Luke 18:9-14 (NIV) To some
who were confident of their own righteousness and looked
down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the
other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and
prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like
other men–robbers, evildoers, adul-terers–or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I
get.' 13 But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not
even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God,
have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 I tell you that this man,
rather than the other, went home justified before God. For
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who
humbles himself will be exalted."