Preface: Like many chapters in Luke, Luke 18 is a series of vignettes. Jesus teaches the parable about the persistent woman and the irreverent judge; and He teaches about the pharisee and the tax collector who come before God in prayer (both teachings are exclusive to Luke). There are then 3 incidents where some of Jesus’ followers acts as gatekeepers to Him (in 2 of the 3 incidents). People bring their children to Jesus, and the disciples try to put a halt to that. A blind beggar calls out to Jesus for healing, and those leading the procession to Jerusalem try to shut him up. A rich young ruler comes to speak personally with Jesus, and no one seems to stand in his way. In all 3 situations, Jesus had some Bible doctrine to impart to His followers. Jesus also warns His 12 disciples about what is going to happen in Jerusalem, but they do not appear to hear Him.

Bible Summary: Jesus gave parables about prayer. He told a rich man to sell everything. He said, "The Son of Man will be killed but he will rise."

This should be the most extensive examination of Luke 18 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Outline of Chapter 18:

Preface

Introduction

         vv.     1–8           The Parable of the Persistent Widow and the Unrighteous Judge

         vv.     9–14         The Story of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee—Both Men Coming Before God

         vv.    15–17         People Bring Their Young Children to Jesus

         vv.    18–23         Jesus’ Conversation with the Rich Young Ruler

         vv.    24–30         Jesus Speaks to His Disciples About Sacrifice and Reward

         vv.    31–34         Jesus Tells the Twelve of His Crucifixion But They Do Not Hear Him

         vv.    35–43         A Blind Man Who Was Begging, Comes to Jesus for Healing

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Luke 18 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Luke 18 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Luke 18

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel of Luke 18

         Introduction         The Principals of Luke 18

         Introduction         The Places of Luke 18

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Luke 18

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of Luke 18 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Luke 18 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Luke 16–20)

         Introduction         Paragraph Divisions of Modern Translation for Luke 18

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

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         v.      15              The Chronology of Luke

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         v.      17              Comparing Luke 18:15–17 with Matthew and Mark

         v.      18              Jesus Warns His Disciples About What He is Facing (Comparing the Synoptics)

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         v.      20              What does Corban mean in Mark 7:11? (From Got Questions?)

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         v.      23              Jesus Speaks with the Rich Young Ruler (Matthew, Mark and Luke)

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         v.      30              Entering into the Kingdom of God (Matthew, Mark and Luke)

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         v.      34              Operation Z (a graphic)

         v.      35              Jesus’ Route to Jerusalem (a map)

         v.      35              The Road to Jericho (a photograph)

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         v.      43              Jesus Heals the Blind Man/Men (Matthew, Mark and Luke)

         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Luke 18 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Luke 18

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Luke 18

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         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Luke 18:1–5

         Addendum          Footnote for The Christian Community Bible Luke 18:1–5

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Luke 18:6–8

         Addendum          What has happened to ‘The Faith?’ (From the 2001 Translation)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Luke 18:9–12

         Addendum          Footnote for The Christian Community Bible Luke 18:9–14

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Luke 18:13–14

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Luke 18:15–17

         Addendum          Footnote for Mark 10:17–30 (Heritage Bible)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Luke 18:18–23

         Addendum          What does it mean to be saved? (From the 2001 Translation)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Luke 18:24–27

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Luke 18:29–30

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Luke 18:31–34

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Luke 18:35–39

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Luke 18:40–43

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Luke 18

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Luke 18

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Luke 18

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Luke 18

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An Introduction to Luke 18

I ntroduction: Back in Luke 17:11, Jesus is on His march towards Jerusalem for the last time. There is more narrative and more narrative connections in Luke 18. The city of Jericho is mentioned in v. 35, so we know where Jesus and His followers are at this time. When we come to Luke 19, the cities of Jericho and Jerusalem are both mentioned. So Jesus is making His way to Jerusalem, but He is approaching it from the east.

My assumption is, this chapter presents some of the teaching with the Lord did, along with various healings that He performed, on this final walk to Jerusalem.

If you remember the big picture, from about mid Luke 10 to partway through this chapter, the concentration is upon the teachings of Jesus more than it is on following a series of events in the ministry of Jesus. Sometimes, Jesus’ teaching appears to be inspired by some events (several of which will be found in Luke 18), but the focus, for the most part, is still upon the Lord’s teaching (the final few verses of this chapter concentrate on narrative).

This chapter and the next are very much a series of vignettes. They probably took place in this order at this particular time, as they match up with the same incidents found in Matthew and Mark, listed in the same order.

In this chapter, Jesus teaches the parable of the persistent woman and the unrighteous judge; He talks about the prayers of the pharisee and the tax collector; and then Jesus interacts with small children and with the rich young ruler (which leads to an important bit of teaching).

In the 5^th increment of this chapter, Jesus speaks of His impending death. He is heading for Jerusalem, so this is logically something that His disciples need to hear.

Finally, at the end of this chapter, Jesus heals a blind beggar.

In some places in Scripture, a chapter has a particular thematic thrust (such as Gen. 22, Isaiah 53, any one of the psalms). However, there are portions of the book of Luke where the boundaries of a chapter are rather arbitrary. Here, just as in Luke 17, once enough verses have been collected to make up a chapter, then Luke 18 is so defined. It begins with the parable of the unjust judge and ends with the healing of a blind beggar. These various sections are only related insofar as, they probably occurred around the same time (recall that the division of the Bible into chapters and verses took place long after the original writing was done).

This is no different from normal life. We have some natural divisions in our lives (for me, the period of time I was in college, the period of time that I was a teacher, the period of time I decided to start studying and writing commentary, etc.). However, most of the time, in any given week or month, there are a variety of events which take place, a variety of things which I do, and pulling them together thematically would be a stretch. However, I must admit that there have been times when I have experienced something or read about something, and have determined, that fits in perfectly with this particular chapter of Luke or Exodus.

About halfway through this chapter, Luke’s account begins to synch up with Matthew and Mark (this starts at vv. 15–17, where people are bringing little children to Jesus to bless). There will be four incidents which synch up in the same order between Matthew, Mark and Luke, culminating in the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem (which is incident #5).

You may recall that two sets of incidents which matched up prior to this; the first set seem to take place early in the Lord’s ministry (a year or so into His ministry) and the second set matches with the Lord setting His face toward Jerusalem for the last time (which takes place near the culmination of His public ministry in Luke 9). At this point in Luke 18, we begin to synch up once again. That leaves a number of incidents and teachings which take place between Luke 10 and 18:14. At this point, I have two theories. (1) Luke had a great deal of material which he could not fit into a timeline, so he simply placed all of these in the middle of his biography of Jesus; or (2) all of these incidents in this middle section take place on the Lord’s way to Jerusalem. Much of this material is exclusive to Luke (but not all of it); and there are a couple of incidents which require some explanation (do they match up with narratives in Matthew and Mark, or are they merely similar?). Although I lean toward (1), I have not yet ruled out (2).

