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Luke 11
Easy-to-Read Version

Jesus Teaches About Prayer(A)

11 One time Jesus was out praying, and when he finished, one of his followers said to him, “John taught his followers how to pray. Lord, teach us how to pray too.”

2 Jesus said to the followers, “This is how you should pray:

‘Father, we pray that your name will always be kept holy.
    We pray that your kingdom will come.
3 Give us the food we need for each day.
4 Forgive our sins,
    just as we forgive everyone who has done wrong to us.
And don’t let us be tempted.’”

Ask God for What You Need(B)

5-6 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you went to your friend’s house very late at night and said to him, ‘A friend of mine has come into town to visit me. But I have nothing for him to eat. Please give me three loaves of bread.’ 7 Your friend inside the house answers, ‘Go away! Don’t bother me! The door is already locked. My children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you the bread now.’ 8 I tell you, maybe friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread. But he will surely get up to give you what you need if you continue to ask. 9 So I tell you, continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. 10 Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them. 11 Do any of you have a son? What would you do if your son asked you for a fish? Would any father give him a snake? 12 Or, if he asked for an egg, would you give him a scorpion? Of course not! 13 Even you who are bad know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to the people who ask him.”

Jesus’ Power Is From God(C)

14 One time Jesus was sending a demon out of a man who could not talk. When the demon came out, the man was able to speak. The crowds were amazed. 15 But some of the people said, “He uses the power of Satan[a] to force demons out of people. Satan is the ruler of demons.”

16 Some others there wanted to test Jesus. They asked him to do a miracle as a sign from God. 17 But he knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, “Every kingdom that fights against itself will be destroyed. And a family that fights against itself will break apart. 18 So if Satan is fighting against himself, how will his kingdom survive? You say that I use the power of Satan to force out demons. 19 But if I use Satan’s power to force out demons, then what power do your people use when they force out demons? So your own people will prove that you are wrong. 20 But I use the power of God to force out demons. This shows that God’s kingdom has now come to you.

21 “When a strong man with many weapons guards his own house, the things in his house are safe. 22 But suppose a stronger man comes and defeats him. The stronger man will take away the weapons that the first man trusted to keep his house safe. Then the stronger man will do what he wants with the other man’s things.

23 “Whoever is not with me is against me. And anyone who does not work with me is working against me.

The Danger of Emptiness(D)

24 “When an evil spirit comes out of someone, it travels through dry places, looking for a place to rest. But it finds no place to rest. So it says, ‘I will go back to the home I left.’ 25 When it comes back, it finds that home all neat and clean. 26 Then the evil spirit goes out and brings back seven other spirits more evil than itself. They all go and live there, and that person has even more trouble than before.”

The People God Blesses

27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman with the people there called out to him, “Blessings from God belong to the woman who gave birth to you and fed you!”

28 But Jesus said, “The people who hear the teaching of God and obey it—they are the ones who have God’s blessing.”

Some People Doubt Jesus’ Authority(E)

29 The crowd grew larger and larger. Jesus said, “The people who live today are evil. They ask for a miracle as a sign from God. But no miracle will be done to prove anything to them. The only sign will be the miracle that happened to Jonah.[b] 30 Jonah was a sign for those who lived in Nineveh.[c] It is the same with the Son of Man. He will be a sign for the people of this time.

31 “On the judgment day, you people who live now will be compared with the queen of the South,[d] and she will be a witness who shows how guilty you are. Why do I say this? Because she traveled from far, far away to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching. And I tell you that someone[e] greater than Solomon is right here, but you won’t listen!

32 “On the judgment day, you people who live now will also be compared with the people from Nineveh, and they will be witnesses who show how guilty you are. I say this because when Jonah preached to those people, they changed their hearts and lives. And you are listening to someone greater than Jonah, but you refuse to change!

Be a Light for the World(F)

33 “No one takes a light and puts it under a bowl or hides it. Instead, they put it on a lampstand so that the people who come in can see. 34 The only source of light for the body is the eye. When you look at people and want to help them, you are full of light. But when you look at people in a selfish way, you are full of darkness.[f] 35 So be careful! Don’t let the light in you become darkness. 36 If you are full of light, and there is no part of you that is dark, then you will be all bright, as though you have the light of a lamp shining on you.”

Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders(G)

37 After Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked Jesus to eat with him. So he went and took a place at the table. 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his hands[g] first before the meal. 39 The Lord said to him, “The washing you Pharisees do is like cleaning only the outside of a cup or a dish. But what is inside you? You want only to cheat and hurt people. 40 You are foolish! The same one who made what is outside also made what is inside. 41 So pay attention to what is inside. Give to the people who need help. Then you will be fully clean.

42 “But it will be bad for you Pharisees! You give God a tenth of the food you get, even your mint, your rue, and every other little plant in your garden.[h] But you forget to be fair to others and to love God. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things.

