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Jesus Teaches His Disciples To Pray

11 And it came about during His being in a certain place praying, that when He ceased, a certain one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples”. And He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say, ‘Father— let[a] Your name be treated-as-holy. Let Your kingdom come. Be giving us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also are forgiving everyone being indebted to us. And do not bring us into a temptation[b]’”.

Keep Asking And You Will Receive

And He said to them, “Which of you will have a friend, and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves-of-bread, because my friend came to me from a journey and I do not have what I will set-before him’; and that one, having responded from inside says ‘Do not be causing me troubles. The door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed. I am not able, having arisen, to give it to you’? I say to you: even though he will not, having arisen, give to him because of being his friend, yet because of his shamelessness[c] he will, having been raised[d], give to him as much as he needs. And I say to you: be asking, and it will be given to you. Be seeking, and you will find. Be knocking, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone asking receives. And the one seeking finds. And to the one knocking, it will be opened.

God Knows How To Give Good Answers To Your Prayers

11 “And what father from-among you will his son ask-for a fish, and he will give him a snake[e] instead of a fish? 12 Or indeed he will ask-for an egg— will he give him a scorpion? 13 Therefore if you, being evil, know-how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the Holy Spirit to the ones asking Him!”

Some Say Jesus Casts Out Demons By Satan’s Power

14 And He was casting-out a demon, and it was mute. And it came about, the demon having gone out, that the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He is casting out the demons by[f] Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons”. 16 And others, testing Him, were seeking from Him a sign out of heaven.

A Kingdom Divided Cannot Stand. Watch Out Or You Will Be Worse Off

17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them— “Every kingdom having been divided against itself is desolated, and a house divided against a house falls; 18 and if indeed Satan was divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?— because you are saying that I am casting out the demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I am casting out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom[g] are your sons casting them out? For this reason, they will be your judges; 20 but if I am casting out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God came[h] upon you. 21 Whenever the strong man having fully-armed-himself [i] is guarding his own courtyard, his possessions are in peace. 22 But when one stronger than he, having come against him, overcomes him— he takes away his full-armor upon which he trusted, and distributes his spoils. 23 The one not being with Me is against Me. And the one not gathering with Me is scattering. 24 When the unclean spirit departs from the person, it goes-through waterless places seeking rest[j]. And not finding it, then it says, ‘I will return to my house from where I came out’. 25 And having come, it finds it having been swept and put-in-order[k]. 26 Then it proceeds, and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself. And having gone in, they dwell there. And the last state of that person becomes worse than the first”.

Blessed Are Those Hearing And Keeping The Word of God

27 And it came about during His saying these things that a certain woman from the crowd, having raised her voice, said to Him, “Blessed is the womb having carried You, and the breasts which You sucked”. 28 But He said, “More-than-that, blessed are the ones hearing the word of God and keeping it”.

This Is an Evil Generation. No Sign Will Be Given Except The Sign of Jonah

29 And while the crowds were assembling-more, He began to say “This generation is an evil generation. It is seeking a sign. And a sign will not be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man also will be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will be raised at the judgment with the men of this generation, and she will condemn them. Because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold— a greater thing than Solomon is here. 32 Ninevite men will rise-up at the judgment with this generation, and they will condemn it. Because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold— a greater thing than Jonah is here.

The Lamp Shines So People Can See. Watch Out That Your Eye Can Receive The Light

33 “No one having lit a lamp puts it in a crypt[l], nor under the basket, but on the lampstand, in order that the ones coming in may see the light. 34 The lamp[m] of the body is your eye. When your eye is single[n], your whole body is also full-of-light. But when it is bad, your body is also full-of-darkness. 35 So be watching-out that the light in[o] you is not darkness! 36 Therefore if your whole body is full-of-light, not having any part full-of-darkness, [then] the whole body will be full-of-light as when the lamp gives-light-to you with its bright-light”.

Woe To You Pharisees

37 Now at the speaking, a Pharisee asks Him so that He might eat-the-morning-meal with him. And having gone in, He fell-back [to eat]. 38 And the Pharisee, having seen it, marveled that He was not first cleansed[p] before the morning-meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now[q] you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, but the inside of you is full of plundering and evilness. 40 Foolish ones— did not the One having made the outside also make the inside? 41 But give the things being-within as alms, and behold— all things are clean for you. 42 But woe to you Pharisees, because you are giving-a-tenth-of the mint and the rue and every garden-plant, and are disregarding[r] the justice and the love of God. But you ought-to-have done these things, and not be slackening[s] those things. 43 Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the seat-of-honor in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you, because you are like unmarked[t] graves, and the people walking over them do not know it ”.

