Luke 18:1-13 ▼

1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:

2 “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God {Theon} nor respected men.

3 And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.

4 For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God {Theon} nor respect men,

5 yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Otherwise, she will wear me out with her perpetual requests.

6 And the Lord {Kyrios} said, “Listen to the words of the unjust judge.

7 Will not God {Theos} bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay in helping them?

8 I tell you⁺, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?

9 To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:

10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed (stood and prayed to himself), ‘God {Theos}, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.

12 I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.

13 But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God {Theos}, have mercy on me, a sinner!