There is one major flaw with accepting (2), and that is, where is the middle of the Lord’s ministry? Why didn’t Luke record that? We can synch up Matthew, Mark and Luke to about a year into the ministry of the Lord; and then we have the Lord setting His face toward Jerusalem. In Matthew and Mark, there are a couple of chapters which are placed between these other sections. In the book of Luke, we go directly from the year into His ministry to setting His face toward Jerusalem, without anything intervening. Logically Luke has stories from that period of the Lord’s life, so where are they? And that is what I think Luke 10–18a are.

Why did I take this halfway through Luke 18? At about the halfway point, the events of Luke 18b begin to synch up with Matthew and Mark once again. In Luke 18:15 and following, we have Jesus blesses the little children, Jesus encounters the rich young ruler; Jesus talking about the wealthy entering into heaven; Jesus foretelling His death (again); and Jesus healing a blind beggar. These are five incidents which match up with Matthew and Mark in terms of order and when they occur in the Lord’s ministry (these things happens as Jesus is moving toward Jerusalem). There will be two incidents in Luke 19 which match up with the other synoptics; and six incidents of Luke 20 (essentially the entire chapter) which match up. In fact, in Luke 20–24, 80% or more synchs up with Matthew and Mark.

Again, the question remains, what about Luke 10–18a—where do these 8½ chapters go on a timeline?

I have been through most of the gospels, so I see this all from a time perspective, me up here, looking down at the timeline and tying to fit things into place. Although Luke clearly has a timeline, it seems to center on the Lord’s first year of ministry (or year and a half); and then the final months of the Lord’s ministry. When getting oral accounts of the Lord’s ministry and using the books of Matthew and Mark (which I believe Luke had access to), he was able to place those periods of time into linear sequences of events (bear in mind that this is not easy to do, as Luke is not working on a word processor where he can pick up a paragraph and move it from here to there (it might have been easier to say to a mountain, “Get up and throw yourself into the sea!”, than to move paragraphs around). So perhaps Luke, from a brilliant mind, simply sat down and wrote his gospel; or—and I do not know how reasonable this is—he recorded incidents as told to him and then arranged these incidents in order and wrote his book. Were there cheap writing materials available if one was not concerned for their longevity? Or simply, were there inexpensive writing materials, which would have allowed this? I can only go by my own mind, and me, I would have had to had notes first, which would then be arranged in order, which would then be written into a book.

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The Parable of the Persistent Widow and the Unrighteous Judge

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    But He was speaking a parable to them, face to face with the need to keep on praying them; and to not be discouraged, saying. “A judge a certain one [who] was in a certain city. The God he was not fearing and man he was not respecting. But a widow was in the city that, and she was going face to face with him, saying, ‘Vindicate me from the adversary of mine.’ And he was not willing over time but after these things, he had said in himself, ‘If even the God I am not fearing nor man am I regarding; because indeed to keep on reaching forth to me a beating the widow this. I will vindicate her so that not to an end she is coming. She keeps on wearing me [out].’ ”

Complete Apostles’ Bible      Then He spoke a parable to them, that one must always pray and not lose heart,

saying: "A certain judge was in a certain city, who did not fear God nor have regard for men.

Now there was a widow in that city; and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give justice to me against my adversary.'

And he did not want to for a time; but afterward he said within himself, 'although I do not fear God, nor have regard for man,

yet because this widow bothers me I will give justice to her, lest she wear me out by forever coming to me.' "

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And he spoke also a parable to them, that we ought always to pray and not to faint, Saying: There was a judge in a certain city, who feared not God nor regarded man.

And there was a certain widow in that city; and she came to him, saying: Avenge me of my adversary.

And he would not for a long time. But afterwards he said within himself: Although I fear not God nor regard man,

Yet because this widow is troublesome to me, I will avenge her, lest continually coming she weary me.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        Then He also spoke a Mathla {a Parable} unto them, that every set time, they should pray, and shouldn’t grow weary.

“There was a certain judge from a certain city who wasn’t fearing Alaha {God}, and from the children of men he didn’t revere.

But, there was a certain armaltha {widow} in that city, and she was coming to him and saying, ‘Avenge me of my adversary.’

And he wasn’t willing for much time afterwards, but said in naphsheh {his soul/himself}, ‘If from Alaha {God} I’m not fearing, and from the children of men I’m not regarding,

even so, because this armaltha {widow} wearies me, I will avenge her, so that she doesn’t come at all set times, and annoy me.’”

James Murdock’s Syriac NT And he spoke to them a similitude also, that men should pray at all times, and not become weary.

There was a judge in a certain city, who feared not God, and regarded not men.

And there was a certain widow in that city; and she came to him, and said: Vindicate me against my adversary.

And he would not, for a long time: but afterwards, he said to himself: Though I fear not God, and regard not men,

yet, because this widow troubleth me, I will vindicate her; that she may not be always coming and troubling me.

Original Aramaic NT              He told them also a parable that they should pray at all times and they should not grow weary:

"There was in one city a certain judge who did not worship God and did not honor the children of men."

"There was a certain widow in that city, and she was coming to him and saying, 'Vindicate me of my legal adversary.' "

"And he would not for long time, but after this, he said to himself, 'Although I do not worship God neither honor people'

'Nevertheless, because this widow wearies me, I shall avenge her, lest she be constantly coming and annoying me.' "

Lamsa Peshitta (Syriac)         He told them also a parable that they should pray at all times and they should not grow weary:

“There was in one city a certain judge who did not worship God and did not honor the children of men.”

“There was a certain widow in that city, and she was coming to him and saying, 'Vindicate me of my legal adversary.' “

“And he would not for long time, but after this, he said to himself, 'Although I do not worship God neither honor people'

'Nevertheless, because this widow wearies me, I shall avenge her, lest she be constantly coming and annoying me.' “

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And he made a story for them, the point of which was that men were to go on making prayer and not get tired; 

Saying, There was a judge in a certain town, who had no fear of God or respect for man: 

And there was a widow in that town, and she kept on coming to him and saying, Give me my right against the man who has done me wrong. 

And for a time he would not: but later, he said to himself, Though I have no fear of God or respect for man, 

Because this widow is a trouble to me, I will give her her right; for if not, I will be completely tired out by her frequent coming.

Bible in Worldwide English     Jesus told them a story to teach them that they should keep on talking with God and not give up. He said, There was a judge in a city. He did not respect God or care about people. There was a woman in that city whose husband was dead. The woman came to the judge again and again. She said, "Save me from my enemy!" For a long time he would not do it. But after a time he said, "I do not respect God or care about people. But this woman is troubling me. So I will save her from her enemy. If I do not, she will keep coming until I am tired."

Easy English                          Jesus talks about how to pray

Then Jesus told his disciples a story. He wanted to teach them that they must go on praying always. They must not get tired. He said to them, ‘In a certain city, there was a judge. He was not afraid of God. He did not respect people.

A woman lived in that same city. Her husband had died. She came to the judge many times with a problem. “Somebody is doing bad things against me. Please keep me safe from that person,” she was saying. For a long time, the judge would not do anything to help her. Later, he thought, “I am not afraid of God. Nor do I respect people. But this woman causes me trouble. If I do not do anything for her, she will continue to come to me again and again. She will make me ill. So I will help her to be safe. I will say that she is right.” ’

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  Then Jesus taught the followers that they should always pray and never lose hope. He used this story to teach them: "Once there was a judge in a town. He did not care about God. He also did not care what people thought about him. In that same town there was a woman whose husband had died. She came many times to this judge and said, 'There is a man who is doing bad things to me. Give me my rights!' But the judge did not want to help the woman. After a long time, the judge thought to himself, 'I don't care about God. And I don't care about what people think. But this woman is bothering me. If I give her what she wants, then she will leave me alone. But if I don't give her what she wants, she will bother me until I am sick.'"

God’s Word™                         Jesus used this illustration with his disciples to show them that they need to pray all the time and never give up. He said, "In a city there was a judge who didn't fear God or respect people. In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice.' "For a while the judge refused to do anything. But then he thought, 'This widow really annoys me. Although I don't fear God or respect people, I'll have to give her justice. Otherwise, she'll keep coming to me until she wears me out.'"

Good News Bible (TEV)         Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to teach them that they should always pray and never become discouraged. "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people. And there was a widow in that same town who kept coming to him and pleading for her rights, saying, 'Help me against my opponent!' For a long time the judge refused to act, but at last he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or respect people, yet because of all the trouble this widow is giving me, I will see to it that she gets her rights. If I don't, she will keep on coming and finally wear me out!' "

J. B. Phillips                           Jesus urges his disciples to persist in prayer

Then he gave them an illustration to show that they must always pray and never lose heart.

“Once upon a time,” he said, “there was a magistrate in a town who had neither fear of God nor respect for his fellow-men. There was a widow in the town who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Please protect me from the man who is trying to ruin me.’ And for a long time he refused. But later he said to himself, ‘Although I don’t fear God and have no respect for men, yet this woman is such a nuisance that I shall give judgment in her favour, or else her continual visits will be the death of me!’”

The Message                         The Story of the Persistent Widow

Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, “There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!’

“He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, ‘I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.’”

NIRV                                      The Story of the Widow Who Would Not Give Up

Jesus told his disciples a story. He wanted to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said, “In a certain town there was a judge. He didn’t have any respect for God or care about what people thought. A widow lived in that town. She came to the judge again and again. She kept begging him, ‘Make things right for me. Someone is treating me badly.’

“For some time the judge refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t have any respect for God. I don’t care about what people think. But this widow keeps bothering me. So I will see that things are made right for her. If I don’t, she will someday come and attack me!’ ”

New Life Version                    The Picture-Story of the Woman Whose Husband Had Died

Jesus told them a picture-story to show that men should always pray and not give up. He said, “There was a man in one of the cities who was head of the court. His work was to say if a person was guilty or not. This man was not afraid of God. He did not respect any man. In that city there was a woman whose husband had died. She kept coming to him and saying, ‘Help me! There is someone who is working against me.’ For awhile he would not help her. Then he began to think, ‘I am not afraid of God and I do not respect any man. 5 But I will see that this woman whose husband has died gets her rights because I get tired of her coming all the time.’”

New Simplified Bible              He spoke an illustration to them emphasizing the need to pray and not become tired:

»There was a judge in a city that did not fear God and had no respect for man.

»There was a widow in that same city. She went to him asking for legal protection from her adversary.

»At first he refused. Then he thought about it and he said to himself, I do not fear God and have little respect for man.

»However this widow bothers me. For this reason I will avenge her. If she keeps coming to me she will wear me out.«

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              WHERE TO FIND THE FOUNTAIN OF ETERNAL LIFE

STORY OF THE NAGGING WIDOW

Jesus told them a parable. He did it to teach them they should never give up praying.

Jesus said, “There was a city judge who had no respect for God. He didn’t care much for people either. A widow in town started pestering him: 'I’m arguing with someone and I need you to help me get some justice.'

The judge ignored her. Eventually, though, he said to himself, 'I don’t respect God and I don’t much like people, but this woman is driving me nuts. I’m going to serve her up some justice so she’ll stop torturing[1] me.'"

¹18:5The Greek word, hypopiazo, can mean a variety of words including “wear out,” “beat,” or “hit in the face, under the eye.” It’s not a kind word.

Contemporary English V.       Jesus told his disciples a story about how they should keep on praying and never give up: In a town there was once a judge who didn't fear God or care about people. In that same town there was a widow who kept going to the judge and saying, "Make sure that I get fair treatment in court." For a while the judge refused to do anything. Finally, he said to himself, "Even though I don't fear God or care about people, I will help this widow because she keeps on bothering me. If I don't help her, she will wear me out."

The Living Bible                     One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must keep praying until the answer comes.

“There was a city judge,” he said, “a very godless man who had great contempt for everyone. A widow of that city came to him frequently to appeal for justice against a man who had harmed her. The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she got on his nerves.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           Parable of the Persistent Widow

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

The Passion Translation        One day Jesus taught the apostles to keep praying and never stop or lose hope. He shared with them this illustration: “In a certain town there was a civil judge, a thick-skinned and godless man who had no fear of others’ opinions.  And there was a poor widow in that town who kept pleading with the judge, ‘Grant me justice and protect me against my oppressor!’ 

“He ignored her pleas for quite some time, but she kept asking. Eventually he said to himself, ‘This widow keeps annoying me, demanding her rights, and I’m tired of listening to her. Even though I’m not a religious man and don’t care about the opinions of others, I’ll just get her off my back by answering her claims for justice and I’ll rule in her favor. Then she’ll leave me alone.’” 

