11Luke 11

1At one place where He was praying, when He rose from His knees one of His disciples said to Him, "Master, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."Select Luke 11:1

2So He said to them, "When you pray, say, `Father may Thy name be kept holy; let Thy Kingdom come;Select Luke 11:2

3give us day after day our bread for the day;Select Luke 11:3

4and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive every one who fails in his duty to us; and bring us not into temptation.'"Select Luke 11:4

5And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend and shall go to him in the middle of the night and say, "`Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;Select Luke 11:5

6for a friend of mine has just come to my house from a distance, and I have nothing for him to eat'?Select Luke 11:6

7"And he from indoors shall answer, "`Do not pester me. The door is now barred, and I am here in bed with my children. I cannot get up and give you bread.'Select Luke 11:7

8"I tell you that even if he will not rise and give him the loaves because he is his friend, at any rate because of his persistency he will rouse himself and give him as many as he requires.Select Luke 11:8

9"So I say to you, `Ask, and what you ask for shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you.'Select Luke 11:9

10For every one who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door shall be opened.Select Luke 11:10

11And what father is there among you, who, if his son asks for a slice of bread, will offer him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish offer him a snake?Select Luke 11:11

12or if he asks for an egg, will offer him a scorpion?Select Luke 11:12

13If you then, with all your human frailty, know how to give your children gifts that are good for them, how much more certainly will your Father who is in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"Select Luke 11:13

14On once occasion He was expelling a dumb demon; and when the demon was gone out the dumb man could speak, and the people were astonished.Select Luke 11:14

15But some among them said, "It is by the power of Baal-zebul, the Prince of the demons, that he expels the demons."Select Luke 11:15

16Others, to put Him to the test, asked Him for a sign in the sky.Select Luke 11:16

17And, knowing their thoughts, He said to them, "Every kingdom in which civil war rages goes to ruin: family attacks family and is overthrown.Select Luke 11:17

18And if Satan really has engaged in fierce conflict with himself, how shall his kingdom stand? --because you say that I expel demons by the power of Baal-zebul.Select Luke 11:18

19And if it is by the power of Baal-zebul that I expel the demons, by whom do your disciples expel them? They therefore shall be your judges.Select Luke 11:19

20But if it is by the power of God that I drive out the demons, it is evident that the Kingdom of God has come upon you.Select Luke 11:20

21"Whenever a strong man, fully armed and equipped, is guarding his own castle, he enjoys peaceful possession of his property;Select Luke 11:21

22but as soon as another stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away that complete armour of his in which he trusted, and distributes the plunder he has collected.Select Luke 11:22

23Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever is not gathering with me is scattering abroad.Select Luke 11:23

24"When a foul spirit has left a man, it roams about in the Desert, seeking a resting-place; but, unable to find any, it says, `I will return to the house I have left;"Select Luke 11:24

25and when it comes, it finds the house swept clean and in good order.Select Luke 11:25

26Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more malignant than itself, and they enter and dwell there; and in the end that man's condition becomes worse than it was at first.Select Luke 11:26

27As He thus spoke a woman in the crowd called out in a loud voice, "Blessed is the mother who carried you, and the breasts that you have sucked."Select Luke 11:27

28"Nay rather," He replied, "they are blessed who hear God's Message and carefully keep it."Select Luke 11:28

29Now when the crowds came thronging upon Him, He proceeded to say, "The present generation is a wicked generation: it requires some sign, but no sign shall be given to it except that of Jonah.Select Luke 11:29

30For just as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a token to the present generation.Select Luke 11:30

31The Queen of the South will awake at the Judgement together with the men of the present generation, and will condemn them; because she came from the extremity of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; but mark! One greater than Solomon is here.Select Luke 11:31

32There will stand up men of Nineveh at the Judgement together with the present generation, and will condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and mark! One greater than Jonah is here.Select Luke 11:32

33"When any one lights a lamp, he never puts it in the cellar or under the bushel, but on the lampstand, that people who come in may see the light.Select Luke 11:33

34The lamp of the body is the eye. When your eyesight is good, your whole body also is lighted up; but when it is defective, your body is darkened.Select Luke 11:34

35Consider therefore whether the light that is in you is anything but mere darkness.Select Luke 11:35

36If, however, your whole body is penetrated with light, and has no part dark, it will be so lighted, all of it, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light."Select Luke 11:36

37When He had thus spoken, a Pharisee invited Him to breakfast at his house; so He entered and took His place at table.Select Luke 11:37

38Now the Pharisee saw to his surprise that He did not wash His hands before breakfasting.Select Luke 11:38

39The Master however said to him, "Here we see how you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup or plate, while your secret hearts are full of greed and selfishness.Select Luke 11:39

40Foolish men! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?Select Luke 11:40

41But as to what is within, give alms, and instantly all is clean in you.Select Luke 11:41

42"But alas for you Pharisees! for you pay tithes on your mint and rue and every kind of garden vegetable, and are indifferent to justice and the love of God. These are the things you ought to have attended to, while not neglecting the others.Select Luke 11:42

43Alas for you Pharisees! for you love the best seats in the synagogues, and you like to be bowed to in places of public resort.Select Luke 11:43

44Alas for you! for you are like the tombs which lie hidden, and the people who walk over them are not aware of their existence."Select Luke 11:44

45Hereupon one of the expounders of the Law exclaimed, "Rabbi, in saying such things you reproach us also."Select Luke 11:45

46"Alas too for you expounders of the Law!" replied Jesus, "for you load men with cumbrous burdens which you yourselves will not touch with one of your fingers.Select Luke 11:46

47Alas for you! for you repair the tombs of the Prophets, whom your forefathers killed.Select Luke 11:47

48It follows that you bear testimony to the actions of your forefathers and that you fully approve thereof. They slew, you build.Select Luke 11:48

49"For this reason also the Wisdom of God has said, `I will send Prophets and Apostles to them, of whom they will kill some and persecute others,'Select Luke 11:49

50so that the blood of all the Prophets, that is being shed from the creation of the world onwards, may be required from the present generation.Select Luke 11:50

51Yes, I tell you that, from the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the House, it shall all be required from the present generation.Select Luke 11:51

52"Alas for you expounders of the Law! for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you yourselves have not entered, and those who wanted to enter you have hindered."Select Luke 11:52

53After He had left the house, the Scribes and Pharisees commenced a vehement attempt to entangle Him and make Him give off-hand answers on numerous points,Select Luke 11:53

54lying in wait to catch some unguarded expression from His lips.Select Luke 11:54