Excerpted from The New Jerusalem Bible

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus
Luke 16: 19-31

19‘There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. 20And at his gate, there used to lie a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, 21who longed to fill himself with what fell from the rich man’s table. Even dogs came and licked his sores. 22Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels into Abraham’s embrace. The rich man also died and was buried.

23‘In his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off with Lazarus in his embrace. 24So he cried out, “Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.”

25Abraham said, “My son, remember that during your life you had your fill of good things, just as Lazarus his fill of bad. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony. 26But that is not all: between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to prevent those who want to cross from our side to yours or from your side to ours.”

27‘So he said, “Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to this place of torment too.” 29Abraham said, “They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them.”

30The rich man replied, “Ah no, father Abraham, but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent.” 31Then Abraham said to him, “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”

The resurrection of Lazarus
John 11:1-49

There was a man named Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister, Martha, and he was ill. 2It was the same Mary, the sister of the sick man Lazarus, who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. 3The sisters sent this message to Jesus, ‘Lord, the man you love is ill.’ 4On receiving the message, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death, but it is for God’s glory so that through it the Son of God may be glorified.’

5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6yet when he heard that he was ill he stayed where he was for two more days 7before saying to the disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judaea.’ 8The disciples said, ‘Rabbi, it is not long since the Jews were trying to stone you; are you going back there again?’ 9Jesus replied:

Are there not twelve hours in the day?
No one who walks in the daytime
stumbles,
having the light of this world to see by;
10anyone who walks around at night
stumbles,
having no light as a guide.

11He said that and then added, ‘Our friend Lazarus is at rest; I am going to wake him.’

12The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he is at rest he will be saved.’ 13Jesus was speaking of the death of Lazarus, but they thought that by ‘rest’ he meant ‘sleep’; 14so Jesus put it plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead; 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you will believe. But let us go to him.’ 16Then Thomas – known as the Twin – said to the other disciples, ‘Let us also go to die with him.’

17On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. 18Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. 21Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died, 22but even now I know that God will grant whatever you ask of him.’ 23Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ 24Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ 25Jesus said:

I am the resurrection.
Anyone who believes in me,
even though that person dies, will live,
26and whoever lives and believes in me
will never die
Do you believe this?

27‘Yes, Lord,’ she said, ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’

28When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in a low voice, ‘The Master is here and wants to see you.’ 29Hearing this, Mary got up quickly and went to him. 30Jesus had not yet come into the village; he was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31When the Jews who were in the house comforting Mary saw her get up so quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

32Mary went to Jesus, and as soon as she saw him she threw herself at his feet, saying, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ 33At the sight of her tears, and those of the Jews who had come with her, Jesus was greatly distressed, and with a profound sigh he said, 34‘Where have you put him?’ They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’ 35Jesus wept; 36and the Jews said, ‘See how much he loved him!’ 37But there were some who remarked, ‘He opened the eyes of the blind man. Could he not have prevented this man’s death?’ 38Sighing again, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. 39Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, ‘Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day since he died.’ 40Jesus replied, ‘Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ 41So they took the stone away. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said:

Father, I thank you
for hearing my prayer.
42I myself knew that you hear me always,
but I speak
for the sake of all these
who are standing around me,
so that they may believe
it was you who sent me.

43When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ 44The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with strips of material, and a cloth over his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’