English Standard Version

New Living Translation

1Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

1Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.

2Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon.

3Give us each day our daily bread,

3 Give us each day the food we need,

4and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”

4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation. ”

5And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,

5Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,

6for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;

6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’

7and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?

7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’

8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

9And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

10For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

11What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;

11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?

12or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!

13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” Jesus and the Prince of Demons

14Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.

14One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed,

15But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,”

15but some of them said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.”

16while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.

16Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.

17But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.

17He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.

18And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

18 You say I am empowered by Satan. But if Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom survive?

19And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

19 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.

20But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

20 But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.

21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe;

21 For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe—

22but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.

22 until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.

23Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

23 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.

24“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’

24 “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’

25And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order.

25 So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order.

26Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

26 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”

27As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”

27As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!”

28But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

28Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” The Sign of Jonah

29When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

29As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah.

30For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

30 What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be a sign to these people that he was sent by God.

31The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

31 “The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.

32The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

32 The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent. Receiving the Light

33“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.

33 “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.

34Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.

34 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness.

35Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.

35 Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.

36If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

36 If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders

37While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table.

37As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table.

38The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.

38His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.

39And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

39Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness!

40You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?

40 Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?

41But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.

41 So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.

42“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

42 “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

43Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

43 “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces.

44Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

44 Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.”

45One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.”

45“Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.”

46And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

46 “Yes,” said Jesus, “what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden.

47Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.

47 What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago.

48So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.

48 But in fact, you stand as witnesses who agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you join in their crime by building the monuments!

49Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’

49 This is what God in his wisdom said about you: ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them, but they will kill some and persecute the others.’

50so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,

50 “As a result, this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all God’s prophets from the creation of the world—

51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.

51 from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will certainly be charged against this generation.

52Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

52 “What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”

53As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things,

53As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions.

54lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

54They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.