| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1One day in a place where Jesus had just finished praying, one of His disciples requested, “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 Jesus told them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. 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 lead us not 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 Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you goes to his friend at midnight and says, ‘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 come to me 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.’ |
| 7And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Do not bother me. My door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up to 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 he will not get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as 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. |
| 9So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to 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; he who seeks finds; and to him 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 his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? | 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! |
| 13So if you who 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!” | 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 |
| 14One day Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. And when the demon was gone, the man who had been mute spoke. 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, “It is by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, that He drives out demons.” | 15but some of them said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.” |
| 16And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven. | 16Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. |
| 17Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and a house divided against a house will fall. | 17He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart. |
| 18If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? After all, you say that I drive 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? |
| 19And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, 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 drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon 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 house, his possessions are secure. | 21 For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe— |
| 22But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted, and then he divides up his plunder. | 22 until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings. |
| 23He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who 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. |
| 24When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house 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.’ |
| 25On its return, 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 wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man 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 Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!” | 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 said, “This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, but none will be given 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 as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, 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 at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One 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 men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One 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 |
| 33No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a basket. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter 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 eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, 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. |
| 35Be careful, then, that the light within you is not darkness. | 35 Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. |
| 36So if your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, you will be radiant, as though a lamp were shining 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 Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited Him to dine with him; so He went in and reclined 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. |
| 38But the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus did not first wash 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. |
| 39“Now then,” said the Lord, “you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, 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! Did not 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 as alms the things that are within you, and you will see that everything is clean for you. | 41 So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over. |
| 42Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. | 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 chief seats in the synagogues and the 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! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without even noticing.” | 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 the law told Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us as well.” | 45“Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.” |
| 46“Woe to you as well, experts in the law!” He replied. “You weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load. | 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 tombs for the prophets, but it was your fathers who killed them. | 47 What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago. |
| 48So you are witnesses consenting to the deeds of your fathers: 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! |
| 49Because of this, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and others they will 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.’ |
| 50As a result, this generation will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation 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, all of it will be charged to 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 the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” | 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.” |
| 53As Jesus went on from there, the scribes and Pharisees began to oppose Him bitterly and to ply Him with 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. |
| 54waiting 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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