< 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.”
At one place where He was praying, when He rose from His knees one of His disciples said to Him, "Master, teach us to pray, just 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.
So He said to them, "When you pray, say, 'Father may Thy name be kept holy; let Thy Kingdom come;
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
give us day after day our bread for the day;
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 also forgive every one who fails in his duty to us; and bring 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,
And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend and shall go to him in the middle of the night and say, "'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;
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 just come to my house from a distance, and I have nothing for him to eat'?
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 he from indoors shall answer, "'Do not pester me. The door is now barred, and I am here in bed with my children. I cannot get up and give you bread.'
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 if he will not rise and give him the loaves because he is his friend, at any rate because of his persistency he will rouse himself and give him as many as he requires.
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.
"So I say to you, 'Ask, and what you ask for shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you.'
10 For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.
For every one who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door shall 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?
And what father is there among you, who, if his son asks for a slice of bread, will offer him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish offer him a snake?
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 offer 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, with all your human frailty, know how to give your children gifts that are good for them, how much more certainly will your Father who is 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.
On once occasion He was expelling a dumb demon; and when the demon was gone out the dumb man could speak, and the people were astonished.
15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.”
But some among them said, "It is by the power of Baal-zebul, the Prince of the demons, that he expels the demons."
16 Others, testing him, sought from him a sign from heaven.
Others, to put Him to the test, asked Him for a sign in the sky.
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself falls.
And, knowing their thoughts, He said to them, "Every kingdom in which civil war rages goes to ruin: family attacks family and is overthrown.
18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
And if Satan really has engaged in fierce conflict with himself, how shall his kingdom stand?--because you say that I expel demons by the power of Baal-zebul.
19 But if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
And if it is by the power of Baal-zebul that I expel the demons, by whom do your disciples expel them? They therefore shall 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 power of God that I drive out the demons, it is evident that the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
21 “When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe.
"Whenever a strong man, fully armed and equipped, is guarding his own castle, he enjoys peaceful possession of his property;
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 as soon as another stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away that complete armour of his in which he trusted, and distributes the plunder he has collected.
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 whoever is not gathering with me is scattering abroad.
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.’
"When a foul spirit has left a man, it roams about in the Desert, seeking a resting-place; but, unable to find any, it says, 'I will return to the house I have left;"
25 When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order.
and when it comes, it finds the house swept clean and in good 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 malignant than itself, and they enter and dwell there; and in the end that man's condition becomes worse than it was at 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 He thus spoke a woman in the crowd called out in a loud voice, "Blessed is the mother who carried you, and the breasts that you have sucked."
28 But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”
"Nay rather," He replied, "they are blessed who hear God's Message and carefully 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.
Now when the crowds came thronging upon Him, He proceeded to say, "The present generation is a wicked generation: it requires some sign, but no sign shall be given to it except that 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 just as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a token to the present 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.
The Queen of the South will awake at the Judgement together with the men of the present generation, and will condemn them; because she came from the extremity of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; but mark! One greater than Solomon is here.
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.
There will stand up men of Nineveh at the Judgement together with the present generation, and will condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and mark! One greater than Jonah is here.
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.
"When any one lights a lamp, he never puts it in the cellar or under the bushel, but on the lampstand, that people who come 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 the eye. When your eyesight is good, your whole body also is lighted up; but when it is defective, your body is darkened.
35 Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn’t darkness.
Consider therefore whether the light that is in you is anything but mere 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, however, your whole body is penetrated with light, and has no part dark, it will be so lighted, all of it, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light."
37 Now as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in and sat at the table.
When He had thus spoken, a Pharisee invited Him to breakfast at his house; so He entered and took His place at table.
38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner.
Now the Pharisee saw to his surprise that He did not wash His hands before breakfasting.
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.
The Master however said to him, "Here we see how you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup or plate, while your secret hearts are full of greed and selfishness.
40 You foolish ones, didn’t he who made the outside make the inside also?
Foolish men! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
41 But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you.
But as to what is within, give alms, and instantly all is clean in you.
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! for you pay tithes on your mint and rue and every kind of garden vegetable, and are indifferent to justice and the love of God. These are the things you ought to have attended to, while not neglecting the others.
43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces.
Alas for you Pharisees! for you love the best seats in the synagogues, and you like to be bowed to in places of public resort.
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! for you are like the tombs which lie hidden, and the people who walk over them are not aware of their existence."
45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also.”
Hereupon one of the expounders of the Law exclaimed, "Rabbi, in saying such things you reproach 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.
"Alas too for you expounders of the Law!" replied Jesus, "for you load men with cumbrous burdens which you yourselves will not touch 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! for you repair the tombs of the Prophets, whom your forefathers killed.
48 So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their tombs.
It follows that you bear testimony to the actions of your forefathers and that you fully approve thereof. They slew, you build.
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,
"For this reason also the Wisdom of God has said, 'I will send Prophets and Apostles to them, of whom they will kill some and persecute others,'
50 that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation,
so that the blood of all the Prophets, that is being shed from the creation of the world onwards, may be required from the present 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.
Yes, I tell you that, from the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the House, it shall all be required from the present 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 expounders of the Law! for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you yourselves have not entered, and those who wanted to enter you have hindered."
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,
After He had left the house, the Scribes and Pharisees commenced a vehement attempt to entangle Him and make Him give off-hand answers on numerous points,
54 lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch him in something he might say, that they might accuse him.
lying in wait to catch some unguarded expression from His lips.

< Luke 11 >