the first is authority, a delegated right to act, and the second is raw strength. Snakes and scorpions were genuine hazards on Judean roads and also stock images for hostile spiritual powers.

20Even so, do not be glad because the spirits obey you. Be glad instead because your names are written down in heaven."

20Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

NoteThe image is of a citizen register. Ancient cities kept lists of those who belonged, and the Hebrew scriptures speak of a book in which God records his people.

21At that moment Jesus was filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, and he said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You have hidden these things from people who are wise and clever, and you have shown them to little children. Yes, Father, because that is what pleased you.

21In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

NoteManuscripts differ between "rejoiced in spirit" and "rejoiced in the Holy Spirit." "Prudent" in 1611 English means intelligent or learned, not cautious. "Babes" translates a Greek word for infants or very small children, used here for people with no learning and no standing.

22My Father has handed everything over to me. No one knows who the Son is except the Father. And no one knows who the Father is except the Son, and anyone the Son chooses to show him to."

22All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

Note"Delivered" in 1611 English means handed over or entrusted, not rescued.

23Then he turned to his followers and said to them privately, "How glad you should be for eyes that see what you are seeing.

23And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:

Note"Blessed" translates a Greek word meaning fortunate or enviable, the standard opening of a congratulation rather than a religious formula.

24I tell you, many prophets and kings wanted to see what you are seeing, and they did not see it. They wanted to hear what you are hearing, and they did not hear it."

24For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

25Then an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. He said, "Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?"

25And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Note"Lawyer" does not mean an attorney. It means a scholar of the law of Moses, a professional interpreter of scripture. "Tempted" in 1611 English means tested or put to the proof, with no necessary sense of luring into sin. "Master" is the older English word for teacher.

26Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"

26He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

Note"How readest thou" asks how the man recites and interprets the text, not whether he can read. The passage he reaches for was recited daily by observant Jews.

27The man answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as much as you love yourself."

27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

NoteThe answer stitches together two separate commands: love for God from Deuteronomy 6:5, part of the daily prayer known as the Shema, and love of neighbor from Leviticus 19:18. In Leviticus the neighbor is a fellow Israelite, which is precisely the boundary the next question probes.

28Jesus said to him, "You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live."

28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

29But the man wanted to show that he was in the right, so he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

Note"Justify himself" means to show that he was in the right, to come out of the exchange with his position defended.

30Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him. They took his clothes, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.

30And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

NoteThe road from Jerusalem down to Jericho drops about 3,300 feet in roughly seventeen miles through bare rock country with many places to hide. It had a long reputation for banditry. "Thieves" here translates a word for violent robbers who attack travelers, not sneak thieves.

31It happened that a priest was going down that same road. When he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

31And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

NoteA priest served in rotation at the temple in Jerusalem and was bound by purity rules, including one that made contact with a corpse defiling. The man on the road looks dead. Luke does not say what the priest was thinking; the text reports only what he did.

32A Levite came to the same spot. He too looked at the man and passed by on the other side.

32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

NoteLevites were men of the tribe of Levi who assisted the priests with the practical work of the temple. Like the priest, he was a religious professional traveling the same road.

33But a Samaritan who was traveling came to where the man was. When he saw him, he felt deep pity for him.

33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

NoteSamaritans were the population of the region between Judea and Galilee who shared much of Israel's scripture and ancestry but worshiped at Mount Gerizim rather than Jerusalem. Jews and Samaritans had been hostile for centuries, and the hearers would not have expected a Samaritan to be the hero of this story.

34He went to him and wrapped up his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own animal, took him to an inn, and looked after him.

34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

NoteOil and wine were ordinary first aid. The alcohol in the wine cleaned the wound and the olive oil soothed it. The "inn" is a roadside lodging house where a traveler could rent space for himself and his animal.

35The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, 'Take care of him. Whatever more you spend, I will pay you back when I come again.'

35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

Note"Two pence" translates two denarii. One denarius was about a day's wage for a laborer, so the sum would cover food and lodging for a good stretch of days, and the open promise to cover any extra makes the commitment larger still.

36Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by robbers?"

36Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

37The man said, "The one who was kind to him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

37And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

NoteThe expert answers without using the word "Samaritan." He says only "he that shewed mercy on him."

38As they traveled on, Jesus went into a certain village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.

38Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying.

39And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

NoteTo sit at a teacher's feet was the recognized posture of a student receiving instruction. That a woman took this place is the striking detail in the scene.

40But Martha was pulled in every direction by all the work of serving. She came to him and said, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the serving by myself? Tell her to help me."

40But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

Note"Cumbered" in 1611 English means burdened or dragged in different directions at once. "Serving" translates the Greek word for the work of waiting on a guest, the practical duties of hospitality.

41Jesus answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things.

41And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

Note"Careful" in 1611 English means full of care, that is anxious. It does not mean cautious.

42But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her."

42But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

NoteThe manuscripts vary: some read "one thing is needful," others "few things are needful, or one." "Part" translates a word meaning a portion or share, the kind of word used for a helping of food or an allotment of land.