Luke 6 - Easy To Read Version

¹ One time on a Sabbath day, {\cf2\super [105]} Jesus was walking through some grain fields. His followers picked the grain, rubbed it in their hands, and ate it.

² Some Pharisees {\cf2\super [106]} said, “Why are you doing that? It is against the law \{of Moses\} to do that on the Sabbath day.”

³ Jesus answered, “You have read about what David {\cf2\super [107]} did when he and the people with him were hungry.

⁴ David went into God’s house. David took the bread that was offered to God and ate it. And David gave some of the bread to the people with him. This was against the law \{of Moses\}. The law says that only the priests can eat that bread.”

⁵ Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, {\cf2\super [108]} “The Son of Man {\cf2\super [109]} is Lord (Master) over the Sabbath day.”

⁶ On another Sabbath day {\cf2\super [110]} Jesus went into the synagogue. {\cf2\super [111]} Jesus taught the people. A man with a crippled right hand was there.

⁷ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees {\cf2\super [112]} were watching Jesus closely. They were waiting to see if he would heal on the Sabbath day. They wanted to see Jesus do something wrong so that they could accuse him.

⁸ But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said to the man with the crippled hand, “Get up and stand before these people.” The man got up and stood there.

⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which thing is right to do on the Sabbath day: to do good, or to do evil? Is it right to save a life or to destroy one?”

¹⁰ Jesus looked around at all of them. Jesus said to the man, “Let me see your hand.” The man put his hand out. His hand was healed.

¹¹ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law became very, very angry. They talked to each other about what they could do to Jesus.

¹² At that time Jesus went out to a mountain to pray. He stayed there all night praying to God.

¹³ The next morning, Jesus called his followers. He chose twelve of them. He named these men “apostles.” {\cf2\super [113]} They were:

¹⁴ Simon (Jesus named him Peter) and Andrew, Peter’s brother; James and John, Philip and Bartholomew;

¹⁵ Matthew, Thomas, James (the son of Alphaeus), and Simon (called the Zealot {\cf2\super [114]}),

¹⁶ Judas (the son of James) and Judas Iscariot. This Judas was the one that gave Jesus to his enemies.

¹⁷ Jesus and the apostles {\cf2\super [115]} came down from the mountain. Jesus stood on a flat place. A large group of his followers were there. Also, there were many people from all around Judea, Jerusalem, and the seacoast cities of Tyre and Sidon. {\cf2\super [116]}

¹⁸ They all came to hear Jesus teach and to be healed of their sicknesses. Jesus healed those people that were troubled by evil spirits \{from the devil\}.

¹⁹ All the people were trying to touch Jesus, because power was coming out from him. Jesus healed them all!

²⁰ Jesus looked at his followers and said,

²¹ What great blessings there are for you people that are hungry now!\par You will be filled.\par What great blessings there are for you people that are crying now!\par You will be \{happy and\} laughing.\par

²² “People will hate you because you belong to the Son of Man. {\cf2\super [117]} They will make you leave their group. They will insult you. They will think it is wrong even to say your name. When these things happen, know that God will bless you.

²³ At that time you can be happy and jump for joy, because you have a great reward in heaven. Their fathers {\cf2\super [118]} were mean to the prophets {\cf2\super [119]} in the same way that these people are mean to you.

²⁴ “But it will be bad for you, you rich people,\par because you had your easy life.\par

²⁵ It will be bad for you people that are full now,\par because you will be hungry.\par It will be bad for you people that are laughing now,\par because you will be sad and cry.\par

²⁶ “It is bad when all people say good things about you. Their fathers {\cf2\super [120]} always said good things about the false prophets. {\cf2\super [121]}

²⁷ “I say to you people that are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those people that hate you.

²⁸ Ask God to bless those people that say bad things to you. Pray for those people that are mean to you.

²⁹ If a person hits you on the side of your face, let him hit the other side too. If a person takes your coat, don’t stop him from taking your shirt too.

³⁰ Give to every person that asks you. When a person takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back.

³¹ Do for other people what you want them to do for you.

³² “If you love only those people that love you, should you get some special praise for doing that? No! Even sinners love the people that love them!

³³ If you do good only to those people that do good to you, should you get some special praise for doing that? No! Even sinners do that!

³⁴ If you loan things to people, always expecting to get something back, should you get some special praise for that? No! Even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount!

³⁵ “I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do these things, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High (God). Yes, because God is good even to the people that are full of sin and not thankful.

³⁶ Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy.

³⁷ “Don’t judge other people, and you will not be judged. Don’t condemn (find guilty) other people, and you will not be condemned. Forgive other people, and you will be forgiven.

³⁸ Give to other people, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to other people is the way God will give to you.”

³⁹ Jesus told them this story: “Can a blind man lead another blind man? No! Both of them will fall into a hole.

⁴⁰ A student is not better than his teacher. But when the student has fully learned, then he will be like his teacher.

⁴¹ “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your brother’s eye, but you don’t see the big piece of wood that is in your own eye?

⁴² You say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye.’ Why do you say this? You can’t see that big piece of wood in your own eye! You are a hypocrite. {\cf2\super [122]} First, take the piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your brother’s eye.

⁴³ “A good tree does not give bad fruit. Also, a bad tree does not give good fruit.

⁴⁴ Each tree is known by the fruit it gives. People don’t gather figs from thorny weeds. And they don’t get grapes from bushes!

⁴⁵ A good person has good things saved in his heart. And so he brings good things out of his heart. But an evil person has evil things saved in his heart. So he brings out bad things. A person speaks the things that are in his heart.

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but you are not doing what I say?

⁴⁷ Every person that comes to me and listens to my teachings and obeys—I will show you what he is like:

⁴⁸ He is like a man building a house. He digs deep and builds his house on rock. The floods come, and the water tries to wash the house away. But the flood cannot move the house, because the house was built well (strong).

⁴⁹ But the person that hears my words and does not obey is like a man that does not build his house on rock. When the floods come, the house falls down easily. And the house is completely destroyed.”