Luke 11
1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
One day Jesus was at a certain place praying, and, when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Master, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’
2 And he said unto them, When all of you pray, say, Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
‘When you pray,’ Jesus answered, ‘say – “Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
Give us each day the bread that we will need;
4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who wrongs us; and take us not into temptation.”’
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
Jesus also said to them, ‘Suppose that one of you who has a friend were to go to him in the middle of the night and say “Friend, lend me three loaves,
6 For a friend of mine in his journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house after a journey, and I have nothing to offer him;”
7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give you.
And suppose that the other should answer from inside “Do not trouble me; the door is already fastened, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything”;
8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
I tell you that, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is a friend, yet because of his persistence he will rouse himself and give him what he wants.
9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and all of you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
‘And so I say to you – Ask, and your prayer will be granted, search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
10 For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.
For the person who asks receives, everyone who searches finds, and to the person who knocks the door will be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
What father among you, if his son asks him for a fish, will give him a snake instead,
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
or, if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13 If all of you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit (pneuma) to them that ask him?
If you, then, naturally wicked though you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’
14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spoke; and the people wondered.
Once Jesus was driving out a mute demon, and, when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke. The people were amazed at this;
15 But some of them said, He casts out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
but some of them said, ‘He drives out demons by the help of Beelzebul, the chief of the demons’;
16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
while others, to test him, asked him for some sign from the heavens.
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falls.
Jesus himself, however, was aware of what they were thinking, and said to them, ‘Any kingdom wholly divided against itself becomes a desolation; and a divided house falls.
18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because all of you say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
So, too, if Satan is wholly divided against himself, how can his kingdom last? Yet you say that I drive out demons by the help of Beelzebul.
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
But, if it is by Beelzebul’s help that I drive out demons, by whose help is it that your own sons drive them out? Therefore they will themselves be your judges.
20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God has come upon you.
But, if it is by the hand of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God must already be upon you.
21 When a strong man armed keeps his palace, his goods are in peace:
When a strong man is keeping guard, fully armed, over his own mansion, his property is in safety;
22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he takes from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divides his spoils.
but, when one still stronger has attacked and overpowered him, he takes away all the weapons on which the other had relied, and divides his spoil.
23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathers not with me scatters.
Whoever is not with me is against me, and the person who does not help me to gather is scattering.
24 When the unclean spirit (pneuma) is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, I will return unto my house whence I came out.
No sooner does a foul spirit leave someone, than it passes through places where there is no water, in search of rest; and finding none, it says “I will go back to the home which I left”;
25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and garnished.
but, on coming there, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.
26 Then goes he, and takes to him seven other spirits (pneuma) more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in, and make their home there; and the last state of that person proves to be worse than the first.’
27 And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare you, and the breast which you have sucked.
As Jesus was saying this, a woman in the crowd, raising her voice, exclaimed, ‘Happy was the mother who bore you and nursed you!’
28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word (logos) of God, and keep it.
But Jesus replied, ‘Rather, happy are those who listen to God’s message and keep it.’
29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
As the crowds increased, Jesus began to speak, ‘This generation is a wicked generation. It is asking a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah.
30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
For, as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
At the judgment the Queen of the South will rise up with the people of this generation, and will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and here is more than a Solomon!
32 The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation, and will condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s proclamation; and here is more than a Jonah!
33 No man, when he has lighted a candle, puts it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
No one lights a lamp, and then puts it in the cellar or under a basket, but he puts it on the lamp-stand, so that anyone who comes in may see the light.
34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when your eye is single, your whole body also is full of light; but when your eye is evil, your body also is full of darkness.
The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is unclouded, your whole body, also, is lit up; but, as soon as your eye is diseased, your body, also, is darkened.
35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in you be not darkness.
Take care, therefore, that the inner light is not darkness.
36 If your whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle does give you light.
If, then, your whole body is lit up, and no corner of it darkened, the whole will be lit up, just as when a lamp gives you light by its brilliance.’
37 And as he spoke, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to food.
As Jesus finished speaking, a Pharisee asked him to breakfast with him, and Jesus went in and took his place at the table.
38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
The Pharisee noticed, to his astonishment, that Jesus omitted the ceremonial washing before breakfast.
39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do all of you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
But the Master said to him, ‘You Pharisees do, it is true, clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside you yourselves are filled with greed and wickedness.
40 All of you fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
Fools! Did not the maker of the outside make the inside too?
41 But rather give alms of such things as all of you have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.
Only give away what is in them in charity, and at once you have the whole clean.
42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for all of you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love (agape) of God: these ought all of you to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
But alas for you Pharisees! You pay tithes on mint, rue, and herbs of all kinds, and pass over justice and love to God. These last you ought to have put into practice without neglecting the first.
43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for all of you love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
Alas for you Pharisees! You delight to have the front seat in the synagogues, and to be greeted in the markets with respect.
44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for all of you are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
Alas for you! You are like unsuspected graves, over which men walk unawares.’
45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying you reproach us also.
Here one of the students of the Law interrupted him by saying, ‘Teacher, when you say this, you are insulting us also.’
46 And he said, Woe unto you also, all of you lawyers! for all of you load men with burdens grievous to be borne, and all of you yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
But Jesus went on, ‘Alas for you, too, you students of the Law! You load people with loads that are too heavy to carry, but do not, yourselves, touch them with one of your fingers.
47 Woe unto you! for all of you build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
Alas for you! You build the monuments of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.
48 Truly all of you bear witness that all of you allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and all of you build their sepulchers.
You are actually witnesses to your ancestors’ acts and show your approval of them, because, while they killed the prophets, you build tombs for them.
49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
That is why the wisdom of God said – “I will send to them prophets and apostles,
50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
some of whom they will persecute and kill, in order that the blood of all the prophets that has been spilt since the creation of the world may be exacted from this generation –
51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
from the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah, who was slain between the altar and the house of God.” Yes, I tell you, it will be exacted from this generation.
52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for all of you have taken away the key of knowledge: all of you entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in all of you hindered.
Alas for you students of the Law! You have taken away the key of the door of knowledge. You have not gone in yourselves and you have hindered those who try to go in.’
53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
When Jesus left the house, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to press him hard and question him closely on many subjects,
54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
laying traps for him, so as to seize on anything that he might say.
