Luke 11
The Voice
11 Another time Jesus was praying, and when He finished, one of His disciples approached Him.
Disciple: Teacher, would You teach us Your way of prayer? John taught his disciples his way of prayer, and we’re hoping You’ll do the same.
Jesus: 2 Here’s how to pray:
Father [in heaven], may Your name be revered.
May Your kingdom come.
[May Your will be accomplished on earth
as it is in heaven.]
3 Give us the food we need for tomorrow,
4 And forgive us for our wrongs,
for we forgive those who wrong us.
And lead us away from temptation.
[And save us from the evil one.][a]
5 Imagine that one of your friends comes over at midnight. He bangs on the door and shouts, “Friend, will you lend me three loaves of bread? 6 A friend of mine just showed up unexpectedly from a journey, and I don’t have anything to feed him.” 7 Would you shout out from your bed, “I’m already in bed, and so are the kids. I already locked the door. I can’t be bothered”? 8 You know this as well as I do: even if you didn’t care that this fellow was your friend, if he keeps knocking long enough, you’ll get up and give him whatever he needs simply because of his brash persistence!
9 So listen: Keep on asking, and you will receive. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened for you. 10 All who keep asking will receive, all who keep seeking will find, and doors will open to those who keep knocking.
11 Some of you are fathers, so ask yourselves this: if your son comes up to you and asks for a fish for dinner, will you give him a snake instead? 12 If your boy wants an egg to eat, will you give him a scorpion? 13 Look, all of you are flawed in so many ways, yet in spite of all your faults, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to all who ask!
14 Picture this:
Jesus is exorcising a demon that has long kept a man from speaking. When the demon is expelled, the man starts talking and the people are amazed. 15 But then controversy erupts.
Some People: Do you know why He can cast out demons? It’s because He’s in league with the demon prince, Beelzebul.
16 Other people want to see more, so they challenge Jesus to give them another miraculous sign. 17 Jesus knows what they’re thinking.
Jesus: People, be logical. If a kingdom is divided against itself, it will collapse. If a ruling family is divided against itself, it will fall apart.
18 So if Satan’s kingdom is divided against itself, won’t his whole enterprise collapse? Does it make any sense to say I’m casting out demons by Beelzebul? 19 Besides, if you’re saying it takes satanic power to cast out Satan, by whose power do your own exorcists work? If you condemn Me for an exorcism, you’ll have to condemn them. 20 But if I by the power of God cast out demonic spirits, then face this fact: the kingdom of God is here, just as I’ve been saying.
21 When a man of power with his full array of weapons guards his own palace, everything inside is secure. 22 But when a new man who is stronger and better armed attacks the palace, the old ruler will be overcome, his weapons and trusted defenses will be removed, and his treasures will be plundered. 23 Can you see that I’m asking you to choose whose side you’re on—working with Me or fighting against Me?
These people think they are experts on demonic spirits, but Jesus instructs them in how these things actually work.
24 When a demonic spirit is expelled from someone, he wanders through waterless wastelands seeking rest. But there is no rest for him anywhere, so he says, “I’m going back to my old house.” 25 He returns and finds the old house has been swept clean and fixed up again. 26 So he goes and finds seven other spirits even worse than he is, and they make themselves at home in the man’s life so that he’s worse off now than he was before.
27 As He is speaking, a woman shouts out from the crowd and interrupts Him.
Woman: How blessed is Your mother’s womb for bearing You! How blessed are her 28 breasts for nursing You!
Jesus: No, how blessed are those who hear God’s voice and make God’s message their way of life.
29 Jesus was becoming more and more popular, and the crowds swelled wherever He went. He wasn’t impressed.
Jesus: This generation is evil. These people are seeking signs and spectacles, but I’m not going to play their game. The only sign they will be given is the sign of Jonah. 30 Just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
31 The queen of Ethiopia will stand to condemn the people of this generation on the day of judgment. She, an outsider, came from so far away to hear the wisdom given to Solomon, but now, something greater than Solomon is here: how are the people of this generation responding?
32 Similarly, the people of Nineveh will stand to condemn the people of this generation on the day of judgment. They, outsiders, responded and changed because of the preaching of Jonah, but now, something greater than Jonah is here: how are the people of this generation responding?
33 You need a light to see. Only an idiot would light a lamp and then put it beneath the floor or under a bucket. No, any intelligent person would put the lamp on a table so everyone who comes in the house can see. 34 Listen, your eye, your outlook, the way you see is your lamp. If your way of seeing is functioning well, then your whole life will be enlightened. But if your way of seeing is darkened, then your life will be a dark, dark place. 35 So be careful, people, because your light may be malfunctioning. 36 If your outlook is good, then your whole life will be bright, with no shadowy corners, as when a radiant lamp brightens your home.
