1 J esus had been praying. One of His followers said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray as John the Baptist taught his followers.”

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

2 J esus said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, Your name is holy. May Your holy nation come. What You want done, may it be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And he said to them, When ye pray, say, Father, thy name be hallowed; thy kingdom come;

3 G ive us the bread we need everyday.

give us our needed bread for each day;

4 F orgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Do not let us be tempted.’” A Picture-Story about How to Ask

and remit us our sins, for we also remit to every one indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.

5 J esus said to them, “If one of you has a friend and goes to him in the night and says, ‘Friend, give me three loaves of bread,

And he said to them, Who among you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, let me have three loaves,

6 f or a friend of mine is on a trip and has stopped at my house. I have no food to give him.’

since a friend of mine on a journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him;

7 T he man inside the house will say, ‘Do not trouble me. The door is shut. My children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you bread.’

and he within answering should say, Do not disturb me; the door is already shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise up to give thee?

8 I say to you, he may not get up and give him bread because he is a friend. Yet, if he keeps on asking, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

—I say to you, Although he will not get up and give to him because he is his friend, because of his shamelessness, at any rate, he will rise and give him as many as he wants.

9 I say to you, ask, and what you ask for will be given to you. Look, and what you are looking for you will find. Knock, and the door you are knocking on will be opened to you.

And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.

10 F or everyone who asks, will receive what he asks for. Everyone who looks, will find what he is looking for. Everyone who knocks, will have the door opened to him.

For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it will be opened.

11 “ Would any of you fathers give your son a stone if he asked for bread? Or would you give a snake if he asked for a fish?

But of whom of you that is a father shall a son ask bread, and shall give him a stone? or also a fish, and instead of a fish shall give him a serpent?

12 O r if he asked for an egg, would you give him a small animal with a sting of poison?

or if also he shall ask an egg, shall give him a scorpion?

13 Y ou are sinful and you know how to give good things to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” A Nation That Cannot Stand

If therefore ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much rather shall the Father who is of heaven give Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

14 J esus was putting a demon out of a man who could not speak. When the demon was gone, the man could speak. All the people were surprised and wondered about it.

And he was casting out a demon, and it was dumb; and it came to pass, the demon being gone out, the dumb spoke. And the crowds wondered.

15 S ome of them said, “He puts out demons through Satan, the king of demons.”

But some from among them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the demons casts he out demons.

16 O thers tried to trap Jesus. They asked for something special to see from heaven.

And others tempting sought from him a sign out of heaven.

17 B ut He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every nation divided into groups that fight each other will be destroyed. Every family divided into groups that fight each other will not stand.

But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation: and a house set against a house falls;

18 I f Satan is divided against himself, how will his nation stand? And yet you say I put out demons through Satan!

and if also Satan is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom subsist? because ye say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub.

19 I f I put out demons through Satan, by whose help do your sons put them out? Your own sons will say if you are guilty or not.

But if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, your sons—by whom do they cast out? For this reason they shall be your judges.

20 B ut if I put out demons by the power of God, then the holy nation of God has come to you.

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

21 “ When a strong man watches his house and is ready to fight, his things are safe.

When the strong armed keeps his own house, his goods are in peace;

22 W hen a stronger man comes along, he wins the fight. He takes away all the things to fight with that the man of the house had put his trust in. Then the stronger man takes anything he wants from the house.

but when the stronger than he coming upon overcomes him, he takes away his panoply in which he trusted, and he will divide the spoil from him.

23 W hoever is not with Me is against Me. Whoever does not gather with Me is sending them everywhere. A Person Filled with Bad or Good

He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters.

24 “ When a demon is gone out of a man, it goes through dry places to find rest. If it finds none, it says, ‘I will go back to my house I came from.’

When the unclean spirit has gone out of the man, he goes through dry places seeking rest; and not finding he says, I will return to my house whence I came out.

25 W hen the demon comes back, it finds the house cleaned and looking good.

And having come, he finds it swept and adorned.

26 T hen the demon goes out and comes back bringing seven demons worse than itself. They go in and live there. In the end that man is worse than at the first.”

Then he goes and takes seven other spirits worse than himself, and entering in, they dwell there; and the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first.

27 A s Jesus was talking, a woman of the group said with a loud voice, “The woman is happy who gave You birth and who fed You.”

And it came to pass as he spake these things, a certain woman, lifting up her voice out of the crowd, said to him, Blessed is the womb that has borne thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

28 B ut He said, “Yes, but those who hear the Word of God and obey it are happy.” Jesus Tells about Jonah

But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep.

29 W hen the people were gathered near Jesus, He said, “The people of this day are sinful. They are looking for something special to see. They will get nothing special to see, except what Jonah the early preacher did.

But as the crowds thronged together, he began to say, This generation is a wicked generation: it seeks a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it but the sign of Jonas.

