| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just 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.” |
| 2So he said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, may your name be honored; may 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 also forgive everyone who sins against us. And do not lead us into temptation." | 4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation. ” |
| 5Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, | 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, |
| 6because a friend of mine has stopped here while 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.’ |
| 7Then he will reply from inside, 'Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are 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, even though the man inside will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man's sheer persistence he will get up 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. |
| 9"So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for 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, the door 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 your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? | 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, although you 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 man who had been mute began to speak, and the crowds were amazed. | 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, "By the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, he casts out demons." | 15but some of them said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.” |
| 16Others, to test him, began asking for a sign from heaven. | 16Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. |
| 17But Jesus, realizing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, 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. |
| 18So if Satan too is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? I ask you this because you claim 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? |
| 19Now 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 I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken 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 possessions are safe. | 21 For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe— |
| 22But when a stronger man attacks and conquers him, he takes away the first man's armor on which the man relied and divides up his plunder. | 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 an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but not finding any. Then it says, 'I will return to the home I left.' | 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.’ |
| 25When it returns, it finds the house swept clean 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 go in and live there, so 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 spoke out 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 replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!" | 28Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” The Sign of Jonah |
| 29As the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it looks 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 just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign 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 people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon--and now, 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 people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them--and now, 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 hidden place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can 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 diseased, 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 see to it that the light in you is not darkness. | 35 Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. |
| 36If then your whole body is full of light, with no part in the dark, it will be as full of light as when the light of a lamp shines on you." | 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 |
| 37As he spoke, a Pharisee invited Jesus to have a meal with him, so he went in and took his place at the 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 when he saw that Jesus did not first wash his hands before the meal. | 38His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. |
| 39But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, 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! Didn't the one who made the outside make the inside as well? | 40 Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? |
| 41But give from your heart to those in need, and then everything will be 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! You give a tenth of your mint, rue, and every herb, yet you neglect justice and love for God! But you should have done these things 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! You love the best seats in the synagogues and elaborate 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! You are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing 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 experts in religious law answered him, "Teacher, when you say these things you insult us too." | 45“Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.” |
| 46But Jesus replied, "Woe to you experts in religious law as well! You load people down with burdens difficult to bear, yet you yourselves refuse to touch the burdens with even 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! You build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. | 47 What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago. |
| 48So you testify that you approve of the deeds of your ancestors, because they killed the prophets 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! |
| 49For this reason 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 this generation may be held accountable for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, | 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 was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against 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 experts in religious law! You have taken away the key to knowledge! You did not go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were going in." | 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.” |
| 53When he went out from there, the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to oppose him bitterly, and to ask him hostile questions 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. |
| 54plotting against him, to catch him in something he might say. | 54They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him. |
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