Luke 11
Amplified Bible
Instruction about Prayer
11 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them,
“When you pray, [a]say:
‘[b]Father, [c]hallowed be Your name.
[d]Your kingdom come.
3
‘Give us each day our [e]daily bread.
4
‘And forgive us our sins,
For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us [who has offended or wronged us].
And [f]lead us not into temptation [[g]but rescue us from evil].’”
Parable of Persistence
5 Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves [of bread]; 6 for a friend of mine who is on a journey has just come to visit me, and I have nothing to serve him’; 7 and from inside he answers, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything just because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence and boldness he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9 “So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.(A) 10 For everyone who [h]keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you, then, being evil [that is, sinful by nature], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!”
Pharisees’ Blasphemy
14 And [at another time] Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was [controlling a man so as to make him] mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds were awed.(B) 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by [the power of] [i]Beelzebul (Satan), the ruler of the demons.” 16 Others, trying to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. 17 But He, well aware of their thoughts and purpose, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is doomed to destruction; and a house divided against itself falls. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand and continue to survive? For you are saying that I drive out demons by [the power of] Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons [the Jewish exorcists] drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then [j]the kingdom of God has already come upon you. 21 When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his belongings are undisturbed and secure. 22 But when someone stronger than he attacks and overpowers him, he robs him of all his armor on which he had relied and divides his [goods as] spoil. 23 He who is not with Me [believing in Me as Lord and Savior] is against Me [there is no impartial position]; and he who does not gather with Me [assisting in My ministry], scatters.
24 “When the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places in search [of a place] of rest; and not finding any, it says, ‘I will go back to my house (person) from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the place swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in [the person] and live there; and the last state of that person becomes worse than the first.”
27 Now while Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed (happy, favored by God) is the womb that gave birth to You and the breasts at which You nursed!” 28 But He said, “On the contrary, blessed (happy, favored by God) are those who hear the word of God and continually observe it.”
The Sign of Jonah
29 Now as the crowds were increasing [in number], He began to say, “This [present] generation is a wicked generation; it seeks a sign (attesting miracle), but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah [the prophet].(C) 30 For just as [k]Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man also be [a sign] to this generation.(D) 31 The Queen of the South (the kingdom of Sheba) will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and look, something greater than Solomon is here.(E) 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up [as witnesses] at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and look, something greater than Jonah is here.(F)
33 “No one lights a lamp and then puts it in a cellar nor under a basket [hiding the light], but [instead it is put] on the lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.(G) 34 The eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive, focused on God], your whole body also is full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts]. But when it is bad [spiritually blind], your body also is full of darkness [devoid of God’s word]. 35 Be careful, therefore, that the light that is in you is not darkness. 36 So if your whole body is illuminated, with no dark part, it will be entirely bright [with light], as when the lamp gives you light with its bright rays.”
Woes upon the Pharisees
37 Now after Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him. He went in [the Pharisee’s home] and reclined at the table [without ceremonially washing His hands]. 38 The Pharisee noticed this and was surprised that Jesus did not first ceremonially wash before the meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and plate [as required by tradition]; but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish ones [acting without reflection or intelligence]! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give that which is within as charity [that is, acts of mercy and compassion, not as a public display, but as an expression of your faithfulness to God], and then indeed all things are clean for you.
42 “But woe (judgment is coming) to you Pharisees, because you [self-righteously] [l]tithe mint and [m]rue and every [little] garden herb [tending to all the minutiae], and yet disregard and neglect justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done, without neglecting the others.(H) 43 Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the [n]best seats in the synagogues and to be respectfully greeted in the market places. 44 Woe to you! For you are like graves which are unmarked, and people walk over them without being aware of it [and are ceremonially unclean].”
45 One of the lawyers [an expert in the Mosaic Law] answered Him, “Teacher, by saying this, You insult us too!” 46 But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well, because you weigh men down with burdens [man-made rules, unreasonable requirements] which are hard to bear, and you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers [to lighten the load]. 47 Woe to you! For you repair or build [o]tombs for the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. 48 So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers, because they [actually] killed them, and you repair or build their tombs. 49 For this reason also the wisdom of God said [in the Scriptures], ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will put to death and some they will persecute, 50 so that charges may be brought against this generation [holding them responsible] for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah [the priest], who was murdered between the altar and the house of God. Yes, I tell you, charges will be brought against this generation.’(I) 52 Woe to you lawyers, because you have taken away the key to knowledge (scriptural truth). You yourselves did not enter, and you held back those who were entering [by your flawed interpretation of God’s word and your man-made tradition].”(J)
53 When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile [toward Him] and to interrogate Him on many subjects, 54 plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.
Footnotes
- Luke 11:2 I.e. as a model or pattern.
- Luke 11:2 Later mss add phrases from Matt 6:9-13 to make the two passages closely similar.
- Luke 11:2 I.e. set apart, keep and treat as holy, revere.
- Luke 11:2 A plea for God’s kingdom to be inaugurated on earth.
- Luke 11:3 I.e. life’s essentials.
- Luke 11:4 I.e. lead us away from situations where we are vulnerable and have the opportunity to sin. God does not tempt man (see James 1:13) but does allow man to be tested.
- Luke 11:4 NU omits.
- Luke 11:10 Here the use of Greek present imperatives (asking, seeking, knocking; vv 9, 10) emphasizes persistent, constant prayer.
- Luke 11:15 I.e. a deity worshiped in the Philistine city of Ekron: Baal Zebul, lord of the high places or Baal Zebub, lord of the flies.
- Luke 11:20 I.e. in the person and ministry of Jesus.
- Luke 11:30 Jonah spent three days in the belly of the great fish; Christ was resurrected three days after His death.
- Luke 11:42 The required offering of ten percent.
- Luke 11:42 An odoriferous plant whose oil was used as medicine.
- Luke 11:43 These seats were located near the scrolls of the Law, facing the congregation in the synagogue.
- Luke 11:47 Or monuments to.
Luke 11
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Jesus Teaches His Disciples To Pray
11 And it came about during His being in a certain place praying, that when He ceased, a certain 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, “Whenever you pray, say, ‘Father— let[a] Your name be treated-as-holy. Let Your kingdom come. 3 Be giving us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we also are forgiving everyone being indebted to us. And do not bring us into a temptation[b]’”.
Keep Asking And You Will Receive
5 And He said to them, “Which of you will have a friend, and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves-of-bread, 6 because my friend came to me from a journey and I do not have what I will set-before him’; 7 and that one, having responded from inside says ‘Do not be causing me troubles. The door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed. I am not able, having arisen, to give it to you’? 8 I say to you: even though he will not, having arisen, give to him because of being his friend, yet because of his shamelessness[c] he will, having been raised[d], give to him as much as he needs. 9 And I say to you: be asking, and it will be given to you. Be seeking, and you will find. Be knocking, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone asking receives. And the one seeking finds. And to the one knocking, it will be opened.
God Knows How To Give Good Answers To Your Prayers
11 “And what father from-among you will his son ask-for a fish, and he will give him a snake[e] instead of a fish? 12 Or indeed he will ask-for an egg— will he give him a scorpion? 13 Therefore if you, being evil, know-how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the Holy Spirit to the ones asking Him!”
Some Say Jesus Casts Out Demons By Satan’s Power
14 And He was casting-out a demon, and it was mute. And it came about, the demon having gone out, that the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He is casting out the demons by[f] Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons”. 16 And others, testing Him, were seeking from Him a sign out of heaven.
A Kingdom Divided Cannot Stand. Watch Out Or You Will Be Worse Off
17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them— “Every kingdom having been divided against itself is desolated, and a house divided against a house falls; 18 and if indeed Satan was divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?— because you are saying that I am casting out the demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I am casting out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom[g] are your sons casting them out? For this reason, they will be your judges; 20 but if I am casting out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God came[h] upon you. 21 Whenever the strong man having fully-armed-himself [i] is guarding his own courtyard, his possessions are in peace. 22 But when one stronger than he, having come against him, overcomes him— he takes away his full-armor upon which he trusted, and distributes his spoils. 23 The one not being with Me is against Me. And the one not gathering with Me is scattering. 24 When the unclean spirit departs from the person, it goes-through waterless places seeking rest[j]. And not finding it, then it says, ‘I will return to my house from where I came out’. 25 And having come, it finds it having been swept and put-in-order[k]. 26 Then it proceeds, and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself. And having gone in, they dwell there. And the last state of that person becomes worse than the first”.
Blessed Are Those Hearing And Keeping The Word of God
27 And it came about during His saying these things that a certain woman from the crowd, having raised her voice, said to Him, “Blessed is the womb having carried You, and the breasts which You sucked”. 28 But He said, “More-than-that, blessed are the ones hearing the word of God and keeping it”.
This Is an Evil Generation. No Sign Will Be Given Except The Sign of Jonah
29 And while the crowds were assembling-more, He began to say “This generation is an evil generation. It is seeking a sign. And a sign will not be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man also will be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will be raised at the judgment with the men of this generation, and she will condemn them. Because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold— a greater thing than Solomon is here. 32 Ninevite men will rise-up at the judgment with this generation, and they will condemn it. Because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold— a greater thing than Jonah is here.
The Lamp Shines So People Can See. Watch Out That Your Eye Can Receive The Light
33 “No one having lit a lamp puts it in a crypt[l], nor under the basket, but on the lampstand, in order that the ones coming in may see the light. 34 The lamp[m] of the body is your eye. When your eye is single[n], your whole body is also full-of-light. But when it is bad, your body is also full-of-darkness. 35 So be watching-out that the light in[o] you is not darkness! 36 Therefore if your whole body is full-of-light, not having any part full-of-darkness, [then] the whole body will be full-of-light as when the lamp gives-light-to you with its bright-light”.
Woe To You Pharisees
37 Now at the speaking, a Pharisee asks Him so that He might eat-the-morning-meal with him. And having gone in, He fell-back [to eat]. 38 And the Pharisee, having seen it, marveled that He was not first cleansed[p] before the morning-meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now[q] you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, but the inside of you is full of plundering and evilness. 40 Foolish ones— did not the One having made the outside also make the inside? 41 But give the things being-within as alms, and behold— all things are clean for you. 42 But woe to you Pharisees, because you are giving-a-tenth-of the mint and the rue and every garden-plant, and are disregarding[r] the justice and the love of God. But you ought-to-have done these things, and not be slackening[s] those things. 43 Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the seat-of-honor in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you, because you are like unmarked[t] graves, and the people walking over them do not know it ”.
Woe To You Law-Experts
45 And having responded, one of the Law-experts says to Him, “Teacher, while saying these things You also are insulting us”. 46 And the One said, “Woe to you Law-experts also, because you burden people with hard-to-bear burdens[u], and you do not touch[v] the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you, because you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them! 48 Therefore you are witnesses and are giving-approval to the works of your fathers, because they killed them— and you build their tombs. 49 For this reason the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send-forth prophets and apostles to them, and some of them they will kill and persecute, 50 in order that the blood of all the prophets having been shed since the foundation of the world may be required[w] from this generation— 51 from the blood of Abel up to the blood of Zechariah[x], the one having perished between the altar and the house [of God]. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required from this generation’. 52 Woe to you Law-experts, because you took away the key of knowledge. You did not enter, and you hindered the ones entering”.
With His Enemies Lying In Wait To Destroy Him, Myriads Gather To Hear Jesus
53 And He having gone out from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be terribly[y] hostile[z], and to question[aa] Him concerning more things 54 while lying-in-wait-for Him to catch something from His mouth—
Footnotes
- Luke 11:2 That is, make it a reality that Your name is treated as holy. These five requests are in the form of a command (as usual), with a change of grammar on the third request. ‘Let’ does not mean ‘allow’.
