1 One Sabbath while Jesus was walking through grainfields, his disciples began picking some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. 2 Some of the Pharisees questioned him, asking, “Why are you doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath?” 3 Jesus replied, “Have you never read what David did when he and his men were hungry? 4 How he went into the house of God and took the consecrated bread? He ate it, and gave it to his men too. That's not permitted either. The consecrated bread is only for the priests.” 5 Then he told them, “The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue to teach. A man was there with a crippled right hand. 7 The religious teachers and the Pharisees were observing Jesus closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. They wanted to find something to accuse him of. 8 But Jesus knew what was in their minds. He told the man with the crippled hand, “Get up, and stand here in front of everyone.” The man got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus turned to them and said, “Let me ask you a question. Is it legal to do good on the Sabbath, or to do bad? To save life, or to destroy it?” 10 He looked round at all of them there. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man did so, and his hand became like new. 11 But they flew into a rage, and began to discuss what they could do to Jesus. 12 One day shortly after, Jesus went up a mountain to pray. He remained there all night, praying to God. 13 When morning came he called together his disciples, and chose twelve of them. These are the names of the apostles: 14 Simon (also called Peter by Jesus), Andrew his brother, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Revolutionary, 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot (who became a traitor). 17 Jesus went back down the mountain with them, and stopped at a place where there was some flat ground. There a crowd made up of his disciples and many other people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, had gathered to listen to him and to be cured from their diseases. 18 Those who were troubled by evil spirits were also healed. 19 Everyone in the crowd tried to touch him, because power was coming out from him and healing them all. 20 Looking at his disciples, Jesus told them, 21 “How happy are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. How happy are you who are hungry now, for you will eat all you need. How happy are you who are weeping now, for you will laugh. 22 How happy are you when people hate you, exclude you, insult you, and curse your name as evil because of me, the Son of man. 23 When that day comes, be happy. Jump for joy, for great is your reward in heaven. Don't forget their forefathers mistreated the prophets just like this. 24 But how sad are you who are rich, for you have already received your reward. 25 How sad are you who are full now, for you will become hungry. How sad are you who laugh now, for you will mourn and cry. 26 How sad are you when everyone praises you. Don't forget that their forefathers praised false prophets just like this. 27 But I say to those of you who are listening: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone hits you on one cheek, turn the other cheek. If someone takes your coat, don't prevent them taking your shirt. 30 Give to anyone who asks you. If someone takes something from you, don't ask for it back. 31 Do to others what you want them to do to you. 32 If you love those who love you, why should you deserve any credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, why should you deserve any credit for that either? Sinners do that as well. 34 If you lend money expecting to be repaid, why should you deserve any credit for that? Sinners lend money to other sinners as well, expecting to be repaid what they loaned. 35 No: love your enemies, do good to them, and lend without expecting to be repaid anything. Then you will receive a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, for he is kind to ungrateful and wicked people. 36 Be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. 37 Don't judge, and you won't be judged; don't condemn, and you won't be condemned; forgive, and you'll be forgiven; 38 give, and you will be given generously in return. When what you're given is measured out, it's pressed down so more can be added, spilling out over the top, pouring into your lap! For how much you give will determine how much you receive.” 39 Then he illustrated the point: “Can a blind person lead another? Wouldn't they both fall into a ditch? 40 Do students know more than the teacher? Only when they've learned everything: then they will be like their teacher. 41 Why are you so worried about the speck that's in your brother's eye when you don't even notice the plank that's in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that's in your eye,’ when you don't even see the plank that's in your own eye? Hypocrite! Take out the plank from your own eye first, and then you'll be able to see well enough to take out the speck from your brother's eye. 43 A good tree doesn't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree doesn't produce good fruit. 44 You recognize a tree by the fruit it produces. You don't pick figs from thorn bushes, or harvest grapes from brambles. 45 Good people produce what's good from the good things they value that they have stored inside them. Bad people produce what's bad from the bad things they have stored inside them. What fills people's minds spills out in what they say. 46 So why do you bother to call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ when you don't do what I say? 47 I'll give you an example of someone who comes to me, hears my instructions, and follows them. 48 That person is like a man building a house. He digs down deep and lays the foundations on solid rock. When the river bursts its banks and the floodwater breaks against the house it's not damaged because it's built so well. 49 The person who hears me but doesn't do what I say is like a man who builds a house without foundations. When the floodwater breaks against the house it collapses immediately—it's completely destroyed.”
