Luke 11 - English Standard Version (ESV)

The Lord's Prayer

11 Now Jesus^[a] was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, ^(A)as John taught his disciples.” ² And he said to them, ^(B)“When you pray, say:

^(C)“Father, ^(D)hallowed be ^(E)your name.
^(F)Your kingdom come.
^{3 (G)}Give us ^(H)each day our daily bread,^[b]
4 and ^(I)forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And ^(J)lead us not into temptation.”

⁵ And 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, ⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; ⁷ and 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’? ⁸ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything ^(K)because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence^[c] he will rise and give him whatever he needs. ⁹ And I tell you, ^(L)ask, and ^(M)it will be given to you; ^(N)seek, and you will find; ^(O)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 What father among you, if his son asks for^[d] a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; ¹² or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, ^(P)who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father ^(Q)give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus and Beelzebul

^{14 (R)}Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “He casts out demons ^(S)by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” ¹⁶ while others, ^(T)to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. ^{17 (U)}But he, ^(V)knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. ¹⁸ And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, ^(W)by whom do ^(X)your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if it is by ^(Y)the finger of God that I cast out demons, then ^(Z)the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²¹ When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; ^{22 (AA)}but when one stronger than he attacks him and ^(AB)overcomes him, he takes away his ^(AC)armor in which he trusted and ^(AD)divides his spoil. ^{23 (AE)}Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

^{24 (AF)}“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through ^(AG)waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And ^(AH)the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

True Blessedness

²⁷ As he said these things, ^(AI)a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ^(AJ)“Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” ²⁸ But he said, ^(AK)“Blessed rather are those ^(AL)who hear the word of God and ^(AM)keep it!”

The Sign of Jonah

^{29 (AN)}When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, ^(AO)“This generation is an evil generation. ^(AP)It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For as ^(AQ)Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. ^{31 (AR)}The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and ^(AS)condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, ^(AT)something greater than Solomon is here. ^{32 (AU)}The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and ^(AV)condemn it, for ^(AW)they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, ^(AX)something greater than Jonah is here.

The Light in You

^{33 (AY)}“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. ³⁴ Your eye is ^(AZ)the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is ^(BA)bad, your body is full of darkness. ^{35 (BB)}Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. ³⁶ If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, ^(BC)as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers

³⁷ While Jesus^[e] was speaking, ^(BD)a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. ³⁸ The Pharisee was astonished to see ^(BE)that he did not first wash before dinner. ³⁹ And the Lord said to him, ^(BF)“Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of ^(BG)greed and wickedness. ^{40 (BH)}You fools! ^(BI)Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But ^(BJ)give as alms those things that are within, and behold, ^(BK)everything is clean for you.

^{42 (BL)}“But woe to you Pharisees! For ^(BM)you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect ^(BN)justice and ^(BO)the love of God. ^(BP)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! For ^(BQ)you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you! ^(BR)For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

⁴⁵ One of ^(BS)the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” ⁴⁶ And he said, “Woe to you ^(BT)lawyers also! For ^(BU)you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. ^{47 (BV)}Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. ^{48 (BW)}So you are witnesses and you ^(BX)consent to the deeds of ^(BY)your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Therefore also ^(BZ)the Wisdom of God said, ^(CA)‘I will send them ^(CB)prophets and apostles, ^(CC)some of whom they will ^(CD)kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰ so that ^(CE)the blood of all the prophets, shed ^(CF)from the foundation of the world, may be ^(CG)charged against this generation, ⁵¹ from the blood of ^(CH)Abel to the blood of ^(CI)Zechariah, who perished between ^(CJ)the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be ^(CK)required of this generation. ⁵² Woe to you ^(CL)lawyers! ^(CM)For you have taken away the key of ^(CN)knowledge. You ^(CO)did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

⁵³ As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, ^{54 (CP)}lying in wait for him, ^(CQ)to catch him in something he might say.

Footnotes

1. Luke 11:1 Greek he
2. Luke 11:3 Or our bread for tomorrow
3. Luke 11:8 Or persistence
4. Luke 11:11 Some manuscripts insert bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for
5. Luke 11:37 Greek he

