Open English Translation LUKE Chapter 17

17 Then Yeshua told his followers, “It’s impossible that temptations will disappear, but a bad future awaits whoever brings them. 2 If would be better if that person had a heavy weight tied to them and got thrown into the sea than if they cause a younger one to stumble. 3 [ref]Take great care.

If a fellow-believer disobeys God, scold them, and then if they stop and request forgiveness, forgive them. 4 Even if they wrong you seven times in a day and then seven times come and tell you that they’re turning away from it, forgive them.”

5 Then the apprentices requested the master, “Give us more faith.” 6 “If you all had faith like a small mustard seed,” the master replied, “you would be able to order a mulberry bush, ‘Get out of the ground and plant yourself in the sea,’ and it would obey you all.

7 “Imagine that you had a slave that was out in the field ploughing or looking after the sheep. When he came back to the house, which of you would tell him, ‘The meal’s ready so come in now and sit down to eat.’ 8 No, you’d be saying, ‘Get the meal ready for me and then after you’ve changed, come and wait on me as I eat and drink, then after that you can eat and drink.’ 9 And no, slaves don’t get thanked for just doing what they’ve been told to do. 10 So too when you all do what you’ve been told to do, just say, ‘We are useless slaves—we’ve just done what we were told.’ ”

11 Soon it was time to continue on towards Yerusalem and so they walked through Galilee and Samaria. 12 In one village, they came across ten men with leprosy, who stood back at a distance 13 and called out, “Yeshua, master, show mercy to us.”

14 [ref]When he saw them, Yeshua called back, “Go and ask the priests to inspect you.” So they went off, and as they were walking, they were healed. 15 One of them, seeing that his skin was healed, came back and could be heard loudly praising God, 16 and he knelt down in front of Yeshua and thanked him. This man was from Samaria. 17 “Weren’t there ten of you that were healed?” Yeshua asked. “Where’s the other nine? 18 Have none of them returned to praise God—only this foreigner?” 19 Then he told him, “Get up and go now. Your faith has healed you.”

20 One time Yeshua was approached by some from the Pharisee party and asked when God’s kingdom is coming, and he answered, “The arrival of God’s kingdom is not some visible thing, 21 and they won’t be shouting, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’, because you see, God’s kingdom is inside you all.”

22 Then he told his followers, “The time will come when you’ll be wanting to see humanity’s child again even for a day, but you won’t see him. 23 Some people will tell you all, ‘Look, there he is!’ or ‘Hey, here he is!’ but don’t go looking or following them 24 because when humanity’s child returns, it’ll be like lightning that flashes from one side of the sky and shines right across to the other side. 25 However, before that he needs to suffer many things and to be rejected by this generation. 26 [ref]The time of the return of humanity’s child will be just like it was in Noah’s time: 27 [ref]people were eating and drinking, and getting engaged and married right until that day when Noah went into the barge and the flood came and destroyed everything. 28 [ref]It was similar in Lot’s time: people were eating and drinking, and buying and selling, and planting and building, 29 but on the day that Lot walked out of Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from the sky and destroyed everything. 30 So that’s how it will be when humanity’s child is revealed.

31 [ref]“On that day, anyone who’s just outside the house should not go back in to get their valuables. Similarly, anyone who’s out on the farm shouldn’t return to the house to get their possessions. 32 [ref]Don’t forget the disaster that happened to Lot’s wife. 33 [ref]Anyone who tries to save their live will lose it, and anyone who’s sacrificed their lifestyle, will retain life. 34 I’m telling you, two people will be in one bed on that night and one will be taken and the other one will be left behind. 35 Two people will be preparing food at the same place and one will be taken and the other one will be left behind.”

36 ◘ 37 “Where will this happen, master,” they asked.

“Where the body is,” he answered, “that’s where the vultures will be gathering.”