Luke, 11

1. Now it happened that he was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.'

1. He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."

2. He said to them, 'When you pray, this is what to say: Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come;

2. And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.

3. give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins,

3. Give us each day our daily bread;

4. for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.'

4. and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation."

5. He also said to them, 'Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, "My friend, lend me three loaves,

5. And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves;

6. because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him;"

6. for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him';

7. and the man answers from inside the house, "Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up to give it to you."

7. and he will answer from within, `Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'?

8. I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants.

8. I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

9. 'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

9. And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

10. For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened.

10. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

11. What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake?

11. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;

12. Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?

12. or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

13. If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'

13. If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

14. He was driving out a devil and it was dumb; and it happened that when the devil had gone out the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed.

14. Now he was casting out a demon that was dumb; when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke, and the people marveled.

15. But some of them said, 'It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he drives devils out.'

15. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Be-el'zebul, the prince of demons";

16. Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven;

16. while others, to test him, sought from him a sign from heaven.

17. but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, 'Any kingdom which is divided against itself is heading for ruin, and house collapses against house.

17. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.

18. So, too, with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom last? - since you claim that it is through Beelzebul that I drive devils out.

18. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Be-el'zebul.

19. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I drive devils out, through whom do your own sons drive them out? They shall be your judges, then.

19. And if I cast out demons by Be-el'zebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.

20. But if it is through the finger of God that I drive devils out, then the kingdom of God has indeed caught you unawares.

20. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

21. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own home, his goods are undisturbed;

21. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace;

22. but when someone stronger than himself attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.

22. but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoil.

23. 'Anyone who is not with me is against me; and anyone who does not gather in with me throws away.

23. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.

24. 'When an unclean spirit goes out of someone it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding one it says, "I will go back to the home I came from."

24. "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest; and finding none he says, `I will return to my house from which I came.'

25. But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied,

25. And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order.

26. it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, and so that person ends up worse off than before.'

26. Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."

27. It happened that as he was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, 'Blessed the womb that bore you and the breasts that fed you!'

27. As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!"

28. But he replied, 'More blessed still are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'

28. But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

29. The crowds got even bigger and he addressed them, 'This is an evil generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah.

29. When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

30. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be a sign to this generation.

30. For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nin'eveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation.

31. On Judgement Day the Queen of the South will stand up against the people of this generation and be their condemnation, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, look, there is something greater than Solomon here.

31. The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

32. On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will appear against this generation and be its condemnation, because when Jonah preached they repented; and, look, there is something greater than Jonah here.

32. The men of Nin'eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

33. 'No one lights a lamp and puts it in some hidden place or under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in.

33. "No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a bushel, but on a stand, that those who enter may see the light.

34. The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is clear, your whole body, too, is filled with light; but when it is diseased your body, too, will be darkened.

34. Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is sound, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound, your body is full of darkness.

35. See to it then that the light inside you is not darkness.

35. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.

36. If, therefore, your whole body is filled with light, and not darkened at all, it will be light entirely, as when the lamp shines on you with its rays.'

36. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light."

37. He had just finished speaking when a Pharisee invited him to dine at his house. He went in and sat down at table.

37. While he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him; so he went in and sat at table.

38. The Pharisee saw this and was surprised that he had not first washed before the meal.

38. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.

39. But the Lord said to him, 'You Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness.

39. And the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness.

40. Fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too?

40. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?

41. Instead, give alms from what you have and, look, everything will be clean for you.

41. But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you.

42. But alas for you Pharisees, because you pay your tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and neglect justice and the love of God! These you should have practised, without neglecting the others.

42. "But woe to you Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

43. Alas for you Pharisees, because you like to take the seats of honour in the synagogues and to be greeted respectfully in the market squares!

43. Woe to you Pharisees! for you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places.

44. Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that people walk on without knowing it!'

44. Woe to you! for you are like graves which are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it."

45. A lawyer then spoke up. 'Master,' he said, 'when you speak like this you insult us too.'

45. One of the lawyers answered him, "Teacher, in saying this you reproach us also."

46. But he said, 'Alas for you lawyers as well, because you load on people burdens that are unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not touch with your fingertips.

46. And he said, "Woe to you lawyers also! for you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

47. 'Alas for you because you build tombs for the prophets, the people your ancestors killed!

47. Woe to you! for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.

48. In this way you both witness to what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do the building.

48. So you are witnesses and consent to the deeds of your fathers; for they killed them, and you build their tombs.

49. 'And that is why the Wisdom of God said, "I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will slaughter and persecute,

49. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, `I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,'

50. so that this generation will have to answer for every prophet's blood that has been shed since the foundation of the world,

50. that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation 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." Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all.

51. from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechari'ah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it shall be required of this generation.

52. 'Alas for you lawyers who have taken away the key of knowledge! You have not gone in yourselves and have prevented others from going in who wanted to.'

52. Woe to you lawyers! for you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering."

53. When he left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began a furious attack on him and tried to force answers from him on innumerable questions,

53. As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard, and to provoke him to speak of many things,

54. lying in wait to catch him out in something he might say.

54. lying in wait for him, to catch at something he might say.