- Luke 11:4 That is, a situation in which we will be tempted by the evil one. Or, a testing, a trial.
- Luke 11:8 That is, his shameless (from the friend’s point of view) persistence (from the asker’s point of view).
- Luke 11:8 having arisen... having been raised. That is, having voluntarily gotten up... having been forced to get up by the persistent asking.
- Luke 11:11 That is, something harmful.
- Luke 11:15 Or, in union with.
- Luke 11:19 The reasoning required to prove that the Jews were not using the power of Satan to cast out demons will also prove it in the case of Jesus.
- Luke 11:20 Or, arrived.
- Luke 11:21 Or, being fully-armed.
- Luke 11:24 Or, a resting place.
- Luke 11:25 Or, adorned, decorated.
- Luke 11:33 Or, vault, hidden place. The lamp is on the lampstand shining for all to see. No further sign is needed for any whose eye is not bad.
- Luke 11:34 That is, the source of light.
- Luke 11:34 Or, sincere, simple. That is, single-focused on God; or, spiritually-healthy.
- Luke 11:35 That is, allowed into your heart by your spiritual eye.
- Luke 11:38 Compare Mk 7:2-4.
- Luke 11:39 That is, Right-now; or, As-it-is.
- Luke 11:42 Or, passing-by.
- Luke 11:42 Or, relaxing.
- Luke 11:44 That is, people who come into contact with you become defiled and polluted, and don’t even know it.
- Luke 11:46 Jesus is referring to their traditions, their man-made rules of conduct.
- Luke 11:46 That is, to carry them yourselves. Many rules that burdened the common working person addressed issues that never arose in the life of a priest.
- Luke 11:50 That is, so that the blood-guilt of your fathers may be avenged on you as you repeat their crimes on those I will send to you.
- Luke 11:51 That is, the first and last murder recorded in the OT in the Hebrew order of books.
- Luke 11:53 Or, fearfully, fiercely.
- Luke 11:53 That is, internally hostile and plotting.
- Luke 11:53 That is, to ask calculated questions; to bait Him with questions.
Luke 11
New Life Version
Jesus Teaches His Followers to Pray
11 Jesus had been praying. One of His followers said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray as John the Baptist taught his followers.” 2 Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, Your name is holy. May Your holy nation come. *What You want done, may it be done on earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us the bread we need everyday. 4 Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Do not let us be tempted.’”
A Picture-Story about How to Ask
5 Jesus said to them, “If one of you has a friend and goes to him in the night and says, ‘Friend, give me three loaves of bread, 6 for a friend of mine is on a trip and has stopped at my house. I have no food to give him.’ 7 The man inside the house will say, ‘Do not trouble me. The door is shut. My children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you bread.’ 8 I say to you, he may not get up and give him bread because he is a friend. Yet, if he keeps on asking, he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9 I say to you, ask, and what you ask for will be given to you. Look, and what you are looking for you will find. Knock, and the door you are knocking on will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, will receive what he asks for. Everyone who looks, will find what he is looking for. Everyone who knocks, will have the door opened to him.
11 “Would any of you fathers give your son a stone if he asked for bread? Or would you give a snake if he asked for a fish? 12 Or if he asked for an egg, would you give him a small animal with a sting of poison? 13 You are sinful and you know how to give good things to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
A Nation That Cannot Stand (A)
14 Jesus was putting a demon out of a man who could not speak. When the demon was gone, the man could speak. All the people were surprised and wondered about it. 15 Some of them said, “He puts out demons through Satan, the king of demons.” 16 Others tried to trap Jesus. They asked for something special to see from heaven. 17 But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every nation divided into groups that fight each other will be destroyed. Every family divided into groups that fight each other will not stand. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how will his nation stand? And yet you say I put out demons through Satan! 19 If I put out demons through Satan, by whose help do your sons put them out? Your own sons will say if you are guilty or not. 20 But if I put out demons by the power of God, then the holy nation of God has come to you.
