Luke 11
Worldwide English (New Testament)
11 One day Jesus was in a place talking with God. When he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, `Lord, teach us to talk with God as John taught his disciples.'
2 Jesus said, `When you talk with God, say, "Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come.
3 Give us our food day by day.
4 Forgive us for the wrong things we have done. We forgive everyone who has done wrong to us. Do not lead us to be tested." '
5 Jesus said to them, `Maybe one of you has a friend. You go to him in the middle of the night and say to him, "Friend, lend me three loaves of bread.
6 A friend has come to my house. He has been on the road. I have no food to give him to eat."
7 `Maybe the friend in the house answers you and says, "Do not trouble me. The door is locked. And my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything."
8 I tell you this. Maybe he will not give him anything because he is his friend. But he will get up and give him what he needs because he keeps on asking for it.
9 `And I tell you, ask and you will get what you ask for. Look and you will find what you look for. Knock and the door will be opened for you.
10 Everyone who asks will get. The one who looks will find. And the one who knocks will have the door opened for him.
11 Which of you fathers will give your son a snake if he asks for a fish?
12 Will you give him a scorpion [an insect with a sting] if he asks for an egg?
13 You are wrong and yet you know how to give good things to your children. Much more, the Father in heaven will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.'
14 Jesus was driving a bad spirit out of a man who could not talk. When the spirit left him, the man could talk. The people were surprised.
15 But some of them said, `This man drives out bad spirits by the help of Beelzebub, the chief of bad spirits.'
16 Other people wanted to test Jesus. They asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
17 But Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said, `If one part of any country fights against the other part of the country, that country is spoiled. And if one part of any family fights against the other part of the family, it cannot stand.
18 If Satan fights against himself, how will his kingdom stand? You say I drive out bad spirits by the help of Beelzebub.
19 If I drive out bad spirits by the help of Beelzebub, by whose help do your own people drive them out? Your own people will judge you for this!
20 But if I drive out bad spirits by the help of God, then know this, God's kingdom is here with you now.
21 `A strong man has something in his hand to fight. He guards his place. He will not lose his things.
22 But when a stronger man comes, he catches the man who guards his house. He will take away what is in the man's hand. And he will take his things and give them to his friends.
23 `Anyone who is not with me is against me. Anyone who does not work with me, works against me.'
24 `When a bad spirit has gone out of a man, he goes through dry places. He looks for a place to rest, but he does not find any. Then he says, "I will go back to my house from where I came."
25 `When he comes back, he finds it clean and all fixed up.
26 Then he goes and brings seven other spirits who are worse than he is. They go in and live there. Now the man is worse than he was at first.'
27 As he said this, a woman among the people called out, `Happy is your mother who gave birth to you, and fed you as a baby.'
28 But Jesus said, `Happy are those who hear God's word and obey it!'
29 More and more people were coming. He started to talk. He said, `People today are bad. They want a sign. No sign will be given them but the sign of Jonah the prophet of God.
30 Jonah was a sign to the men in the city of Nineveh. In the same way the Son of Man will be a sign to the people today.
31 When the people are judged, the Queen from the South will stand up and speak against men who live today. She came a long way to hear the wise words of Solomon. The one who is here is greater than Solomon.
32 When people are judged, the men of Nineveh will stand up and speak against the people of today. They stopped their wrong ways when Jonah told them God's word. And the one who is here is greater than Jonah.'
33 `No person lights a lamp and hides it in a hole or puts it under a basket. But he puts it on a place for a lamp. Then people who come in can see the light.
34 Your body gets its light through your eyes. When you have good eyes, all your body has light. But when your eyes are bad, your body is in darkness.
35 So be sure that it is not dark in you where it should be light.
36 If no part of your body is dark, it will all be light. It will be like a lamp that shines to give you light.'
37 While Jesus was saying these things, a Pharisee asked him to come to eat at his house. So Jesus went in and sat at the table.
38 The Pharisee saw that Jesus did not wash his hands before he ate. He was surprised.
39 The Lord said to him, `You Pharisees wash the outside of a cup and a dish clean. But inside you are full of greed and wrong ways.
40 You are fools! Did not God make the outside and inside also?
41 Do good, and do it from your heart. Then everything is clean for you.
42 `You Pharisees will have trouble! You give to God a tenth part of small garden plants. But you do not judge in the right way. And you do not love God. You should do these things and the other things too.
43 `You Pharisees will have trouble! In the meeting houses you want to sit in the front seats. And in the market you want people to greet you.
44 You will have trouble! You are not true to yourselves! You are like graves that are not marked. Men walk over them and do not know it.'
45 Then one of the men who taught God's law said to Jesus, `Teacher, when you say these things, you talk against us too.'