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  Jesus told his disciples another story to teach them that they ought to pray continually and not become discouraged if God does not immediately answer their prayers. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not revere God and did not care about people. There was a widow in that city who kept coming to that judge, saying, 'Please get justice for me from the man who is opposing me in court. For a long time the judge refused to help her. But later, he said to himself, 'I do not revere God and I do not care about people, but this widow keeps bothering me! So I will judge her case and make sure she is treated fairly, because if I do not do that, she will exhaust me by continually coming to me!'"

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then he gave them an illustration to show them why they should keep praying and never give up.

He said:

‘There was a judge in a city who didn’t fear God

And couldn’t be shamed by other men.

But a widow in that city kept coming and saying:

‘I want justice from the man whom I [sued].’

‘Well at first, [the judge] did nothing at all,

But then he started to reason:

‘Although I don’t fear God, And there aren’t men who can shame me... Since this widow keeps coming and making more work,

I’ll see that she receives justice

So she doesn’t just nag me to death!’

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            He was telling them an illustration with the intent for it to be necessary for them to always be praying and not to be getting discouraged, saying, "A certain judge was in a certain city who didn't fear God and wasn't embarrassed around a person. A widow was in that city, and she was coming to him, saying, 'Retaliate for me from my opponent in the court case.' And he was not wanting to for a while, but after these things he said in himself, 'Even though I don't fear God, nor am embarrassed around a person, because of the fact for this widow to definitely be bothering me, I will retaliate for her so that for a conclusion as she comes she does not give me a black eye.'"

Common English Bible           Justice for the faithful

Jesus was telling them a parable about their need to pray continuously and not to be discouraged. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him, asking, ‘Give me justice in this case against my adversary.’ For a while he refused but finally said to himself, I don’t fear God or respect people, but I will give this widow justice because she keeps bothering me. Otherwise, there will be no end to her coming here and embarrassing me.”

Len Gane Paraphrase           He then spoke a parable to them that men must always pray and never give up telling [them], "There was in a city a judge who didn't fear God or respect people. "There was a widow in that city. She came to him saying, ‘Vindicate me of my adversary.’ "He wouldn't for awhile, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I don't fear God or respect people, yet because this widow bugging me, I will vindicate her, lest she wear me out by her coming to me all the time.’”

A. Campbell's Living Oracles He also showed them, by a parable, that they ought to persist in prayer, without growing weary. In a certain city, said he, there was a judge, who neither feared God nor regarded man. And there was a widow in that city, who came to him, saying, Do me justice on my adversary. For some time he refused; be afterward he argued thus with himself, Although I neither fear God, nor regard man; yet, because this widow importunes me, I will judge her cause; let she come perpetually, and plague me

New Advent (Knox) Bible       And he told them a parable, shewing them that they ought to pray continually, and never be discouraged. There was a city once, he said, in which lived a judge who had no fear of God, no regard for man; and there was a widow in this city who used to come before him and say, Give me redress against one who wrongs me. For a time he refused; but then he said to himself, Fear of God I have none, nor regard for man, but this widow wearies me; I will give her redress, or she will wear me down at last with her visits.

NT for Everyone                     The Parables of the Persistent Widow and the Tax-Collector

Jesus told them a parable, about how they should always pray and not give up.

‘There was once a judge in a certain town,’ he said, ‘who didn’t fear God, and didn’t have any respect for people. There was a widow in that town, and she came to him and said, “Judge my case! Vindicate me against my enemy!”

‘For a long time he refused. But, in the end, he said to himself, “It’s true that I don’t fear God, and don’t have any respect for people. But because this widow is causing me a lot of trouble, I will put her case right and vindicate her, so that she doesn’t end up coming and giving me a black eye.”

20^th Century New Testament Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and never despair. "There was," he said, "in a certain town a judge, who had no fear of God nor regard for man. In the same town there was a widow who went to him again and again, and said 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' For a time the judge refused, but afterwards he said to himself 'Although I am without fear of God or regard for man, Yet, as this widow is so troublesome, I will grant her justice, to stop her from plaguing me with her endless visits.'"

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Berean Study Bible                Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart: 

“In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men.  And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 

For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God or respect men, yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Then she will stop wearing me out with her perpetual requests.’”

Christian Standard Bible        The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up. “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect people. And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

“For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, yet because this widow keeps pestering me, [Lit widow causes me trouble] I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out [Or doesn’t ruin my reputation] by her persistent coming.’”

Conservapedia Translation    And to teach them that man ought to pray and not faint, He told them this parable: "In a city, there was a judge who did not respect God or men, and a widow, and she came to the judge saying, 'Give me revenge upon my adversary.' For some time he did nothing, but after a while he said to himself, 'Though I respect neither God nor men, this woman keeps pestering me, and so I will give her her revenge, so that she does not annoy me with her petitions.'"

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                The Unjust Judge.

He also showed them, by means of a parable, that they ought to persist in prayer, without becoming weary. "There was in a town," He said, "a judge, who neither feared God, nor respected man. And in the same town there was a widow, who kept coming to Him, pleading, 'Give me justice against my adversary.'

He refused, however, for some time. But afterwards he argued thus with himself: Although I neither fear God, nor care for man, yet, because this widow gives me trouble, I will grant her justice; for if I do not, she will distract me at last by her coming.'

Free Bible Version                 Jesus told them this story to encourage them to pray at all times, and not to become discouraged. “Once there was a judge in this particular town who didn’t respect God or care about anyone,” Jesus explained. “In the same town lived a widow who time and again went to the judge, saying, ‘Give me justice in the case against my enemy!’ For a while he didn’t want to do anything about it, but eventually he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t respect God or care about anyone, this widow is so annoying I’ll make sure she receives justice. Then she won’t wear me out by her coming to see me so often.’

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           And he put forth a similitude unto them, signifying that men ought pray, and not to be weary saying: There was a Judge in a certain city, which feared not God neither regarded man. And there was a certain widow in the same city, which came unto him saying: avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while. But afterward he said unto himself: though I fear not God nor care for man, yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge least at the last she come and hag on me.

International Standard V        The Parable about the Judge and the Widow

Jesus [Lit. He] told his disciples [Lit. them] a parable about their need to pray all the time and never give up. He said, “In a city there was a judge who didn’t fear God or respect people. In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ For a while the judge [Lit. he] refused. But later, he told himself, ‘I don’t fear God or respect people, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice. Otherwise, she will keep coming and wear me out.’”

