Luke 13:8-26

⁸But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

⁹And if it produces fruit, fine. But if not, in the coming year, you can cut it down.’ ”

¹⁰Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

¹¹And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and she was bent over and was not able to straighten herself up.

¹²And seeing her, Jesus called her to Him and said, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.”

¹³And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and was glorifying God.

¹⁴But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, and he said to the crowd, “There are six days in which one should work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

¹⁵The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?

¹⁶So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound these eighteen years, should she not be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”

¹⁷And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things which were done by Him.

¹⁸Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?

¹⁹It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

²⁰Again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?

²¹It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until it was all leavened.”

²²And He was traveling through various cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

²³Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them,

²⁴“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, because many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

²⁵When once the Master of the house has risen up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and answering He will say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from.’

²⁶Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’