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He teaches his disciples to pray, drives out a devil, and rebukes the blasphemous Pharisees. They require signs and tokens. He eats with the Pharisee, and reproves the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, scribes, and hypocrites.

11 And it happened as he was praying in a certain place that when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Master, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. And he said to them, When you pray, say, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, even in earth as it is in heaven. Give us our daily bread evermore. And forgive us our sins, for even we forgive every person that trespasses against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

And he said to them, If any of you had a friend, and went to him at midnight and said to him, Friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine has come from a journey to me and I have nothing to set before him, and the man inside were to answer and say, Don’t trouble me; the door is now shut, and my servants are with me in the chamber; I cannot rise and give them to you – I say to you, though he would not arise and give him a loaf because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he would rise and give him as many as he needed. And so I say to you: ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 For everyone that asks, receives, and he that seeks, finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened. 11 If the son asks for bread from any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for fish, will he give him a serpent for a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then who are evil can give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father of heaven give a holy spirit to those who desire it of him? 

14 And he was a casting out a devil that was dumb. And it followed, when the devil was gone out, the dumb man spoke. And the people were filled with wonder. 15 But some of them said, He casts out devils by the power of Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. 16 And others challenged him, seeking from him a sign from heaven.

17 But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, Every kingdom divided within itself will be brought to desolation, and one house will fall upon another. 18 So if Satan is divided within himself, how shall his kingdom endure? For you say that I cast out devils by the power of Beelzebub. 19 If I cast out devils by the power of Beelzebub, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, without question the kingdom of God has come upon you.

21 When a strong man armed guards his house, that which he possesses is in peace. 22 But when one stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him his weapons in which he trusted, and divides up his goods. 23 He who is not with me, is against me. And he who does not gather with me, scatters.

24 When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he walks through waterless places, seeking rest. And when he finds none, he says, I will return again to my house from which I came out. 25 And when he comes back, he finds it swept and set in order. 26 Then he goes and gets seven other spirits worse than himself, and they enter in and dwell there, and the end of that man is worse than the beginning.

27 And it happened, as he spoke those things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and said to him, Happy is the womb that bore you, and the paps that gave you suck. 28 But he said, Yea, happy are those who hear the word of God and keep it.

29 When the people were gathered thick together, he began and said, This is an evil nation. They seek a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of man be to this nation. 31 The queen of the south will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the end of the world to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, one greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn them, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, one greater than Jonah is here.

33 No man lights a candle and puts it in a concealed place, nor under a bushel, but on a candlestick, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 The light of your body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is single, then is all your body full of light. But if your eye is bad, then shall all your body be full of darkness. 35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in you be not darkness. 36 For if all your body is lighted, having no part dark, then shall all be full of light, even as when a candle lights you with its brightness.

37 And as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him, and Jesus went in and sat down to food. 38 When the Pharisee saw that, he was shocked that he had not first washed before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but your inward parts are full of greed and wickedness. 40 O foolish men, did not he who made the outside also make that which is within? 41 But rather give alms of what you have, and behold, all is clean to you. 42 But woe is to you Pharisees. For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, but pass over justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, but yet not have left the others undone.

43 Woe to you, Pharisees, for you love the uppermost seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets. 44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves that are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.

45 Then one of the wise men of the law answered and said to him, Teacher, by so saying, you put us to rebuke also.

46 Then he said, Woe is to you also, doctors of the law. For you load men with burdens grievous to be borne, and you yourselves do not touch the packs with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! You build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them; 48 truly you bear witness that you accept the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their sepulchres. 49 Therefore the wisdom of God spoke: I will send them prophets and apostles, and some they will slay, and some persecute, 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the beginning of the world, may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the temple. Truly I say to you, it shall be required of this nation.

52 Woe to you, doctors of the law, for you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter in, and those who came in, you opposed.

53 When he spoke this way to them, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to hound him, and to stop his mouth with many questions, 54 laying wait for him, and attempting to catch something out of his mouth that they could use to accuse him.

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer(A)(B)

11 One day Jesus was praying(C) in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord,(D) teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom(E) come.[b]
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c](F)
And lead us not into temptation.[d]’”(G)

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.(H)

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;(I) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus and Beelzebul(J)(K)

14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.(L) 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul,(M) the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”(N) 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.(O)

17 Jesus knew their thoughts(P) and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan(Q) is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God,(R) then the kingdom of God(S) has come upon you.

21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

23 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.(T)

24 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”(U)

27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”(V)

28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God(W) and obey it.”(X)

The Sign of Jonah(Y)

29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign,(Z) but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.(AA) 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom;(AB) and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah;(AC) and now something greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp of the Body(AD)

33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.(AE) 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,[g] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,[h] your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law

37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table.(AF) 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.(AG)

39 Then the Lord(AH) said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.(AI) 40 You foolish people!(AJ) Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor,(AK) and everything will be clean for you.(AL)

42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth(AM) of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.(AN) You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.(AO)

43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.(AP)

44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves,(AQ) which people walk over without knowing it.”

45 One of the experts in the law(AR) answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.(AS)

47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.(AT) 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom(AU) said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’(AV) 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel(AW) to the blood of Zechariah,(AX) who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.(AY)

52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”(AZ)

53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.(BA)

Footnotes

  1. Luke 11:2 Some manuscripts Our Father in heaven
  2. Luke 11:2 Some manuscripts come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
  3. Luke 11:4 Greek everyone who is indebted to us
  4. Luke 11:4 Some manuscripts temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
  5. Luke 11:8 Or yet to preserve his good name
  6. Luke 11:11 Some manuscripts for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for
  7. Luke 11:34 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.
  8. Luke 11:34 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy.