Luke 11

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Now it happened that he was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciplessaid, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.'	1 He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
2 He said to them, 'When you pray, this is what to say: Father, may your name be held holy, yourkingdom come;	2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
3 give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins,	3 Give us each day our daily bread
4 for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.'	4 and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."
5 He also said to them, 'Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night tosay, "My friend, lend me three loaves,	5 And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
6 because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him;"	6 for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,'
7 and the man answers from inside the house, "Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and mychildren are with me in bed; I cannot get up to give it to you."	7 and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.'
8 I tel you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence wil make himget up and give his friend al he wants.	8 I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
9 'So I say to you: Ask, and it wil be given to you; search, and you wil find; knock, and the door wil beopened to you.	9 "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks wil have thedoor opened.	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 asked for a fish, would hand him a snake?	11 What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?
12 Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?	12 Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
13 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more wil theheavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'	13 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
14 He was driving out a devil and it was dumb; and it happened that when the devil had gone out thedumb man spoke, and the people were amazed.	14 He was driving out a demon (that was) mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute person spoke and the crowds were amazed.
15 But some of them said, 'It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he drives devils out.'	15 Some of them said, "By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons."
16 Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven;	16 Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
17 but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, 'Any kingdom which is divided against itself isheading for ruin, and house col apses against house.	17 But he knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.
18 So, too, with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom last? - since you claim thatit is through Beelzebul that I drive devils out.	18 And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
19 Now if it is through Beelzebul that I drive devils out, through whom do your own sons drive them out?They shall be your judges, then.	19 If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
20 But if it is through the finger of God that I drive devils out, then the kingdom of God has indeed caughtyou unawares.	20 But if it is by the finger of God that (I) drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
21 So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own home, his goods are undisturbed;	21 When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe.
22 but when someone stronger than himself attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away allthe weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.	22 But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils.
23 'Anyone who is not with me is against me; and anyone who does not gather in with me throws away.	23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
24 'When an unclean spirit goes out of someone it wanders through waterless country looking for aplace to rest, and not finding one it says, "I wil go back to the home I came from."	24 "When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, 'I shall return to my home from which I came.'
25 But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied,	25 But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
26 it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set uphouse there, and so that person ends up worse off than before.'	26 Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that person is worse than the first."
27 It happened that as he was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, 'Blessed thewomb that bore you and the breasts that fed you!'	27 While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed."
28 But he replied, 'More blessed stil are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'	28 He replied, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
29 The crowds got even bigger and he addressed them, 'This is an evil generation; it is asking for a sign.The only sign it wil be given is the sign of Jonah.	29 While still more people gathered in the crowd, he said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.
30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so wil the Son of man be a sign to thisgeneration.	30 Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
31 On Judgement Day the Queen of the South will stand up against the people of this generation and betheir condemnation, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, look,there is something greater than Solomon here.	31 At the judgment the queen of the south will rise 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 there is something greater than Solomon here.
32 On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh wil appear against this generation and be its condemnation,because when Jonah preached they repented; and, look, there is something greater than Jonah here.	32 At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.
33 'No one lights a lamp and puts it in some hidden place or under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in.	33 "No one who lights a lamp hides it away or places it (under a bushel basket), but on a lampstand so that those who enter might see the light.
34 The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is clear, your whole body, too, is fil ed with light; butwhen it is diseased your body, too, wil be darkened.	34 The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is sound, then your whole body is filled with light, but when it is bad, then your body is in darkness.
35 See to it then that the light inside you is not darkness.	35 Take care, then, that the light in you not become darkness.
36 If, therefore, your whole body is fil ed with light, and not darkened at all, it wil be light entirely, aswhen the lamp shines on you with its rays.'	36 If your whole body is full of light, and no part of it is in darkness, then it will be as full of light as a lamp illuminating you with its brightness."
37 He had just finished speaking when a Pharisee invited him to dine at his house. He went in and satdown at table.	37 After he had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat.
38 The Pharisee saw this and was surprised that he had not first washed before the meal.	38 The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
39 But the Lord said to him, 'You Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup and plate, while insideyourselves you are fil ed with extortion and wickedness.	39 The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
40 Fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too?	40 You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
41 Instead, give alms from what you have and, look, everything wil be clean for you.	41 But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.
42 But alas for you Pharisees, because you pay your tithe of mint and rue and al sorts of garden herbsand neglect justice and the love of God! These you should have practised, without neglecting the others.	42 Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
43 Alas for you Pharisees, because you like to take the seats of honour in the synagogues and to begreeted respectful y in the market squares!	43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces.
44 Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that people walk on without knowing it!'	44 Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk."
45 A lawyer then spoke up. 'Master,' he said, 'when you speak like this you insult us too.'	45 Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, "Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too."
46 But he said, 'Alas for you lawyers as wel , because you load on people burdens that are unendurable,burdens that you yourselves do not touch with your fingertips.	46 And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.
47 'Alas for you because you build tombs for the prophets, the people your ancestors kil ed!	47 Woe to you! You build the memorials of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.
48 In this way you both witness to what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do thebuilding.	48 Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building.
49 'And that is why the Wisdom of God said, "I wil send them prophets and apostles; some they willslaughter and persecute,	49 Therefore, the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute'
50 so that this generation wil have to answer for every prophet's blood that has been shed since thefoundation of the world,	50 in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world,
51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the Temple."Yes, I tel you, this generation wil have to answer for it all.	51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
52 'Alas for you lawyers who have taken away the key of knowledge! You have not gone in yourselvesand have prevented others from going in who wanted to.'	52 Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter."
53 When he left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began a furious attack on him and tried to forceanswers from him on innumerable questions,	53 When he left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things,
54 lying in wait to catch him out in something he might say.	54 for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.