Luke 11
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Model 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)
Keep Asking, Searching, Knocking
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.’[g] 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 persistence,[h] he will get up and give him as much as he needs.(L)
9 “So(M) I say to you, keep asking,[i](N) and it will be given to you. Keep searching,[j](O) and you will find. Keep knocking,[k](P) and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son[l] 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[m] 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.[n](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, who is it your sons[o](AF) drive them out by? 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 to you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure.[p] 22 But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers(AI) him, he takes from him all his weapons[q](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 man, it roams through waterless places looking for rest,(AP) and not finding rest, it then[r] says, ‘I’ll go back to my house where I came from.’ 25 And 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 man’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, “The womb that bore You and the one who nursed You(AT) are blessed!”
28 He said, “Even more, those who hear the word of God(AU) and keep it(AV) are blessed!”
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.[s](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 rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s proclamation, 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,[t] 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 good, 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.”[u]
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[v](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,[w](BP) and then everything is clean(BQ) for you.
42 “But woe(BR) to you Pharisees! You give a tenth[x](BS) of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypass[y] justice(BT) and love for God.[z](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![aa] 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, yet you yourselves don’t touch these burdens with one of your fingers.(CA)
47 “Woe to you! You build monuments[ab] to the prophets,(CB) and your fathers killed(CC) them. 48 Therefore, you are witnesses(CD) that you approve[ac](CE) the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their monuments.[ad] 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[ae](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.[af]
52 “Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge!(CM) You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered(CN) those who were going in.”
53 When He left there,[ag] 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.[ah](CQ)
Footnotes
- Luke 11:2 Other mss read Our Father in heaven
- Luke 11:2 Other mss add Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
- Luke 11:3 Or our bread for tomorrow
- Luke 11:4 Or everyone who wrongs us
- Luke 11:4 Other mss add But deliver us from the evil one
- Luke 11:5 Lit Who of you
- Luke 11:6 Lit I have nothing to set before him
- Luke 11:8 Or annoying persistence, or shamelessness
- Luke 11:9 Or you, ask
- Luke 11:9 Or Search
- Luke 11:9 Or Knock
- Luke 11:11 Other mss read son asks for bread, would give him a stone? Or if he
- Luke 11:13 Lit the Father from heaven will give
- Luke 11:14 A demon that caused the man to be mute
- Luke 11:19 Your exorcists
- Luke 11:21 Lit his possessions are in peace
- Luke 11:22 Gk panoplia, the armor and weapons of a foot soldier; Eph 6:11,13
- Luke 11:24 Other mss omit then
- Luke 11:29 Other mss add the prophet
- Luke 11:33 Other mss omit or under a basket
- Luke 11:36 Or shines on you with its rays
- Luke 11:38 Lit He did not first wash
- Luke 11:41 Or But donate from the heart as charity
- Luke 11:42 Or a tithe
- Luke 11:42 Or neglect
- Luke 11:42 Lit the justice and the love of God
- Luke 11:44 Other mss read you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
- Luke 11:47 Or graves
- Luke 11:48 Lit witnesses and approve
- Luke 11:48 Other mss omit their monuments
- Luke 11:50 Lit so that the blood of all . . . world may be required of this generation,
- Luke 11:51 Lit you, it will be required of this generation
- Luke 11:53 Other mss read And as He was saying these things to them
- Luke 11:54 Other mss add so that they might bring charges against Him
Luke 11
New King James Version
The Model Prayer(A)
11 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
(B)Our[a] Father [b]in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
[c]Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And (C)forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
[d]But deliver us from the evil one.”
A Friend Comes at Midnight
5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, (D)though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking(E)
9 (F)“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; (G)seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 (H)If a son asks for [e]bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give (I)good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
A House Divided Cannot Stand(J)
14 (K)And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. 15 But some of them said, (L)“He casts out demons by [f]Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
16 Others, testing Him, (M)sought from Him a sign from heaven. 17 (N)But (O)He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if I cast out demons (P)with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 (Q)When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 22 But (R)when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his [g]spoils. 23 (S)He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
An Unclean Spirit Returns(T)
24 (U)“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and (V)the last state of that man is worse than the first.”
Keeping the Word
27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, (W)“Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”
28 But He said, (X)“More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Seeking a Sign(Y)
29 (Z)And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a (AA)sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah [h]the prophet. 30 For as (AB)Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31 (AC)The queen of the South will rise up in 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; and indeed a (AD)greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for (AE)they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
The Lamp of the Body(AF)
33 (AG)“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a (AH)basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 (AI)The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is [i]good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is [j]bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”
Woe to the Pharisees and Lawyers
37 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. 38 (AJ)When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.
39 (AK)Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but (AL)your inward part is full of [k]greed and wickedness. 40 Foolish ones! Did not (AM)He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 (AN)But rather give alms of [l]such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.
42 (AO)“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and (AP)pass by justice and the (AQ)love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 43 (AR)Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the [m]best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 (AS)Woe to you, [n]scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (AT)For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”
45 Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.”
46 And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! (AU)For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 (AV)Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore the wisdom of God also said, (AW)‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill 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 (AX)from the blood of Abel to (AY)the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.
52 (AZ)“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”
53 [o]And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, 54 lying in wait for Him, [p]and (BA)seeking to catch Him in something He might say, [q]that they might accuse Him.
Footnotes
- Luke 11:2 NU omits Our
- Luke 11:2 NU omits in heaven
- Luke 11:2 NU omits the rest of v. 2.
