Luke 11
Christian Standard Bible
The Lord’s Prayer
11 He was praying(A) in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”(B)
2 He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say,(C)
Father,[a](D)
your name(E) be honored as holy.(F)
Your kingdom come.[b](G)
3 Give us each day our daily bread.[c](H)
4 And forgive us our sins,(I)
for we ourselves also forgive everyone
in debt to us.[d](J)
And do not bring us into temptation.”[e](K)
Ask, Search, Knock
5 He also said to them, “Suppose one of you[f] has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ 7 Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s shameless boldness,[g] he will get up and give him as much as he needs.(L)
9 “So(M) I say to you, ask,(N) and it will be given to you. Seek,(O) and you will find. Knock,(P) and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son[h] 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, who are evil,(Q) know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father(R) give the Holy Spirit(S) to those who ask him?”
A House Divided
14 Now(T) he was driving out a demon(U) that was mute.(V) When the demon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul,(W) the ruler(X) of the demons.”(Y) 16 And others, as a test,(Z) were demanding of him a sign(AA) from heaven.
17 Knowing their thoughts,(AB) he told them, “Every kingdom divided(AC) against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. 18 If Satan(AD) also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom(AE) stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons(AF) drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 20 If I drive out demons by the finger of God,(AG) then the kingdom of God(AH) has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure. 22 But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers(AI) him, he takes from him all his weapons[i](AJ) he trusted(AK) in, and divides up his plunder.(AL) 23 Anyone who is not with me is against me,(AM) and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.
An Unclean Spirit’s Return
24 “When(AN) an unclean spirit(AO) comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest,(AP) and not finding rest, it then[j] says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ 25 Returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits(AQ) more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.”(AR)
True Blessedness
27 As he was saying these things, a woman from the crowd(AS) raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the one who nursed you!” (AT)
28 He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God(AU) and keep it.”(AV)
The Sign of Jonah
29 As the crowds were increasing, he began saying, “This generation(AW) is an evil generation.(AX) It demands a sign,(AY) but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.[k](AZ) 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Man(BA) will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the south(BB) will rise up at the judgment(BC) with the men of this generation and condemn(BD) them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon,(BE) and look—something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s preaching, and look—something greater than Jonah is here.
The Lamp of the Body
33 “No(BF) one lights a lamp(BG) and puts it in the cellar or under a basket,[l] but on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see its light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of the body.(BH) When your eye is healthy, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is bad,(BI) your body is also full of darkness. 35 Take care, then, that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If, therefore, your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be entirely illuminated, as when a lamp shines its light on you.”
Religious Hypocrisy Denounced
37 As he was speaking, a Pharisee(BJ) asked him to dine with him. So he went in and reclined at the table. 38 When the Pharisee saw this, he was amazed that he did not first perform the ritual washing[m](BK) before dinner.(BL) 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed(BM) and evil.(BN) 40 Fools!(BO) Didn’t he who made the outside make the inside too? 41 But give from what is within to the poor,[n](BP) and then everything is clean(BQ) for you.
42 “But woe(BR) to you Pharisees! You give a tenth[o](BS) of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypass[p] justice(BT) and love for God.[q](BU) These things you should have done without neglecting the others.
43 “Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seat(BV) in the synagogues(BW) and greetings in the marketplaces.
44 “Woe to you![r] You are like unmarked graves; (BX) the people who walk over them don’t know it.”
45 One of the experts in the law(BY) answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things you insult us too.”
46 Then he said, “Woe also to you experts in the law! You load people with burdens(BZ) that are hard to carry, and yet you yourselves don’t touch these burdens with one of your fingers.(CA)
47 “Woe to you! You build tombs[s] for the prophets,(CB) and your fathers killed(CC) them. 48 Therefore, you are witnesses(CD) that you approve[t](CE) the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their monuments.[u] 49 Because of this, the wisdom of God(CF) said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles,(CG) and some of them they will kill and persecute,’(CH) 50 so that this generation(CI) may be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world[v](CJ) — 51 from the blood of Abel(CK) to the blood of Zechariah,(CL) who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.
“Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible.[w]
52 “Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to knowledge.(CM) You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered(CN) those who were trying to go in.”
53 When he left there,[x] the scribes and the Pharisees began to oppose(CO) him fiercely and to cross-examine him about many things; 54 they were lying in wait(CP) for him to trap him in something he said.[y](CQ)
Footnotes
- 11:2 Other mss read Our Father in heaven
- 11:2 Other mss add Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
- 11:3 Or our bread for tomorrow
- 11:4 Or everyone who wrongs us
- 11:4 Other mss add But deliver us from the evil one
- 11:5 Lit Who of you
- 11:8 Or persistence
- 11:11 Other mss read son asks for bread, would give him a stone? Or if he
- 11:22 Gk panoplia, the armor and weapons of a foot soldier; Eph 6:11,13
- 11:24 Other mss omit then
- 11:29 Other mss add the prophet
- 11:33 Other mss omit or under a basket
- 11:38 Lit he did not first wash
- 11:41 Or But donate from the heart as charity
- 11:42 Or a tithe
- 11:42 Or neglect
- 11:42 Lit the justice and the love of God
- 11:44 Other mss add scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
- 11:47 Or graves
- 11:48 Lit witnesses and approve
- 11:48 Other mss omit their monuments
- 11:50 Lit so that the blood of all... world may be required of this generation,
- 11:51 Lit you, it will be required of this generation
- 11:53 Other mss read And as he was saying these things to them
- 11:54 Other mss add so that they might bring charges against him
Luke 11
Lexham English Bible
How to Pray
11 And it happened that while he was in a certain place praying, when he stopped 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, “When you pray, say,
“Father,
may your name be treated as holy.
