Resource icon

BibleStudyIt Luke 11

  • Luke Chapter 11

Luke 11's Chapter Tabs
Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.

Read Chapter

Your Private Notes

Proxy widget

Submit Art

Threads
0
Messages
0
Threads
0
Messages
0
None

Submit Notes

Threads
0
Messages
0
Threads
0
Messages
0
None

Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray

11 One day, Jesus was praying in a certain place. He finished praying. Then, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Master, John taught his disciples how to pray. Please teach us as he did.’

2 Jesus replied, ‘When you pray, you should say this:

“God, our Father, we want people to give honour to you.
We want the day when you rule everyone to come soon.
3 Please give to us the food that we need each day.
4 Forgive us for our sins,
because we also forgive everyone who has done wrong things against us.
And do not let us agree to do wrong things.” ’

5 Jesus then told a story to teach them how to pray. He said, ‘Let me tell you about someone who goes to a friend's home at midnight. “My friend,” he says, “please give me three loaves of bread. 6 A friend of mine is on a journey and he has arrived at my house. But I have no food to give him.” 7 But his friend answers from inside his house. He says, “Do not cause problems for me! I have locked my door. My children and I have gone to bed. So I cannot get up and give you any bread.” ’

8 Then Jesus said, ‘I will tell you what will happen. Perhaps your friend will not give you anything just because you are good friends. But if you continue to knock and ask for bread, your friend will get up. He will give you bread, as much as you need.

9 So I tell you this. Continue to ask God for what you need. Then God will give it to you. Continue to look for what you need. Then you will find it. Continue to knock at the door and God will open it for you. 10 Everyone that asks for something will receive it. Everyone that looks for something will find it. God will open the door for everyone that knocks on it. 11 Some of you are fathers. If your son asks you for a fish, you would not give him a snake instead. 12 If he asks you for an egg, you would not give him something dangerous. 13 You are bad. But even you know how to give good things to your children. Your Father in heaven knows much better than you do how to give good things to his children. So he will give the Holy Spirit to everyone who asks him.’ [ a ]

Jesus teaches about the Devil

14 One day, Jesus was telling a bad spirit to go out of a man. Because of the bad spirit, the man could not speak. But after it had gone out of him, the man could speak again. All the people that were watching were surprised at this. 15 But some people in the crowd were not happy with Jesus and they said, ‘This man can send bad spirits out of people because Beelzebul gives him authority. [ b ] That is Satan, the one who rules all the bad spirits.’

16 Some other people wanted to test Jesus to see what he would do. So they asked him, ‘Do something powerful for us to see. Then we will know that God has really sent you.’ [ c ]

17 But Jesus knew what those people were thinking. He said to them, ‘If armies in a country start to fight each other, they will destroy their own country. If people in one family fight against each other, they will destroy their own family. 18 So Satan would not fight against himself. If he did that, it would be the end of his kingdom. But you say that Beelzebul helps me to destroy bad spirits. 19 If that is true, what do you say about your own disciples? They also send bad spirits out of people. You would not say that it is Satan's power that helps them. So your own people show that you are wrong about this. 20 When I send bad spirits out of people, I use the power of God. This shows that God has come to rule among you.

21 When a strong man has all the weapons he needs to fight with, he can take care of his own house. Nobody will be able to rob him of the things inside his house. 22 But someone may come who is stronger than he is. That man will attack him and beat him. The strong man believed his weapons would keep him safe. But the stronger man will take his weapons away. He will take the strong man's things and give them to other people. [ d ]

23 If someone does not agree to help me, he is working against me. You should work with me to bring people to me for help. If you do not do that, you are making people run away from me.’ [ e ]

24 Jesus then said, ‘When a bad spirit goes out of a person, it travels through dry places. It looks for a new place to live. But maybe it does not find anywhere. So it says to itself, “I will return to the place where I lived before.” 25 Then it goes back to that person. It finds that the place is empty. Everything there is now good and clean. 26 So the bad spirit goes out and it brings back seven other spirits. They are even worse than itself. They all go into the person and they live there. Now the person's life is even worse than it was before.’ [ f ]

27 While Jesus was saying this, a woman in the crowd shouted out. ‘How happy is the woman that gave birth to you! How happy is the woman that fed you from her breasts!’

