Luke 11
1 One day in a place where Jesus had just finished praying, one of His disciples requested, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John 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 So Jesus told them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.
So He said to them, "When you pray, say, 'Father may Thy name be kept holy; let Thy Kingdom come;
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
give us day after day our bread for the day;
4 And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
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 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you goes to his friend at midnight and says, ‘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 because a friend of mine has come to me on 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 suppose the one inside answers, ‘Do not bother me. My door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’
"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, even though he will not get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much 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 So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door 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; and to him who knocks, the door 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 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
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, will give him a scorpion?
or if he asks for an egg, will offer him a scorpion?
13 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven 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 One day Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. And when the demon was gone, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed,
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, “It is by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, that He drives out 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 And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven.
Others, to put Him to the test, asked Him for a sign in the sky.
17 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and a house divided against a house will fall.
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 is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? After all, you say that I drive 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 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, 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 drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon 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 a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are secure.
"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 and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted, and then he divides up 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, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever is not gathering with me is scattering abroad.
24 When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’
"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 On its return, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.
and when it comes, it finds the house swept clean and in good order.
26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is 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 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that 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 replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
"Nay rather," He replied, "they are blessed who hear God's Message and carefully keep it."
29 As the crowds were increasing, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.
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 as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign 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 at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now 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 at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now 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 lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a basket. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can 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 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body 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 Be careful, then, that the light within you is not darkness.
Consider therefore whether the light that is in you is anything but mere darkness.
36 So if your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, you will be radiant, as though a lamp were shining on you.”
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 As Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited Him to dine with him; so He went in and reclined 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 But the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.
Now the Pharisee saw to his surprise that He did not wash His hands before breakfasting.
39 “Now then,” said the Lord, “you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed 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 fools! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside as well?
Foolish men! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
41 But give as alms the things that are within you, and you will see that everything is clean for you.
But as to what is within, give alms, and instantly all is clean in you.
42 Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.
"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! You love the chief 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! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without even noticing.”
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 experts in the law told Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us as well.”
Hereupon one of the expounders of the Law exclaimed, "Rabbi, in saying such things you reproach us also."
46 “Woe to you as well, experts in the law!” He replied. “You weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load.
"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! You build tombs for the prophets, but it was your fathers who killed them.
Alas for you! for you repair the tombs of the Prophets, whom your forefathers killed.
48 So you are witnesses consenting to the deeds of your fathers: They killed the prophets, 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 Because of this, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and others they will 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 As a result, this generation will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world,
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 Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to 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 experts in the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
"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 Jesus went on from there, the scribes and Pharisees began to oppose Him bitterly and to ply Him with questions about many things,
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 waiting to catch Him in something He might say.
lying in wait to catch some unguarded expression from His lips.
