Ask, Search, Knock

⁷ “Ask,^(A) and it will be given to you.^(B) Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door^[a] will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds,^(C) and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹ Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil,^(D) know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.

Ask, Search, Knock

⁵ He also said to them, “Suppose one of you^[a] has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶ because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ ⁷ Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s shameless boldness,^[b] he will get up and give him as much as he needs.^(A)

⁹ “So^(B) I say to you, ask,^(C) and it will be given to you. Seek,^(D) and you will find. Knock,^(E) and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ¹¹ What father among you, if his son^[c] asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, who are evil,^(F) know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father^(G) give the Holy Spirit^(H) to those who ask him?”

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray^(A) always and not give up.^{(B) 2} “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God^(C) or respect people. ³ And a widow^(D) in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

⁴ “For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps^(E) pestering me,^[a] I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out^[b] by her persistent coming.’”

⁶ Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ Will not God grant justice^(F) to his elect^(G) who cry out to him day and night?^(H) Will he delay^(I) helping them?^{[c] 8} I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,^(J) will he find faith on earth?”

¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.^(A)