Luke 6 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Bartholomew
Listed among the Twelve after Philip in Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18 and Luke 6:14; the Gospels say nothing more of him by that name.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14
James
One of the Twelve, named son of Alphaeus in every list of the apostles.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15
Judas Iscariot
One of the Twelve, son of Simon Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.
Cited in the guide: Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:19; Luke 6:16
Cross references (48)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Deuteronomy 23:25; Mark 2:23–28; Matthew 12:1–8; Leviticus 23:7; Exodus 12:15
- 2 Matthew 12:2; John 5:16; Exodus 35:2; John 9:14–16; John 5:9–11
- 3 1 Samuel 21:3–6; Mark 2:25–26; Matthew 12:3–5; Matthew 21:16; Mark 12:26
- 4 Leviticus 24:5–9
- 5 Mark 2:27; Revelation 1:10; Mark 9:7; Matthew 11:5–8
- 6 Mark 3:1–6; Matthew 12:9–14; Matthew 4:23; John 5:3; Luke 4:31
- 7 Luke 20:20; Psalm 38:12; Psalm 37:32–33; Mark 3:2; John 9:26–29
- 8 Isaiah 42:4; Matthew 9:4; Revelation 2:23; Philippians 1:28; 1 Peter 4:1
- 9 Mark 3:4; Matthew 12:12–13; Luke 14:3; John 7:19–23; Luke 9:56
- 10 Mark 3:5; Exodus 4:6–7; 1 Kings 13:6; Psalm 107:20; John 5:8
- 11 Psalm 2:1–2; Acts 5:33; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Matthew 21:45; John 11:47
- 12 Hebrews 5:7; Mark 6:46; Mark 1:35; Mark 14:34–36; Matthew 14:23–25
- 13 Mark 3:13–19; Revelation 21:14; Mark 6:7; Matthew 9:36–10:4; Ephesians 4:11
- 14 Acts 1:13; Matthew 4:21; John 1:40–42; 2 Peter 1:1; John 21:15–24
- 15 Matthew 9:9; Acts 1:13; Mark 3:18; Matthew 10:3–4; Galatians 2:9
- 16 John 6:70–71; Jude 1; Matthew 27:3–5; John 14:22; Matthew 26:14–16
- 17 Matthew 11:21; Psalm 107:17–20; Matthew 14:14; Mark 3:7–12; Matthew 12:15
- 18 Matthew 15:22; Matthew 17:15; Acts 5:16
- 19 Matthew 14:36; Mark 3:10; Acts 5:15–16; Mark 6:56; Mark 5:30
- 20 James 2:5; Luke 6:20–24; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Luke 12:32; Matthew 25:34
- 21 John 6:35; James 1:12; Matthew 5:6; Isaiah 61:1–3; Revelation 7:16
- 22 Matthew 5:10–12; Matthew 10:22; 1 Peter 4:12–16; 1 Peter 3:14; 1 Thessalonians 2:14–15
- 23 Acts 5:41; Revelation 21:7; Revelation 3:5; Revelation 3:12; James 1:2
- 24 Psalm 49:6–7; Matthew 6:2; 1 Timothy 6:17; Psalm 49:16–19; James 5:1–6
- 25 Isaiah 65:13; James 4:9; Proverbs 14:13; Luke 16:14–15; Revelation 3:17
- 26 John 15:19; James 4:4; Matthew 7:15; 1 John 4:5–6; Micah 2:11
- 27 1 Thessalonians 5:15; Luke 6:35; Proverbs 25:21–22; Proverbs 24:17; Romans 12:17–21
- 28 1 Peter 3:9; Romans 12:14; 1 Corinthians 4:12; Luke 23:34; James 3:10
- 29 Hebrews 10:34; Matthew 5:39–42; 2 Corinthians 11:20; Isaiah 50:6; 1 Corinthians 6:7
- 30 Deuteronomy 15:7–10; Acts 20:35; Isaiah 58:7–10; Psalm 41:1; Matthew 6:12
- 31 Matthew 7:12; Galatians 5:14; Matthew 22:39; James 2:8–16
- 32 Matthew 5:46–47; 1 Peter 2:19–20