- Luke 11:4 NU omits But deliver us from the evil one
- Luke 11:11 NU omits bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for
- Luke 11:15 NU, M Beelzebul
- Luke 11:22 plunder
- Luke 11:29 NU omits the prophet
- Luke 11:34 Clear, or healthy
- Luke 11:34 Evil, or unhealthy
- Luke 11:39 Lit. eager grasping or robbery
- Luke 11:41 Or what is inside
- Luke 11:43 Or places of honor
- Luke 11:44 NU omits scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites
- Luke 11:53 NU And when He left there
- Luke 11:54 NU omits and seeking
- Luke 11:54 NU omits that they might accuse Him
Luke 11
Good News Translation
Jesus' Teaching on Prayer(A)
11 One day 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 taught his disciples.”
2 Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say this:
‘Father:
May your holy name be honored;
may your Kingdom come.
3 Give us day by day the food we need.[a]
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we forgive everyone who does us wrong.
And do not bring us to hard testing.’”
5 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Suppose one of you should go to a friend's house at midnight and say, ‘Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread. 6 A friend of mine who is on a trip has just come to my house, and I don't have any food for him!’ 7 And suppose your friend should answer from inside, ‘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 Well, what then? I tell you that even if he will not get up and give you the bread because you are his friend, yet he will get up and give you everything you need because you are not ashamed to keep on asking. 9 And so I say to you: Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For those who ask will receive, and those who seek will find, and the door will be opened to anyone who knocks. 11 Would any of you who are fathers give your son a snake when he asks for fish? 12 Or would you give him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13 As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Jesus and Beelzebul(B)
14 Jesus was driving out a demon that could not talk; and when the demon went out, the man began to talk. The crowds were amazed, 15 (C)but some of the people said, “It is Beelzebul, the chief of the demons, who gives him the power to drive them out.”
16 (D)Others wanted to trap Jesus, so they asked him to perform a miracle to show that God approved of him. 17 But Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said to them, “Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will not last very long; a family divided against itself falls apart. 18 So if Satan's kingdom has groups fighting each other, how can it last? You say that I drive out demons because Beelzebul gives me the power to do so. 19 If this is how I drive them out, how do your followers drive them out? Your own followers prove that you are wrong! 20 No, it is rather by means of God's power that I drive out demons, and this proves that the Kingdom of God has already come to you.
21 “When a strong man, with all his weapons ready, guards his own house, all his belongings are safe. 22 But when a stronger man attacks him and defeats him, he carries away all the weapons the owner was depending on and divides up what he stole.
23 (E)“Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is really scattering.
The Return of the Evil Spirit(F)
24 “When an evil spirit goes out of a person, it travels over dry country looking for a place to rest. If it can't find one, it says to itself, ‘I will go back to my house.’ 25 So it goes back and finds the house clean and all fixed up. 26 Then it goes out and brings seven other spirits even worse than itself, and they come and live there. So when it is all over, that person is in worse shape than at the beginning.”
True Happiness
27 When Jesus had said this, a woman spoke up from the crowd and said to him, “How happy is the woman who bore you and nursed you!”
28 But Jesus answered, “Rather, how happy are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
The Demand for a Miracle(G)
29 (H)As the people crowded around Jesus, he went on to say, “How evil are the people of this day! They ask for a miracle, but none will be given them except the miracle of Jonah. 30 (I)In the same way that the prophet Jonah was a sign for the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign for the people of this day. 31 (J)On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and accuse the people of today, because she traveled all the way from her country to listen to King Solomon's wise teaching; and there is something here, I tell you, greater than Solomon. 32 (K)On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you, because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach; and I assure you that there is something here greater than Jonah!
The Light of the Body(L)
33 (M)“No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a bowl;[b] instead, it is put on the lampstand, so that people may see the light as they come in. 34 Your eyes are like a lamp for the body. When your eyes are sound, your whole body is full of light; but when your eyes are no good, your whole body will be in darkness. 35 Make certain, then, that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be bright all over, as when a lamp shines on you with its brightness.”
Jesus Accuses the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law(N)
37 When Jesus finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and sat down to eat. 38 The Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus had not washed before eating. 39 So the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of your cup and plate, but inside you are full of violence and evil. 40 Fools! Did not God, who made the outside, also make the inside? 41 But give what is in your cups and plates to the poor, and everything will be ritually clean for you.
42 (O)“How terrible for you Pharisees! You give to God one tenth of the seasoning herbs, such as mint and rue and all the other herbs, but you neglect justice and love for God. These you should practice, without neglecting the others.
43 “How terrible for you Pharisees! You love the reserved seats in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces. 44 How terrible for you! You are like unmarked graves which people walk on without knowing it.”
45 One of the teachers of the Law said to him, “Teacher, when you say this, you insult us too!”
46 Jesus answered, “How terrible also for you teachers of the Law! You put onto people's backs loads which are hard to carry, but you yourselves will not stretch out a finger to help them carry those loads. 47 How terrible for you! You make fine tombs for the prophets—the very prophets your ancestors murdered. 48 You yourselves admit, then, that you approve of what your ancestors did; they murdered the prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 For this reason the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and messengers; they will kill some of them and persecute others.’ 50 So the people of this time will be punished for the murder of all the prophets killed since the creation of the world, 51 (P)from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the Holy Place. Yes, I tell you, the people of this time will be punished for them all!
52 “How terrible for you teachers of the Law! You have kept the key that opens the door to the house of knowledge; you yourselves will not go in, and you stop those who are trying to go in!”
53 When Jesus left that place, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to criticize him bitterly and ask him questions about many things, 54 trying to lay traps for him and catch him saying something wrong.
Footnotes
- Luke 11:3 the food we need; or food for the next day.
- Luke 11:33 Some manuscripts do not have or puts it under a bowl.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