43 “It will be bad for you Pharisees because you love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. And you love for people to show respect to you in the marketplaces. 44 It will be bad for you, because you are like hidden graves. People walk on them without knowing it.”

45 One of the experts in the law said to Jesus, “Teacher, when you say these things about the Pharisees, you are criticizing our group too.”

46 Jesus answered, “It will be bad for you, you experts in the law! You make strict rules that are very hard for people to obey.[i] You try to force others to obey your rules. But you yourselves don’t even try to follow any of those rules. 47 It will be bad for you, because you build tombs for the prophets. But these are the same prophets your ancestors killed! 48 And now you show all people that you agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you build tombs for the prophets! 49 This is why God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send prophets and apostles[j] to them. Some of my prophets and apostles will be killed by evil men. Others will be treated badly.’

50 “So you people who live now will be punished for the deaths of all the prophets who were killed since the beginning of the world. 51 You will be punished for the killing of Abel.[k] And you will be punished for the killing of Zechariah,[l] who was killed between the altar and the Temple. Yes, I tell you that you people will be punished for them all.

52 “It will be bad for you, you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to learning about God. You yourselves would not learn, and you stopped others from learning too.”

53 When Jesus went out, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to give him much trouble. They tried to make him answer questions about many things. 54 They were trying to find a way to catch Jesus saying something wrong.

Footnotes

  1. Luke 11:15 Satan Literally, “Beelzebul” (the devil). Also in verses 18, 19.
  2. Luke 11:29 Jonah A prophet in the Old Testament. After three days in a big fish he came out alive, just as Jesus would come out from the tomb on the third day.
  3. Luke 11:30 Nineveh City where Jonah preached. See Jonah 3.
  4. Luke 11:31 queen of the South Or “queen of Sheba.” She traveled about 1000 miles (1600 km) to learn God’s wisdom from Solomon. See 1 Kings 10:1-13.
  5. Luke 11:31 someone Literally, “something.” Also in verse 32.
  6. Luke 11:34 Literally, “The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is pure, your whole body is full of light. But if it is evil, your body is dark.”
  7. Luke 11:38 wash his hands Washing the hands was a Jewish religious custom that the Pharisees thought was very important.
  8. Luke 11:42 You give … garden Literally, “You tithe mint, rue, and every herb.” The Law of Moses required Israelites to share their food supply by dedicating a tenth of their field crops and livestock to God (see Lev. 27:30-32; Deut. 26:12). This did not include such small garden plants as those mentioned here. So these Pharisees were giving more than required to be sure they were not breaking the Law.
  9. Luke 11:46 You make … obey Literally, “You put heavy burdens on people that are hard for them to carry.”
  10. Luke 11:49 prophets and apostles People chosen by God to tell his Good News to the world.
  11. Luke 11:51 Abel In the Hebrew Old Testament, the first person to be murdered.
  12. Luke 11:51 Zechariah In the Hebrew Old Testament, the last person to be murdered.
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Luke 11
New International Version

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer(A)(B)

11 One day Jesus was praying(C) in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord,(D) teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom(E) come.[b]
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c](F)
And lead us not into temptation.[d]’”(G)

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one 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.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.(H)

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;(I) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For 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[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, 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!”

Jesus and Beelzebul(J)(K)

14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.(L) 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul,(M) the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”(N) 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.(O)

17 Jesus knew their thoughts(P) and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan(Q) is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God,(R) then the kingdom of God(S) has come upon you.

21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

23 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.(T)

24 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”(U)

27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”(V)

28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God(W) and obey it.”(X)

The Sign of Jonah(Y)

29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign,(Z) but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.(AA) 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom;(AB) and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah;(AC) and now something greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp of the Body(AD)

33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.(AE) 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,[g] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,[h] your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law

37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table.(AF) 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.(AG)

39 Then the Lord(AH) said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.(AI) 40 You foolish people!(AJ) Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor,(AK) and everything will be clean for you.(AL)

42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth(AM) of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.(AN) You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.(AO)

43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.(AP)

44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves,(AQ) which people walk over without knowing it.”

45 One of the experts in the law(AR) answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.(AS)

47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.(AT) 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom(AU) said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’(AV) 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel(AW) to the blood of Zechariah,(AX) who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.(AY)

52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”(AZ)

53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.(BA)

Footnotes

  1. Luke 11:2 Some manuscripts Our Father in heaven
  2. Luke 11:2 Some manuscripts come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
  3. Luke 11:4 Greek everyone who is indebted to us
  4. Luke 11:4 Some manuscripts temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
  5. Luke 11:8 Or yet to preserve his good name
  6. Luke 11:11 Some manuscripts for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for
  7. Luke 11:34 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.
  8. Luke 11:34 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy.
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