Jesus is fearless with Pharisees and scholars. To get through to them He agrees to eat in the home of a Pharisee where a religious scholar has also been invited.
37 A Pharisee interrupted His speech with an invitation to dinner. Jesus accepted the invitation and took His place at his table. 38 The Pharisee was offended that Jesus didn’t perform the ceremonial handwashing before eating—something Pharisees were fastidious about doing.
Jesus: 39 You Pharisees are a walking contradiction. You are so concerned about external things—like someone who washes the outside of a cup and bowl but never cleans the inside, which is what counts! Beneath your fastidious exterior is a mess of extortion and filth.
40 You guys don’t get it. Did the potter make the outside but not the inside too? 41 If you were full of goodness within, you could overflow with generosity from within, and if you did that, everything would be clean for you.
42 Woe to you, Pharisees! Judgment will come on you! You are fastidious about tithing—keeping account of every little leaf of mint and herb—but you neglect what really matters: justice and the love of God! If you’d get straight on what really matters, then your fastidiousness about little things would be worth something.
43 Woe to you, Pharisees! Judgment will come on you! What you really love is having people fawn over you when you take the seat of honor in the synagogue or when you are greeted in the public market.
44 Wake up! See what you’ve become! Woe to you; you’re like a field full of unmarked graves. People walk on the field and have no idea of the corruption that’s a few inches beneath their feet.
Scholar (sitting at Jesus’ table): 45 Rabbi, if You insult the Pharisees, then You insult us too.
Jesus: 46 Well, now that you mention it, watch out, all you religious scholars! Judgment will come on you too! You load other people down with unbearable burdens of rules and regulations, but you don’t lift a finger to help others. 47-48 Woe to you; you don’t fool anybody! You seem very religious—honoring the prophets by building them elaborate memorial tombs. Come to think of it, that’s very fitting, since you’re so much like the people who killed the prophets! They killed the prophets; you build their tombs—you’re all in the same family business!
49 This is why the Wisdom of God said, “I will send these people My prophets and emissaries,[b] and these people will kill and persecute many of them.” 50 As a result, this generation will be held accountable for the blood of all the prophets shed from the very beginning of time, 51 from Abel’s blood to Zechariah’s blood, who was killed in the temple itself between the altar and the holy place. I’m serious: this generation will be held accountable.
52 So, religious scholars, judgment will come on you! You’re supposed to be teachers, unlocking the door of knowledge and guiding people through it. But the fact is, you’ve never even passed through the doorway yourselves. You’ve taken the key, left the door locked tight, and stood in the way of everyone who sought entry.
53 After that dinner, things were never the same. The religious scholars and Pharisees put constant pressure on Jesus, 54 trying to trap Him and trick Him into saying things they could use to bring Him down.
Luke 11
The Message
Ask for What You Need
11 One day he was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
2-4 So he said, “When you pray, say,
Father,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.”
5-6 Then he said, “Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend traveling through just showed up, and I don’t have a thing on hand.’
7 “The friend answers from his bed, ‘Don’t bother me. The door’s locked; my children are all down for the night; I can’t get up to give you anything.’
8 “But let me tell you, even if he won’t get up because he’s a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he’ll finally get up and get you whatever you need.
9 “Here’s what I’m saying:
Ask and you’ll get;
Seek and you’ll find;
Knock and the door will open.
10-13 “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?”
No Neutral Ground
14-16 Jesus delivered a man from a demon that had kept him speechless. The demon gone, the man started talking a blue streak, taking the crowd by complete surprise. But some from the crowd were cynical. “Black magic,” they said. “Some devil trick he’s pulled from his sleeve.” Others were skeptical, waiting around for him to prove himself with a spectacular miracle.
17-20 Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Any country in civil war for very long is wasted. A constantly squabbling family falls to pieces. If Satan cancels Satan, is there any Satan left? You accuse me of ganging up with the Devil, the prince of demons, to cast out demons, but if you’re slinging devil mud at me, calling me a devil who kicks out devils, doesn’t the same mud stick to your own exorcists? But if it’s God’s finger I’m pointing that sends the demons on their way, then God’s kingdom is here for sure.
21-22 “When a strong man, armed to the teeth, stands guard in his front yard, his property is safe and sound. But what if a stronger man comes along with superior weapons? Then he’s beaten at his own game, the arsenal that gave him such confidence hauled off, and his precious possessions plundered.