Lexham Bible                         The Parable of the Unjust Judge

And he told them a parable to show that they must always pray and not be discouraged, saying, “There was a certain judge in a certain town who did not fear God and did not respect people. And there was a widow in that town, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary!’ And he was not willing for a time, but after these things he said to himself, ‘Even if I do not fear God or respect people, yet because this widow is causing trouble for me, I will grant her justice, so that she does not wear me down in the end by her [*Here “by ” is supplied as a component of the participle (“coming back”) which is understood as means] coming back!’ ”

Riverside New Testament      HE gave them an illustration that they ought always to pray and not to lose courage.

He said, "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God or regard man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.'

For a time he would not. Later he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow is annoying me I will do her justice so that she may not keep coming and mauling me forever.'

Leicester A. Sawyer’s NT      AND he spoke also a parable to them, that men ought to pray at all times, and not to faint; saying, There was a certain judge in a certain city, who feared not God and regarded not man. And there was a widow in that city, and she came to him, saying, Give me judgment against my adversary. And he would not for a time; but afterwards he said within himself, Though I fear not God and regard not man, yet because this widow makes me trouble I will give her judgment, that she may not vex me by her continual coming.

Urim-Thummim Version         Then he spoke a parable to them to this end, that men should always pray and not lose heart; saying, There was in a city a judge that feared not Elohim, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came to him saying, avenge me of my adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, though I fear not Elohim, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, unless by her continual coming she tires me.

Weymouth New Testament    He also taught them by a parable that they must always pray and never lose heart. "In a certain town," He said, "there was a judge who had no fear of God and no respect for man. And in the same town was a widow who repeatedly came and entreated him, saying, "'Give me justice and stop my oppressor.' "For a time he would not, but afterwards he said to himself, "'Though I have neither reverence for God nor respect for man, yet because she annoys me I will give her justice, to prevent her from constantly coming to pester me.'"

Wikipedia Bible Project          Jesus told them a story to encourage them to pray always, and not to give up.

“There was once a judge in a particular town who didn’t respect God or man,” Jesus said. “A widow in the same town kept on going to him, saying, ‘Get me justice against my opponent!’

For some time he didn’t want to do anything, but after a while he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t respect God or care what people think, because this widow keeps bothering me I will ensure she receives justice so that she doesn’t wear me out by her repeated visits.’

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)     Pray and never lose heart

• Jesus told them a parable, to show them that they should pray continually, and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain town there was a judge, who neither feared God nor people. In the same town there was a widow, who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Defend my rights against my opponent!’ For a time he refused, but finally he thought, ‘Even though I neither fear God nor care about people, this widow bothers me so much, I will see that she gets justice; then she will stop coming and wearing me out.”

Extensive footnote on this passage was placed in the Addendum.

Romans 1:10; Col 1:3; 2Cor 4:1

The Heritage Bible                          And he said also a parable directing them that it is necessary always to pray, and not to be weary,

Saying: A certain judge was in a certain city, who did not fear God, and was not confounded by man;

And a widow was in that city, and she came to him, saying, Vindicate me from my opponent in the lawsuit.

And he absolutely would not for a time, but amid these things he said within himself, Even though I absolutely do not fear God, and I absolutely am not confounded by man,

Yet because this widow is affording me toil, I will vindicate her, lest she coming to the end stares me down.

New American Bible (2011)   The Parable of the Persistent Widow.

* Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.^a He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’

For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, * ^b because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’”

* [18:1–14] The particularly Lucan material in the travel narrative concludes with two parables on prayer. The first (Lk 18:1–8) teaches the disciples the need of persistent prayer so that they not fall victims to apostasy (Lk 18:8). The second (Lk 18:9–14) condemns the self-righteous, critical attitude of the Pharisee and teaches that the fundamental attitude of the Christian disciple must be the recognition of sinfulness and complete dependence on God’s graciousness. The second parable recalls the story of the pardoning of the sinful woman (Lk 7:36–50) where a similar contrast is presented between the critical attitude of the Pharisee Simon and the love shown by the pardoned sinner.

* [18:5] Strike me: the Greek verb translated as strike means “to strike under the eye” and suggests the extreme situation to which the persistence of the widow might lead. It may, however, be used here in the much weaker sense of “to wear one out.”

a. [18:1] Rom 12:12; Col 4:2; 1 Thes 5:17.

b. [18:5] 11:8.

New Catholic Bible                 The Parable of the Importunate Widow.^[a] Then Jesus told them a parable about the need for them to pray always and never to lose heart. He said, “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor had any respect for people. In that same town there was a widow who kept coming to him and pleading, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

“For a long time he refused her request, but finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I neither fear God nor have any respect for people, yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will see to it that she gets justice. Otherwise, she will keep coming and wear me out.’ ”

[a] We might ask whether prayer is useless or whether it is unfitting to remain insistent in God’s presence. This parable recommends a tenacious persistence. If the Lord is tardy in coming or in responding, it is to allow time for conversion and for faith. But the prayer of believers is not a cry in the wind. It is especially necessary during the end times, which will be a great trial for the faith and for trust in the Lord.

New English Bible–1970        The Parable of the Widow and the Judge (borders of Samaria)

HE SPOKE TO THEM in a parable to show that they should keep on praying and never lose heart: 'There was once a judge who cared nothing for God or man, and in the same town there was a widow who constantly came before him demanding justice against her opponent. For a long time he refused; but in the end he said to himself, "True, I care nothing for God or man; but this widow is so great a nuisance that I will see her righted before she wears me out with her persistence." '

New Jerusalem Bible             Then he told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart.

'There was a judge in a certain town,' he said, 'who had neither fear of God nor respect for anyone. In the same town there was also a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, "I want justice from you against my enemy!" For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, "Even though I have neither fear of God nor respect for any human person, I must give this widow her just rights since she keeps pestering me, or she will come and slap me in the face." '

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge

Then Jesus [Gk he] told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.” For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming. [Or so that she may not finally come and slap me in the face]”’

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Then Yeshua told his talmidim a parable, in order to impress on them that they must always keep praying and not lose heart. “In a certain town, there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected other people. There was also in that town a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me a judgment against the man who is trying to ruin me.’ For a long time he refused; but after awhile, he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God, and I don’t respect other people; but because this widow is such a nudnik, I will see to it that she gets justice — otherwise, she’ll keep coming and pestering me till she wears me out!’”

exeGeses companion Bible   .

Hebraic Roots Bible               And He also spoke a parable to them to teach it is always right to pray, and not become weary, saying, A certain judge was in a certain city, who did not fear Elohim and who did not regard the sons of man. And a widow was in that city, and she came to him, saying, Avenge me from my accuser.

