Luke 2:1-21:1
View Full ChapterThe Birth of Jesus 1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
21On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”
28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 33The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.
35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
37and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.
40And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
The Boy Jesus at the Temple 41Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 44Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.
48When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” 51Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. 2during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
4As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 7John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
9The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
13“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. 15The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah.
18And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.
20Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.
22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
24the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melki, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
26the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josek, the son of Joda,
29the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
31the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
33the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,
34the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
36the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, 38the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
4Jesus answered,
7If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8Jesus answered,
10For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
11they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’
12Jesus answered,
13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
15He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read,
17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
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22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
23Jesus said to them,
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Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit 31Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. 33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice,
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37And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.
Jesus Heals Many 38Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.
39So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them. 40At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.
41Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah. 42At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 44And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,
3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
5Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,
11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy
12While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.
13Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.
14Then Jesus ordered him,
16But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man 17One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.
20When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
21The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked,
26Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners
27After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth.
28and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
30But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus Questioned About Fasting 33They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”
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2Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
3Jesus answered them,
5Then Jesus said to them,
8But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand,
The Twelve Apostles 12One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:
16Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. 18who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured,
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Judging Others
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The Faith of the Centurion 1When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”
6So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.
Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son 11Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.
13When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said,
15The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.”
19he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
20When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ ”
21At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.
22So he replied to the messengers,
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Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman 36When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.
38As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
43Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
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49The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
2and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;
4While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable:
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A Lamp on a Stand
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Jesus’ Mother and Brothers 19Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd.
21He replied,
Jesus Calms the Storm
22One day Jesus said to his disciples,
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Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man
26They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes,
29For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
30Jesus asked him,
31And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 35and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
37Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left. 38The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,
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Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman 40Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house
42because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.
44She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 47Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.
49While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”
50Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus,
52Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her.
6So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. 7Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, 8others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life.
9But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand 10When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida,
13He replied,
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
18Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them,
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22And he said,
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Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy 37The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.
40I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.” 42Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father.
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
43While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples,
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45But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it. 47Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him.
48Then he said to them,
49“Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”
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56Then he and his disciples went to another village.
58Jesus replied,
59He said to another man,
Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two
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17The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
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21At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said,
The Parable of the Good Samaritan 25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
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27He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’
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40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
2He said to them,
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Jesus and Beelzebul
14Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.
15But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”
17Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them:
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28He replied,
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Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law
37When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table.
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45One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”
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The Parable of the Rich Fool
13Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14Jesus replied,
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Do Not Worry
22Then Jesus said to his disciples:
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Watchfulness
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41Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”
42The Lord answered,
Not Peace but Division
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Interpreting the Times
54He said to the crowd:
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Repent or Perish
1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
2Jesus answered,
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13Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
15The Lord answered him,
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17When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
18Then Jesus asked,
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Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem
31At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”
32He replied,
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Jesus at a Pharisee’s House
1One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.
2There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body.
3Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law,
6And they had nothing to say.
7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable:
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The Parable of the Great Banquet
15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
16Jesus replied:
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The Cost of Being a Disciple
25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:
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The Parable of the Lost Son
11Jesus continued:
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Additional Teachings
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The Rich Man and Lazarus
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Sin, Faith, Duty
1Jesus said to his disciples:
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Jesus Heals Ten Men With Leprosy
11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.
12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy
14When he saw them, he said,
The Coming of the Kingdom of God
20Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied,
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The Parable of the Persistent Widow
1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
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The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:
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The Little Children and Jesus 15People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.
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21“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
22When Jesus heard this, he said to him,
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26Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
27Jesus replied,
28Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”
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34The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight 35As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.
39Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
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Zacchaeus the Tax Collector 1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.
6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
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The Parable of the Ten Minas 11While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.
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34They replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.
36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
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2“Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” 5They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’
6But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”
7So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”
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19The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.
Paying Taxes to Caesar 20Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 23He saw through their duplicity and said to them,
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25He said to them,
26They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent. 32Finally, the woman died too.
33Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
34Jesus replied,
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The Widow’s Offering 1As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.