28 Jesus replied, ‘It is the people who hear God's message who are happy. They are happy if they obey it.’

Jesus talks about Jonah

29 The crowd around Jesus was growing very large, so he began to speak to them. ‘The people that are alive today are very bad,’ he said. ‘They want God to show them something powerful. But God will not do this for them. They will only see the same powerful thing that God did for Jonah. [ g ] 30 Jonah showed God's power to the people who lived in Nineveh. They knew that God had sent him. In the same way the Son of Man will show God's power to the people that are living today. Then they will know that God has sent me.

31 Also, the queen of Sheba travelled a long way to see King Solomon. She wanted to hear his wise words. When God judges everyone, she will stand up. She will speak against you who are alive today. She will show that you are bad people. She listened to King Solomon. But look! There is someone here now who is greater than Solomon was. [ h ]

32 When God judges everyone, the people who lived in Nineveh will be there. They will stand up and they will speak against you. They will show that the people who are alive today are bad. When Jonah spoke to the people in Nineveh long ago, they stopped doing bad things. But look! There is someone here now who is greater than Jonah was.’

Jesus talks about light

33 Then Jesus said, ‘When someone lights a lamp, he does not hide it. Nor does he put it under a pot. Instead, he puts it in a high place. Then other people who come into the room can see the light from the lamp. 34 Your eyes are like lamps and your body is like a room. Be careful that your eyes are like a clean lamp, then your whole body will have light. But if your eyes are dirty, your whole body will be completely in the dark. 35 So you must be careful. Be sure that you really have light in you. Be sure that you are not still in the dark. 36 Your whole body needs to have lots of light. Nothing dark should be there. It will be as if a lamp is shining its bright light on you.’ [ i ]

Jesus warns some Pharisees

37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to eat a meal with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee's house and he sat down at the table. 38 Jesus did not wash his hands before he ate the meal. This surprised the Pharisee. 39 So the Lord Jesus said to him, ‘You Pharisees are like someone who only cleans the outside of his cup and his plate. You only clean the part that people can see. But inside, your mind is full of bad thoughts. [ j ] You like to take things from other people. 40 What fools you are! God made the inside of you as well as the outside. He knows all about you. 41 So be ready to give things to poor people. Then you will be really clean, on the inside as well as the outside.

42 It will be very bad for you Pharisees! When you grow spices to cook with food, you give a tenth part of these small things to God. You are right to obey this rule. But you do not do the most important things. You do not help people in a good way. You do not really love God. You should have done the important things as well as the other little things.

43 Yes, it will be very bad for you Pharisees! You like to sit in the best seats in the meeting place. And you like people to praise you in the market place.

44 It will be very bad for you. You want to seem good to other people, but you are bad on the inside. You are like a grave that has nothing to show that it is there. People walk on that place because they do not know that there is a dead person there.’ [ k ]

45 Then a teacher of God's Law spoke out. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘when you say these things, you are also saying bad things about us.’

46 Jesus replied, ‘It will be very bad for you as well, teachers of God's Law. You give rules to people to obey. Those rules are like things that are too heavy for people to carry. [ l ] You do not even help people to carry them. Not even with one finger do you help them!

47 Yes, it will be very bad for you! A long time ago, your ancestors killed God's prophets. Now, you build up beautiful stones to show the place where they buried them. 48 You know that your ancestors killed the prophets. Now you build up the places where they buried them. So you show that you agree with your ancestors. You agree with what they did. 49 God is wise. Because you do not obey what is true, he said, “I will send my prophets and apostles to go to them. But they will kill some of my servants. They will hurt others of them.” 50 Since the beginning of the world, people have killed God's prophets. But God will punish the people who are alive today for all those murders. 51 Abel was the first to die like this and Zechariah was the last. They even killed Zechariah in the yard of the temple, near the altar. [ m ] Yes, God will punish the people who are alive today for all those murders.

52 It will be very bad for you teachers of God's Law! You have studied God's message. But you do not then accept it. You have also stopped people who really wanted to know God's message. Then they could not go on to accept it and go into God's kingdom.’

53 Then Jesus left that place. The Pharisees and the teachers of God's Law were angry against Jesus. They were asking him many difficult questions. 54 They wanted to make him say something wrong. Then they could take hold of him.

Footnotes

  1. 11:13 Jesus is telling us that we must pray. We must continue to pray, and then God will listen to us. He will give us the good things that we ask for. The most important thing to ask for is the gift of his Holy Spirit. He sends him to those that ask for him.
  2. 11:15 People used the name Beelzebul when they spoke about the Devil. This is another name for the Devil.
  3. 11:16 Jesus only used the power that he had from God to help people. He only did something special when his Father asked him to. He would not use it to cause people to believe in him. He had already done many powerful works. But they chose not to believe that he was the Messiah.
  4. 11:22 The strong person is the Devil. The stronger person that comes is Jesus. He fights the Devil and he beats him. When he commands bad spirits to leave people, they do. This shows that he is stronger than the Devil. So it was wrong to think that the Devil was helping him.
  5. 11:23 People are either helping Jesus, or they are helping the Devil. They are helping the Devil if they do nothing to help Jesus.
  6. 11:26 When the Jewish leaders commanded a bad spirit to leave a person, it often came out. But later it went back to live inside the person again. Because the Holy Spirit did not fill him, there was room for bad spirits to come in.
  7. 11:29 We can read about Jonah in the book of Jonah in the Old Testament of the Bible. God sent him to a town called Nineveh. He told the people there that they must stop doing bad things. He had been inside a big fish for three days. They could see that God had made him alive again. Jesus also would become alive again, three days after he died.
  8. 11:31 We can read about this queen in 1 Kings 10:1-10 . The Queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon. He was a wise and important king.
  9. 11:36 If a person lets Jesus rule his life, there will be nothing dark or hidden. Those that do not believe the messages of Jesus are like a person in the dark.
  10. 11:39 Jesus was speaking about the things that other people cannot see. The Pharisees thought about the part that other people could see. But God sees the reason why we do things.
  11. 11:44 The Jews put a mark at the place where they had buried a dead person. They put white paint on it. They did this so that people would see it. So then they would not touch it. If they did touch it, they would stop being clean. God's rules told them what they should do to be clean again. Jesus was saying that people might copy the Pharisees. If they did, they also would not be clean.
  12. 11:46 These heavy things were all the rules that the teachers had made. The people tried to obey all these rules, but it was too difficult for them. The teachers did not show the people how to obey the rules.
  13. 11:51 Through the years bad men have killed many good men. The prophets wrote in the Bible about many people who died in that way. Abel was the first person like that ( Genesis 4:8 .). Zechariah was the last person like that ( 2 Chronicles 24:21 ).

Jesus Teaches About Prayer ( A )

11 One time Jesus was out praying, and when he finished, one of his followers said to him, “John taught his followers how to pray. Lord, teach us how to pray too.”

2 Jesus said to the followers, “This is how you should pray:

‘Father, we pray that your name will always be kept holy.
We pray that your kingdom will come.
3 Give us the food we need for each day.
4 Forgive our sins,
just as we forgive everyone who has done wrong to us.
And don’t let us be tempted.’”

Ask God for What You Need ( B )

5-6 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you went to your friend’s house very late at night and said to him, ‘A friend of mine has come into town to visit me. But I have nothing for him to eat. Please give me three loaves of bread.’ 7 Your friend inside the house answers, ‘Go away! Don’t bother me! The door is already locked. My children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you the bread now.’ 8 I tell you, maybe friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread. But he will surely get up to give you what you need if you continue to ask. 9 So I tell you, continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. 10 Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them. 11 Do any of you have a son? What would you do if your son asked you for a fish? Would any father give him a snake? 12 Or, if he asked for an egg, would you give him a scorpion? Of course not! 13 Even you who are bad know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to the people who ask him.”

Jesus’ Power Is From God ( C )

14 One time Jesus was sending a demon out of a man who could not talk. When the demon came out, the man was able to speak. The crowds were amazed. 15 But some of the people said, “He uses the power of Satan [ a ] to force demons out of people. Satan is the ruler of demons.”

16 Some others there wanted to test Jesus. They asked him to do a miracle as a sign from God. 17 But he knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, “Every kingdom that fights against itself will be destroyed. And a family that fights against itself will break apart. 18 So if Satan is fighting against himself, how will his kingdom survive? You say that I use the power of Satan to force out demons. 19 But if I use Satan’s power to force out demons, then what power do your people use when they force out demons? So your own people will prove that you are wrong. 20 But I use the power of God to force out demons. This shows that God’s kingdom has now come to you.

21 “When a strong man with many weapons guards his own house, the things in his house are safe. 22 But suppose a stronger man comes and defeats him. The stronger man will take away the weapons that the first man trusted to keep his house safe. Then the stronger man will do what he wants with the other man’s things.