- 34 Matthew 5:42; Luke 14:12–14; Luke 6:35; Deuteronomy 15:8–11
- 35 Matthew 5:44–45; John 13:35; Proverbs 19:17; Romans 5:8–10; Psalm 145:9
- 36 Ephesians 5:1–2; Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:15–16; Ephesians 4:31
- 37 Ephesians 4:32; James 5:9; Matthew 7:1–5; Mark 11:25; 1 Corinthians 13:4–7
- 38 2 Corinthians 9:6–8; Deuteronomy 15:10; Mark 4:24; Proverbs 3:9–10; Matthew 7:2
- 39 Matthew 15:14; 2 Timothy 3:13; Isaiah 9:16; Matthew 23:16–26; 1 Timothy 6:3–5
- 40 John 13:16; Matthew 10:24–25; John 15:20; Matthew 23:15
- 41 John 8:7; James 1:24; Romans 2:1; Romans 2:21–24; Matthew 7:3–5
- 42 Romans 2:21–29; 1 Thessalonians 2:10–12; Psalm 51:9–13; Revelation 3:17–18; 2 Timothy 2:21
- 43 Matthew 12:33; Matthew 7:16–20; Jeremiah 2:21; Matthew 3:10; Psalm 92:12–14
- 44 James 3:12; Matthew 12:33; Galatians 5:19–23; Titus 2:11–13; Jude 12
- 45 Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 12:34–37; Ephesians 4:29; John 7:38; Psalm 37:30–31
- 46 Galatians 6:7; Matthew 7:21–23; Malachi 1:6; Luke 13:25–27; Matthew 25:44
- 47 James 1:22–25; Matthew 7:24–27; Luke 11:28; John 14:15; James 4:17
- 48 1 Corinthians 3:10–15; Psalm 62:2; Matthew 7:25–26; Isaiah 28:16; Jude 24
- 49 Ezekiel 33:31; James 1:22–26; Matthew 13:20–22; 2 Peter 1:5–9; 1 John 2:3–4
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… false witness; "not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing," or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing, but being mindful of what the Lord said in His teaching: "Judge not, that ye be not judged; forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you; be merciful, that ye may obtain mercy; with what measure ye mete, it shall be …
But I say unto you, Pray for your enemies, and love them that hate you, and bless them that curse you, and pray for them that despitefully use you." And that we should communicate to the needy, and do nothing for glory, He said, "Give to him that asketh, and from him that would borrow turn not away; for if …
The production, again, of the Duodecad of the Æons, is indicated by the fact that the Lord was twelve years of age when He disputed with the teachers of the law, and by the election of the apostles, for of these there were twelve. The other eighteen Æons are made manifest in this way: that the Lord, [according to them,] …
… they are multiplied above number." This takes place now, since He has spoken, first by the mouth of his forerunner John, and afterward by His own mouth, saying, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." He chose disciples, whom He also called apostles, of lowly birth, unhonored, and illiterate, so that whatever great thing they might be or …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
And again He saith, "When they shall cast out your name as evil, rejoice ye, and leap for joy." For not only of the dangers they underwent, but of the calumny also, He appoints the recompence to be great.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)