Luke 11 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~AD 28-30
Location
Judea and Galilee during Jesus' ministry journey toward Jerusalem
Audience
Jesus' disciples, crowds following him, and Pharisees and teachers of the law
Situation
Jesus teaches his disciples about prayer, then responds to accusations from religious leaders that his power comes from demons. The chapter concludes with Jesus dining at a Pharisee's house where he denounces their hypocrisy.
Key Background
The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group emphasizing strict adherence to the Law of Moses and oral traditions, particularly regarding ritual purity and ceremonial washing. First-century Judaism had detailed regulations about cleanliness, tithing, and Sabbath observance. The growing conflict between Jesus and religious authorities centered on his challenge to their interpretations and his claim to divine authority, which they viewed as blasphemous.
One day Jesus was in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his said to him, "Master, teach us how to pray, just like John taught his
He told them, "When you pray, say: let your name be as Let your come.
Give us each the we for that
And forgive us for the you, because we also forgive everyone who has us. And don't let us be dragged into a we
Then he said to them, "Imagine one of you has a friend, and you go to him at and say, 'Hey, let me borrow three loaves of bread.
A friend of mine just showed up from a trip, and I don't have anything to
And imagine the friend inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my kids and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.'
I'm telling you, even if he won't get up and help because of their friendship, he'll eventually get up and give him whatever he needs because the man keeps
So here's what I'm saying to you: and it will be given to you. and you will find. and the door will be opened for you.
Because everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who searches, finds. And for everyone who knocks, the door is opened.
What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, would hand him a snake instead?
Or if he asks for an egg, would hand him a scorpion?
So if you — as as you are — know how to give good things to your kids, how much more will the Father in heaven give the of to those who ask him!
Jesus was driving out a that had made a man unable to speak. When the left, the man who had been mute started talking, and the crowd was amazed.
But some of them said, "He's driving out demons by the power of the ruler of the demons."
Others were testing him, demanding a miraculous from heaven.
But he knew what they were thinking and said to them, "Every divided against itself collapses, and a divided household falls apart.
So if is divided against himself, how can his kingdom survive? I say this because you claim I'm driving out demons by Beelzebul's power.
And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who gives your own people the power to drive them out? So they'll be the ones who prove you wrong.
But if I drive out demons by the of then has right here among you.
When a strong, heavily armed man guards his own house, everything he owns is safe.
But when attacks and overpowers him, the one takes away all the weapons he relied on and divides up his stuff.
"Whoever isn't with me is against me, and whoever doesn't with me scatters.
"When a leaves a person, it wanders through looking for rest. When it doesn't find any, it says, 'I'll go back to the house I left.'
When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings other spirits more wicked than itself, and they all move in and take up residence there. And that person ends up worse off than before."
While he was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "What for the woman who gave birth to you and nursed you!"
But he replied, "What's even better — life is for those who hear and actually live by it."
As the crowds grew larger, he began to say, "This generation is a generation. It demands a miraculous sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of
For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of so the of will be a sign to this generation.
The of the will stand up at the alongside the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom — and look, something greater than Solomon is here.
The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment alongside this generation and condemn it, because they when Jonah preached to them — and look, something greater than Jonah is here.
"No one lights a and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, they put it on a stand so that people who come in can see the light.
Your is the lamp for your body. When your is your whole body is full of light. But when your is bad, your body is full of darkness.
So be careful that the light inside you isn't actually darkness.
If your whole body is full of light, with no part in darkness, it will be completely radiant — like when a lamp shines its bright light on you."
When he finished speaking, a invited him to eat at his house. So Jesus went in and at the
The Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus didn't first do the before the meal.
But the Master said to him, "You Pharisees — you clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside you're full of and
You fools! Didn't the one who made the outside also make the inside?
Instead, to those in and then everything will be clean for you.
"But how for you Pharisees! You give a of your mint, rue, and every garden herb, but you completely ignore and the of You should have practiced these without neglecting the others.
How terrible for you Pharisees! You love the best seats in the and being greeted with respect in the marketplaces.
How terrible for you! You're like that people walk over without even knowing it."
One of the spoke up: "Teacher, when you say these things, you're insulting us too."
Jesus replied, "How terrible for you legal experts too! You load people down with but you won't lift a single finger to help carry them.
How terrible for you! You build monuments for the but it was your ancestors who killed them.
So you are witnesses who approve of what your ancestors did — they killed them, and you build their monuments.
That's why the of said, 'I will send them prophets and messengers. Some of them they will kill and some they will persecute.'
As a result, this generation will be held accountable for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the world began —