Luke 18:1-13 ▼

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

2 “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God 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 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 said, “Listen to the words of the unjust judge.

7 Will not God 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, ‘God, 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, have mercy on me, a sinner!’