Luke 18:1-13 ▼

1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,

2 saying, “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God, and did not respect man.

3 “And there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’

4 “And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man,

5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, lest by continually coming she wear me out.’”

6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said;

7 now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?

8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

9 And He also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer.

11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer.

12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

13 “But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’