Luke 11:1-22 ▼

1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”

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

3 ‘Give us each day our daily bread.

4 ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation.’”

5 And He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,

6 because a friend of mine has come to me from a journey and I have nothing to serve him’;

7 and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’

8 I tell you, even if he will not get up and give him anything just because he is his friend, yet because of his shamelessness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

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

11 Now which one of you fathers will his son ask for a fish, and instead of a fish, he will give him a snake?

12 Or he will even ask for an egg, and his father will give him a scorpion?

13 So if you, despite being evil, 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?”

14 And He was casting out a mute demon; when the demon had gone out, the man who was previously unable to speak talked, and the crowds were amazed.

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

16 Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.

17 But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.

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

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

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

21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are secure.

22 But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, that man takes away his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder.