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Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.[a]

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

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Footnotes

  1. 11:8 Or in order to avoid shame, or so his reputation won’t be damaged.

Then he told them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread. A friend of mine on a trip has dropped in on me, and I don’t have anything to serve him.’ Suppose he answers from inside, ‘Stop bothering me! The door is already locked, and my children are here with us in the bedroom.[a] I can’t get up and give you anything!’ I tell you, even though that man[b] doesn’t want to get up and give him anything because he is his friend, he will get up and give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.

Ask, Search, Knock(A)

So I say to you: Keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door[c] will be opened for you, 10 because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door[d] opened.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 11:7 Lit. with me in the bed
  2. Luke 11:8 Lit. though he
  3. Luke 11:9 Lit. it
  4. Luke 11:10 Lit. it