1Once, Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored as holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
3Give us each day our daily bread.
4Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who wrongs us. And do not lead us into temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.’”
5He also said to them, “Suppose one of you goes to a friend at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
6because a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey, and I have nothing to offer him.’
7And suppose the friend 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.’?
8I tell you, even if he won’t get up and give him the bread because he is a friend, he will at least get up and give him whatever he needs because of the man’s shameless persistence.”
9“So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
10For 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 a fish, will instead give him a snake?
12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?”
13If you, despite being flawed, 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?
14Jesus was driving out a demon, and the demon had made the man unable to speak. When the demon left, the man who couldn't speak began to talk, and the crowds were amazed.
15But some of the people said, "He drives out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons."
16Others, trying to test Jesus, asked him for a miraculous sign from heaven.
17But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to them, "Every kingdom that is divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.
18If Satan is also divided against himself, how can his kingdom last? You say that I drive out demons by Beelzebul.
19But if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whose power do your own followers drive them out? Therefore, they will be your judges.
20However, if I drive out demons by the power of God, then it means the Kingdom of God has come to you.
21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own home, his possessions are safe.
22But when someone stronger attacks him and defeats him, the stronger one takes away all the weapons the first man trusted in and divides his loot.
23Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not help me gather is actually scattering.
24When an evil spirit leaves a person, it travels through dry places looking for rest, and not finding any, it says, 'I will go back to the house I came from.'
25When it returns, it finds the house cleaned and in order.
26Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all go in and live there. So the person's final state is worse than the first.
27As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd shouted, "Blessed is the mother who gave birth to you and nursed you!"
28But Jesus said, "No, those who hear God's word and obey it are truly blessed."
29As the crowds gathered, Jesus began to say, "This is an evil generation. It demands a miraculous sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah, the prophet."
30Just as Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.
31The Queen of the South will stand up at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she traveled from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom. And look, someone greater than Solomon is here.
32The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they changed their ways when Jonah preached. And look, someone greater than Jonah is here.
33"No one lights a lamp and then puts it in a hidden place or under a bowl. Instead, they put it on a lampstand so that those who come in can see the light.
34Your eye is like a lamp for your body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light. But if your eye is unhealthy, your body is full of darkness.
35Therefore, be careful that the light you think you have isn't actually darkness.
36If your whole body is full of light, with no dark part, it will be completely radiant, like a lamp shining brightly for you."
37As Jesus finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat dinner together. Jesus went in and sat down at the table.
38When the Pharisee saw this, he was surprised that Jesus had not washed his hands before eating.
39The Lord said to him, "You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and evil.
40You foolish people! Didn't the one who made the outside also make the inside?
41Instead, give what is inside as gifts to those in need, and then everything will be clean for you.
42How terrible for you Pharisees! You meticulously give tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you ignore justice and God's love. You should practice these things without neglecting the others.
43How terrible for you Pharisees! You love the most important seats in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.
44How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like unmarked graves that people walk over without knowing it.
45One of the lawyers replied, "Teacher, when you say these things, you are insulting us too."
46He said, "How terrible for you lawyers too! You burden people with heavy loads that are difficult to carry, but you yourselves won't lift a finger to help them.
47How terrible for you! You build monuments for the prophets, even though your ancestors killed them.
48So you confirm and approve of what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.
49That’s why God’s wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles. Some of those they will kill and persecute.’
50As a result, this generation will be held responsible for the murders of all the prophets since the beginning of the world,
51from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible.
52How terrible for you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves didn’t enter, and you stopped those who were trying to enter.”
53As Jesus was saying these things, the religious lawyers and the Pharisees began to get extremely angry and to challenge him with many questions,
54waiting to catch him saying something wrong so they could accuse him.