30 A s Jonah was something special to the people of the city of Nineveh, the Son of Man will be to the people of this day also.

For as Jonas was a sign to the Ninevites, thus shall also the Son of man be to this generation.

31 T he queen of the south will stand up on the day men stand before God. She will say the people of this day are guilty because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wise sayings of Solomon. And look, Someone greater than Solomon is here!

A queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, more than Solomon is here.

32 T he men of Nineveh will stand up on the day men stand before God. They will say the people of this day are guilty because the men of Nineveh were sorry for their sins and turned from them when Jonah preached. And look, Someone greater than Jonah is here! Jesus Teaches about Light

Men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold, more than Jonas is here.

33 “ No man lights a lamp and then hides it under a pail. He puts the light on a lamp-stand so those who come in can see it.

But no one having lit a lamp sets it in secret, nor under the corn-measure, but on the lamp-stand, that they who enter in may see the light.

34 T he eye is the light of the body. When your eye is good, your whole body is full of light. When your eye is sinful, your whole body is full of darkness.

The lamp of the body is thine eye: when thine eye is simple, thy whole body also is light; but when it is wicked, thy body also is dark.

35 B e careful that the light in you is not dark.

See therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

36 I f your whole body is full of light, with no dark part, then it will shine. It will be as a lamp that gives light.” Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Proud Religious Law-Keeper

If therefore thy whole body light, not having any part dark, it shall be all light as when the lamp lights thee with its brightness.

37 A s Jesus was talking, a proud religious law-keeper asked Him to eat with him. Jesus went to the man’s house and took His place at the table.

But as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him that he would dine with him; and entering in he placed himself at table.

38 T he proud religious law-keeper was surprised and wondered why Jesus had not washed before He ate.

But the Pharisee seeing wondered that he had not first washed before dinner.

39 B ut the Lord said to him, “You proud religious law-keepers make the outside of the cup and plate clean, but inside you are full of stealing and sinning.

But the Lord said to him, Now do ye Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but your inward are full of plunder and wickedness.

40 Y ou are foolish. Did not He that made the outside make the inside also?

Fools, has not he who has made the outside made the inside also?

41 G ive yourself as a gift and then you will be clean.

But rather give alms of what ye have, and behold, all things are clean to you.

42 “ It is bad for you, proud religious law-keepers! You give one-tenth part of your spices. But you give no thought to what is right and to the love of God. You should do both of these.

But woe unto you, Pharisees, for ye pay tithes of mint and rue and every herb, and pass by the judgment and the love of God: these ye ought to have done, and not have left those aside.

43 “ It is bad for you, proud religious law-keepers! For you like to have the important seats in the places of worship. You like to have people speak good-sounding words to you as you are in the center of town where people gather.

Woe unto you, Pharisees, for ye love the first seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market-places.

44 I t is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers and you who pretend to be someone you are not! For you are like graves that are hidden. Men walk on graves without knowing they are there.” Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Men Who Knew the Law

Woe unto you, for ye are as the sepulchres which appear not, and the men walking over them do not know.

45 O ne of the men who knew the Law said to Jesus, “Teacher, You are making us look bad when You speak like this.”

And one of the doctors of the law answering says to him, Teacher, in saying these things thou insultest us also.

46 J esus said, “It is bad for you also, you men who know the Law! For you put heavy loads on the shoulders of men. But you will not even put your finger on one of these loads to help them.

And he said, To you also woe, doctors of the law, for ye lay upon men burdens heavy to bear, and yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

47 I t is bad for you! For you make beautiful buildings for the graves of the early preachers your fathers killed.

Woe unto you, for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, but your fathers killed them.

48 Y ou are saying what your fathers did was good, because they killed the early preachers and you are making their graves.

Ye bear witness then, and consent to the works of your fathers; for they killed them, and ye build.

49 “ For this reason the wisdom of God has said, ‘I will send them early preachers and missionaries. Some they will kill and some they will make it very hard for.’

For this reason also the wisdom of God has said, I will send to them prophets and apostles, and of these shall they kill and drive out by persecution,

50 T he blood of all the early preachers from the beginning of the world is on the people of this day.

that the blood of all the prophets which has been poured out from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,

51 I t will be from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias, the one who died between the altar and the house of God. For sure, I tell you, the people of this day will be guilty for this.

from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the house; yea, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.

52 “ It is bad for you men who know the Law! For you have locked the door to the house of learning. You are not going in yourselves and you do not allow those to go in who are about to go in.”

Woe unto you, the doctors of the law, for ye have taken away the key of knowledge; yourselves have not entered in, and those who were entering in ye have hindered.

53 A s Jesus went away from there, the teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers were very angry and tried to make Him say many things.

And as he said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him urgently, and to make him speak of many things;

54 T hey planned against Jesus and tried to trap Him with something He might say.

watching him, to catch something out of his mouth,.