Luke 10 - Easy To Read Version

¹ After this, the Lord (Jesus) chose 72 {\cf2\super [179]} more men. Jesus sent the men out in groups of two. He sent them ahead of him into every town and place where he planned to go.

² Jesus said to them, “There are many, many people to harvest (save). But there are only a few workers to help harvest them. God owns the harvest (people). Pray to God that he will send more workers to help gather his harvest.

³ You can go now. But listen! I am sending you, and you will be like sheep among wolves.

⁴ Don’t carry any money, a bag, or shoes. Don’t stop to talk with people on the road.

⁵ Before you go into a house, say, ‘Peace be with this home.’

⁶ If a peaceful person lives there, your blessing of peace will stay with him. If the person is not peaceful, then your blessing of peace will come back to you.

⁷ Stay in the peaceful house. Eat and drink what the people there give you. A worker should be given his pay. Don’t leave that house to stay in another house.

⁸ If you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat the food they give you.

⁹ Heal the sick people that live there. Then tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is soon coming to you!’

¹⁰ But if you go into a town, and the people don’t welcome you, then go out into the streets of that town and say,

¹¹ ‘Even the dirt (dust) from your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. But remember that the kingdom of God is coming soon.’

¹² I tell you, on the judgment day it will be worse for the people of that town than for the people of Sodom. {\cf2\super [180]}

¹³ “It will be bad for you, Chorazin {\cf2\super [181]} ! It will be bad for you, Bethsaida {\cf2\super [182]} ! I did many miracles {\cf2\super [183]} in you. If those same miracles had happened in Tyre and Sidon, {\cf2\super [184]} then the people in those cities would have changed their lives and stopped sinning a long time ago. They would have worn sackcloth {\cf2\super [185]} and put ashes on themselves to show that they were sorry for their sins.

¹⁴ But on the judgment day it will be worse for you than for Tyre and Sidon.

¹⁵ And you, Capernaum, {\cf2\super [186]} will you be lifted up to heaven? No! You will be thrown down to the place of death!

¹⁶ “When a person listens to you, that person is really listening to me. But when a person refuses to accept you, that person is really refusing to accept me. And when a person refuses to accept me, he is refusing to accept the One (God) that sent me.”

¹⁷ When the 72 {\cf2\super [187]} men came back from their trip, they were very happy. They said, “Lord, even the demons {\cf2\super [188]} obeyed us when we used your name!”

¹⁸ Jesus said to the men, “I saw Satan (the devil) falling like lightning from the sky.

¹⁹ Listen! I gave you power to walk on snakes and scorpions. {\cf2\super [189]} I gave you more power than the Enemy (the devil) has. Nothing will hurt you.

²⁰ Yes, the spirits obey you. And be happy. Why? Not because you have this power, but be happy because your names are written in heaven.”

²¹ Then the Holy Spirit {\cf2\super [190]} made Jesus feel very happy. Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. I praise you because you have hidden these things from the wise and smart people. But you have shown these things to people that are like little children. Yes, Father, you did this because this is what you really wanted to do.

²² “My Father has given me all things. No person knows who the Son is—only the Father knows. And only the Son knows who the Father is. The only people that will know about the Father are those people the Son chooses to tell.”

²³ Then Jesus turned to his followers. They were there alone with him. Jesus said, “You are blessed to see the things you now see!

²⁴ I tell you, many prophets {\cf2\super [191]} and kings wanted to see the things that you now see. But they did not see these things. And many prophets and kings wanted to hear the things that you now hear. But they did not hear these things.”

²⁵ Then a teacher of the law stood up. He was trying to test Jesus. He said, “Teacher, what must I do to get life forever?”

²⁶ Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you understand from it?”

²⁷ The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God. You must love him with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ {\cf2\super [192]} Also, ‘You must love other people the same as you love yourself.’ {\cf2\super [193]} ”

²⁸ Jesus said to him, “Your answer is right. Do this and you will have life forever.”

²⁹ But the man wanted to show that the way he was living was right. So he said to Jesus, “But who are these other people I must love?”

³⁰ To answer this question, Jesus said, “A man was going down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Some robbers surrounded him. They tore off his clothes and beat him. Then the robbers left the man lying there on the ground. He was almost dead.

³¹ It happened that a Jewish priest was going down that road. When the priest saw the man, he did not stop to help him; he walked away.

³² Next, a Levite {\cf2\super [194]} came near. The Levite saw the hurt man, but he went around him. He would not stop to help him either; he just walked away.

³³ Then a Samaritan {\cf2\super [195]} man traveled down that road. He came to the place where the hurt man was lying. The Samaritan saw the man. He felt very sorry for the hurt man.

³⁴ The Samaritan went to him and poured olive oil and wine {\cf2\super [196]} on his wounds. Then he covered the man’s wounds with cloth. The Samaritan had a donkey. He put the hurt man on his donkey, and he took him to an inn. At the inn, the Samaritan cared for him.

³⁵ The next day, the Samaritan brought out two silver coins {\cf2\super [197]} and gave them to the man that worked at the inn. The Samaritan said, ‘Take care of this hurt man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again.’”

³⁶ Then Jesus said, “Which one of these three men (the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan) do you think showed love to the man that was hurt by the robbers?”

³⁷ The teacher of the law answered, “The one that helped him.”

³⁸ While Jesus and his followers were traveling, Jesus went into a town. A woman named Martha let Jesus stay at her house.

³⁹ Martha had a sister named Mary. Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach.

⁴⁰ But her sister Martha was busy doing all the work that had to be done. Martha went in and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

⁴¹ But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are getting worried and upset about too many things.

⁴² Only one thing is important. Mary has made the right choice; and it will never be taken away from her.”