Luke 11
1 And it came to pass, that as 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 pray, say: Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy 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, for we also forgive every one that is 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 shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and shall 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 is come off his journey to me, and I have not what 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 should answer, and say: Trouble me not, the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
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 shall continue knocking, I say to you, although he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend; yet, because of his importunity, he will rise, and give him as many as he needeth.
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 I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given 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 every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
For the person who asks receives, everyone who searches finds, and to the person who knocks the door will be opened.
11 And which of you, if he ask his father bread, will he give him a stone? or a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
What father among you, if his son asks him for a fish, will give him a snake instead,
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he reach him a scorpion?
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 Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them that 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 devil, and the same was dumb: and when he had cast out the devil, the dumb spoke: and the multitudes were in admiration at it:
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 casteth out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils.
but some of them said, “He drives out demons by the help of Beelzebul, the chief of the demons”;
16 And others tempting, asked of him a sign from heaven.
while others, to test him, asked him for some sign from the heavens.
17 But he seeing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself, shall be brought to desolation, and house upon house shall fall.
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 And if Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because you say, that through Beelzebub I cast out devils.
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 Now if I cast out devils by Beelzebub; by whom do your children 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 But if I by the finger of God cast out devils; doubtless the kingdom of God is come upon 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 man armed keepeth his court, those things are in peace which he possesseth.
When a strong man is keeping guard, fully armed, over his own mansion, his property is in safety;
22 But if a stronger than he come upon him, and overcome him; he will take away all his armour wherein he trusted, and 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 He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth.
Whoever is not with me is against me, and the person who does not help me to gather is scattering.
24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through places without water, seeking rest; and not finding, he saith: I will return into my house whence 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 And when he is come, he findeth it swept and garnished.
but, on coming there, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.
26 Then he goeth and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and entering in they dwell there. And 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 And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck.
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: Yea rather, blessed are they 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 And the multitudes running together, he began to say: This generation is a wicked generation: it asketh a sign, and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas 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 as Jonas was a sign to the Ninivites; so shall the Son of man 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 shall rise in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them: because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold more than Solomon 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 Ninive shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; because they did penance at the preaching of Jonas; and behold more than Jonas 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 man lighteth a candle, and putteth it in a hidden place, nor under a bushel; but upon a candlestick, that they that 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 light of thy body is thy eye. If thy eye be single, thy whole body will be lightsome: but if it be evil, thy body also will be darksome.
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 Take heed therefore, that the light which is in thee, be not darkness.
Take care, therefore, that the inner light is not darkness.
36 If then thy whole body be lightsome, having no part of darkness; the whole shall be lightsome; and as a bright lamp, shall enlighten thee.
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 prayed him, that he would dine with him. And he going in, 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 And the Pharisee began to say, thinking within himself, why he was not washed before dinner.
The Pharisee noticed, to his astonishment, that Jesus omitted the ceremonial washing before breakfast.
39 And the Lord said to him: Now you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but your inside is full of rapine 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 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without, make also that which is within?
Fools! Did not the maker of the outside make the inside too?
41 But yet that which remaineth, give alms; and behold, all things are clean unto you.
Only give away what is in them in charity, and at once you have the whole clean.
42 But woe to you, Pharisees, because you tithe mint and rue and every herb; and pass over judgment, and the charity of God. Now these things you ought to have done, and not to leave 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, because you love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and salutations 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, because you are as sepulchres that appear not, and men that walk over are not aware.
Alas for you! You are like unsuspected graves, over which men walk unawares.”
45 And one of the lawyers answering, saith to him: Master, in saying these things, thou reproachest 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 But he said: Woe to you lawyers also, because you load men with burdens which they cannot bear, and you yourselves touch not the packs with 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 monuments of the prophets: and your fathers killed them.
Alas for you! You build the monuments of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.
48 Truly you bear witness that you consent to the doings of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and you build their sepulchres.
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 For this cause 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 unto the blood of Zacharias, who was slain between the alter and the temple: Yea I say to you, It shall 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 have taken away the key of knowledge: you yourselves have not entered in, and those that were entering in, you have 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 And as he was saying these things to them, the Pharisees and the lawyers began violently to urge him, and to oppress 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 Lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch something from his mouth, that they might accuse him.
laying traps for him, so as to seize on anything that he might say.