21 “When a strong man watches his house and is ready to fight, his things are safe. 22 When a stronger man comes along, he wins the fight. He takes away all the things to fight with that the man of the house had put his trust in. Then the stronger man takes anything he wants from the house. 23 Whoever is not with Me is against Me. Whoever does not gather with Me is sending them everywhere.
A Person Filled with Bad or Good (B)
24 “When a demon is gone out of a man, it goes through dry places to find rest. If it finds none, it says, ‘I will go back to my house I came from.’ 25 When the demon comes back, it finds the house cleaned and looking good. 26 Then the demon goes out and comes back bringing seven demons worse than itself. They go in and live there. In the end that man is worse than at the first.” 27 As Jesus was talking, a woman of the group said with a loud voice, “The woman is happy who gave You birth and who fed You.” 28 But He said, “Yes, but those who hear the Word of God and obey it are happy.”
Jesus Tells about Jonah (C)
29 When the people were gathered near Jesus, He said, “The people of this day are sinful. They are looking for something special to see. They will get nothing special to see, except what Jonah the early preacher did. 30 As Jonah was something special to the people of the city of Nineveh, the Son of Man will be to the people of this day also. 31 The queen of the south will stand up on the day men stand before God. She will say the people of this day are guilty because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wise sayings of Solomon. And look, Someone greater than Solomon is here! 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up on the day men stand before God. They will say the people of this day are guilty because the men of Nineveh were sorry for their sins and turned from them when Jonah preached. And look, Someone greater than Jonah is here!
Jesus Teaches about Light
33 “No man lights a lamp and then hides it under a pail. He puts the light on a lamp-stand so those who come in can see it. 34 The eye is the light of the body. When your eye is good, your whole body is full of light. When your eye is sinful, your whole body is full of darkness. 35 Be careful that the light in you is not dark. 36 If your whole body is full of light, with no dark part, then it will shine. It will be as a lamp that gives light.”
Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Proud Religious Law-Keeper
37 As Jesus was talking, a proud religious law-keeper asked Him to eat with him. Jesus went to the man’s house and took His place at the table. 38 The proud religious law-keeper was surprised and wondered why Jesus had not washed before He ate. 39 But the Lord said to him, “You proud religious law-keepers make the outside of the cup and plate clean, but inside you are full of stealing and sinning. 40 You are foolish. Did not He that made the outside make the inside also? 41 Give yourself as a gift and then you will be clean.
42 “It is bad for you, proud religious law-keepers! You give one-tenth part of your spices. But you give no thought to what is right and to the love of God. You should do both of these.
43 “It is bad for you, proud religious law-keepers! For you like to have the important seats in the places of worship. You like to have people speak good-sounding words to you as you are in the center of town where people gather. 44 It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers and you who pretend to be someone you are not! For you are like graves that are hidden. Men walk on graves without knowing they are there.”
Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Men Who Knew the Law
45 One of the men who knew the Law said to Jesus, “Teacher, You are making us look bad when You speak like this.” 46 Jesus said, “It is bad for you also, you men who know the Law! For you put heavy loads on the shoulders of men. But you will not even put your finger on one of these loads to help them. 47 It is bad for you! For you make beautiful buildings for the graves of the early preachers your fathers killed. 48 You are saying what your fathers did was good, because they killed the early preachers and you are making their graves.
49 “For this reason the wisdom of God has said, ‘I will send them early preachers and missionaries. Some they will kill and some they will make it very hard for.’ 50 The blood of all the early preachers from the beginning of the world is on the people of this day. 51 It will be from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias, the one who died between the altar and the house of God. For sure, I tell you, the people of this day will be guilty for this.
52 “It is bad for you men who know the Law! For you have locked the door to the house of learning. You are not going in yourselves and you do not allow those to go in who are about to go in.”
53 As Jesus went away from there, the teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers were very angry and tried to make Him say many things. 54 They planned against Jesus and tried to trap Him with something He might say.
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Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
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