Cross references

1. Luke 11:1 : See ch. 5:33
2. Luke 11:2 : For ver. 2-4, [Matt. 6:9-13]
3. Luke 11:2 : John 20:17; 1 Pet. 1:17
4. Luke 11:2 : Isa. 29:23; [ch. 1:49; 1 Pet. 3:15]
5. Luke 11:2 : John 17:6
6. Luke 11:2 : [Matt. 3:2; 4:17]
7. Luke 11:3 : Prov. 30:8
8. Luke 11:3 : [Matt. 6:34]
9. Luke 11:4 : See ch. 7:48
10. Luke 11:4 : ch. 22:40, 46; Matt. 26:41; Mark 14:38; [1 Cor. 10:13]
11. Luke 11:8 : [ch. 18:1-6]
12. Luke 11:9 : For ver. 9-13, see Matt. 7:7-11
13. Luke 11:9 : Matt. 18:19; 21:22; Mark 11:24; John 14:13; 15:7, 16; 16:23, 24; James 1:5, 6, 17; 1 John 3:22; 5:14, 15
14. Luke 11:9 : 1 Chr. 28:9; 2 Chr. 15:2; Prov. 8:17; Jer. 29:13; [Isa. 55:6]
15. Luke 11:9 : [Rev. 3:20]
16. Luke 11:13 : Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Matt. 12:34
17. Luke 11:13 : [John 4:10; Acts 2:38]
18. Luke 11:14 : For ver. 14, 15, see Matt. 12:22-24; [Matt. 9:32-34]
19. Luke 11:15 : See Matt. 10:25
20. Luke 11:16 : See John 8:6
21. Luke 11:17 : For ver. 17-22, see Matt. 12:25-29; Mark 3:23-27
22. Luke 11:17 : See Matt. 9:4
23. Luke 11:19 : [Acts 19:13]
24. Luke 11:19 : [2 Kgs. 2:7]
25. Luke 11:20 : Ex. 8:19; 31:18; Deut. 9:10; Ps. 8:3
26. Luke 11:20 : ch. 17:21; Matt. 19:24; 21:31, 43
27. Luke 11:22 : Isa. 49:24-26
28. Luke 11:22 : [John 16:33]
29. Luke 11:22 : Eph. 6:11
30. Luke 11:22 : [Isa. 53:12]
31. Luke 11:23 : Matt. 12:30; [ch. 9:50; Mark 9:40]
32. Luke 11:24 : For ver. 24-26, see Matt. 12:43-45
33. Luke 11:24 : [Ps. 63:1; Jer. 2:6]
34. Luke 11:26 : 2 Pet. 2:20-22; [John 5:14]
35. Luke 11:27 : ch. 12:13
36. Luke 11:27 : [2 Chr. 9:7]; See ch. 1:48
37. Luke 11:28 : [Rev. 1:3; 22:7]
38. Luke 11:28 : ch. 8:21; See James 1:22
39. Luke 11:28 : Lev. 22:31
40. Luke 11:29 : ch. 12:1
41. Luke 11:29 : For ver. 29-32, see Matt. 12:39-42; [Mark 8:11, 12]
42. Luke 11:29 : ver. 16; See Matt. 12:38
43. Luke 11:30 : Jonah 1:17
44. Luke 11:31 : 1 Kgs. 10:1; 2 Chr. 9:1
45. Luke 11:31 : Heb. 11:7; [Jer. 3:11; Ezek. 16:51, 52; Rom. 2:27]
46. Luke 11:31 : [Matt. 12:6]
47. Luke 11:32 : Jonah 1:2
48. Luke 11:32 : [See ver. 31 above]; Heb. 11:7; [Jer. 3:11; Ezek. 16:51, 52; Rom. 2:27]
49. Luke 11:32 : Jonah 3:5
50. Luke 11:32 : [See ver. 31 above]; [Matt. 12:6]
51. Luke 11:33 : ch. 8:16; Matt. 5:15; Mark 4:21
52. Luke 11:34 : Matt. 6:22, 23
53. Luke 11:34 : Deut. 15:9
54. Luke 11:35 : [See ver. 34 above]; Matt. 6:22, 23
55. Luke 11:36 : [Matt. 5:16]
56. Luke 11:37 : ch. 7:36; 14:1
57. Luke 11:38 : Matt. 15:2; Mark 7:3, 4
58. Luke 11:39 : Matt. 23:25, 26; [ch. 20:47]
59. Luke 11:39 : [ch. 16:14]
60. Luke 11:40 : ch. 12:20
61. Luke 11:40 : [See ver. 39 above]; Matt. 23:25, 26; [ch. 20:47]
62. Luke 11:41 : ch. 12:33; [ch. 16:9; Dan. 4:27]
63. Luke 11:41 : [Titus 1:15]
64. Luke 11:42 : Matt. 23:23
65. Luke 11:42 : ch. 18:12; Deut. 14:22
66. Luke 11:42 : Ps. 33:5; Jer. 5:1; Mic. 6:8; Zech. 7:9
67. Luke 11:42 : [1 John 3:17]
68. Luke 11:42 : [1 Sam. 15:22]
69. Luke 11:43 : ch. 20:46; Matt. 23:6, 7; Mark 12:38, 39; [ch. 14:7]
70. Luke 11:44 : Matt. 23:27
71. Luke 11:45 : ver. 46, 52; See ch. 7:30
72. Luke 11:46 : ver. 45, 52
73. Luke 11:46 : Matt. 23:4; [Matt. 11:28-30; Acts 15:10]
74. Luke 11:47 : Matt. 23:29, 30
75. Luke 11:48 : Matt. 23:31
76. Luke 11:48 : See Rom. 1:32
77. Luke 11:48 : Acts 7:51, 52
78. Luke 11:49 : [ch. 7:35; Prov. 8:12, 22, 23, 30; Matt. 11:19; 1 Cor. 1:24, 30; Col. 2:3]
79. Luke 11:49 : For ver. 49-51, [Matt. 23:34-36]
80. Luke 11:49 : See Acts 13:1; 1 Cor. 12:28
81. Luke 11:49 : See Matt. 21:35
82. Luke 11:49 : 1 Thess. 2:15 (Gk.)
83. Luke 11:50 : Rev. 18:24
84. Luke 11:50 : See Matt. 13:35
85. Luke 11:50 : Gen. 42:22; 2 Chr. 24:22; Ezek. 3:18
86. Luke 11:51 : Gen. 4:4, 8; Heb. 11:4; 1 John 3:12
87. Luke 11:51 : 2 Chr. 24:20, 21
88. Luke 11:51 : Ex. 40:6; 2 Kgs. 16:14; Ezek. 40:47
89. Luke 11:51 : [See ver. 50 above]; Gen. 42:22; 2 Chr. 24:22; Ezek. 3:18
90. Luke 11:52 : ver. 45, 46
91. Luke 11:52 : Matt. 23:13; [Mal. 2:7, 8]
92. Luke 11:52 : Rom. 2:20
93. Luke 11:52 : [ch. 7:30; Matt. 5:20; 21:31]
94. Luke 11:54 : ch. 20:20; Mark 3:2; John 8:6; [Isa. 29:21]
95. Luke 11:54 : Matt. 22:15; Mark 12:13