Luke 11

Jesus Teaches About Prayer

1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said, “Lord, teach us how to pray, just like John taught his disciples.”

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, may Your name be honored. May Your kingdom come.

3 Give us each day the bread we need.

4 Forgive us our sins, because we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And do not lead us into temptation.’”

5 Then He said, “Which of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight saying, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

6 because someone just showed up at my place from a trip, and I got nothing to give him’,

7 And the one inside says, ‘Do not bother me. The door is locked, my kids are in bed, I cannot get up and give you anything.’

8 I am telling you, even if he will not get up because of friendship, he will get up because you keep pressing him and give you whatever you need.

9 So I am telling you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.

10 Everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks,

11 Which father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead,

12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion,

13 If you, even with your flaws, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Jesus and Beelzebul

14 One day Jesus cast out a demon that was keeping a man from speaking. When the demon left, the man started talking, and the crowd was amazed.

15 But some of them said, “He is driving out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of demons.”

16 Others were testing Him, asking for a sign from heaven.

17 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Every kingdom divided against itself falls apart, and a house divided against itself will not stand.

18 If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand, You are saying I drive out demons by Beelzebul.

19 If I do that, then by who do your people drive them out, So they will judge you.

20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his stuff is safe.

22 But when someone stronger comes and overpowers him, he takes away the armor he trusted in and divides up what he had.

23 Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.

24 When an unclean spirit leaves a person, it goes through dry places looking for rest, and when it does not find any, it says, ‘I will go back to the house I left.’

25 When it comes back, it finds the place swept clean and in order.

26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they move in. That person ends up worse than before.”

True Blessedness

27 As Jesus was saying this, a woman in the crowd shouted, “Blessed is the mother who gave birth to You and raised You!”

28 But He said, “Even more blessed are those who hear the word of God and live it out.”

The Sign of Jonah

29 As the crowd grew, Jesus said, “This generation is wicked. They are always looking for a sign, but no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah.

30 Just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation.

31 The Queen of the South will rise at judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from far away to hear Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at judgment and condemn this generation, because they repented at Jonah’s preaching, and now something greater than Jonah is here.”

The Light of the Body

33 “No one lights a lamp and hides it or puts it under a bowl. They put it on a stand so those who come in can see the light.

34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light. But when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.

35 So check yourself, make sure the light in you is not actually darkness.

36 If your whole body is full of light, with no dark spots, it will be completely bright, like a lamp shining on you.”

Jesus Confronts the Pharisees and Lawyers

37 After He finished speaking, a Pharisee invited Him to eat. Jesus went in and sat down at the table.

38 The Pharisee was surprised that He did not wash before the meal.

39 The Lord said to him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

40 You foolish people, did not the One who made the outside also make the inside,

41 Give what is inside to those in need, and then everything will be clean for you.

42 But woe to you Pharisees, you give a tenth of your herbs, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should have practiced those without leaving the others undone.

43 Woe to you, you love the best seats in the synagogues and being greeted in the marketplaces.

44 Woe to you, you are like hidden graves, and people walk over them without even knowing.”

45 One of the experts in the law said, “Teacher, when You say this, You are insulting us too.”

46 Jesus said, “Woe to you as well, you load people down with heavy burdens but do not lift a finger to help them.

47 Woe to you, you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed.

48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did, they killed them, and you build their tombs.

49 That is why God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and they will kill some and persecute others,’

50 so this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets, from the beginning of the world,

51 from Abel to Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I am telling you, this generation will be held accountable.

52 Woe to you experts in the law, you took away the key to knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you blocked those who were trying to enter.”

53 When Jesus left there, the scribes and Pharisees started pressing Him hard, trying to trap Him with questions,

54 looking for something He might say that they could use against Him.