23 “This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse.
24-26 “When a corrupting spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn’t find anyone, it says, ‘I’ll go back to my old haunt.’ On return, it finds the person swept and dusted, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits dirtier than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse than if he’d never gotten cleaned up in the first place.”
27 While he was saying these things, some woman lifted her voice above the murmur of the crowd: “Blessed the womb that carried you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”
28 Jesus commented, “Even more blessed are those who hear God’s Word and guard it with their lives!”
Keep Your Eyes Open
29-30 As the crowd swelled, he took a fresh tack: “The mood of this age is all wrong. Everybody’s looking for proof, but you’re looking for the wrong kind. All you’re looking for is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles. But the only proof you’re going to get is the Jonah-proof given to the Ninevites, which looks like no proof at all. What Jonah was to Nineveh, the Son of Man is to this age.
31-32 “On Judgment Day the Ninevites will stand up and give evidence that will condemn this generation, because when Jonah preached to them they changed their lives. A far greater preacher than Jonah is here, and you squabble about ‘proofs.’ On Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will come forward and bring evidence that condemns this generation, because she traveled from a far corner of the earth to listen to wise Solomon. Wisdom far greater than Solomon’s is right in front of you, and you quibble over ‘evidence.’
33-36 “No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It’s put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a musty cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.”
Frauds!
37-41 When he finished that talk, a Pharisee asked him to dinner. He entered his house and sat right down at the table. The Pharisee was shocked and somewhat offended when he saw that Jesus didn’t wash up before the meal. But the Master said to him, “I know you Pharisees buff the surface of your cups and plates so they sparkle in the sun, but I also know your insides are maggoty with greed and secret evil. Stupid Pharisees! Didn’t the One who made the outside also make the inside? Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then your lives will be clean, not just your dishes and your hands.
42 “I’ve had it with you! You’re hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but manage to find loopholes for getting around basic matters of justice and God’s love. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required.
43-44 “You’re hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You love sitting at the head table at church dinners, love preening yourselves in the radiance of public flattery. Frauds! You’re just like unmarked graves: People walk over that nice, grassy surface, never suspecting the rot and corruption that is six feet under.”
45 One of the religion scholars spoke up: “Teacher, do you realize that in saying these things you’re insulting us?”
46 He said, “Yes, and I can be even more explicit. You’re hopeless, you religion scholars! You load people down with rules and regulations, nearly breaking their backs, but never lift even a finger to help.
47-51 “You’re hopeless! You build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed. The tombs you build are monuments to your murdering ancestors more than to the murdered prophets. That accounts for God’s Wisdom saying, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, but they’ll kill them and run them off.’ What it means is that every drop of righteous blood ever spilled from the time earth began until now, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was struck down between altar and sanctuary, is on your heads. Yes, it’s on the bill of this generation and this generation will pay.
52 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars! You took the key of knowledge, but instead of unlocking doors, you locked them. You won’t go in yourself, and won’t let anyone else in either.”
53-54 As soon as Jesus left the table, the religion scholars and Pharisees went into a rage. They went over and over everything he said, plotting how they could trap him in something from his own mouth.
Lucas 11
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
Jesús enseña sobre la oración
11 Aconteció que estando Jesús orando en cierto lugar, cuando terminó, le dijo uno de Sus discípulos: «Señor, enséñanos a orar, así como Juan enseñó también a sus discípulos». 2 (A)Y Él les dijo: «Cuando oren, digan:
“[a]Padre, santificado sea Tu nombre.
Venga Tu reino.
3 Danos hoy[b] el pan nuestro de cada día[c](B).
4 Y perdónanos nuestros pecados,
Porque también nosotros perdonamos a todos los que nos deben(C).
Y no nos metas[d] en tentación”».
5 También les dijo: «Supongamos que uno de ustedes[e] tiene un amigo, y va a él a medianoche y le dice: “Amigo, préstame tres panes, 6 porque un amigo mío ha llegado de viaje a mi casa, y no tengo nada que ofrecerle[f]”; 7 y aquel, respondiendo desde adentro, le dice: “No me molestes; la puerta ya está cerrada, y mis hijos y yo estamos acostados[g]; no puedo levantarme para darte nada”. 8 Les digo que aunque no se levante a darle algo por ser su amigo, no obstante, por su importunidad(D) se levantará y le dará cuanto necesite.
9 »Así que Yo les digo: (E)pidan, y se les dará; busquen, y hallarán; llamen, y se les abrirá. 10 Porque todo el que pide, recibe; y el que busca, halla; y al que llama, se le abrirá.
11 »O supongan que a uno de ustedes que es padre, su hijo le pide[h] pan, ¿acaso le dará una piedra? O si le pide un[i] pescado, ¿acaso le dará una serpiente en lugar del pescado? 12 O si le[j] pide un huevo, ¿acaso le dará un escorpión? 13 Pues si ustedes siendo malos, saben dar buenas dádivas a sus hijos, ¿cuánto más su Padre celestial[k] dará el Espíritu Santo a los que se lo pidan(F)?».
Jesús y Beelzebú
14 (G)Jesús estaba echando fuera un demonio que era mudo, y cuando el demonio salió, el mudo habló; y las multitudes se maravillaron. 15 Pero algunos de ellos dijeron: «Él echa fuera los demonios por Beelzebú(H), príncipe de los demonios(I)».
16 Y otros, para poner[l] a prueba a Jesús, demandaban de Él una señal[m](J) del cielo. 17 (K)Pero conociendo Él sus pensamientos, les dijo: «Todo reino dividido contra sí mismo es asolado; y una casa dividida contra sí misma[n], se derrumba. 18 Y si también Satanás(L) está dividido contra sí mismo, ¿cómo permanecerá en pie su reino? Porque ustedes dicen que Yo echo fuera demonios por Beelzebú(M). 19 Y si Yo echo fuera demonios por Beelzebú(N), ¿por quién los echan fuera los hijos de ustedes? Por tanto, ellos serán sus jueces. 20 Pero si Yo por el dedo de Dios(O) echo fuera los demonios, entonces el reino de Dios ha llegado(P) a ustedes.
21 »Cuando un[o] hombre fuerte, bien armado, custodia su palacio, sus bienes están seguros[p]. 22 Pero cuando uno más fuerte que él lo ataca y lo vence, le quita todas sus armas en las cuales había confiado y distribuye su botín. 23 El que no está a Mi lado, contra Mí está; y el que a Mi lado no recoge, desparrama(Q).
24 (R)Cuando el espíritu inmundo sale del hombre, pasa por lugares áridos buscando descanso; y al no hallarlo, dice: “Volveré a mi casa de donde salí”. 25 Y al llegar, la encuentra barrida y arreglada. 26 Entonces va y toma consigo otros siete espíritus peores que él, y entrando, moran allí; y el estado final de aquel hombre resulta peor que el primero».
La verdadera dicha
27 Mientras Jesús decía estas cosas, una de las mujeres en la multitud alzó la voz y dijo: «¡Dichosa la matriz[q] que te concibió[r] y los senos que te criaron(S)!». 28 «Al contrario», le contestó Jesús, «dichosos los que oyen la palabra de Dios y la guardan(T)».
La gente demanda señal
29 Como la multitud se aglomeraba, Jesús comenzó a decir: «(U)Esta generación es una generación perversa; busca señal(V), y ninguna señal se le dará, sino la señal de Jonás. 30 Porque de la misma manera que Jonás vino a ser una señal(W) para los ninivitas, así también lo será el Hijo del Hombre para esta generación.
31 »La Reina del Sur se levantará en el juicio con los hombres de esta generación y los condenará, porque ella vino desde los confines de la tierra para oír la sabiduría de Salomón(X); y miren, algo más grande que Salomón está aquí. 32 Los hombres de Nínive se levantarán en el juicio con esta generación y la condenarán, porque ellos se arrepintieron con la predicación de Jonás(Y); y miren, algo más grande que Jonás está aquí.
La lámpara del cuerpo
33 »Nadie, cuando enciende una lámpara, la pone en un sótano ni debajo de una vasija, sino sobre el candelero, para que los que entren vean la luz(Z). 34 (AA)La lámpara de tu cuerpo es tu ojo; cuando tu ojo está sano[s], también todo tu cuerpo está lleno de luz; pero cuando está malo, también tu cuerpo está lleno de oscuridad. 35 Mira, pues, que la luz que en ti hay no sea oscuridad. 36 Así que, si todo tu cuerpo está lleno de luz, sin tener parte alguna en tinieblas, estará totalmente iluminado como cuando la lámpara te alumbra con sus rayos».
Jesús denuncia a los fariseos y a los intérpretes de la ley
37 Cuando terminó de hablar, un fariseo le rogó* que comiera con él; y Jesús entró y se sentó[t] a la mesa. 38 El fariseo al ver esto, se sorprendió de que Jesús no se hubiera lavado[u] primero antes de comer, según el ritual judío(AB).
39 Pero el Señor(AC) le dijo: «Ahora bien, ustedes los fariseos limpian lo de afuera del vaso y del plato; pero por dentro están llenos[v] de robo y de maldad(AD). 40 Necios(AE), el que hizo lo de afuera, ¿no hizo también lo de adentro? 41 Den más bien lo que está dentro[w] como obra de caridad(AF), y entonces[x] todo les será limpio(AG).
42 »Pero ¡ay de ustedes, fariseos! Porque pagan el diezmo de(AH) la menta y la ruda y toda clase de hortaliza, y sin embargo pasan por alto la justicia y el amor de Dios; pero esto es lo que debían haber practicado sin descuidar lo otro(AI). 43 ¡Ay de ustedes, fariseos! Porque aman los primeros asientos en las sinagogas y los saludos respetuosos en las plazas(AJ). 44 ¡Ay de ustedes! Porque son como sepulcros(AK) que no se ven, sobre los que andan los hombres sin saberlo».
45 Respondiendo uno de los intérpretes de la ley[y](AL), le dijo*: «Maestro, cuando dices esto, también a nosotros nos insultas». 46 Y Él dijo: «¡Ay también de ustedes, intérpretes de la ley(AM)! Porque cargan a los hombres con cargas difíciles de llevar, y ustedes ni siquiera tocan las cargas con uno de sus dedos(AN). 47 ¡Ay de ustedes! Porque edifican los sepulcros de[z] los profetas(AO), y fueron los padres de ustedes quienes los mataron. 48 De modo que son testigos, y aprueban las acciones de sus padres; porque ellos los mataron y ustedes edifican sus sepulcros.
49 »(AP)Por eso la sabiduría de Dios también dijo: “Les enviaré profetas y apóstoles(AQ), y de ellos, matarán a algunos y perseguirán[aa] a otros, 50 para que la sangre de todos los profetas, derramada desde la fundación del mundo(AR), se le cargue[ab] a esta generación. 51 Desde la sangre de Abel(AS) hasta la sangre de Zacarías(AT), que pereció entre el altar y la casa de Dios. Sí, les digo que le será cargada[ac] a esta generación”.
52 »¡Ay de ustedes, intérpretes de la ley(AU)! Porque han quitado la llave del conocimiento. Ustedes mismos no entraron, y a los que estaban entrando se lo impidieron(AV)».
53 Cuando salió de allí, los escribas y los fariseos comenzaron a acosar en gran manera, y a interrogar minuciosamente a Jesús sobre muchas cosas, 54 tramando contra Él(AW) para ver si lo podían atrapar en algo que dijera[ad](AX).
Footnotes
- Lucas 11:2 Algunos mss. incluyen en los vers. 2, 3 y 4, frases que se encuentran en Mat. 6:9-13.
- Lucas 11:3 O diariamente.
- Lucas 11:3 O para el día venidero.
- Lucas 11:4 O no nos dejes caer.
- Lucas 11:5 Lit. ¿Quién de ustedes.
- Lucas 11:6 Lit. ponerle delante.
- Lucas 11:7 Lit. están conmigo en la cama.
- Lucas 11:11 Lit. Pero ¿a cuál de ustedes el hijo le pedirá al padre.
- Lucas 11:11 Algunos mss. antiguos no incluyen: pan,...o si un.
- Lucas 11:12 Lit. O también.
- Lucas 11:13 Lit. Padre del cielo.
- Lucas 11:16 Lit. poniendo.
- Lucas 11:16 O un milagro.
- Lucas 11:17 Lit. una casa contra una casa.
- Lucas 11:21 Lit. el.
- Lucas 11:21 Lit. en paz.
- Lucas 11:27 O el vientre.
- Lucas 11:27 Lit. cargó.
- Lucas 11:34 O claro.
- Lucas 11:37 Lit. se recostó.
- Lucas 11:38 Lit. bautizado.
- Lucas 11:39 Lit. su interior está lleno.
- Lucas 11:41 O de lo que tienen.
- Lucas 11:41 Lit. he aquí.
- Lucas 11:45 I.e. expertos en la ley de Moisés.
- Lucas 11:47 O monumentos a.
- Lucas 11:49 O echarán fuera.
- Lucas 11:50 O se le exija.
- Lucas 11:51 O se le exigirá.
- Lucas 11:54 Lit. algo de su boca.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Nueva Biblia de las Américas™ NBLA™ Copyright © 2005 por The Lockman Foundation