And for a time he would not. But after these things he said to himself, Even if I do not fear Elohim, and do not respect man, Yet, because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her that it should not at all occur that she comes at times and wears me down.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    Then Jesus used this story to teach the students that they should always pray and never give up: "Once there was a judge in a town. He didn’t respect God. The judge didn’t care what people thought about him, either. In that same town there was a woman who was a widow. The woman was always coming to this judge and saying, ‘There is a man who is trying to ruin me. Give me my rights!’

The judge didn’t want to help the woman. However, after a long time the judge thought to himself, ‘Even though I don’t respect God, and I don’t care what people think, this woman is beginning to bother me. If I give her what she wants, then she will leave me alone. If I don’t give her what she wants, she will keep coming back until I get sick!’"

The Scriptures 2009              And He spoke a parable to them, that they should always pray and not lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a certain judge, not fearing Elohim nor regarding man. 

“And a widow was in that city, and she came to him, saying, ‘Do right to me on my adversary.’ 

“And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, ‘Even if I do not fear Elohim nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I shall do right to her, lest by her continual coming she wears me out.’ ”

Tree of Life Version                Then Yeshua told them a parable to show that they should always pray and not be discouraged, He said, “There was a judge in a certain city who neither feared God nor respected people. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’ “He was unwilling at the time. But afterward he said to himself, ‘Although I don’t fear God or respect people, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice so she won’t wear me out by her incessant coming.’”

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...[He] said but comparison [to] them to the+ to be (necessary) always to pray them and not to have (weakness) Saying Judge Someone was in someone city the god not Fearing and man not Being Turned Widow but was in the city that and [She] came to him Saying vindicate! me from the opponent [of] me and not [He] wanted {to vindicate her} to time after but these [He] says in himself if and the god not [I] fear not man [I] am turned because of yet the+ to offer [to] me trouble the widow this [I] will vindicate her that not to end Coming [She] may beat me...

Alpha & Omega Bible            NOW HE WAS TELLING THEM A PARABLE TO SHOW THAT AT ALL TIMES THEY OUGHT TO PRAY AND NOT TO LOSE HEART,

SAYING, “IN A CERTAIN CITY THERE WAS A JUDGE WHO DID NOT FEAR THEOS (The Alpha & Omega) AND DID NOT RESPECT PEOPLE.

THERE WAS A WIDOW IN THAT CITY, AND SHE KEPT COMING TO HIM, SAYING, ‘GIVE ME LEGAL PROTECTION FROM MY OPPONENT.’

FOR A WHILE HE WAS UNWILLING; BUT AFTERWARD HE SAID TO HIMSELF, ‘EVEN THOUGH I DO NOT FEAR THEOS (The Alpha & Omega) NOR RESPECT PEOPLE,

YET BECAUSE THIS WIDOW BOTHERS ME, I WILL GIVE HER LEGAL PROTECTION, OTHERWISE BY CONTINUALLY COMING SHE WILL WEAR ME OUT.’”

Awful Scroll Bible                   Moreover, he asserst to speak out also, a parable put-beside to them, with regards to that, it is to necessitate as-when-at-all times, to wish-with-regards-to and not to weary-out, instructing, "There was from-within a certain city, a certain judge, himself not reverencing God, and not coming to be turned-from-within of they of the aspects-of-man.

(")In addition there was a widow from-within that city, and herself persists to come with respects to him, speaking out, 'Be punished-away for me of my lawsuit-opponent.'

(")Indeed he purposed not to for a time, but after these things, he said from-within himself, 'Even-if indeed I myself do not reverence God, and come not to be turned-from-within of they of the aspects-of-man,

(" ')surely because this-same widow is to hold- me -with grief, I will punish-away for her, for in-order-that-not herself intentionaly coming, shall stare- me -to-submission!' "

Concordant Literal Version    Now He told them a parable also, so that they must always be praying and not be despondent,

saying, "A certain judge was in a certain city, who did not fear God and did not respect man."

Now there was a widow in that city, and she came to him, saying, 'Avenge me from my plaintiff.'"

And for a time he would not. Yet, after this, he said in himself, 'Even if I am not fearing God nor respecting man,

surely, because of the weariness this widow is affording me, I shall be avenging her, lest she, coming, may belabor me into a consummation.'"

exeGeses companion Bible   YAH SHUA ON THE JUDGE AND THE WIDOW

And he words a parable to them, to this end,

that men must ever pray and not weary:

wording, There is a judge in a city,

who neither awes Elohim nor respects humanity:

and there is a widow in that city;

and she comes to him, wording,

Avenge me of mine adversary.

And for a time, he wills not:

but after these he says within himself,

Though I neither awe Elohim nor respect humanity;

yet indeed, because this widow embarrasses me,

I avenge her;

lest by her coming to the completion/shalom,

she subdues me.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Now he was speaking a mashal to them about how it is necessary always for them to daven and not to lose chozek, [YESHAYAH 40:31]

Saying, An aza (certain) Shofet was in a certain town. Now this Shofet had no fear of Hashem nor any respect for Bnei Adam.

Now an almanah was in that town and she was coming to him saying, Grant me yashrus (justice) against my ish riv (opponent in a lawsuit). [YESHAYAH 1:17]

And for a zman (time) the Shofet was not willing. But after these things, he said to himself, If indeed Hashem I do not fear nor do Bnei Adam I respect,

Yet because this almanah (widow) causes me tzoros and is such a nudzh (pest), I will grant yashrus (justice) to her, lest in the end she may wear me out by her constant coming.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. And he was speaking a parable unto them, as to its being needful for them alwaysʹ to prayˎ and not be faint-hearted; saying—

|A certain judge| there was in a certain city,—

Having |for God| no reverence, and |for man| no respect.

And |a widow| there wasˎ in that city;

And she kept coming unto him, saying—

Vindicate me from mine adversary!

And he was unwilling for a time;

But |after these things| he said within himself—

<Although |neither God| I reverenceˎ |nor man| I respect>

Yet |if only because this widow annoyeth me|

I will vindicate her,—

Lest |persistently coming| she wholly wear me out.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                Parables on Prayer

Now Jesus was telling the disciples a parable to make the point that at all times they ought to pray and not give up and lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and had no respect for man. There was a [desperate] widow in that city and she kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice and legal protection from my adversary.’ For a time he would not; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will give her justice and legal protection; otherwise by continually coming she [will be an intolerable annoyance and she] will wear me out. [Or in the end she will come and give me a black eye.]’”

An Understandable Version   Then Jesus told His disciples a parable for the purpose of showing them that they should pray continually and not become discouraged. He said, “There was a certain judge in this town who did not revere God nor respect man. There was [also] a widow in that [same] town who kept coming to the judge saying, ‘Grant me a [favorable] judgment against my opponent.’ And for some time the judge refused to do it. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not revere God or respect man, I will grant her a [favorable] judgment because she keeps bothering me [about the matter] and is about to exhaust my patience by her persistent visits.’”

The Expanded Bible              God Will Answer His People

Then Jesus used this ·story [parable] to ·teach his followers [show the necessity] that they should always pray and never ·lose hope [become discouraged]. “In a certain town there was a judge who did not ·respect [fear] God or ·care about people [or care what people thought]. In that same town there was a widow [^C among the most vulnerable members of society] who kept coming to this judge, saying, ‘Give me ·my rights [justice] against my ·enemy [opponent; adversary].’ For a while the judge refused to help her. But afterwards, he thought to himself, ‘Even though I don’t ·respect [fear] God or ·care about people [or care what people think], yet because she ·keeps bothering me [is causing me such trouble], I will see that she gets ·her rights [justice]. Otherwise she will ·keep coming until she wears me out [or eventually come and punch me/blacken my eye].’”

Jonathan Mitchell NT             Now He went on [and] told them a parable (an illustration cast alongside) with a view facing the [circumstances for] them, [that] it is of necessity at all times to be constantly thinking, speaking and active with an aim toward goodness, ease and well-being (or: keep praying), and not to give in to the bad or worthless [situation or conditions] (or: to dwell within an ugly mood or a disposition of poor quality; or: to respond badly in [something]),

proceeding in saying, "A certain judge was living within a certain city [who was] not in the habit of fearing or reverencing God, and also was not normally respecting (turning himself back upon so as to concern himself for) people.

"Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept on coming (or: going) to him, repeatedly saying, 'Decide the case from our custom and take up my cause by avenging and vindicating me from my adversary at law (or: plaintiff)!'

"And yet for some time he continued unwilling and would not. But after these [repeated pleas] he said within himself, 'Although (or: Even if) I am not normally fearing, being wary of or reverencing God nor respecting or concerned about people,

"'yet in fact, because of the [situation with] this widow constantly holding wearisome labor at the side for me (or: continually furnishing me with trouble and vexation while affording me personal cuts; or: = keeps pestering me), I will proceed deciding the case for her and continue avenging her (or: giving her a favorable ruling), so that with [her] continual coming, unto [the] end [of the matter], she may not repeatedly hit me in the face [with it] (or: = treat me severely and wear me out with pestering).'"

P. Kretzmann Commentary    Verses 1-5

The Importunate Widow.

The unjust judge:

And He spake a parable unto them to this end that men ought always to pray and not to faint,

saying, There was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded man,

And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God nor regard man,

yet, because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

Kretzmann’s commentary for vv. 1–5 is in the Addendum.

Syndein/Thieme                     {Prayer and the Parable of the Unjust Judge Versus the Always Righteous Judge}

`` Then He {Jesus} kept on telling them a parable face to face with them 'to demonstrate it is necessary' they should always {pantote} pray and not 'be discouraged'/'lose heart' . . . `` saying, "In a certain city there was a certain judge who neither feared/respected {phobeo} God nor had regard/reverence {entrepo} for people.

``Now there kept on being a widow in that city who kept coming face to face with him saying, 'Protect me from my opponent in a lawsuit by an equitable administration of justice {ekdikeo}.'

``For a while he absolutely refused/'would not' {ouk}. But later on he 'said to himself'/thought, 'Though I absolutely do not {ouk} fear/respect God nor absolutely do not {ouk} regard/revere mankind, `` seeing that because/'by means of' {dia} this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her 'equitable justice' {ekdikeo}, or in the end she may wear me out by her unending pleas.'"

Translation for Translators      Jesus taught about continuing to believe that God will answer prayer.

Luke 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable to teach them that they always ought to pray confidently and not be discouraged if God does not immediately answer their prayers. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not revere God, and did not care about people, either. There was a widow in that city who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Please decide what is just in the dispute between me and the man who is opposing me in court!’ For a long time the judge refused to help her. But later he thought to himself, ‘I do not revere God and I do not care about people, but this widow keeps bothering me! So I will make sure that she is treated justly. If I do not do that, she will exhaust me by continually coming to me!’ ”

The Voice                               He told them a parable, urging them to keep praying and never grow discouraged. The parable went like this:

Jesus: There was a judge living in a certain city. He showed no respect for God or humanity. In that same city there was a widow. Again and again she kept coming to him seeking justice: “Clear my name from my adversary’s false accusations!” He paid no attention to her request for a while, but then he said to himself, “I don’t care about what God thinks of me, much less what any mere human thinks. But this widow is driving me crazy. She’s never going to quit coming to see me unless I hear her case and provide her legal protection.”.

Bible Translations with a Lot of Footnotes:

NET Bible®                             Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

Then¹ Jesus² told them a parable to show them they should always³ pray and not lose heart.⁴ He said,⁵ “In a certain city⁶ there was a judge⁷ who neither feared God nor respected people.⁸ There was also a widow⁹ in that city¹⁰ who kept coming¹1 to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For¹² a while he refused, but later on¹³ he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people,¹⁴ yet because this widow keeps on bothering me, I will give her justice, or in the end she will wear me out¹⁵ by her unending pleas.’”¹⁶

^1tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

^2tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

^3tn Or “should pray at all times” (L&N 67.88).

^4sn This is one of the few parables that comes with an explanation at the start: …they should always pray and not lose heart. It is part of Luke’s goal in encouraging Theophilus (1:4).

^5tn Grk “lose heart, saying.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronominal subject “He.”

^6tn Or “town.”

^7sn The judge here is apparently portrayed as a civil judge who often handled financial cases.

^8tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.

^9sn This widow was not necessarily old, since many people lived only into their thirties in the 1st century.

^10tn Or “town.”

^11tn This is an iterative imperfect; the widow did this on numerous occasions.

^12tn Grk “And for.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

^13tn Grk “after these things.”

^14tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.

^15tn The term ὑπωπιάζω (Jupwpiazw) in this context means “to wear someone out by continual annoying” (L&N 25.245).

^16tn Grk “by her continual coming,” but the point of annoyance to the judge is her constant pleas for justice (v. 3).

The Spoken English NT         The Parable of the Widow who Wouldn’t Give Up
Jesus was telling them a parable about the need to be praying all the time, and not to give up. He was saying, “There was a judge in a certain city, who had no fear of God or respect for human beings. And there was a widow in that city, and she used to go to him and say, ‘Get me justice in my legal dispute!’^a And for a while he didn’t want to. But later he said to himself, ‘It may be that I have no fear of God or respect for human beings. But because this widow keeps bothering me, I’m going to get justice for her. That way, she won’t finally wear me out with her visits.’”^b

^a.Lit. “Vindicate me against my adversary.”

^b.Lit. “in the end, by coming, wear me out.”

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  And He also spoke a parable to them to show that it is necessary to pray always, and not to give up, Saying, "There was in a certain city a certain judge who neither feared God nor respected man.  And there was a widow in that city; and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Avenge me of my adversary.'  Now for a time he would not; but afterwards he said within himself, 'Although I do not fear God and do not respect man, Yet because this widow is causing me trouble, I will avenge her, lest she wear me out by her continual coming.' "

Analytical-Literal Translation  Now He was also telling an allegory to them to [show] that it is necessary to always be praying and not to continue becoming discouraged, saying, "A certain judge was in a certain city, [who was] not fearing God and not respecting humanity.

"Now a widow was in that city, and she was coming to him, saying, 'Give justice to me against my opponent [in a lawsuit].'

"And he did not want [to] for a time, but after these [things] he said in himself, 'Even though I do not fear God and do not respect humanity, yet because this widow is causing me trouble, I will give justice to her, so that [she will] not be wearing me out by coming to [the] end [fig., coming continually].'"

Charles Thomson NT             Then he addressed them with a parable, to shew them that they ought to persevere in prayer, and not be discouraged; saying, There was in a certain city a judge, who neither feared God, nor regarded man. And there was in that city a widow, who went to him, saying, Do me justice on mine adversary. And for a while he would not. But afterwards he said within himself, Though I neither fear God, nor regard man, yet because this widow giveth me trouble, I will do her justice, that she may not, by coming perpetually, torment me.

Context Group Version          And he spoke a parable to them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to grow weary; saying, There was in a city a judge, who didn't fear God, and wasn't shamed by man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came often to him, saying, Avenge me of my opponent. And he would not for awhile: but after these things he said to himself, Though I don't fear God, nor am shamed by man; yet because this widow beats me down {lit. blackens my eye}, I will avenge her, lest she wear me out by her continual coming.

English Standard Version      And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'"

Far Above All Translation       He also told them a parable on the need always to pray and not to flag, and said, “There was a certain judge in a certain city who did not fear God, nor did he respect man. And there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Vindicate me from my opponent.’

But for a long time he refused. But at length he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God or respect man, nevertheless because this widow gives me trouble, I will get her vindicated, so that she does not endlessly come and grind me down.’ ”

Literal New Testament           AND HE SPOKE ALSO A PARABLE TO THEM TO THE PURPORT THAT IT BEHOOVES ALWAYS TO PRAY [THEM] AND NOT TO FAINT, SAYING, A JUDGE CERTAIN THERE WAS IN CERTAIN A CITY, GOD NOT FEARING AND MAN NOT RESPECTING. AND A WIDOW THERE WAS IN THAT CITY, AND SHE WAS COMING TO HIM, SAYING, AVENGE ME OF MINE ADVERSE PARTY. AND HE WOULD NOT FOR A TIME; BUT AFTERWARDS HE SAID WITHIN HIMSELF, IF EVEN GOD I FEAR NOT AND MAN NOT RESPECT, YET BECAUSE CAUSES ME TROUBLE THIS WIDOW I WILL AVENGE HER, LEST PERPETUALLY COMING SHE HARASS ME.

Literal Standard Version        And He also spoke an allegory to them, that it is always necessary to pray and not to faint, saying, “A certain judge was in a certain city—he is not fearing God, and he is not regarding man—and a widow was in that city, and she was coming to him, saying, Do me justice on my opponent, and he would not for a time, but after these things he said in himself, Even if I do not fear God, and do not regard man, yet because this widow gives me trouble, I will do her justice, lest, continuously coming, she may bruise me.”

Modern English Version         The Parable of the Widow and the Judge

He told them a parable to illustrate that it is necessary always to pray and not lose heart. He said: “In a city there was a judge who did not fear God or regard man. And a widow was in that city. She came to him, saying, ‘Avenge me against my adversary.’

“He would not for a while. Yet afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I do not fear God or respect man, yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she will weary me.’ ”

Modern Literal Version 2020  Now he also spoke a parable to them, *that* it is essential to always pray, and not to be depressed; saying: A certain judge was in a certain city, who was not fearing God and not revering man. Now a widow was in that city, and she was coming often to him, saying, Avenge me from my opponent. And he did not wish to at that time, but after these things continued, he said in himself, Even if I do not fear God, and I do not revere man; yet because this widow is harassing me, I will avenge her, in-order-that she may not pester me, coming often *for an end of her opponent.

New American Standard B.    Parables on Prayer

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect any person. Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent [Or enemy].’ For a while he was unwilling; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect any person, yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice; otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out. [Or in the end she may come and give me a black eye]’”

New European Version          Jesus teaches about prayer

And he spoke a parable to them, that they should always pray and not lose heart, saying: There was in a city a judge, who did not fear God and had no regard for man. And there was a widow in that city; and she came often to him, saying: Give me justice against my adversary. And for a while he would not, but afterward he said to himself: Though I neither fear God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me, I will give her justice, lest she wear me out by her continual coming

New Matthew Bible                He teaches to be fervent in prayer continually. Of the Pharisee and the publican. The kingdom of God belongs to children. Christ answers the ruler, and promises reward to all who suffer loss for his sake and follow him. The blind man is restored to his sight.

And he put forth a similitude to them signifying that people ought always to pray, and not to be weary of it, saying, There was a judge in a certain city who neither feared God nor regarded man. And there was a certain widow in the same city, who came to him, saying, Avenge me of my adversary! And he would not for a while. But afterward he said to himself, Though I do not fear God or care about people, yet because this widow is troubling me, I will avenge her, lest she wear me out with nagging.

Revised Young's Lit. Trans.   And he spake also a simile to them, that it is necessary for us always to pray, and not to faint, saying, 'A certain judge was in a certain city -- God he is not fearing, and man he is not regarding -- and a widow was in that city, and she was coming unto him, saying, Do me justice on my opponent, and he would not for a time, but after these things he said in himself, Even if God I do not fear, and man do not regard, yet because this widow does give me trouble, I will do her justice, lest, perpetually coming, she may plague me.'

World English Bible                He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up, saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who didn’t fear God, and didn’t respect man. A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’

He wouldn’t for a while, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God, nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.’”

The gist of this passage:     Jesus presents the parable of the woman and the unjust judge to emphasize the persistence of prayer.

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