Luke 11
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 11
Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer.[a] 1 One day, Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is in debt to us.
And do not lead us into temptation.”
The Parable of the Persistent Friend.[b] 5 He also said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says: ‘My friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey, and I have nothing to offer him,’ 7 and the friend answers from inside: ‘Do not bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up now to give you anything.’ 8 I tell you: even though he will not get up and give it to him because of their friendship, he will get up and give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
Ask, Seek, Knock. 9 “Therefore, I say to you: ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks will receive, and those who seek will find, and to those who knock the door will be opened.
11 The Parable of the Good Father.“Is there any father among you who would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish, 12 or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13 If you, then, despite your evil nature, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
For or against Jesus[c]
14 Jesus and Beelzebul.[d] Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute, and when the demon had gone out, the man who was mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.” 16 Others, to test him, demanded a sign from heaven.
17 However, he knew what they were thinking, and he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a house divided against itself will collapse. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand?
“For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now, if it is by Beelzebul that I cast out demons, by whom do your own children cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
21 “When a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone who is stronger than he is attacks and overpowers him, he carries off all the weapons upon which the owner relied and distributes the plunder.
23 No Compromise.“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
24 New Offensive from the Evil Spirit.“When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions seeking a place to rest, and if it finds none it says, ‘I will return to the home from which I departed.’ 25 However, when it returns, it finds that home swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes off and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter and settle there. As a result, the plight of that person is worse than before.”
27 True Blessedness.[e] While he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out to him and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” 28 Jesus replied, “Blessed, rather, are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
29 The Sign of Jonah.[f] As the crowd continued to increase in number, Jesus said to them, “This is an evil generation. It asks for a sign, but the only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the inhabitants of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
31 “On the day of judgment the queen of the south will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the farthest reaches of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now one greater than Solomon is here. 32 On the day of judgment, the men of Nineveh will rise up with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.
33 The Parable of the Lighted Lamp.[g]“No one lights a lamp and then puts it in a cellar or under a basket; rather, he places it upon a lampstand so that people may see the light when they come in.
34 The Lamp of the Body.“Your eyes are the lamp of your body. If your eyes are sound, your whole body will be filled with light. However, if your eyes are diseased, your whole body will be in darkness. 35 See to it then that the light inside you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp illuminates you with its rays.”
37 Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees.[h] When he had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his house. He went in and took his place at table. 38 The Pharisee was surprised to see that he had not first washed[i] before the meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees cleanse the outside of a cup and dish, but you leave the inside full of greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not the one who made the outside also make the inside? 41 Let what is inside be given as alms to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
42 “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes[j] of mint and rue and every garden herb, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced these without neglecting the others.
43 “Woe to you Pharisees! You love to have the best seats in synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.
44 “Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves[k] upon which people tread without realizing it.”
45 On hearing this, one of the lawyers said, “Teacher when you say such things you are insulting us too.” 46 He replied, “Woe also to you lawyers! For you impose burdens on people that are difficult to bear, but you yourselves do not lift a finger to be of assistance.
47 “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the Prophets whom your ancestors murdered. 48 By acting in this way you bear witness to and approve of what your ancestors did. They killed the Prophets, and you build their tombs.
49 “That is why the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them Prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that this generation may be charged with the responsibility 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[l] who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all.
52 “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter, and you blocked those from entering who were trying to go in.”
53 When he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees were extremely hostile and they began to interrogate him about many things, 54 hoping to trap him in something he might say in reply.
Footnotes
- Luke 11:1 In the eyes of Luke, the prayer of the disciples is connected to the prayer of Jesus himself. It is a profession of faith in which the community says the essence of what it requests: the kingdom of God, daily sustenance, forgiveness, and strength in time of trial. The form of the Our Father given here is shorter than the one handed down in the Gospel of Matthew.
- Luke 11:5 In the Palestine of that time, people went to bed early; moreover, the entire family slept in a single room, and the door was secured from inside with a heavy bar. Thus, awakening a neighbor caused a great deal of inconvenience, but the latter would be ashamed to remain insensitive. And since God is mercy itself, could he refuse the request of believers when it concerns essentials (see Lk 18:1-8; 22:44)?
- Luke 11:14 The suspicion with which his adversaries regard Jesus becomes accusation and snare; they treat him as an agent of Satan and demand signs of him. In this confrontation that is more and more manifest, Jesus does not soften his message in any way; rather he demands that one choose for or against him. The time of waiting is over; the time of decision is at hand.
- Luke 11:14 There are groups who claim to cast out demons—the word “children” designates the members or disciples of a group. Why then should his opponents be suspicious of Jesus, especially since he actually heals sicknesses? The miracles that he works manifest the power of God, for in order to conquer Satan who is reputedly at work in sicknesses one must be stronger than he is.