Woe To You Law-Experts

45 And having responded, one of the Law-experts says to Him, “Teacher, while saying these things You also are insulting us”. 46 And the One said, “Woe to you Law-experts also, because you burden people with hard-to-bear burdens[u], and you do not touch[v] the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you, because you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them! 48 Therefore you are witnesses and are giving-approval to the works of your fathers, because they killed them— and you build their tombs. 49 For this reason the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send-forth prophets and apostles to them, and some of them they will kill and persecute, 50 in order that the blood of all the prophets having been shed since the foundation of the world may be required[w] from this generation— 51 from the blood of Abel up to the blood of Zechariah[x], the one having perished between the altar and the house [of God]. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required from this generation’. 52 Woe to you Law-experts, because you took away the key of knowledge. You did not enter, and you hindered the ones entering”.

With His Enemies Lying In Wait To Destroy Him, Myriads Gather To Hear Jesus

53 And He having gone out from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be terribly[y] hostile[z], and to question[aa] Him concerning more things 54 while lying-in-wait-for Him to catch something from His mouth—

Footnotes

  1. Luke 11:2 That is, make it a reality that Your name is treated as holy. These five requests are in the form of a command (as usual), with a change of grammar on the third request. ‘Let’ does not mean ‘allow’.
  2. Luke 11:4 That is, a situation in which we will be tempted by the evil one. Or, a testing, a trial.
  3. Luke 11:8 That is, his shameless (from the friend’s point of view) persistence (from the asker’s point of view).
  4. Luke 11:8 having arisen... having been raised. That is, having voluntarily gotten up... having been forced to get up by the persistent asking.
  5. Luke 11:11 That is, something harmful.
  6. Luke 11:15 Or, in union with.
  7. Luke 11:19 The reasoning required to prove that the Jews were not using the power of Satan to cast out demons will also prove it in the case of Jesus.
  8. Luke 11:20 Or, arrived.
  9. Luke 11:21 Or, being fully-armed.
  10. Luke 11:24 Or, a resting place.
  11. Luke 11:25 Or, adorned, decorated.
  12. Luke 11:33 Or, vault, hidden place. The lamp is on the lampstand shining for all to see. No further sign is needed for any whose eye is not bad.
  13. Luke 11:34 That is, the source of light.
  14. Luke 11:34 Or, sincere, simple. That is, single-focused on God; or, spiritually-healthy.
  15. Luke 11:35 That is, allowed into your heart by your spiritual eye.
  16. Luke 11:38 Compare Mk 7:2-4.
  17. Luke 11:39 That is, Right-now; or, As-it-is.
  18. Luke 11:42 Or, passing-by.
  19. Luke 11:42 Or, relaxing.
  20. Luke 11:44 That is, people who come into contact with you become defiled and polluted, and don’t even know it.
  21. Luke 11:46 Jesus is referring to their traditions, their man-made rules of conduct.
  22. Luke 11:46 That is, to carry them yourselves. Many rules that burdened the common working person addressed issues that never arose in the life of a priest.
  23. Luke 11:50 That is, so that the blood-guilt of your fathers may be avenged on you as you repeat their crimes on those I will send to you.
  24. Luke 11:51 That is, the first and last murder recorded in the OT in the Hebrew order of books.
  25. Luke 11:53 Or, fearfully, fiercely.
  26. Luke 11:53 That is, internally hostile and plotting.
  27. Luke 11:53 That is, to ask calculated questions; to bait Him with questions.

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer(A)(B)

11 One day Jesus was praying(C) in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord,(D) teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom(E) come.[b]
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c](F)
And lead us not into temptation.[d]’”(G)

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.(H)

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;(I) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus and Beelzebul(J)(K)

14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.(L) 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul,(M) the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”(N) 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.(O)

17 Jesus knew their thoughts(P) and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan(Q) is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God,(R) then the kingdom of God(S) has come upon you.

21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

23 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.(T)

24 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”(U)

27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”(V)

28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God(W) and obey it.”(X)

The Sign of Jonah(Y)

29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign,(Z) but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.(AA) 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom;(AB) and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah;(AC) and now something greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp of the Body(AD)

33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.(AE) 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,[g] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,[h] your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law

37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table.(AF) 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.(AG)

39 Then the Lord(AH) said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.(AI) 40 You foolish people!(AJ) Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor,(AK) and everything will be clean for you.(AL)

42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth(AM) of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.(AN) You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.(AO)

43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.(AP)

44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves,(AQ) which people walk over without knowing it.”

45 One of the experts in the law(AR) answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.(AS)

47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.(AT) 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom(AU) said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’(AV) 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel(AW) to the blood of Zechariah,(AX) who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.(AY)

52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”(AZ)

53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.(BA)

Footnotes

  1. Luke 11:2 Some manuscripts Our Father in heaven
  2. Luke 11:2 Some manuscripts come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
  3. Luke 11:4 Greek everyone who is indebted to us
  4. Luke 11:4 Some manuscripts temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
  5. Luke 11:8 Or yet to preserve his good name
  6. Luke 11:11 Some manuscripts for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for
  7. Luke 11:34 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.
  8. Luke 11:34 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy.