Luke 11
English Standard Version
The Lord's Prayer
11 Now Jesus[a] was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, (A)as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, (B)“When you pray, say:
(C)“Father, (D)hallowed be (E)your name.
(F)Your kingdom come.
3 (G)Give us (H)each day our daily bread,[b]
4 and (I)forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And (J)lead us not into temptation.”
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 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 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, though he will not get up and give him anything (K)because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence[c] he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, (L)ask, and (M)it will be given to you; (N)seek, and you will find; (O)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 What father among you, if his son asks for[d] a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, (P)who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father (Q)give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Jesus and Beelzebul
14 (R)Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons (S)by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, (T)to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 (U)But he, (V)knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, (W)by whom do (X)your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by (Y)the finger of God that I cast out demons, then (Z)the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 (AA)but when one stronger than he attacks him and (AB)overcomes him, he takes away his (AC)armor in which he trusted and (AD)divides his spoil. 23 (AE)Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Return of an Unclean Spirit
24 (AF)“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through (AG)waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And (AH)the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
True Blessedness
27 As he said these things, (AI)a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, (AJ)“Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, (AK)“Blessed rather are those (AL)who hear the word of God and (AM)keep it!”
The Sign of Jonah
29 (AN)When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, (AO)“This generation is an evil generation. (AP)It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as (AQ)Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 (AR)The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and (AS)condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, (AT)something greater than Solomon is here. 32 (AU)The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and (AV)condemn it, for (AW)they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, (AX)something greater than Jonah is here.
The Light in You
33 (AY)“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 Your eye is (AZ)the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is (BA)bad, your body is full of darkness. 35 (BB)Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, (BC)as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers
37 While Jesus[e] was speaking, (BD)a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished to see (BE)that he did not first wash before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, (BF)“Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of (BG)greed and wickedness. 40 (BH)You fools! (BI)Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But (BJ)give as alms those things that are within, and behold, (BK)everything is clean for you.
42 (BL)“But woe to you Pharisees! For (BM)you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect (BN)justice and (BO)the love of God. (BP)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For (BQ)you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! (BR)For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”
45 One of (BS)the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” 46 And he said, “Woe to you (BT)lawyers also! For (BU)you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 (BV)Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. 48 (BW)So you are witnesses and you (BX)consent to the deeds of (BY)your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore also (BZ)the Wisdom of God said, (CA)‘I will send them (CB)prophets and apostles, (CC)some of whom they will (CD)kill and persecute,’ 50 so that (CE)the blood of all the prophets, shed (CF)from the foundation of the world, may be (CG)charged against this generation, 51 from the blood of (CH)Abel to the blood of (CI)Zechariah, who perished between (CJ)the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be (CK)required of this generation. 52 Woe to you (CL)lawyers! (CM)For you have taken away the key of (CN)knowledge. You (CO)did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”
53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, 54 (CP)lying in wait for him, (CQ)to catch him in something he might say.
Footnotes
- Luke 11:1 Greek he
- Luke 11:3 Or our bread for tomorrow
- Luke 11:8 Or persistence
- Luke 11:11 Some manuscripts insert bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for
- Luke 11:37 Greek he
Luke 11
Tree of Life Version
Praying Along the Way
11 Now Yeshua was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Master, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 Then Yeshua said to them, “When you pray, say,
‘Father, sanctified be Your Name,
Your kingdom come.[a]
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
5 Then Yeshua said to them, “Which of you has a friend and will go to him in the middle of the night and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine has come to me on his journey and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 Then from within he may answer, saying, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even if the friend will not get up and give him anything out of friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9 “So I say to you, ‘Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall 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 What father, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 And if he asks for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Ruach ha-Kodesh[b] to those who ask Him!”
Crowds Demand a Sign from Heaven
14 Now Yeshua was driving out a demon, and it was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute one spoke and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some among them said, “By beelzebul, the ruler of demons, He drives out demons.” 16 Others, testing Him, were demanding from Him a sign from heaven.
17 But Yeshua, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and a house against a house falls. 18 Now if satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say by beelzebul I drive out the demons. 19 But if by beelzebul I drive out demons, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason, they will be your judges. 20 But if by the finger of God[c] I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
21 “When a strong one, fully-armed, protects his own estate, his possessions are safe. 22 But as soon as someone stronger than he attacks and overpowers him, then he takes away the armor that he had trusted in and divides up his plunder. 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 a man, it passes through waterless places looking for rest. Not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house where I came from.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and settle there. And that man’s last condition becomes worse than the first.”
27 Then as Yeshua was saying these things, a certain woman in the crowd, raising her voice, said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that carried You and the breasts that nursed You!”
28 But He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
29 With the crowds increasing, Yeshua began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, yet no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,[d] so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise up 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.[e] And behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s proclamation. And indeed, one greater than Jonah is here.
33 “No one lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on the lampstand so that those entering may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light. But when it is sick, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore, watch out that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If then your body is full of light, with no part of it dark, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its gleam.”
Dinner with a Pharisee
37 As He spoke, a Pharisee asked Yeshua to eat with him, so He entered and sat down. 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Yeshua did not do the ritual handwashing before the meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 Fools! Didn’t He who created the outside also create the inside? 41 But give as tzedakah those things that are within, and indeed everything is pure to you.
42 “But woe to you Pharisees, for you tithe mint, rue, and every garden herb,[f] yet bypass justice and the love of God. It is necessary to do these things without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees, for you love the best seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you, for you are like unmarked tombs, and people walk over them without knowing.”
45 But answering, one of the Torah lawyers says to Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us too.”
46 Then Yeshua said, “Woe to you Torah lawyers as well, for you weigh the people down with burdens hard to carry, yet you yourselves will not touch the burdens with even a finger.
47 “Woe to you, for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your own fathers killed! 48 So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers, for indeed they killed them and you are building their tombs.
49 “For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and emissaries, and some of them they will kill and persecute, 50 so that the blood of the prophets shed since the foundation of the world might be required from this generation— 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the one who perished between the altar and the house of God.[g] Yes, I tell you, it will be required from this generation.’
52 “Woe to you, Torah lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter, and you stood in the way of those entering.”
53 When Yeshua left there, the Torah scholars and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to interrogate Him on many issues, 54 plotting against Him to catch Him in His words.
Footnotes
- Luke 11:2 cf. Matt. 6:9-13.
- Luke 11:13 cf. Joel 3:1-5(2:28-32); Zech. 12:10.
- Luke 11:20 cf. Exod. 8:15(19).
- Luke 11:30 cf. Jon. 3:4-5.
- Luke 11:31 cf. 1 Kings 10:1-10.
- Luke 11:42 cf. Lev. 27:30.
- Luke 11:51 cf. Gen. 4:8; 2 Chr. 24:20-21.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.