| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” | 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.” |
| 2So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. | 2So Jesus told them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. |
| 3Give us day by day our daily bread. | 3Give us each day our daily bread. |
| 4And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” | 4And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ” |
| 5And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; | 5Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you goes to his friend at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, |
| 6for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; | 6because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’ |
| 7and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? | 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.’ |
| 8I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. | 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. |
| 9“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. | 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. |
| 10For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. | 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. |
| 11If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? | 11What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? |
| 12Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? | 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? |
| 13If you then, being evil, 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!” | 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!” |
| 14And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. | 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, |
| 15But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” | 15but some of them said, “It is by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, that He drives out demons.” |
| 16Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. | 16And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven. |
| 17But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. | 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. |
| 18If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. | 18If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? After all, you say that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. |
| 19And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. | 19And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. |
| 20But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. | 20But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. |
| 21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. | 21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are secure. |
| 22But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. | 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. |
| 23He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. | 23He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. |
| 24“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ | 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.’ |
| 25And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. | 25On its return, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. |
| 26Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” | 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.” |
| 27And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” | 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!” |
| 28But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” | 28But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” |
| 29And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. | 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. |
| 30For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. | 30For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation. |
| 31The queen of the South will rise up in 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 indeed a greater than Solomon is here. | 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. |
| 32The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. | 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. |
| 33“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see 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. |
| 34The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. | 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. |
| 35Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. | 35Be careful, then, that the light within you is not darkness. |
| 36If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.” | 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.” |
| 37And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. | 37As Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited Him to dine with him; so He went in and reclined at the table. |
| 38When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. | 38But the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. |
| 39Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. | 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. |
| 40Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? | 40You fools! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside as well? |
| 41But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. | 41But give as alms the things that are within you, and you will see that everything is clean for you. |
| 42“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. | 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. |
| 43Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. | 43Woe to you Pharisees! You love the chief seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces. |
| 44Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.” | 44Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without even noticing.” |
| 45Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.” | 45One of the experts in the law told Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us as well.” |
| 46And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. | 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. |
| 47Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. | 47Woe to you! You build tombs for the prophets, but it was your fathers who killed them. |
| 48In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. | 48So you are witnesses consenting to the deeds of your fathers: They killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. |
| 49Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ | 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.’ |
| 50that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, | 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, |
| 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. | 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. |
| 52“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.” | 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.” |
| 53And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, | 53As Jesus went on from there, the scribes and Pharisees began to oppose Him bitterly and to ply Him with questions about many things, |
| 54lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him. | 54waiting to catch Him in something He might say. |
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