Luke 11
11
Teaching about Prayer
1Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:#11:2 Some manuscripts add additional phrases from the Lord’s Prayer as it reads in Matt 6:9-13.
“Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
3 Give us each day the food we need, # 11:3 Or Give us each day our food for the day; or Give us each day our food for tomorrow.
4 and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation. # 11:4 Or And keep us from being tested. ”
5Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.#11:8 Or in order to avoid shame, or so his reputation won’t be damaged.
9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 “You fathers—if your children ask # 11:11 Some manuscripts add for bread, do you give them a stone? Or [if they ask]. for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Jesus and the Prince of Demons
14One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed, 15but some of them said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan,#11:15 Greek Beelzeboul; also in 11:18, 19. Other manuscripts read Beezeboul; Latin version reads Beelzebub. the prince of demons.” 16Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.
17He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 18You say I am empowered by Satan. But if Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom survive? 19And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. 20But if I am casting out demons by the power of God,#11:20 Greek by the finger of God. then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 21For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe— 22until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.
23 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.
24 “When an evil # 11:24 Greek unclean. spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ 25So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. 26Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”
27As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!”
28Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”
The Sign of Jonah
29As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah. 30What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man#11:30 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself. will be a sign to these people that he was sent by God.
31 “The queen of Sheba # 11:31 Greek The queen of the south. will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen. 32The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.
Receiving the Light
33 “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. # 11:33 Some manuscripts do not include or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.
34 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness. 35Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. 36If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”
Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders
37As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table.#11:37 Or and reclined. 38His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. 39Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! 40Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? 41So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.
42 “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, # 11:42 Greek tithe the mint, the rue, and every herb. but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
43 “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces. 44Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.”
45“Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.”
46 “Yes,” said Jesus, “what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden. 47What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago. 48But in fact, you stand as witnesses who agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you join in their crime by building the monuments! 49This is what God in his wisdom said about you:#11:49 Greek Therefore, the wisdom of God said. ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them, but they will kill some and persecute the others.’
50 “As a result, this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all God’s prophets from the creation of the world— 51from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will certainly be charged against this generation.
52 “What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”
53As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions. 54They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him.
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Luke 11: NLT
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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Luke 11
11
1And it came to pass as he was in a certain place praying, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples. 2And he said to them, When ye pray, say, Father, thy name be hallowed; thy kingdom come; 3give us our needed bread for each day; 4and remit us our sins, for we also remit to every one indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation. 5And he said to them, Who among you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, let me have three loaves, 6since a friend of mine on a journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him; 7and he within answering should say, Do not disturb me; the door is already shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise up to give it thee? 8— I say to you, Although he will not get up and give them to him because he is his friend, because of his shamelessness, at any rate, he will rise and give him as many as he wants. 9And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. 10For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it will be opened. 11But of whom of you that is a father shall a son ask bread, and the father shall give him a stone? or also a fish, and instead of a fish shall give him a serpent? 12or if also he shall ask an egg, shall give him a scorpion? 13If therefore ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much rather shall the Father who is of heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
14And he was casting out a demon, and it was dumb; and it came to pass, the demon being gone out, the dumb man spoke. And the crowds wondered. 15But some from among them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the demons casts he out demons. 16And others tempting him sought from him a sign out of heaven. 17But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation: and a house set against a house falls; 18and if also Satan is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom subsist? because ye say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19But if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, your sons — by whom do they cast them out? For this reason they shall be your judges. 20But if by the finger of God I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God is come upon you. 21When the strong man armed keeps his own house, his goods are in peace; 22but when the stronger than he coming upon him overcomes him, he takes away his panoply in which he trusted, and he will divide the spoil he has taken from him. 23He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters. 24When the unclean spirit has gone out of the man, he goes through dry places seeking rest; and not finding any he says, I will return to my house whence I came out. 25And having come, he finds it swept and adorned. 26Then he goes and takes seven other spirits worse than himself, and entering in, they dwell there; and the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first.
27And it came to pass as he spake these things, a certain woman, lifting up her voice out of the crowd, said to him, Blessed is the womb that has borne thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.
29But as the crowds thronged together, he began to say, This generation is a wicked generation: it seeks a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it but the sign of Jonas. 30For as Jonas was a sign to the Ninevites, thus shall also the Son of man be to this generation. 31A queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, more than Solomon is here. 32Men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold, more than Jonas is here. 33But no one having lit a lamp sets it in secret, nor under the corn-measure, but on the lamp-stand, that they who enter in may see the light. 34The lamp of the body is thine eye: when thine eye is simple, thy whole body also is light; but when it is wicked, thy body also is dark. 35See therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 36If therefore thy whole body is light, not having any part dark, it shall be all light as when the lamp lights thee with its brightness.
37But as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him that he would dine with him; and entering in he placed himself at table. 38But the Pharisee seeing it wondered that he had not first washed before dinner. 39But the Lord said to him, Now do ye Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but your inward parts are full of plunder and wickedness. 40Fools, has not he who has made the outside made the inside also? 41But rather give alms of what ye have, and behold, all things are clean to you. 42But woe unto you, Pharisees, for ye pay tithes of mint and rue and every herb, and pass by the judgment and the love of God: these ye ought to have done, and not have left those aside. 43Woe unto you, Pharisees, for ye love the first seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market-places. 44Woe unto you, for ye are as the sepulchres which appear not, and the men walking over them do not know it. 45And one of the doctors of the law answering says to him, Teacher, in saying these things thou insultest us also. 46And he said, To you also woe, doctors of the law, for ye lay upon men burdens heavy to bear, and yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47Woe unto you, for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, but your fathers killed them. 48Ye bear witness then, and consent to the works of your fathers; for they killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. 49For this reason also the wisdom of God has said, I will send to them prophets and apostles, and of these shall they kill and drive out by persecution, 50that the blood of all the prophets which has been poured out from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the house; yea, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. 52Woe unto you, the doctors of the law, for ye have taken away the key of knowledge; yourselves have not entered in, and those who were entering in ye have hindered. 53And as he said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him urgently, and to make him speak of many things; 54watching him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.