Luke 11

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
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 And it happened that, while he was in a certain place praying, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also 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 And he said to them: “When you are praying, say: Father, may your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come.
3 give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins,	3 Give us this 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, since we also forgive all who are indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”
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: “Which of you will have a friend and will go to him in the middle of the night, and will say to him: ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,
6 because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him;"	6 because a friend of mine has arrived from a journey to me, and I do not have anything to set before 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 from within, he would answer by saying: ‘Do not disturb me. The door is closed now, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give it to you.’
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 Yet if he will persevere in knocking, I tell you that, even though he would not get up and give it to him because he is a friend, yet due to his continued insistence, he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
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 so I say to you: Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall 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 whoever seeks, finds. And whoever knocks, it shall be opened to him.
11 What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake?	11 So then, who among you, if he asks his father for bread, he would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he would give him a serpent, instead of a fish?
12 Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?	12 Or if he will ask for an egg, he would offer to him a scorpion?
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 Therefore, if you, being evil, know how to give good things to your sons, how much more will your Father give, from heaven, a spirit of goodness 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 And he was casting out a demon, and the man was mute. But when he had cast out the demon, the mute man spoke, and so the crowds were amazed.
15 But some of them said, 'It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he drives devils out.'	15 But some of them said, “It is by Beelzebub, the leader of demons, that he casts out demons.”
16 Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven;	16 And others, testing him, required a sign from heaven of him.
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 when he perceived their thoughts, he said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself will become desolate, and house will fall upon 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 So then, if Satan is also divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebub that I cast 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 But if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your own sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall 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 Moreover, if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then certainly the kingdom of God has overtaken you.
21 So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own home, his goods are undisturbed;	21 When a strong armed man guards his entrance, the things that he possesses are at peace.
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 if a stronger one, overwhelming him, has defeated him, he will take away all his weapons, in which he trusted, and he will distribute his 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 has departed from a man, he walks through waterless places, seeking rest. And not finding any, he says: ‘I will return to my house, from which I departed.’
25 But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied,	25 And when he has arrived, he finds it swept clean and decorated.
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 he goes, and he takes in seven other spirits with him, more wicked than himself, and they enter and live there. And so, the end of that man is made worse the beginning.”
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 And it happened that, when he was saying these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you.”
28 But he replied, 'More blessed stil are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'	28 Then he said, “Yes, but moreover: blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep 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 Then, as the crowds were quickly gathering, he began to say: “This generation is a wicked generation: it seeks a sign. But no sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet 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 For just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also 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 The queen of the South will rise up, at the judgment, with the men of this generation, and she will condemn them. For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, more than Solomon is 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 The men of Nineveh will rise up, at the judgment, with this generation, and they will condemn it. For at the preaching of Jonah, they repented. And behold, more than Jonah is 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 lights a candle and places it in hiding, nor under a bushel basket, but upon a lampstand, so that those who enter may 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 Your eye is the light of your body. If your eye is wholesome, your entire body will be filled with light. But if it is wicked, then even your body will be darkened.
35 See to it then that the light inside you is not darkness.	35 Therefore, take care, lest the light that is within you 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 So then, if your entire body becomes filled with light, not having any part in darkness, then it will be entirely light, and, like a shining lamp, it will illuminate you.”
37 He had just finished speaking when a Pharisee invited him to dine at his house. He went in and satdown at table.	37 And as he was speaking, a certain Pharisee asked him to eat with him. And going inside, he sat down to eat.
38 The Pharisee saw this and was surprised that he had not first washed before the meal.	38 But the Pharisee began to say, thinking within himself: “Why might it be that he has not washed before eating?”
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 And the Lord said to him: “You Pharisees today clean what is outside the cup and the plate, but what is inside of you is full of plunder and iniquity.
40 Fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too?	40 Fools! Did not he who made what is outside, indeed also make what is inside?
41 Instead, give alms from what you have and, look, everything wil be clean for you.	41 Yet truly, give what is above as alms, and behold, all things are 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 But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you ignore judgment and the charity of God. But these things you ought to have done, without omitting 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! For you love the first seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the marketplace.
44 Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that people walk on without knowing it!'	44 Woe to you! For you are like graves that are not noticeable, so that men walk over them without realizing it.”
45 A lawyer then spoke up. 'Master,' he said, 'when you speak like this you insult us too.'	45 Then one of the experts in the law, in response, said to him, “Teacher, in saying these things, you bring an insult against us as well.”
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 So he said: “And woe to you experts in the law! For you weigh men down with burdens which they are not able to bear, but you yourselves do not touch the weight with even one of your fingers.
47 'Alas for you because you build tombs for the prophets, the people your ancestors kil ed!	47 Woe to you, who build the tombs of the prophets, while it is your fathers who killed them!
48 In this way you both witness to what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do thebuilding.	48 Clearly, you are testifying that you consent to the actions of your fathers, because even though they killed them, you build their sepulchers.
49 'And that is why the Wisdom of God said, "I wil send them prophets and apostles; some they willslaughter and persecute,	49 Because of this also, the wisdom of God said: I will send to them Prophets and Apostles, and some of these they will kill or 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 so that the blood of all the Prophets, which has been shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation:
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, even to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. So I say to you: it will be required of this generation!
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, experts in the law! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves do not enter, and those who were entering, you would have prohibited.”
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 Then, while he was saying these things to them, the Pharisees and the experts in the law began to insist strongly that he restrain his mouth about many things.
54 lying in wait to catch him out in something he might say.	54 And waiting to ambush him, they sought something from his mouth that they might seize upon, in order to accuse him.