46 Jesus said, `You men will have trouble also! You put heavy loads on people's backs. But you yourselves will not put up one finger to help carry the loads.
47 You will have trouble! You build places to bury the prophets of God that your fathers killed.
48 In this way you show you agree to the things your fathers did. They killed the prophets, and you build places to bury them.
49 That is why God, who is wise, said, "I will send prophets and messengers to them. They will kill some of them. And they will trouble some of them."
50 So the people who are living now will be punished for all the blood of the prophets of God that is on the ground since the world was made.
51 I mean all the blood from the time of Abel to the time of Zechariah. (He was killed between the holy table and the temple.) Yes, I tell you. The people who are living now will be punished for all of it.
52 `You teachers of God's law will have trouble! You have taken away the key of the door where people can go in and know what is true. You yourselves did not go in, and you stopped those who were going in.'
53 When Jesus left the house, the scribes and Pharisees began to be very angry with him. They asked him questions about many things.
54 They wanted him to say something that was wrong so they could make trouble for him.
Luke 11
1599 Geneva Bible
11 1 He teacheth his Apostles to pray. 14 The dumb devil driven out. 27 A woman of the company lifted up her voice. 29 The Jews require signs. 37 He being feasted of the Pharisee, reproveth the outward show of holiness.
1 And so it was, that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2 (A)And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, [a]Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come: Let thy will be done, even in earth, as it is in heaven:
3 Our daily bread give us [b]for the day:
4 And forgive us our sins: for even we forgive every man that is indebted to us: And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil.
5 ¶ [c]Moreover he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves?
6 For a friend of mine is come out of the way to me, and I have nothing to set before him:
7 And he within should answer, and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed: I cannot rise and give them to thee.
8 I say unto you, Though he would not arise and give him, because he is his friend, yet doubtless because of his [d]importunity, he would rise and give him as many as he needed.
9 (B)And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 (C)For everyone that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
11 (D)If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he ask an egg, will he give him a scorpion?
13 If ye then which are evil, can give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Ghost to them that desire him?
14 ¶ (E)Then he cast out a devil which was dumb: and when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake, and the people wondered.
15 [e]But some of them said, (F)He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
16 And others tempted him, seeking of him a sign from heaven.
17 [f]But he knew their thoughts, and said unto them, (G)Every kingdom divided against itself, shall be desolate, and an house divided against an house, falleth.
18 So if Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand, because ye say that I cast out devils [g]through Beelzebub?
19 If I through Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges.
20 But if I by the [h]finger of God cast out devils, doubtless the kingdom of God is come unto you.
21 When a strong man armed keepeth his [i]palace, the things that he possesseth, are in peace.
22 But when a stronger than he cometh upon him, and overcometh him: he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
23 [j]He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth.
24 (H)[k]When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest: and when he findeth none, he saith, I will return unto mine house whence I came out.
25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.
26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits worse than himself: and they enter in, and dwell there: (I)so the last state of that man is worse than the first.
27 ¶ [l]And it came to pass as he said these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
28 But he said, Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
29 ¶ (J)[m]And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is a wicked generation: they seek a sign, and there shall no sign be given them, but the sign of (K)Jonah the Prophet.
30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites: so shall also the son of man be to this generation.
31 (L)The Queen of the South shall rise in judgment, with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
32 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they (M)repented at the preaching of Jonah: and behold, a greater than Jonah is here.
33 ¶ (N)[n]No man when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a privy place, neither under a bushel: but on a candlestick, that they which come in, may see the light.
34 (O)The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, then is thy whole body light: but if thine eye be evil, then thy body is dark.
35 Take heed therefore, that the light which is in thee, be not darkness.
36 If therefore thy whole body shall be light, having no part dark, then shall all be light, even as when a candle doth light thee with the brightness.
37 ¶ [o]And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down at the table.
38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed before dinner.
39 (P)And the Lord said to him, Indeed ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup, and of the platter: but the inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without, make that which is within also?
41 Therefore, give alms [p]of those things which you have, and behold, all things shall be clean unto you.
42 [q]But woe be to you, Pharisees: for ye [r]tithe the mint and the rue, and [s]all manner herbs, and pass over [t]judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to have left the other undone.
43 (Q)[u]Woe be to you, Pharisees: for ye love the uppermost seats in the Synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
44 [v]Woe be to you, Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites: (R)for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them, perceive not.
45 ¶ [w]Then answered one of the Lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou puttest us to rebuke also.
46 And he said, Woe be to you also, ye Lawyers: (S)for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 [x]Woe be to you: (T)for ye build the sepulchers of the Prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 Truly [y]ye bear witness, and allow the deeds of your fathers: for they killed them, and ye build their sepulchers.
