Luke 11
1 When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just 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 He said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
“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 Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”
and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who wrongs us; and take us not into temptation.’”
5 He said to them, “Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight and tell him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
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 has come to me from a journey, 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 will answer and say, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give it to 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 tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up 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 “I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to 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 everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.
For the person who asks receives, everyone who searches finds, and to the person who knocks the door will be opened.
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won’t give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?
What father among you, if his son asks him for a fish, will give him a snake instead,
12 Or if he asks for an egg, he won’t give him a scorpion, will he?
or, if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who 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 He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the multitudes marveled.
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 demons by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.”
but some of them said, “He drives out demons by the help of Beelzebul, the chief of the demons”;
16 Others, testing him, sought from 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 to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself 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 is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
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 But if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will 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 by God’s finger cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come to 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 the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe.
When a strong man is keeping guard, fully armed, over his own mansion, his property is in safety;
22 But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him his whole armor in which he trusted, and divides his plunder.
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 who is not with me is against me. He who doesn’t gather with me scatters.
Whoever is not with me is against me, and the person who does not help me to gather is scattering.
24 The unclean spirit, when he has gone out of the man, passes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will turn back to my house from which 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 When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order.
but, on coming there, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.
26 Then he goes and takes seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes 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 It came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!”
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, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”
But Jesus replied, “Rather, happy are those who listen to God’s message and keep it.”
29 When the multitudes were gathering together to him, he began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks after a sign. No sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah 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 even as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will also 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 will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and will condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, one 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 will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, one greater than Jonah 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 one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who 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 lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light; but when it 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 Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn’t darkness.
Take care, therefore, that the inner light is not darkness.
36 If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives 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 Now as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in and sat at the table.
As Jesus finished speaking, a Pharisee asked him to breakfast with him, and Jesus went in and took his place at the table.
38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner.
The Pharisee noticed, to his astonishment, that Jesus omitted the ceremonial washing before breakfast.
39 The Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion 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 You foolish ones, didn’t he who made the outside make the inside also?
Fools! Did not the maker of the outside make the inside too?
41 But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you.
Only give away what is in them in charity, and at once you have the whole clean.
42 But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and God’s love. You ought to have done these, and not to have left 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 to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces.
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 to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don’t know it.”
Alas for you! You are like unsuspected graves, over which men walk unawares.”
45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult 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 He said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with burdens that are difficult to carry, and you yourselves won’t even lift one finger to help carry those burdens.
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 to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
Alas for you! You build the monuments of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.
48 So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their tombs.
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 the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles; and some of them they will kill 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 to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.’ Yes, I tell you, it will 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 to you lawyers! For you took away the key of knowledge. You didn’t enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in, 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 As he said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be terribly angry, and to draw many things out of him,
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 lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch him in something he might say, that they might accuse him.
laying traps for him, so as to seize on anything that he might say.
