King James Bible

New Living Translation

1And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also 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.”

2And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

2Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon.

3Give us day by day our daily bread.

3 Give us each day the food we need,

4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation. ”

5And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

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,

6For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, 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 he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

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 say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

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.

9And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto 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 every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

11If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?

12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!

13If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that 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

14And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.

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, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.

15but some of them said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.”

16And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.

16Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.

17But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.

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 also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.

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 by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they 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 with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is 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 armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

21 For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe—

22But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

22 until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.

23He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

23 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.

24When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

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.’

25And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

25 So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order.

26Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state 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.”

27And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

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 said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

28Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” The Sign of Jonah

29And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

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 Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be 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 shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a 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 Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas 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 man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may 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.

34The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also 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.

35Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

35 Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.

36If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

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

37And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.

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.

38And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.

38His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.

39And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening 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!

40Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?

40 Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?

41But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.

41 So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.

42But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

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 unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

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 unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

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.”

45Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.

45“Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.”

46And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with 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 unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

47 What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago.

48Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.

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!

49Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay 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.’

50That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

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 unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of 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 unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

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.”

53And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:

53As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions.

54Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

54They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.