49 Therefore said the wisdom of God, I will send them Prophets and Apostles, and of them they shall slay, and [z]persecute away,
50 That the blood of all the Prophets, [aa]shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation,
51 From the blood of (U)Abel unto the blood of (V)Zechariah, which was slain between the altar and the Temple: verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation.
52 [ab]Woe be to you, Lawyers: for ye have [ac]taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that came in, ye forbade.
53 [ad]And as he said these things unto them, the Scribes and Pharisees began to urge him sore, and to [ae]provoke him to speak of many things,
54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something of his mouth, whereby they might accuse him.
Footnotes
- Luke 11:2 A form of true prayer.
- Luke 11:3 That is, as much as is needful for us this day, whereby we are not debarred to have an honest care for the maintenance of our lives; but that carping care, which killeth a number of men, is cut off and restrained.
- Luke 11:5 We must pray with faith.
- Luke 11:8 Word for word, impudency: but that impudency which is spoken of here, is not to be found fault withall, but is very commendable before God, for he liketh well of such importunity.
- Luke 11:15 An example of horrible blindness, and such as cannot be healed, when as upon an evil conscience, and pretended malice, the power of God is blasphemed.
- Luke 11:17 The true way to know the true Christ, from the false, is this, that the true Christ hath no accord or agreement with Satan: And it remaineth that after we know him, we acknowledge him.
- Luke 11:18 By the name and power of Beelzebub.
- Luke 11:20 That is, by the power of God: so it is said, Exod. 8:19.
- Luke 11:21 The word signifieth properly an open and void room before an house, and so by translation is taken for noblemen’s houses.
- Luke 11:23 Against indifferent men, and such as love to have a mean, which seek means to reconcile Christ and Satan together.
- Luke 11:24 He that doth not continue, is in worse case, than he that never began.
- Luke 11:27 Christ seeketh not praise in himself, but in our salvation.
- Luke 11:29 They that are fond desireres of miracles, instead of miracles shall receive punishment.
- Luke 11:33 Our minds are therefore lightened with the knowledge of God, that we should give light unto others, and therefore our chiefest labor ought to be to pray for that light.
- Luke 11:37 The service of God consisteth not in outward cleanliness, and devised rites or ceremonies, but in the spiritual righteousness of the heart, and charity.
- Luke 11:41 That is, according to your abilities as who would say, instead of your extortions, which hindered you, that you could not eat cleanly, use charity, and accordingly as your ability shall serve you, be good to the poor, and so shall that, that is within the platter, be sanctified though the platter be unwashed.
- Luke 11:42 It is the propense of hypocrites, to stand stoutly for little trifles, and let pass greater matters.
- Luke 11:42 You decide by God’s Law that the tenth part is due to be paid.
- Luke 11:42 Of all kind of herbs some, as Augustine expoundeth it in his Enchiridion to Laurence, chap. 99, where he showeth in like sort how that place of Paul, 1 Tim. 2:4, God will have all men to be saved, is to be expoundeth after the same manner.
- Luke 11:42 That is to say, that that is right and reason to do: for this word, Judgment, containeth the commandments of the second table, and the other words, The love of God, contain the first.
- Luke 11:43 Hypocrisy and ambition are commonly joined together.
- Luke 11:44 Hypocrites deceive men with an outward show.
- Luke 11:45 Hypocrites are very severe against other men, but think all things lawful to themselves.
- Luke 11:47 Hypocrites honor those saints when they are dead, whom they most cruelly persecute, when they were alive.
- Luke 11:48 When you persecute God’s servants, like mad men, even as your fathers did, though you color it with a pretence of godliness, yet notwithstanding, in that you beautify the sepulchers of the Prophets, what do you else, but glory in your fathers’ cruelty, and set up monuments (as it were) in glory and triumph of it?
- Luke 11:49 They shall so vex them and trouble them, that at length they shall banish them.
- Luke 11:50 That you may be called to an account for it, yea, and be punished, for the shedding of that blood of the Prophet.
- Luke 11:52 They have of long time chiefly hindered the people, from entering into the knowledge of God, which ought to be the doorkeepers of the Church.
- Luke 11:52 You have hidden and taken away, so that it cannot be found anywhere.
- Luke 11:53 The more the world is reprehended, the worse it is, and yet must we not betray the truth.
- Luke 11:53 They proposed many questions to him, to draw something out of his mouth, which they might traitorously carp at.
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
King James Version
11 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.
15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.
25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.
26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
32 The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
33 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.
37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.
42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay 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 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
© 1969, 1971, 1996, 1998 by SOON Educational Publications
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