May your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation.”
Ask, Seek, Knock
5 And he said to them, “Who of you will have a friend, and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I do not have anything to set before him.’ 7 And that one will answer from inside and[a] say, ‘Do not cause me trouble! The door has already been shut and my children are with me in bed! I am not able to get up to give you anything.’[b] 8 I tell you, even if he does not give him anything[c] after he[d] gets up because he is his friend, at any rate because of his impudence[e] he will get up and[f] give him whatever he needs.
9 And I tell you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 But what father from among you, if his[g] son will ask for a fish, instead of a fish will give him a snake? 12 Or also, if he will ask for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 Therefore if you, although you[h] are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
A House Divided Cannot Stand
14 And he was expelling a mute demon.[i] Now it happened that when[j] the demon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were astonished. 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul the ruler of demons he expels demons!” 16 And others, in order to[k] test him,[l] were demanding from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household[m] falls. 18 So if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I expel demons by Beelzebul. 19 But if I expel demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons expel them?[n] For this reason they will be your judges! 20 But if I expel demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you! 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his possessions are safe.[o] 22 But when a stronger man attacks him and[p] conquers him, he takes away his full armor in which he trusted and distributes his plunder. 23 The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.
An Unclean Spirit Returns
24 “Whenever an unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it travels through waterless places searching for rest, and does not find it.[q] It says,[r] ‘I will return to my house from which I came out.’ 25 And when it[s] arrives it finds the house[t] swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and[u] live there. And the last state of that person becomes worse than the first!”
27 Now it happened that as he said these things, a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and[v] said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and follow it!”[w]
The Sign of Jonah
29 And as[x] the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation! It demands a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah! 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, 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 people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something[y] greater than Solomon is here! 32 The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold, something[z] greater than Jonah is here!
Light and Darkness
33 “No one after[aa] lighting a lamp puts it[ab] in a cellar or under a bushel basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is sincere, your whole body is full of light also. But when it is evil, your body is dark also. 35 Therefore pay careful attention that the light in you is not darkness! 36 If therefore your whole body is full of light, not having any part dark, it will be completely full of light, as when the lamp with its light gives light to you.”
Pharisees and Legal Experts Denounced
37 And as he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to have a meal[ac] with him, and he went in and[ad] reclined at table. 38 And the Pharisee, when he[ae] saw it,[af] was astonished that he did not first wash before the meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but your inside is full of greediness and wickedness. 40 Fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give as charitable giving the things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.
42 “But woe to you, Pharisees, because you pay a tenth of mint and rue and every garden herb, and neglect justice and love for God! But it was necessary to do these things without neglecting those things also. 43 Woe to you, Pharisees, because you love the best seat in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces! 44 Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, and the people who walk over them[ag] do not know it![ah]
45 And one of the legal experts answered and[ai] said to him, “Teacher, when you[aj] say these things, you insult us also!” 46 So he said, “Woe to you also, legal experts, because you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch 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 As a result you are witnesses, and you approve of the deeds of your fathers, because they killed them and you build their tombs![ak] 49 For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that the blood of all the prophets that has been shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the temple building.[al] Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation! 52 Woe to you, legal experts, because you have taken away the key to knowledge! You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering!”
53 And when[am] he departed from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be terribly hostile, and to question him closely about many things, 54 plotting to catch him with reference to something he might say.[an]
Footnotes
- Luke 11:7 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“will answer”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 11:7 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:8 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:8 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“gets up”) which is understood as temporal
- Luke 11:8 Or “shamelessness”; some translate as “persistence” based on the context, though this is not the normal meaning of the word
- Luke 11:8 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“will get up”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 11:11 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Luke 11:13 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“are”) which is understood as concessive
- Luke 11:14 Some manuscripts have “a demon, and it was mute”
- Luke 11:14 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“came out”)
- Luke 11:16 Here “in order to” is supplied as a component of the participle (“test”) which is understood as purpose
- Luke 11:16 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:17 Literally “house against house”
- Luke 11:19 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:21 Literally “in peace”
- Luke 11:22 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“attacks”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 11:24 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:24 Some manuscripts have “Then it says”
- Luke 11:25 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“arrives”) which is understood as temporal
- Luke 11:25 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:26 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“go in”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 11:27 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“raised”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 11:28 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:29 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“were increasing”)
- Luke 11:31 Here “something” is supplied in the translation because the adjective is neuter gender
- Luke 11:32 Here “something” is supplied in the translation because the adjective is neuter gender
- Luke 11:33 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“lighting”) which is understood as temporal
- Luke 11:33 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:37 Literally “that he would have a meal”
- Luke 11:37 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went in”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 11:38 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
- Luke 11:38 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:44 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:44 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 11:45 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 11:45 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“say”) which is understood as temporal
- Luke 11:48 A large number of later manuscripts add the words “their tombs” here, with variations of wording; although the words are not likely to be original, it is necessary to supply them in keeping with English style
- Luke 11:51 Literally “the house,” here a reference to the temple
- Luke 11:53 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“departed”)
- Luke 11:54 Literally “from his mouth”
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