Luke 11
1 Once Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples asked him, “Lord, please teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2 Jesus told them, “When you pray, say, ‘Father, let your name be honored as holy. May your kingdom come.
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3 Give us every day the food we need.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins, just as we forgive everyone who sins against us. Keep us from temptation.’”
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
5 Jesus went on to tell them, “Say you have a friend and you go to him in the middle of the night and ask, ‘My friend, lend me three loaves of bread
And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 because a friend of mine has come to visit me, and I don't have any food to give him.’
For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
7 Your friend in the house might reply, ‘Don't bother me—I've already locked the door, and I and my children have gone to bed. I can't get up to give you anything now.’
And he from within shall 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.
8 I tell you, even though he refuses to get up and give you anything, despite you being his friend, if you are persistent, your friend will get up and give you everything you need.
I say unto you, Though 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.
9 I tell you: ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you.
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For everyone who asks, receives; and everyone who seeks, finds; and to everyone who knocks the door will be opened.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, would give him a snake instead?
If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he asks for an egg, would you give him a scorpion?
Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 So if you, even though you are evil, still know to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
14 Jesus was driving out a demon that had made a man dumb. When the demon had left, the man who was dumb spoke, and the crowds were amazed.
And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.
15 But some of them said, “He is driving out demons using the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of demons.”
But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
16 Others were trying to test Jesus by demanding a miraculous sign from heaven.
And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
17 Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Any kingdom divided against itself will be destroyed. A family divided against itself will fall.
But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? You say that I cast out demons using the power of Beelzebub.
If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
19 But if I drive out demons by the power of Beelzebub, by whose power do your own people drive them out? They themselves will condemn you as wrong!
And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
20 However, if I am driving out demons by the power of God, then this proves God's kingdom has arrived. It's right here among you!
But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
21 When a strong man who is fully armed guards his house, all he owns is safe.
When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
22 But if a stronger man comes and defeats him, taking from him all his weapons that he depended on, then he can carry off all his possessions.
But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
23 Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who doesn't build together with me is breaking it all apart.
He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
24 When an evil spirit leaves someone, it goes through the desert looking for a place to stay. When it doesn't find anywhere, it says, ‘I'll return to the house I left.’
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.
25 When it returns, it finds its old home is swept and tidy.
And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.
26 So it goes and finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there. In the end that man is worse off than before.”
Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
27 As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the womb from where you came and the breasts that nursed you.”
And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
28 But Jesus said, “Even more blessed are those who hear God's word, and follow what it says.”
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
29 As people crowded around him, Jesus began telling them, “This is an evil generation for it's looking for some miraculous sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet.
30 In the same way that Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be a sign to this generation.
For as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
31 The queen of the south will rise in the judgment together with the people of this generation and will condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom, and now there is someone greater than Solomon here!
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
32 The people of Nineveh rise in the judgment together with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented when they heard Jonah's message, and now there's someone greater than Jonah here!
The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, a greater than Jonah is here.
33 No one lights a lamp and then hides it or places it under a bowl. No, you put it on a lamp stand so that those who come into the house can see the light.
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
34 Your eye is the light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body is in the dark.
The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
35 So make sure the light you have in you is not actually darkness.
Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
36 If your whole body is full of light, with no areas of darkness, then it will be completely illuminated, just as a bright lamp gives you light.”
If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.
37 After Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to come and eat with him. So Jesus went and sat down to a meal.
And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
38 The Pharisee was surprised that Jesus didn't wash his hands before eating as ceremonially required.
And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
39 So the Lord told him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you're full of greed and wickedness.
And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
40 You're so foolish! Don't you think the one who made the outside made the inside as well?
Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
41 If, acting from within, you do acts of kindness to others, then everything will be clean to you.
But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.
42 Shame on you Pharisees! You pay tithe on herbs and plants, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You need to pay attention to the latter, while not leaving the former things undone.
But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
43 Shame on you Pharisees! You love to have the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect when you go to the markets.
Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
44 Shame on you! You are like unmarked graves that people walk over without knowing.”
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
45 One of the experts in religious law reacted, saying, “Teacher, when you talk like this, you're insulting us too!”
Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
46 Jesus replied, “Shame on you lawyers too! You place burdens on people that are too hard to carry, but you don't lift a finger to help them.
And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 Shame on you! You build memorial tombs to honor the prophets, but it was your own fathers who killed them in the first place!
Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 By doing this you are witnesses showing that you agree with what your fathers did. They killed the prophets, and you build their tombs!
Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
49 This is why God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will kill, and others they will persecute.’
Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
50 Consequently, this generation will be held accountable for the blood of all the prophets shed from the beginning of the world,
That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
51 from the blood of Abel right up to the blood of Zachariah who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held accountable for all of it.
From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zachariah, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
52 Shame on you lawyers! You have removed the key of knowledge. You didn't go in yourselves, and you prevented others from going in too.”
Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
53 As Jesus was leaving, the religious teachers and the Pharisees began to attack him aggressively, asking questions to provoke him.
And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
54 They were hoping to catch him out, trying to get him to say something they could use against him.
Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
