Luke 11
1 And it happened that, while he was in a certain place praying, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to 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 to them: “When you are praying, say: Father, may your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come.
“When you pray,” Jesus answered, “say – ‘Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come.
3 Give us this day our daily bread.
Give us each day the bread that we will need;
4 And forgive us our sins, since we also forgive all who are indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”
and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who wrongs us; and take us not into temptation.’”
5 And he said to them: “Which of you will have a friend and will go to him in the middle of the night, and will say to 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 because a friend of mine has arrived from a journey to me, and I do not have anything 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 from within, he would answer by saying: ‘Do not disturb me. The door is closed now, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot 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 Yet if he will persevere in knocking, I tell you that, even though he would not get up and give it to him because he is a friend, yet due to his continued insistence, he will get up and give him whatever 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 so I say to you: Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall 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. And whoever seeks, finds. And whoever knocks, it shall be opened to him.
For the person who asks receives, everyone who searches finds, and to the person who knocks the door will be opened.
11 So then, who among you, if he asks his father for bread, he would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he would give him a serpent, instead of a fish?
What father among you, if his son asks him for a fish, will give him a snake instead,
12 Or if he will ask for an egg, he would offer to him a scorpion?
or, if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13 Therefore, if you, being evil, know how to give good things to your sons, how much more will your Father give, from heaven, a spirit of goodness 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 And he was casting out a demon, and the man was mute. But when he had cast out the demon, the mute man spoke, and so the crowds were amazed.
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, “It is by Beelzebub, the leader of demons, that he casts out demons.”
but some of them said, “He drives out demons by the help of Beelzebul, the chief of the demons”;
16 And others, testing him, required a sign from heaven of him.
while others, to test him, asked him for some sign from the heavens.
17 But when he perceived their thoughts, he said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself will become desolate, and house will fall upon house.
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 So then, if Satan is also divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebub that I cast out demons.
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 Beelzebub, by whom do your own sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall 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 Moreover, if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then certainly the kingdom of God has overtaken 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 armed man guards his entrance, the things that he possesses are at peace.
When a strong man is keeping guard, fully armed, over his own mansion, his property is in safety;
22 But if a stronger one, overwhelming him, has defeated him, he will take away all his weapons, in which he trusted, and he will distribute 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 Whoever is not with me, is against me. And whoever does not 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 When an unclean spirit has departed from a man, he walks through waterless places, seeking rest. And not finding any, he says: ‘I will return to my house, from which I departed.’
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 has arrived, he finds it swept clean and decorated.
but, on coming there, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.
26 Then he goes, and he takes in seven other spirits with him, more wicked than himself, and they enter and live there. And so, the end of that man is made worse than the beginning.”
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 happened that, when he was saying these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that 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 Then he said, “Yes, but moreover: 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 Then, as the crowds were quickly gathering, he began to say: “This generation is a wicked generation: it seeks a sign. But no sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
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 just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will 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 will rise up, at the judgment, with the men of this generation, and she will condemn them. For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, more 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 rise up, at the judgment, with this generation, and they will condemn it. For at the preaching of Jonah, they repented. And behold, more 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 lights a candle and places it in hiding, nor under a bushel basket, but upon a lampstand, so that those who enter 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 Your eye is the light of your body. If your eye is wholesome, your entire body will be filled with light. But if it is wicked, then even your body will be darkened.
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, take care, lest the light that is within you become darkness.
Take care, therefore, that the inner light is not darkness.
36 So then, if your entire body becomes filled with light, not having any part in darkness, then it will be entirely light, and, like a shining lamp, it will illuminate you.”
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 was speaking, a certain Pharisee asked him to eat with him. And going inside, he sat down to eat.
As Jesus finished speaking, a Pharisee asked him to breakfast with him, and Jesus went in and took his place at the table.
38 But the Pharisee began to say, thinking within himself: “Why might it be that he has not washed before eating?”
The Pharisee noticed, to his astonishment, that Jesus omitted the ceremonial washing before breakfast.
39 And the Lord said to him: “You Pharisees today clean what is outside the cup and the plate, but what is inside of you is full of plunder and iniquity.
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 Fools! Did not he who made what is outside, indeed also make what is inside?
Fools! Did not the maker of the outside make the inside too?
41 Yet truly, give what is above as alms, and behold, all things are clean for 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 ignore judgment and the charity of God. But these things you ought to have done, without omitting the others.
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 first seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the marketplace.
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! For you are like graves that are not noticeable, so that men walk over them without realizing it.”
Alas for you! You are like unsuspected graves, over which men walk unawares.”
45 Then one of the experts in the law, in response, said to him, “Teacher, in saying these things, you bring an insult against us as well.”
Here one of the students of the Law interrupted him by saying, “Teacher, when you say this, you are insulting us also.”
46 So he said: “And woe to you experts in the law! For you weigh men down with burdens which they are not able to bear, but you yourselves do not touch the weight with even 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 to you, who build the tombs of the prophets, while it is your fathers who killed them!
Alas for you! You build the monuments of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.
48 Clearly, you are testifying that you consent to the actions of your fathers, because even though they killed them, 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 Because of this also, the wisdom of God said: I will send to them Prophets and Apostles, and some of these they will kill or persecute,
That is why the wisdom of God said – ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles,
50 so that the blood of all the Prophets, which has been shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against 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, even to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. So I say to 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, experts in the law! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves do not enter, and those who were entering, you would have prohibited.”
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 Then, while he was saying these things to them, the Pharisees and the experts in the law began to insist strongly that he restrain his mouth about 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 And waiting to ambush him, they sought something from his mouth that they might seize upon, in order to accuse him.
laying traps for him, so as to seize on anything that he might say.
