1 ¶ And 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.

Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.

2 A nd he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father who art in the heavens, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also in the earth.

And He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

3 G ive us day by day our daily bread.

Give us daily our bread '> food for the morrow].

4 A nd 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.

And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And bring us not into temptation but rescue us from evil.

5 A nd 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;

And He said to them, Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and will say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves,

6 f or a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

For a friend of mine who is on a journey has just come, and I have nothing to put before him;

7 A nd 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.

And he from within will answer, Do not disturb me; the door is now closed, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and supply you ?

8 I 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 needs.

I tell you, although he will not get up and supply him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

9 A nd I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you.

10 F or every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.

For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.

11 I f 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?

What father among you, if his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent?

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

Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

13 I f 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 those that ask him?

If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts '> that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!

14 ¶ And he was casting out a demon, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the demon was gone out, the one who had been dumb spoke; and the people marvelled.

Now Jesus was driving out a demon that was dumb; and it occurred that when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke. And the crowds marveled.

15 B ut some of them said, He casts out devils through Beelzebub the prince of the demons.

But some of them said, He drives out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons,

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

While others, to try and test and tempt Him, demanded a sign of Him from heaven.

17 B ut he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every house or city divided against itself will not remain.

But He, aware of their intent and purpose, said to them, Every kingdom split up against itself is doomed and brought to desolation, and so house falls upon house.

18 I f Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out demons through Beelzebub.

And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom last? For you say that I expel demons with the help of and by Beelzebub.

19 A nd if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.

Now if I expel demons with the help of and by Beelzebub, with whose help and by whom do your sons drive them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.

20 B ut if I with the finger of God cast out the demons, certainly the kingdom of God is come upon you.

But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

21 W hen an armed strong man keeps his palace, his goods are in peace;

When the strong man, fully armed, '> from his courtyard] guards his own dwelling, his belongings are undisturbed.

22 b ut when another stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he takes from him all his arms in which he trusted and divides his spoils.

But when one stronger than he attacks him and conquers him, he robs him of his whole armor on which he had relied and divides up and distributes all his goods as plunder (spoil).

23 H e that is not with me is against me, and he that does not gather with me scatters.

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

24 W hen the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, I will return unto my house from which I came out.

When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it roams through waterless places in search of rest (release, refreshment, ease); and finding none it says, I will go back to my house from which I came.

25 A nd when he comes, he finds it swept and garnished.

And when it arrives, it finds swept and put in order and furnished and decorated.

26 T hen he goes, and takes unto 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.

And it goes and brings other spirits, seven, more evil than itself, and they enter in, settle down, and dwell there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first.

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

Now it occurred that as He was saying these things, a certain woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, Blessed (happy and to be envied) is the womb that bore You and the breasts that You sucked!

28 B ut he said, Rather, blessed are those that hear the word of God and keep it.

But He said, Blessed (happy and to be envied) rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey and practice it!

29 ¶ And gathering the people unto him, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign, and no sign shall be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.

Now as the crowds were thronging Him, He began to say, This present generation is a wicked one; it seeks and demands a sign (miracle), but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

30 F or as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.

For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will also the Son of Man be to this age and generation.

31 T he queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment against 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.

The queen of the South will arise in the judgment with the people of this age and generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and notice, here is more than Solomon.

32 T he men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, a greater than Jonah is here.

The men of Nineveh will appear as witnesses at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, here is more than Jonah.

33 N o one, when he has lighted a lamp, puts it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a lampstand that those who come in may see the light.

No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or crypt or under a bushel measure, but on a lampstand, that those who are coming in may see the light.

34 T he lamp of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is sincere, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye ( your conscience) is sound and fulfilling its office, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound and is not fulfilling its office, your body is full of darkness.

35 T ake heed therefore if the light which is in thee is darkness.

Be careful, therefore, that the light that is in you is not darkness.

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

If then your entire body is illuminated, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its bright rays gives you light.

37 ¶ And as he spoke, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him, and he went in and sat down to food.

Now while Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited Him to take dinner with him, so He entered and reclined at table.

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

The Pharisee noticed and was astonished that Jesus did not first wash before dinner.

39 A nd 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.

But the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside you yourselves are full of greed and robbery and extortion and malice and wickedness.

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

You senseless (foolish, stupid) ones! Did not He Who made the outside make the inside also?

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

But give as donations to the poor of those things which are within and behold, everything is purified and clean for you.

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

But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but disregard and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone.

43 W oe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the first seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets.

Woe to you, Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and to be greeted and bowed down to in the marketplaces.

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

Woe to you! For you are like graves which are not marked or seen, and men walk over them without being aware of it.

45 T hen one of the lawyers answered and said unto him, Master, saying these things, thou dost reproach us also.

One of the experts in the Law answered Him, Teacher, in saying this, You reproach and outrage and affront even us!

46 A nd he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye burden men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.

But He said, Woe to you, the lawyers, also! For you load men with oppressive burdens hard to bear, and you do not personally '> gently] touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

47 W oe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

Woe to you! For you are rebuilding and repairing the tombs of the prophets, whom your fathers killed (destroyed).

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

So you bear witness and give your full approval and consent to the deeds of your fathers; for they actually killed them, and you rebuild and repair monuments to them.

49 T herefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and others they shall persecute:

For this reason also the wisdom of God said, I will send them prophets and apostles, of whom they will put to death and persecute,

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

So that the blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world may be charged against and required of this age and generation,

51 f rom the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the temple; verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was slain between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against and required of this age and generation.

52 W oe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and those that were entering in, ye hindered.

Woe to you, lawyers (experts in the Mosaic Law)! For you have taken away the key to knowledge; you did not go in yourselves, and you hindered and prevented those who were entering.

53 A nd 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,

As He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be enraged with and set themselves violently against Him and to draw Him out and provoke Him to speak of many things,

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

Secretly watching and plotting and lying in wait for Him, to seize upon something He might say.