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.”
And it came about that he was in prayer in a certain place, and when he came to an end, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, will you give us teaching about prayer, as John did to 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.
And he said to them, When you say your prayers, say, Father, may your name be kept holy and your kingdom come.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
Give us every day bread for our needs.
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.’”
May we have forgiveness for our sins, as we make free all those who are in debt to us. And let us not be put to the test.
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, having a friend, would go to him in the middle of the night and say to him, Friend, let me have three cakes of bread;
6 for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,’
Because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I have nothing to put before 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 he, from inside the house, would say in answer, Do not be a trouble to me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; it is not possible for me to get up and give to you?
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 say to you, Though he will not get up and give to him, because he is his friend, still, if he keeps on making his request, he will get up and give him as much as he has need of.
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 I say to you, Make requests, and they will be answered; what you are searching for, you will get; when you give the sign, the door will be open to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.
For to everyone who makes a request, it will be given; and he who is searching will get his desire; and to him who gives the sign, the door will be open.
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 which of you, being a father, will give a stone to his son, who makes request for bread? or for a fish, will give him a snake?
12 Or if he asks for an egg, he won’t give him a scorpion, will he?
Or 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, then, you who are evil are able to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who make request to 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.
And he was sending an evil spirit out of a man who was without the power of talking. And it came about that when the spirit had gone the man had the power of talking; and the people were full of wonder.
15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.”
But some of them said, He sends out evil spirits by Beelzebul, the ruler of evil spirits.
16 Others, testing him, sought from him a sign from heaven.
And others, testing him, were looking for a sign from heaven from him.
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself falls.
But he, having knowledge of their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom in which there is division is made waste; and a house in which there is division comes to destruction.
18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
If, then, Satan is at war with himself, how will he keep his kingdom? because you say that I send evil spirits out of men 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.
And if I, by Beelzebul, send out evil spirits, by whose help do your sons send them out? so let them be your judges.
20 But if I by God’s finger cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come to you.
But if I, by the finger of God, send out evil spirits, then the kingdom of God has overtaken you.
21 “When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe.
When the strong man armed keeps watch over his house, then his goods are safe:
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 who is stronger makes an attack on him and overcomes him, he takes away his instruments of war, in which he had put his faith, and makes division of his goods.
23 “He who is not with me is against me. He who doesn’t gather with me scatters.
He who is not with me is against me, and he who will not give me help in getting people together is driving them away.
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.’
The unclean spirit, when he has gone out of a man, goes through dry places, looking for rest; and when he does not get it, he says, I will go back to my house from which I came.
25 When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order.
And when he comes, he sees that it has been made fair and clean.
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 he goes and gets seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they go in, and take their places there: and the last condition of that man is 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!”
And it came about that when he said these things, a certain woman among the people said in a loud voice, Happy is the body which gave you birth, and the breasts from which you took milk.
28 But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”
But he said, More happy are they who give hearing to the word of God 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.
And when a great number of people came together to him, he said, This generation is an evil generation: it is looking for a sign and no sign will be given to it but 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 even as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, 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.
The queen of the South will come up on the day of judging and give her decision against the men of this generation: for she came from the ends of the earth to give ear to the wisdom of Solomon; and now something 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.
The men of Nineveh will come up in the day of judging and give their decision against this generation: for they were turned away from their sins at the preaching of Jonah; but now something 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.
No man, when the light has been lighted, puts it in a secret place, or under a vessel, but on its table, so that those 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 light of the body is the eye: when your eye is true, all your body is full of light; but when it is evil, your body is dark.
35 Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn’t darkness.
So take care that the light which is in you is not dark.
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, all your body is light, with no part of it dark, it will be completely full of light, as when a flame 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.
Now, while he was talking, a Pharisee made a request that he would come to a meal with him; and he went in and took his seat at the meal.
38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner.
And when the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised because he came to the meal without first washing himself.
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.
And the Lord said to him, You Pharisees make the outside of the cup and the plate clean; but inside you are thieves and full of evil.
40 You foolish ones, didn’t he who made the outside make the inside also?
O you foolish ones! did not he who made the outside in the same way make the inside?
41 But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you.
But if you give to the poor such things as you are able, then all things are clean to 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 a curse is on you, Pharisees! for you make men give a tenth of every sort of plant, and give no thought to right and the love of God; but it is right for you to do these things, and not let the others be undone.
43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces.
A curse is on you, Pharisees! for your desires are for the most important seats in the Synagogues and for words of respect said to you in the market-place.
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.”
A curse is on you! for you are like the resting-places of dead men, which are not seen, and men go walking over them without knowledge of it.
45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also.”
And one of the teachers of the law, answering, said to him, Master, in saying this, you give a bad name to us as to them.
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.
And he said, A curse is on you, teachers of the law! for while other men are crushed under the weight of the rules you make for them, you yourselves do not put so much as one finger to them.
47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
A curse is on you! for you make resting-places for the bodies of the prophets, but your fathers put them to death.
48 So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their tombs.
So you are witnesses and give approval to the work of your fathers; for they put them to death and you make their last resting-places.
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 the wisdom of God has said, I will send them prophets and teachers, and to some of them they will give death and cruel pains;
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 punishment may come on this generation for the blood of all the prophets which was given from the earliest days;
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 to the blood of Zachariah, who was put to death between the altar and the Temple. Yes, I say to you, It will come on 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.”
A curse is on you, teachers of the law! for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you did not go in yourselves, and you got in the way of those who were going 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,
And when he had come out of that place, the scribes and the Pharisees came round him angrily, questioning him about more things;
54 lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch him in something he might say, that they might accuse him.
And watching him, for a chance to get something from his words which might be used against him.
