New Testament · Luke 10:25–37
The Good Samaritan — Bible Story for Kids
Jesus told a story about a man who was hurt by robbers. Two people passed by, but a Samaritan stopped to help. Jesus said, "Go and do the same."
This is a retelling for children, written by BibleKenya from the Bible passages shown on each picture. It is not a Bible translation.
A man asked , "What must I do to have eternal life?" He knew God's law said to love God and love your neighbour. "But who is my neighbour?" he asked.
A lawyer asked , "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus asked what the law said. He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart... and your neighbour as yourself." Wanting to justify himself, he asked, "Who is my neighbour?"
told a story. A man was walking on a lonely road. Robbers hurt him, took his things and left him by the road.
answered with a story: "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him, beat him and departed, leaving him half dead."
Bible explorer The road from Jerusalem down to Jericho is steep and lonely.
A came by, but he walked past on the other side. A came by, and he walked past too.
"By chance a was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side."
Then a came. He felt sorry for the man. He cleaned and bandaged his wounds, put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn to look after him. He even paid for his stay!
"But a certain , as he travelled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with . He bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he gave the host two denarii and said, 'Take care of him.'"
Bible explorer Jews and Samaritans did not usually get along (John 4:9). That is what makes the story surprising.
asked, "Which one was a neighbour to the hurt man?" The man said, "The one who was kind to him." Jesus said, "Go and do the same."
"Which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbour to him who fell among the robbers?" He said, "He who showed on him." Then said to him, "Go and do likewise."
The end of the story
Read it in the Bible
This is the Bible text itself, from the version shown. Scripture in WEBWorld English Bible — Protestant Edition
Luke 10:25–37 WEB
25Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” 27He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.” 29But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” 30Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, 34came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ 36Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?” 37He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Who is in the story?
- Jesus He told this parable to answer a question (Luke 10:30).
- The Samaritan A traveller in Jesus' story who showed mercy (Luke 10:33).
- The priest and the Levite Two travellers in the story who passed by (Luke 10:31-32).
Words to learn
- Levite
- A member of the tribe of Levi. Levites served at the tabernacle and temple; only Aaron's descendants among them were priests.
- Mercy
- Mercy is kindness to someone who needs help or who has done wrong. The good Samaritan showed mercy to a hurt man by the road.
- Parable
- A parable is a story Jesus told to teach something about God. The lost sheep is one of his parables.
- Priest
- A priest served God for the people, at the tabernacle and later the temple. Zechariah, John the Baptist's father, was a priest.
- Samaritan
- A Samaritan was a person from Samaria. In Jesus' story, a Samaritan stopped to help a hurt man when others walked past.
What can we learn from this passage?
The lawyer asked who his neighbour was. Jesus' story turned the question around: a neighbour is someone who shows mercy, even to a stranger, and Jesus said, "Go and do likewise." Luke 10:36–37