1  One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that will tempt people to sin are certain to happen, but it will be terrible for anyone who causes them to happen! 2  Suppose you caused one of these people who do not believe in me very strongly to sin. If a huge stone was fastened {someone fastened a huge stone} around your neck and you were thrown {and threw you} into the sea, you would consider that a severe punishment, but God will punish you even more severely if you cause someone to sin! 3  Be careful how you act. If you know about a fellow believer who sins, you (sg) should rebuke him. If he says that he is sorry for having sinned and asks you to forgive him, forgive him. 4  Even if he sins against you (sg) seven times in one day, if he comes to you each time and says, ‘I am sorry for what I did’, you must continue forgiving him.”

5  One day the apostles said to the Lord, “Help us to trust in you (OR, in God) more strongly!” 6  The Lord replied, “Mustard seeds are very small, but in this area they grow and produce large [MET] plants. Similarly, if your faith grows until you truly believe that God will do what you ask him to, you will be able to do anything. You could even say to this mulberry tree, ‘Pull yourself out with your roots and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it would obey you!”

7  Jesus also said, “Suppose that one of you had a servant who was plowing your fields or taking care of your sheep. After he comes into the house from the field, you (sg) would not say [RHQ], ‘Sit down and eat immediately!’ 8  Instead, you would say to him, ‘Put on your apron and prepare a meal for me! Then serve it to me so that I can eat and drink! Afterwards you (sg) can eat and drink.’ 9 ◄You will not thank your servant for doing the work that he had been told {you had told him} to do!/Would you thank your servant because he did the work that he had been told {you had told him} to do?► [RHQ] 10  Similarly, when you (pl) have done everything that God has told you to do, you should say, ‘We (inc) are not worthy of God thanking us { being thanked}. We are only God’s servants. We have only done the things that he told us to do.’ ”

11  As Jesus and his disciples were walking along the road to Jerusalem, they were going through the region between Samaria and Galilee districts. 12  As they entered one village, ten lepers came near the road. Because lepers were not permitted to come near other people, they stood at some distance 13  and called out, “Jesus, Master, pity us and heal us!” 14  When he saw them, he said to them, “Each of you should go and show yourself to a priest in Jerusalem so that he can see if you are healed.” As they were going there, they were healed. 15  Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God loudly. 16  He came to Jesus, prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet, and thanked him. This man was a Samaritan, not a Jew. 17  Then Jesus said, “ I healed ten lepers ◄I am disappointed that the other nine did not come back!/Where are the other nine?► [RHQ] 18  I am disappointed [RHQ] that this non-Jewish man was the only one who returned to thank God; none of the others came back to me!” 19  Then he said to the man, “Get up and continue on your journey. God [PRS] has saved you and healed you (sg) because you trusted in me.”

20  One day Jesus was asked by some Pharisees [SYN] { some Pharisees [SYN] asked Jesus}, “When is God going to rule as king?” He replied, “God’s ruling [MET] is not something people will be able to see with their eyes. 21  And people will not be able to say, ‘Look! He is ruling here!’ Or ‘He is ruling over there!’ because, contrary to what you think, God’s ruling is people’s inner beings (OR, is already happening among you).”

22  Jesus said to his disciples, “There will be a time when you will want to see me [MTY], the one who came from heaven, ruling powerfully. But you will not see that. 23  Some people will say to you, ‘Look, the Messiah is over there!’ or they will say ‘Look, he is here!’ When they say that, do not believe them. Do not follow them to go see the Messiah. 24  Because when the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, everyone can see it. Similarly [SIM], at the time [MTY] when I, the one who came from heaven, come back again, everyone will see me. 25  But before that happens, I must suffer in many ways (OR, very much). And I will be rejected by people {people will reject me}, even though they have observed me doing good for people. 26  But when I, the one who came from heaven, come again, people will be doing things just like people were doing at the time when [MTY] Noah lived. 27  At that time people ate and drank as usual, and they got married as usual, up until the day when Noah and his family entered the big boat. But then the flood came and destroyed all those who were not in the boat. 28  Similarly, when Lot lived in Sodom city, people there ate and drank as usual. They bought things and they sold things. They planted crops and they built houses as usual. 29  But on the day that Lot and his family left Sodom, fire and burning sulfur came down from the sky and destroyed all those who stayed in the city. 30  Similarly, when I, the one who came from heaven, return to earth, people will be unprepared (OR, enjoying normal life). 31  On that day, those who are outside their houses, with all the things that they own inside the houses, must not go in to take them away, because there will not be enough time to do that. Similarly, those who are working in a field must not go back home to get anything; they must flee immediately. 32  Remember Lot’s wife! Because she turned back and wanted to get some of her things from Sodom, she died immediately and became a pillar of salt. 33  Anyone who wants to hold onto his life and his possessions will not receive eternal life. But anyone who is willing to die for my sake will live eternally. 34  I tell you this: On the night when I return, there will be two people sleeping in one bed. The one who believes in me will be taken { God will take the one who believes in me} to heaven, and the other one will be left behind and punished {and he will leave the other one behind and punish him}. 35-36  Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left { God will take one and leave the other} behind.” 37  His disciples said to him, “Lord, where will this happen?” He replied to them, “Wherever there is an animal carcass, the vultures will gather to eat it [MET]. Similarly, wherever there are people who are spiritually dead, God will punish them.”