23 “Whoever is not with me is against me. And anyone who does not work with me is working against me.

The Danger of Emptiness ( D )

24 “When an evil spirit comes out of someone, it travels through dry places, looking for a place to rest. But it finds no place to rest. So it says, ‘I will go back to the home I left.’ 25 When it comes back, it finds that home all neat and clean. 26 Then the evil spirit goes out and brings back seven other spirits more evil than itself. They all go and live there, and that person has even more trouble than before.”

The People God Blesses

27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman with the people there called out to him, “Blessings from God belong to the woman who gave birth to you and fed you!”

28 But Jesus said, “The people who hear the teaching of God and obey it—they are the ones who have God’s blessing.”

Some People Doubt Jesus’ Authority ( E )

29 The crowd grew larger and larger. Jesus said, “The people who live today are evil. They ask for a miracle as a sign from God. But no miracle will be done to prove anything to them. The only sign will be the miracle that happened to Jonah. [ b ] 30 Jonah was a sign for those who lived in Nineveh. [ c ] It is the same with the Son of Man. He will be a sign for the people of this time.

31 “On the judgment day, you people who live now will be compared with the queen of the South, [ d ] and she will be a witness who shows how guilty you are. Why do I say this? Because she traveled from far, far away to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching. And I tell you that someone [ e ] greater than Solomon is right here, but you won’t listen!

32 “On the judgment day, you people who live now will also be compared with the people from Nineveh, and they will be witnesses who show how guilty you are. I say this because when Jonah preached to those people, they changed their hearts and lives. And you are listening to someone greater than Jonah, but you refuse to change!

Be a Light for the World ( F )

33 “No one takes a light and puts it under a bowl or hides it. Instead, they put it on a lampstand so that the people who come in can see. 34 The only source of light for the body is the eye. When you look at people and want to help them, you are full of light. But when you look at people in a selfish way, you are full of darkness. [ f ] 35 So be careful! Don’t let the light in you become darkness. 36 If you are full of light, and there is no part of you that is dark, then you will be all bright, as though you have the light of a lamp shining on you.”

Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders ( G )

37 After Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked Jesus to eat with him. So he went and took a place at the table. 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his hands [ g ] first before the meal. 39 The Lord said to him, “The washing you Pharisees do is like cleaning only the outside of a cup or a dish. But what is inside you? You want only to cheat and hurt people. 40 You are foolish! The same one who made what is outside also made what is inside. 41 So pay attention to what is inside. Give to the people who need help. Then you will be fully clean.

42 “But it will be bad for you Pharisees! You give God a tenth of the food you get, even your mint, your rue, and every other little plant in your garden. [ h ] But you forget to be fair to others and to love God. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things.

43 “It will be bad for you Pharisees because you love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. And you love for people to show respect to you in the marketplaces. 44 It will be bad for you, because you are like hidden graves. People walk on them without knowing it.”

45 One of the experts in the law said to Jesus, “Teacher, when you say these things about the Pharisees, you are criticizing our group too.”

46 Jesus answered, “It will be bad for you, you experts in the law! You make strict rules that are very hard for people to obey. [ i ] You try to force others to obey your rules. But you yourselves don’t even try to follow any of those rules. 47 It will be bad for you, because you build tombs for the prophets. But these are the same prophets your ancestors killed! 48 And now you show all people that you agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you build tombs for the prophets! 49 This is why God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send prophets and apostles [ j ] to them. Some of my prophets and apostles will be killed by evil men. Others will be treated badly.’

50 “So you people who live now will be punished for the deaths of all the prophets who were killed since the beginning of the world. 51 You will be punished for the killing of Abel. [ k ] And you will be punished for the killing of Zechariah, [ l ] who was killed between the altar and the Temple. Yes, I tell you that you people will be punished for them all.

52 “It will be bad for you, you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to learning about God. You yourselves would not learn, and you stopped others from learning too.”

53 When Jesus went out, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to give him much trouble. They tried to make him answer questions about many things. 54 They were trying to find a way to catch Jesus saying something wrong.

Footnotes

  1. Luke 11:15 Satan Literally, “Beelzebul” (the devil). Also in verses 18, 19.
  2. Luke 11:29 Jonah A prophet in the Old Testament. After three days in a big fish he came out alive, just as Jesus would come out from the tomb on the third day.
  3. Luke 11:30 Nineveh City where Jonah preached. See Jonah 3.
  4. Luke 11:31 queen of the South Or “queen of Sheba.” She traveled about 1000 miles (1600 km) to learn God’s wisdom from Solomon. See 1 Kings 10:1-13.
  5. Luke 11:31 someone Literally, “something.” Also in verse 32.
  6. Luke 11:34 Literally, “The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is pure, your whole body is full of light. But if it is evil, your body is dark.”
  7. Luke 11:38 wash his hands Washing the hands was a Jewish religious custom that the Pharisees thought was very important.
  8. Luke 11:42 You give … garden Literally, “You tithe mint, rue, and every herb.” The Law of Moses required Israelites to share their food supply by dedicating a tenth of their field crops and livestock to God (see Lev. 27:30-32; Deut. 26:12). This did not include such small garden plants as those mentioned here. So these Pharisees were giving more than required to be sure they were not breaking the Law.
  9. Luke 11:46 You make … obey Literally, “You put heavy burdens on people that are hard for them to carry.”
  10. Luke 11:49 prophets and apostles People chosen by God to tell his Good News to the world.
  11. Luke 11:51 Abel In the Hebrew Old Testament, the first person to be murdered.
  12. Luke 11:51 Zechariah In the Hebrew Old Testament, the last person to be murdered.

11 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.

15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.

16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.

17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.

18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.

19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.

20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.

31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

32 The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

33 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.

34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.

38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.

39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?

41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.

42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.

46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.

47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.

49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:

50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:

54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

Instruction about Prayer

11 It happened that while [ a ] Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” 2 And He said to them, “ ( A ) When you pray, say:

‘ [ b ] Father, [ c ] hallowed be Your name.
[ d ] Your kingdom come.
3 Give us ( B ) each day our [ e ] daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we ourselves also forgive everyone who ( C ) is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation.’”

5 And He said to them, “ [ f ] Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 because a friend of mine has come to me from a journey and I have nothing to serve him’; 7 and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children [ g ] and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything .’ 8 I tell you, even if he will not get up and give him anything just because he is his friend, yet ( D ) because of his [ h ] shamelessness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

9 “So I say to you, [ i ] ( E ) ask, and it will be given to you; [ j ] seek, and you will find; [ k ] knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened. 11 Now [ l ] which one of you fathers will his son ask for a [ m ] fish, and instead of a fish, he will give him a snake? 12 Or he will even ask for an egg, and his father will give him a scorpion? 13 So ( F ) if you, despite being [ n ] evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will [ o ] your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Pharisees’ Blasphemy

14 ( G ) And He was casting out a mute demon; when the demon had gone out, the man who was previously unable to speak talked, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out the demons ( H ) by ( I ) Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16 Others, [ p ] to test Him , ( J ) were demanding of Him a [ q ] sign from heaven. 17 ( K ) But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against [ r ] itself falls. 18 And if ( L ) Satan also has been divided against himself, how will his kingdom [ s ] stand? For you claim that I cast out the demons by ( M ) Beelzebul. 19 Yet if by ( N ) Beelzebul I cast out the demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 20 But if I cast out the demons by [ t ] the ( O ) finger of God, then ( P ) the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When [ u ] a strong man , fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are [ v ] secure. 22 But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, that man takes away his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. 23 ( Q ) The one who is not with Me is against Me; and the one who does not gather with Me scatters.

24 “ ( R ) When the unclean spirit comes out of [ w ] a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any , it then says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they come in and live there; and the last condition of that person becomes worse than the first.”

27 While [ x ] Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “ ( S ) Blessed is the womb that carried You, and the breasts at which You nursed!” 28 But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are ( T ) those who hear the word of God and follow it.”

The Sign of Jonah

29 Now as the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “ ( U ) This generation is a wicked generation; it ( V ) demands a [ y ] sign, and so no [ z ] sign will be given to it except the [ aa ] sign of Jonah. 30 For just as ( W ) Jonah became a [ ab ] sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The ( X ) Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because ( Y ) they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

33 “ ( Z ) No one lights a lamp and puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 ( AA ) Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is [ ac ] clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is [ ad ] bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 So watch out that the light in you is not darkness. 36 Therefore if your whole body is full of light, without any dark part, it will be wholly illuminated, as when the lamp illuminates you with its light.”

Woes upon the Pharisees

37 Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee *asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in and reclined at the table . 38 When the Pharisee saw this , he was surprised that Jesus had not first [ ae ] ( AB ) ceremonially washed before the [ af ] meal. 39 But ( AC ) the Lord said to him, “Now ( AD ) you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish; but your inside is full of greed and wickedness. 40 ( AE ) You foolish ones, did He who made the outside not make the inside also? 41 But ( AF ) give that which is within as a charitable gift, and [ ag ] then all things are ( AG ) clean for you.

42 “ ( AH ) But woe to you Pharisees! For you ( AI ) pay tithes of mint, rue, and every kind of garden herb, and yet you [ ah ] ignore justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you ( AJ ) love the seat of honor in the synagogues and personal greetings in the marketplaces. 44 ( AK ) Woe to you! For you are like [ ai ] unseen tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it .”

45 One of the [ aj ] ( AL ) lawyers *said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us too.” 46 But He said, “Woe to you ( AM ) lawyers as well! For ( AN ) you load people with burdens that are hard to bear, [ ak ] while you yourselves will not even [ al ] touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 ( AO ) Woe to you! For you build the [ am ] tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. 48 So you are witnesses and you approve of the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their [ an ] tombs . 49 For this reason also, ( AP ) the wisdom of God said, ‘ ( AQ ) I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill, and some they will [ ao ] persecute, 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed ( AR ) since the foundation of the world, may be charged [ ap ] against this generation, 51 from ( AS ) the blood of Abel to ( AT ) the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God ; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged [ aq ] against this generation.’ 52 Woe to you [ ar ] ( AU ) lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; ( AV ) you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”

53 When He left that place, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to interrogate Him about many subjects , 54 ( AW ) plotting against Him ( AX ) to catch [ as ] Him in something He might say.

Footnotes

  1. Luke 11:1 Lit He
  2. Luke 11:2 Later mss add phrases from Matt 6:9-13 to make the two passages closely similar
  3. Luke 11:2 I.e., treated as sacred or holy
  4. Luke 11:2 Or May Your...come
  5. Luke 11:3 Or bread for the coming day ; or needful bread
  6. Luke 11:5 Lit Which one of you will have...and will go
  7. Luke 11:7 Lit are with me
  8. Luke 11:8 Prob. by continued knocking
  9. Luke 11:9 Or keep asking
  10. Luke 11:9 Or keep seeking
  11. Luke 11:9 Or keep knocking
  12. Luke 11:11 Lit which of you, the father, will the son ask
  13. Luke 11:11 One early ms inserts loaf, he will not give him a stone, will he, or for a
  14. Luke 11:13 I.e., as sinful mankind
  15. Luke 11:13 Lit the Father from heaven
  16. Luke 11:16 Lit testing
  17. Luke 11:16 I.e., confirming miracle
  18. Luke 11:17 Lit a house
  19. Luke 11:18 I.e., remain stable
  20. Luke 11:20 I.e., an undeniable act of God
  21. Luke 11:21 Lit the
  22. Luke 11:21 Lit in peace
  23. Luke 11:24 Lit the
  24. Luke 11:27 Lit He
  25. Luke 11:29 I.e., confirming miracle
  26. Luke 11:29 I.e., confirming miracle
  27. Luke 11:29 I.e., confirming miracle
  28. Luke 11:30 I.e., confirming miracle
  29. Luke 11:34 Or healthy
  30. Luke 11:34 Or evil
  31. Luke 11:38 Lit baptized ; here, immersed the hands
  32. Luke 11:38 Or lunch
  33. Luke 11:41 Lit behold
  34. Luke 11:42 Or neglect
  35. Luke 11:44 I.e., unmarked
  36. Luke 11:45 I.e., experts in the Mosaic Law
  37. Luke 11:46 Lit and
  38. Luke 11:46 I.e., to assist them
  39. Luke 11:47 Or monuments to
  40. Luke 11:48 Or monuments
  41. Luke 11:49 Or drive out
  42. Luke 11:50 Or to
  43. Luke 11:51 Or to
  44. Luke 11:52 I.e., experts in the Mosaic Law
  45. Luke 11:54 Lit something out of His mouth

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.”

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:

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

5 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; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 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.’ 8 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 )

9 “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 .
Next Chapter
Book Manager
BSI_Poster
View Chapter Tabs Leave Good Review

Share this page

Day/Night Mode: Day or Night Theme
Your Bookmarks: View your bookmarks.
Table of Contents: Button above scripture.
Private Notes: Add private notes per chapter.