Luke 11-12

American Standard Version

11 And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, that when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples. ² And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, ^[a]Father, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. ^{[b] 3} Give us day by day ^[c]our daily bread. ⁴ And forgive us our sins; for we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into temptation^[d].

⁵ And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; ⁶ for a friend of mine is come to me from a journey, 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 arise and give him ^[e]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 And of which of you that is a father shall his son ask ^[f]a loaf, and he give him a stone? or a fish, and he for a fish give him a serpent? ¹² Or if he shall ask an egg, will he give 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 demon that was dumb. And it came to pass, when the demon was gone out, the dumb man spake; and the multitudes marvelled. ¹⁵ But some of them said, ^[g]By ^[h]Beelzebub the prince of the demons casteth he out demons. ¹⁶ And others, trying 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; ^[i]and a house divided against a house falleth. ¹⁸ And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out demons ^[j]by ^[k]Beelzebub. ¹⁹ And if I ^[l]by ^[m]Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. ²⁰ But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. ²¹ When the strong man fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace: ²² but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armor 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 The unclean spirit when ^[n]he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and finding none, he saith, I will turn back unto my house whence I came out. ²⁵ And when ^[o]he is come, ^[p]he findeth it swept and garnished. ²⁶ Then goeth ^[q]he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more evil than ^[r]himself; and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first.

²⁷ And it came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the breasts which thou didst suck. ²⁸ But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

²⁹ And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, he began to say, This generation is an evil generation: it seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For even as Jonah became 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 shall condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, ^[s]a greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, ^[t]a greater than Jonah is here.

³³ No man, when he hath lighted a lamp, putteth it in a cellar, neither under the bushel, but on the stand, that they which enter in may see the light. ³⁴ The lamp of thy body is thine eye: when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when it is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ Look therefore whether the light that is in thee be not darkness. ³⁶ If therefore thy whole body be full of light, having no part dark, it shall be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining doth give thee light.

³⁷ Now as he spake, a Pharisee asketh him to ^[u]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 bathed himself before ^[v]dinner. ³⁹ And the Lord said unto him, Now ye the Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter; but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. ⁴⁰ Ye foolish ones, did not he that made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But give for alms those things which ^[w]are within; and behold, all things are clean unto you.

⁴² But woe unto you Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over justice and the love of God: but these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. ⁴³ Woe unto you Pharisees! for ye love the chief seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe unto you! for ye are as the tombs which appear not, and the men that walk over them know it not.

⁴⁵ And one of the lawyers answering saith unto him, Teacher, in saying this thou reproachest us also. ⁴⁶ And he said, Woe unto you lawyers also! for ye load 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 tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. ⁴⁸ So ye are witnesses and consent unto the works of your fathers: for they killed them, and ye build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send unto them prophets and apostles; and some of them they shall 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 from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the ^[x]sanctuary: yea, I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation. ⁵² Woe unto you lawyers! for ye took away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

⁵³ And when he was come out from thence, the scribes and the Pharisees began to ^[y]press upon him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of ^[z]many things; ⁵⁴ laying wait for him, to catch something out of his mouth.

12 In the mean time, when ^[aa]the many thousands of the multitude were gathered together, insomuch that they trod one upon another, he began to ^[ab]say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ² But there is nothing covered up, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. ³ Wherefore whatsoever ye have said in the darkness shall be heard in the light; and what ye have spoken in the ear in the inner chambers shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. ⁴ And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will warn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who after he hath killed hath ^[ac]power to cast into ^[ad]hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. ⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two pence? and not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God. ⁷ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not: ye are of more value than many sparrows. ⁸ And I say unto you, Every one who shall confess ^[ae]me before men, ^[af]him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: ⁹ but he that denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God. ¹⁰ And every one who shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven. ¹¹ And when they bring you before the synagogues, and the rulers, and the authorities, be not anxious how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: ¹² for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in that very hour what ye ought to say.

¹³ And one out of the multitude said unto him, Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me. ¹⁴ But he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? ¹⁵ And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: ^[ag]for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. ¹⁶ And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: ¹⁷ and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits? ¹⁸ And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my ^[ah]soul, ^[ai]Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. ²⁰ But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night ^[aj]is thy ^[ak]soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? ²¹ So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

²² And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your ^[al]life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. ²³ For the ^[am]life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment. ²⁴ Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap; which have no store-chamber nor barn; and God feedeth them: of how much more value are ye than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto ^[an]the measure of his life? ²⁶ If then ye are not able to do even that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ But if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven; how much more shall he clothe you, O ye of little faith? ²⁹ And seek not ye what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. ³⁰ For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: but your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. ³¹ Yet seek ye ^[ao]his kingdom, and these things shall be added unto you. ³² Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

³⁵ Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning; ³⁶ and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage feast; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open unto him. ³⁷ Blessed are those ^[ap]servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them. ³⁸ And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find them so, blessed are those servants. ^39 [aq]But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be ^[ar]broken through. ⁴⁰ Be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.

⁴¹ And Peter said, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even unto all? ⁴² And the Lord said, Who then is ^[as]the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall set over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? ⁴³ Blessed is that ^[at]servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. ⁴⁴ Of a truth I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath. ⁴⁵ But if that ^[au]servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; ⁴⁶ the lord of that ^[av]servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall ^[aw]cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the unfaithful. ⁴⁷ And that ^[ax]servant, who knew his lord’s will, and made not ready, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; ⁴⁸ but he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more.

⁴⁹ I came to cast fire upon the earth; and ^[ay]what do I desire, if it is already kindled? ⁵⁰ But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! ⁵¹ Think ye that I am come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: ⁵² for there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. ⁵³ They shall be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother in law against her daughter in law, and daughter in law against her mother in law.

⁵⁴ And he said to the multitudes also, When ye see a cloud rising in the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it cometh to pass. ⁵⁵ And when ye see a south wind blowing, ye say, There will be a ^[az]scorching heat; and it cometh to pass. ⁵⁶ Ye hypocrites, ye know how to ^[ba]interpret the face of the earth and the heaven; but how is it that ye know not how to ^[bb]interpret this time? ⁵⁷ And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? ⁵⁸ For as thou art going with thine adversary before the magistrate, on the way give diligence to be quit of him; lest haply he drag thee unto the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the ^[bc]officer, and the ^[bd]officer shall cast thee into prison. ⁵⁹ I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the very last mite.