Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
Instructions on Prayer
11 Now[a] Jesus[b] was praying in a certain place. When[c] he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John[d] taught[e] his disciples.” 2 So he said to them, “When you pray,[f] say:
Father,[g] may your name be honored;[h]
may your kingdom come.[i]
3 Give us each day our daily bread,[j]
4 and forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins[k] against us.
And do not lead us into temptation.”[l]
5 Then[m] he said to them, “Suppose one of you[n] has a friend, and you go to him[o] at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,[p] 6 because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey,[q] and I have nothing to set before[r] him.’ 7 Then[s] he will reply[t] from inside, ‘Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed.[u] I cannot get up and give you anything.’[v] 8 I tell you, even though the man inside[w] will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s[x] sheer persistence[y] he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9 “So[z] I tell you: Ask,[aa] and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door[ab] will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks[ac] receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door[ad] will be opened. 11 What father among you, if your[ae] son asks for[af] a fish, will give him a snake[ag] instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?[ah] 13 If you then, although you are[ai] evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit[aj] to those who ask him!”
Jesus and Beelzebul
14 Now[ak] he was casting out a demon that was mute.[al] When[am] the demon had gone out, the man who had been mute began to speak,[an] and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul,[ao] the ruler[ap] of demons, he casts out demons!” 16 Others, to test[aq] him,[ar] began asking for[as] a sign[at] from heaven. 17 But Jesus,[au] realizing their thoughts, said to them,[av] “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed,[aw] and a divided household falls.[ax] 18 So[ay] if[az] Satan too is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? I ask you this because[ba] you claim that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons[bb] cast them[bc] out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if I cast out demons by the finger[bd] of God, then the kingdom of God[be] has already overtaken[bf] you. 21 When a strong man,[bg] fully armed, guards his own palace,[bh] his possessions are safe.[bi] 22 But[bj] when a stronger man[bk] attacks[bl] and conquers him, he takes away the first man’s[bm] armor on which the man relied[bn] and divides up[bo] his plunder.[bp] 23 Whoever is not with me is against me,[bq] and whoever does not gather with me scatters.[br]
Response to Jesus’ Work
24 “When an unclean spirit[bs] goes out of a person,[bt] it passes through waterless places[bu] looking for rest but[bv] not finding any. Then[bw] it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’[bx] 25 When it returns,[by] it finds the house[bz] swept clean and put in order.[ca] 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so[cb] the last state of that person[cc] is worse than the first.”[cd]
27 As[ce] he said these things, a woman in the crowd spoke out[cf] to him, “Blessed is the womb[cg] that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed!”[ch] 28 But he replied,[ci] “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey[cj] it!”
The Sign of Jonah
29 As[ck] the crowds were increasing, Jesus[cl] began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign,[cm] but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.[cn] 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh,[co] so the Son of Man will be a sign[cp] to this generation.[cq] 31 The queen of the South[cr] will rise up at the judgment[cs] with the people[ct] of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon—and now,[cu] something greater[cv] than Solomon is here! 32 The people[cw] of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them[cx]—and now,[cy] something greater than Jonah is here!
Internal Light
33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a hidden place[cz] or under a basket,[da] but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy,[db] your whole body is full of light, but when it is diseased,[dc] your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore see to it[dd] that the light in you[de] is not darkness. 36 If[df] then[dg] your whole body is full of light, with no part in the dark,[dh] it will be as full of light as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”[di]
Rebuking the Pharisees and Experts in the Law
37 As he spoke,[dj] a Pharisee[dk] invited Jesus[dl] to have a meal with him, so he went in and took his place at the table.[dm] 38 The[dn] Pharisee was astonished when he saw that Jesus[do] did not first wash his hands[dp] before the meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean[dq] the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.[dr] 40 You fools![ds] Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside as well?[dt] 41 But give from your heart to those in need,[du] and[dv] then everything will be clean for you.[dw]
42 “But woe to you Pharisees![dx] You give a tenth[dy] of your mint,[dz] rue,[ea] and every herb, yet you neglect justice[eb] and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others.[ec] 43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the best seats[ed] in the synagogues[ee] and elaborate greetings[ef] in the marketplaces![eg] 44 Woe to you![eh] You are like unmarked graves, and people[ei] walk over them without realizing it!”[ej]
45 One of the experts in religious law[ek] answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things you insult[el] us too.” 46 But Jesus[em] replied,[en] “Woe to you experts in religious law as well![eo] You load people[ep] down with burdens difficult to bear, yet you yourselves refuse to touch[eq] the burdens with even one of your fingers! 47 Woe to you! You build[er] the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors[es] killed. 48 So you testify that you approve of[et] the deeds of your ancestors,[eu] because they killed the prophets[ev] and you build their[ew] tombs![ex] 49 For this reason also the wisdom[ey] 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 held accountable[ez] for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning[fa] of the world,[fb] 51 from the blood of Abel[fc] to the blood of Zechariah,[fd] who was killed[fe] between the altar and the sanctuary.[ff] Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against[fg] this generation. 52 Woe to you experts in religious law! You have taken away[fh] the key to knowledge! You did not go in yourselves, and you hindered[fi] those who were going in.”
53 When he went out from there, the experts in the law[fj] and the Pharisees began to oppose him bitterly,[fk] and to ask him hostile questions[fl] about many things, 54 plotting against[fm] him, to catch[fn] him in something he might say.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.