Old/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!'