Luke 11
1 And it came to pass, that as he was praying in a certain place, 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 ye pray, say, Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
“When you pray,” Jesus answered, “say — ‘Father, May thy name be held holy, thy Kingdom come.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
Give us each day the bread that we shall need;
4 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.
and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one 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 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 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing 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 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.
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 I say to 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.
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 ye shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you.
And so I say to you — Ask, and your prayer shall be granted: search, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you.
10 For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, the door shall be opened.
For he that asks receives, he that searches finds, and to him that knocks the door shall be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if [he shall ask] 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 offer him a scorpion?
or, if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more will [your] heavenly Father give the Holy 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 that ask him!”
14 And he was casting out a demon, and it was dumb. And it came to pass when the demon was gone out, the dumb spoke; and the people wondered.
Once Jesus was driving out a dumb demon, and, when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke. The people were amazed at this;
15 But some of them said, He casteth out demons through Beelzebub, the chief of the demons.
but some of them said: “He drives out demons by the help of Baal-zebub, the chief of the demons”;
16 And others tempting [him], sought from him a sign from heaven.
while others, to test him, asked him for some sign from the heavens.
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house [divided] against a house falleth.
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 If Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out demons through Beelzebub.
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 Baal-zebub.
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast [them] out? therefore shall they be your judges.
But, if it is by Baal-zebub’s help that I drive out demons, by whose help is it that your own sons drive them out? Therefore they shall themselves be your judges.
20 But if I with the finger of God cast out demons, no doubt 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 palace, his goods are in peace:
When a strong man is keeping guard, fully armed, over his own mansion, his property is in safety;
22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divideth 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.
He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not help me to gather is scattering.
24 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 to my house whence I came out.
No sooner does a foul spirit leave a man, 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 cometh, 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 [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.
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 man proves to be worse than the first.”
27 And it came to pass, as he was speaking these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said to him, Blessed [is] the womb that bore thee, and the paps which nourished thee.
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, Yes, rather blessed [are] they that 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 when the people were assembled in crowds, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet.
As the crowds increased, Jesus began to speak: “This generation is a wicked generation. It is asking a sign, but no sign shall be given it except the sign of Jonah.
30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also shall the Son of man be to this generation.
For, as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so shall the Son of Man be to this generation.
31 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.
At the Judgment the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation, and will condemn them, because she came from the very ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and here is more than a Solomon!
32 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.
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 when he hath lighted a candle, putteth [it] in a secret place, neither under a close vessel, but on a candlestick, that they who come in may see the light.
No one sets light to a lamp, and then puts it in the cellar or under the corn-measure, but he puts it on the lamp-stand, so that any one who comes in may see the light.
34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thy eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when [thy eye] is evil, thy body also [is] full of darkness.
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 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.
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 besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and 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 table.
38 And when the Pharisee saw [it], he marveled that he had not first 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 do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
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 that which is within also?
Fools! did not the maker of the outside make the inside too?
41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and behold, all things are clean to 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 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 others 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! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
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, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over [them] are not aware [of them].
Alas for you! You are like unsuspected graves, over which men walk unawares.”
45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said to him, Master, thus saying, 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 And he said, Woe to you also, [ye] lawyers, for ye load men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
But Jesus went on: “Alas for you, too, you Students of the Law! You load men with loads that are too heavy to carry, but do not, yourselves, touch them with one of your fingers.
47 Woe to you! for ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
Alas for you! You build the monuments of the Prophets whom your ancestors killed.
48 Truly ye bear testimony, that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye 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 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and [some] of them they will slay 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 hath been 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 to the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the temple: verily 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 ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye have not entered in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye 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 said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge [him] vehemently, and to solicit him to speak of many things;
When Jesus left the house, the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to press him hard and question him closely upon many subjects,
54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something from his mouth, that they might accuse him.
laying traps for him, so as to seize upon anything that he might say.