- Luke 11:27 The happiness of the kingdom of God is open to those who accept the Word of Jesus. This is a warning to adversaries who reject it. Thus, the true grandeur of Mary is not in having given Jesus his body but in having welcomed the message (see Lk 1:38; 8:21).
- Luke 11:29 Many long for prodigies that would forcibly remove the need for faith. Their desire is vain. The true sign that attests the mission of Jesus is the totality of his work and the force of his person as well as his call to conversion. Thus, past generations had seen messages for them in the wisdom of Solomon (see 1 Ki 10:1-11) and the word of Jonah (Jon 3).
- Luke 11:33 Luke here brings together two sentences that have a theme of the lamp. It is a call to throw off blindness and be open to the light that is Jesus (see Lk 8:16). The light of faith transforms one’s life.
- Luke 11:37 In Luke these strong rebukes seem to have been given by Jesus in private conversations with Pharisees and scribes, whereas in Matthew (23:13ff) the charges are uttered publicly in the presence of outsiders. This is a further aspect of the “gentleness of Christ,” which Luke means to communicate.
- Luke 11:38 Had not first washed: this referred to the ceremonial washing, which was part of the “oral” traditions of the Pharisees, i.e., practices and regulations meant to fill out the written Law of Moses (see Mt 15:9; Mk 7:3, and note on Mk 7:4).
- Luke 11:42 Tithes: see note on Mt 23:23-24.
- Luke 11:44 Like unmarked graves: as Passover drew near, Jews used to whitewash tombs in order to avoid touching them inadvertently, which would have caused a legal uncleanness (see Num 19:16).
- Luke 11:51 Abel . . . Zechariah: these two names recall the first and the last slayings recounted in the Hebrew Bible (see Gen 4:1-16; 2 Chr 24:17-22). What is being recalled is therefore the entire history of murders committed against men of God in the course of the Old Testament.
Luke 11
Wycliffe Bible
11 And it was done, when he was praying in a place [when he was praying in some place], as he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, as [and] John taught his disciples.
2 And he said to them, When ye pray, say ye, Father [Father ours], hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come to; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
3 Give to us to day our each day's bread.
4 And forgive to us our sins, as [and] we forgive to each man that oweth to us [as and we forgive to each owing to us]. And lead us not into temptation.
5 And he said to them, Who of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and shall say to him, Friend, lend to me three loaves;
6 for my friend cometh to me from the way [for my friend cometh to me of the way], and I have not what I shall set before him.
7 And he withinforth answer and say, Do not thou be heavy to me; the door is now shut, and my children be with me in bed; I may not rise, and give to thee.
8 And if he shall dwell still knocking, I say to you, though he shall not rise, and give to him, for that that he is his friend, nevertheless for his continual asking he shall rise, and give to him [And if he shall continue knocking, I say to you, though he shall not give to him, for he is his friend, nevertheless for his improbity, or continual asking, he shall rise, and give to him], as many as he hath need to.
9 And I say to you, ask ye, and it shall be given to you; seek ye, and ye shall find; knock ye, and it shall be opened to you.
10 For each that asketh, taketh, and he that seeketh, findeth; and to a man that knocketh, it shall be opened.
11 Therefore who of you asketh his father bread, whether he shall give him a stone? or if he asketh fish, whether he shall give him a serpent for the fish?
12 or if he asketh an egg [or if he shall ask an egg], whether he shall areach him a scorpion?
13 Therefore if ye, when ye be evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more your Father of heaven shall give a good Spirit to men that ask him.
14 And Jesus was casting out a fiend [And he was casting out a fiend], and it was dumb. And when he had cast out the fiend, the dumb man spake; and the people wondered.
15 And some of them said, In Beelzebub, prince of devils, he casteth out devils.
16 And others tempting asked of him a token from heaven.
17 And as he saw the thoughts of them, he said to them, Every realm parted against itself, shall be desolate, and an house shall fall on an house.[a]
18 And if Satan be parted against himself, how shall his realm stand? For ye say, that I cast out fiends in Beelzebub.
19 And if I in Beelzebub cast out fiends, in whom cast out your sons [in whom your sons cast out]? Therefore they shall be your doomsmen.
20 But if I cast out fiends in the finger of God, then [soothly] the realm of God is come among you.
21 When a strong, armed man keepeth his house, all things that he wieldeth be in peace.
22 But if a stronger than he come upon him, and overcome him, he shall take away all his armour, in which he trusted, and shall deal abroad his robberies [and shall deal abroad his spoils, or robberies].
23 He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not together with me, scattereth abroad.
24 When an unclean spirit goeth out of a man, he wandereth by dry places, and seeketh rest [When an unclean spirit hath gone out of a man, he wandereth by dry places, seeking rest]; and he finding none, saith, I shall turn again into mine house, from whence I came out.
