Luke 6

1 Now it happened on a Sabbath that he was going through grainfields, and his disciples were plucking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them with their hands. [a] 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not permitted on the Sabbaths?” 3 And Jesus answered them and said, “Have you not read even this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him — 4 how he entered the house of God and took the loaves of the setting-out and ate, and gave them to those with him, which it is not permitted to eat except for the priests alone?” [b] 5 And he was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

6 And it happened on another Sabbath that he entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there, and his right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees were watching him closely, to see whether he heals on the Sabbath, so that they might find a way to bring a charge against him. 8 But he knew their reasonings, and he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Get up and stand in the middle.” And he got up and stood. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it?” [c] 10 And looking around at them all, he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with madness, and they were talking with one another about what they might do to Jesus. [d]

12 Now it happened in those days that he went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night in the prayer of God. [e] 13 And when day came, he called his disciples to him, and chose twelve from among them, whom he also named apostles: [f] 14 Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. [g]

17 And coming down with them he stood on a level place, with a large crowd of his disciples and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by unclean spirits were being cured. 19 And the whole crowd was trying to touch him, because power was going out from him and healing them all.

20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and was saying: [h] †

22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they cut you off and insult you and throw out your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy — for look, your reward is great in heaven; for their fathers were doing the same things to the prophets.

26 “Woe, when all people speak well of you; for their fathers were doing the same things to the false prophets.

27 “But I say to you who are listening: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, † 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other as well; and from the one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. [j] 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and from the one who takes what is yours, do not demand it back. 31 And just as you want people to do for you, do the same for them.

32 “And if you love those who love you, what favor is that to you? For even the sinners love those who love them. [k] 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what favor is that to you? Even the sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what favor is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he himself is kind toward the ungrateful and the evil. [l] 36 Become compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. [m]

37 “And do not judge, and you will certainly not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will certainly not be condemned. Release, and you will be released. [n] † 38 Give, and it will be given to you: a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will give into your lap. For with the measure you measure, it will be measured back to you.” [o]

39 And he also told them a parable: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above the teacher; but everyone who has been fully trained will be like his teacher. [p] 41 And why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the beam in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the beam in your own eye? Hypocrite, first take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.

43 “For there is no good tree producing rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree producing good fruit. 44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. For they do not gather figs from thorn bushes, nor do they pick a bunch of grapes from a bramble. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings out what is good, and the evil person out of the evil brings out what is evil; for out of the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks.

46 “And why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them — I will show you what he is like. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood came, the river burst against that house and was not strong enough to shake it, because it had been well built. [q] 49 But the one who has heard and has not done is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; the river burst against it, and at once it fell in, and the ruin of that house was great.” [r]