The Lord’s Prayer

11 Now Jesus¹ was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, ^gas John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, ^h“When you pray, say:

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 ^qbecause he is his friend, yet because of his impudence³ he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ^rask, and ^sit will be given to you; ^tseek, and you will find; ^uknock, 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 for⁴ 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, ^wwho are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father ^xgive the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus and Beelzebul

14 ^yNow 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 ^zby Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, ^ato test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 ^bBut he, ^cknowing 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, ^dby whom do ^eyour sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by ^fthe finger of God that I cast out demons, then ^gthe kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 ^hbut when one stronger than he attacks him and ⁱovercomes him, he takes away his ^jarmor in which he trusted and ^kdivides his spoil. 23 ^lWhoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

24 ^m“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through ⁿwaterless 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 ^othe last state of that person is worse than the first.”

True Blessedness

27 As he said these things, ^pa woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ^q“Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, ^r“Blessed rather are those ^swho hear the word of God and ^tkeep it!”

The Sign of Jonah

29 ^uWhen the crowds were increasing, he began to say, ^v“This generation is an evil generation. ^wIt seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as ^xJonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 ^yThe queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and ^zcondemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, ^asomething greater than Solomon is here. 32 ^bThe men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and ^zcondemn it, for ^cthey repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, ^asomething greater than Jonah is here.

The Light in You

33 ^d“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 ^ethe lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is ^fbad, your body is full of darkness. 35 ^eTherefore 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, ^gas when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers

37 While Jesus⁵ was speaking, ^ha Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished to see ⁱthat he did not first wash before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, ^j“Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of ^kgreed and wickedness. 40 ^lYou fools! ^jDid not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But ^mgive as alms those things that are within, and behold, ⁿeverything is clean for you.

42 ^o“But woe to you Pharisees! For ^pyou tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect ^qjustice and ^rthe love of God. ^sThese you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For ^tyou love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! ^uFor you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

45 One of ^vthe lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” 46 And he said, “Woe to you ^wlawyers also! For ^xyou load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 ^yWoe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. 48 ^zSo you are witnesses and you ^aconsent to the deeds of ^byour fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore also ^cthe Wisdom of God said, ^d‘I will send them ^eprophets and apostles, ^fsome of whom they will ^gkill and persecute,’ 50 so that ^hthe blood of all the prophets, shed ⁱfrom the foundation of the world, may be ^jcharged against this generation, 51 from the blood of ^kAbel to the blood of ^lZechariah, who perished between ^mthe altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be ^jrequired of this generation. 52 Woe to you ⁿlawyers! ^oFor you have taken away the key of ^pknowledge. You ^qdid 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 ^rlying in wait for him, ^sto catch him in something he might say.

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees

12 In the meantime, ^twhen so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, ^u“Beware of ^vthe leaven of the Pharisees, ^wwhich is hypocrisy. 2 ^xNothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in ^yprivate rooms shall be proclaimed on ^zthe housetops.

Have No Fear

4 “I tell you, my friends, ^ado not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him ^bwho, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.¹ Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?² And ^cnot one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, ^deven the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; ^eyou are of more value than many sparrows.

Acknowledge Christ Before Men

8 “And I tell you, ^feveryone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge ^gbefore the angels of God, 9 but ^hthe one who denies me before men ⁱwill be denied ^gbefore the angels of God. 10 And ^jeveryone who speaks a word ^kagainst the Son of Man ^lwill be forgiven, but the one who ^mblasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 ⁿAnd when they ^obring you before the synagogues and ^pthe rulers and ^pthe authorities, ^qdo not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 ^rfor the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 ^sSomeone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, ^t“Man, ^uwho made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, ^v“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, ^w“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ^x‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my ^ybarns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up ^zfor many years; relax, ^aeat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ^b‘Fool! ^zThis night ^cyour soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, ^dwhose will they be?’ 21 So is the one ^ewho lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Be Anxious

22 And he said to his disciples, ^f“Therefore I tell you, ^gdo not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 ^hConsider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. ⁱOf how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his ^jspan of life?³ 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,⁴ yet I tell you, ^keven Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, ^lO you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor ^mbe worried. 30 For ⁿall the nations of the world seek after these things, and ⁿyour Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, ^oseek ^phis⁵ kingdom, ^qand these things will be added to you.

32 ^r“Fear not, little ^sflock, for ^tit is your Father’s good pleasure to give you ^uthe kingdom. 33 ^vSell your possessions, and ^wgive to the needy. ^xProvide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with ^ya treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 ^zFor where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You Must Be Ready

35 ^a“Stay dressed for action⁶ and ^bkeep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are ^cwaiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and ^dknocks. 37 ^eBlessed are those servants⁷ whom the master finds ^eawake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, ^fhe will dress himself for service and ^ghave them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 ^hBut know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour ⁱthe thief was coming, he⁸ would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ^jready, for ^kthe Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

41 Peter said, “Lord, ^lare you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is ^mthe faithful and ^mwise ⁿmanager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 ^oBlessed is that servant⁹ whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, ^phe will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master ^qis delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and ^rget drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come ^son a day when he does not expect him and ^sat an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 ^tAnd that servant who ^uknew his master’s will but ^vdid not get ready ^uor act according to his will, will receive a ^wsevere beating. 48 ^xBut the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, ^ywill receive a light beating. ^zEveryone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Not Peace, but Division

49 ^a“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 ^bI have a baptism to be baptized with, and how ^cgreat is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 ^dDo you think that I have come to give peace on earth? ^eNo, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, ^ffather against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Interpreting the Time

54 He also said to the crowds, ^g“When you see ^ha cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And ^gwhen you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be ⁱscorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! ^jYou know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Settle with Your Accuser

57 “And why ^kdo you not judge ^lfor yourselves what is right? 58 ^mAs you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59 I tell you, ⁿyou will never get out until you have paid the very last ^openny.”¹⁰

Repent or Perish

13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood ^pPilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, ^q“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you ^rrepent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in ^sSiloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you ^rrepent, you will all likewise perish.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

6 And he told this parable: “A man had ^ta fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. ^uCut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

A Woman with a Disabling Spirit

10 Now ^vhe was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had ^wa disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he ^xlaid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she ^yglorified God. 14 But ^zthe ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus ^ahad healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, ^b“There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! ^cDoes not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, ^da daughter of Abraham whom ^eSatan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, ^fall his adversaries were put to shame, and ^gall the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

18 ^hHe said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like ⁱa grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 ^jIt is like leaven that a woman took and hid in ^kthree measures of flour, until it was ^lall leavened.”

The Narrow Door

22 ^mHe went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and ⁿjourneying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, ^owill those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 ^p“Strive ^qto enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 ^rWhen once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ^s‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ^t‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ^u‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, ^tI do not know where you come from. ^vDepart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 ^wIn that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see ^wAbraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but ^wyou yourselves cast out. 29 And ^wpeople will come from east and west, and from north and south, and ^xrecline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, ^ysome are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Lament over Jerusalem

31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from ^zhere, for ^aHerod wants to kill you.” 32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day ^bI finish my course. 33 Nevertheless, ^cI ^dmust go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that ^ea prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ 34 ^fO Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^gkills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! ^hHow often would I have ⁱgathered ^jyour children together ^kas a hen gathers her brood ^lunder her wings, and ^myou were not willing! 35 Behold, ⁿyour house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ^o‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”