25 And when he cometh, he findeth it cleansed with besoms, and fair arrayed [and adorned].
26 Then he goeth, and taketh with him seven other spirits worse than himself, and they enter [in], and dwell there. And the last things of that man be made worse than the former.
27 And it was done, when he had said these things, a woman of the company raised [up] her voice, and said to him, Blessed be the womb that bare thee, and blessed be the teats that thou hast sucked.[b]
28 And he said, But yea blessed be they [And he said, Rather, blessed be they], that hear the word of God, and keep it.
29 And when the people ran together, he began to say, This generation is a wayward generation; it seeketh a token, and a token shall not be given to it, but the token of Jonas, the prophet.
30 For as Jonas was a token to men of Nineve, so man's Son shall be to this generation.
31 The queen of the south shall rise in doom with men of this generation, and shall condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth, to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and lo! here is a greater than Solomon.
32 Men of Nineve shall rise in [the] doom with this generation, and shall condemn it; for they did penance in the preaching of Jonas [for they did penance at the preaching of Jonas], and lo! here is a greater than Jonas.
33 No man tendeth a lantern, and putteth it in huddles[c], neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they that go in, see light.
34 The lantern of thy body is thine eye; if thine eye be simple, all thy body shall be light[-full]; but if it be wayward, all thy body shall be dark-full.
35 Therefore see thou, lest the light that is in thee [lest the light which is in thee], be darknesses.
36 Therefore if all thy body be bright, and have no part of darknesses, it shall be all bright, and as a lantern of brightness it shall give light to thee. [Therefore if all thy body shall be light-full, not having any part of darknesses, it shall be all light-full, and as a lantern of brightness, or shining, it shall give light to thee.]
37 And when he spake, a Pharisee prayed him [some Pharisee prayed], that he should eat with him. And he entered, and sat to meat [And he gone in, sat at the meat].
38 And the Pharisee began to say, guessing within himself, why he was not washed before [the] meat.
39 And the Lord said to him, Now ye Pharisees cleanse that that is withoutforth of the cup and the platter; but that thing that is within of you [but that thing of you that is within], is full of raven and wickedness.
40 Fools, whether he that made that that is withoutforth, made not also that that is within?
41 Nevertheless that that is over-plus [Nevertheless that thing that is over, or superfluous], give ye alms, and lo! all things be clean to you.
42 But woe to you, Pharisees, that tithe mint, and rue, and each herb, and leave doom and the charity of God [that tithe mint, and rue, and all wort, or herb, and pass doom and the charity of God]. For it behooved to do these things, and not to leave those.
43 Woe to you, Pharisees, that love the first chairs in synagogues, and salutations in market [and salutations in markets].
44 Woe to you, that be as sepulchres, that be not seen [which appear not], and men walking above know not.
45 But one of the wise men of the law answered, and said to him, Master, thou saying these things, also to us doest despite. [Forsooth one of the wise men of law answering, said to him, Master, thou saying these things, doest despite also to us.]
46 And he said, Also woe to you, wise men of [the] law, for ye charge men with burdens which they be not able to bear [for ye charge men with burdens which they may not bear], and ye yourselves with your one finger touch not the heavinesses.
47 Woe to you, that build tombs of prophets [Woe to you, that build burials, or tombs, of prophets]; and your fathers slew them.
48 Truly ye witness, that ye consent to the works of your fathers; for [soothly] they slew them, but ye build their sepulchres.
49 Therefore [and] the wisdom of God said, I shall send to them prophets and apostles, and of them they shall slay and pursue,
50 that the blood of all [the] prophets, that was shed from the making of the world [that was shed out from the beginning of the world], be sought of this generation;
51 from the blood of just Abel to the blood of Zacharias that was slain betwixt the altar and the house[d]. So I say to you, it shall be sought of this generation.
52 Woe to you, wise men of the law [wise men of law], for ye have taken away the key of knowing; and ye yourselves entered not [ye yourselves entered not in], and ye have forbidden them that entered.
53 And when he said these things to them, the Pharisees and wise men of the law [wise men of law] began grievously to against-stand [him], and [to] stop his mouth of many things,
54 ambushing him, and seeking to take something of his mouth, to accuse him [that they should accuse him].
Footnotes
- Luke 11:17 Forsooth he, as he saw the thoughts of them, said to them, Every realm parted against itself, shall be desolated, and an house shall fall upon an house.
- Luke 11:27 Forsooth it was done, when he spake these things, some woman of the company rearing up her voice, said to him, Blessed be the womb that bare thee, and the teats which thou hast sucked.
- Luke 11:33 No man lighteneth a lantern, and putteth it in huddles
- Luke 11:51 from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the house
2001 by Terence P. Noble