Luke 7

¹After he had completed all his words in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.

²Now a certain centurion had a slave who was sick and about to die, who was dear to him.

³When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save his slave.

⁴When they came to Jesus, they urged him earnestly, saying: He is worthy for you to grant him this.

⁵For he loves our nation, and he himself built our synagogue for us.

⁶So Jesus was going with them. When he was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him: Lord, do not trouble yourself; for I am not worthy that you should come under my roof.

⁷Therefore I did not presume to come to you myself; but say the word, and let my servant be healed.

⁸For I also am a man set under authority, having soldiers under me; and I say to this one: Go! and he goes; and to another: Come! and he comes; and to my slave: Do this! and he does it.

⁹When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him; and turning to the crowd that was following him, he said: I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.

¹⁰So when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

¹¹Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd were going with him.

¹²As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, who was a widow; and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.

¹³When the Lord saw her, he was moved with compassion for her and said to her: Do not weep.

¹⁴Then he came up and touched the bier, and those who were carrying it stopped. And he said: Young man, I say to you, arise.

¹⁵So the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶Fear seized them all, and they began to glorify God, saying: A great prophet has been raised up among us! and: God has visited his people!

¹⁷This report about him spread throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

¹⁸John's disciples reported to him about all these things.

¹⁹He sent them to the Lord to ask: Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?

²⁰When the men came to him, they said: John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask: Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?

²¹In that very hour he healed many people of diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and granted sight to many who were blind.

²²So Jesus answered them: Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them.

²³And blessed is the one who is not caused to stumble by me.

²⁴When John's messengers had departed, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

²⁵But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in fine garments? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces.

²⁶But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

²⁷This is the one about whom it has been written: Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.

²⁸I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

²⁹Now when all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they vindicated God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.

³⁰But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

³¹Then the Lord said: To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?

³²They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other, who say: We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.

³³For John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say: He has a demon.

³⁴The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say: Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!

³⁵Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.

³⁶One of the Pharisees was asking him to eat with him, so he entered the house of the Pharisee and reclined at table.

³⁷Then a woman who was a sinner in the city, having learned that he was reclining in the house of the Pharisee, brought an alabaster flask of perfumed oil.

³⁸She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wet his feet with her tears; she was wiping them with the hair of her head, kissing his feet, and anointing them with the perfumed oil.

³⁹When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself: If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.

⁴⁰So Jesus answered him: Simon, I have something to say to you. He said: Teacher, say it.

⁴¹Two debtors were in debt to a certain moneylender. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

⁴²When they had nothing with which to pay, he graciously forgave them both. Which of them, then, will love him more?

⁴³Simon answered: I suppose the one to whom he forgave more. Jesus said to him: You have judged correctly.

⁴⁴Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon: Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

⁴⁵You gave me no kiss of greeting, but she, from the moment I came in, has not stopped kissing my feet.

⁴⁶With oil my head you did not anoint; but she with fragrant oil anointed my feet.

⁴⁷For this reason I tell you, her sins — the many — have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.

⁴⁸And he said to her: Your sins have been forgiven.

⁴⁹And those reclining at table with him began to say among themselves: Who is this who even forgives sins?

⁵⁰And he said to the woman: Your faith has saved you; go into peace.