Luke 11:14-41

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

¹⁴ Now Jesus was driving out a demon that was dumb; and it occurred that when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke. And the crowds marveled.

¹⁵ But some of them said, He drives out demons [because He is in league with and] by Beelzebub, the prince of demons,

¹⁶ While others, to try and test and tempt Him, demanded a sign of Him from heaven.

¹⁷ But He, [well] aware of their intent and purpose, said to them, Every kingdom split up against itself is doomed and brought to desolation, and so house falls upon house. [The disunited household will collapse.]

¹⁸ And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom last? For you say that I expel demons with the help of and by Beelzebub.

¹⁹ Now if I expel demons with the help of and by Beelzebub, with whose help and by whom do your sons drive them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.

²⁰ But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has [already] come upon you.

²¹ When the strong man, fully armed, [^[a]from his courtyard] guards his own dwelling, his belongings are undisturbed [his property is at peace and is secure].

²² But when one stronger than he attacks him and conquers him, he robs him of his whole armor on which he had relied and divides up and distributes all his goods as plunder (spoil).

²³ He who is not with Me [siding and believing with Me] is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me [engage in My interest], scatters.

²⁴ When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it roams through waterless places in search [of a place] of rest (release, refreshment, ease); and finding none it says, I will go back to my house from which I came.

²⁵ And when it arrives, it finds [the place] swept and put in order and furnished and decorated.

²⁶ And it goes and brings other spirits, seven [of them], more evil than itself, and they enter in, settle down, and dwell there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first.

²⁷ Now it occurred that as He was saying these things, a certain woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, Blessed (happy and ^[b]to be envied) is the womb that bore You and the breasts that You sucked!

²⁸ But He said, Blessed (happy and ^[c]to be envied) rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey and practice it!

²⁹ Now as the crowds were [increasingly] thronging Him, He began to say, This present generation is a wicked one; it seeks and demands a sign (miracle), but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah [the prophet].^(A)

³⁰ For [just] as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will also the Son of Man be [a sign] to this age and generation.^(B)

³¹ The queen of the South will arise in the judgment with the people of this age and generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the [inhabited] earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and notice, ^[d]here is more than Solomon.^(C)

³² The men of Nineveh will appear as witnesses at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, ^[e]here is more than Jonah.^(D)

³³ No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or crypt or under a bushel measure, but on a lampstand, that those who are coming in may see the light.

³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye (^[f]your conscience) is sound and fulfilling its office, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound and is not fulfilling its office, your body is full of darkness.

³⁵ Be careful, therefore, that the light that is in you is not darkness.

³⁶ If then your entire body is illuminated, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright [with light], as when a lamp with its bright rays gives you light.

³⁷ Now while Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited Him to take dinner with him, so He entered and reclined at table.

³⁸ The Pharisee noticed and was astonished [to see] that Jesus did not first wash before dinner.

³⁹ But the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside you yourselves are full of greed and robbery and extortion and malice and wickedness.

⁴⁰ You senseless (foolish, stupid) ones [acting without reflection or intelligence]! Did not He Who made the outside make the inside also?

⁴¹ But [dedicate your inner self and] give as donations to the poor of those things which are within [of inward righteousness] and behold, everything is purified and clean for you.