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, in his being in a certain place praying, as he ceased, a certain one of his disciples said unto him, `Sir, teach us to pray, as also John 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 may pray, say ye: Our Father who art in the heavens; hallowed be Thy name: Thy reign come; Thy will come to pass, as in heaven also on earth;

3 G ive us the bread we need everyday.

our appointed bread be giving us daily;

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 forgive us our sins, for also we ourselves forgive every one indebted to us; and mayest Thou not bring us into temptation; but do Thou deliver us from the evil.'

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 unto them, `Who of you shall have a friend, and shall go on unto him at midnight, and may say to him, Friend, lend me 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.’

seeing a friend of mine came out of the way unto me, and I have not what I shall 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 from within answering may say, Do not give me trouble, already the door hath been shut, and my children with me are in the bed, I am not able, having risen, to give to 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, even if he will not give to him, having risen, because of his being his friend, yet because of his importunity, having risen, he will give him as many as he doth need;

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 who is asking doth receive; and he who is seeking doth find; and to him who is knocking it shall 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?

`And of which of you -- the father -- if the son shall ask a loaf, a stone will he present to him? and if a fish, will he instead of a fish, a serpent present to him?

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

and if he may ask an egg, will he present to 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, then, ye, being evil, have known good gifts to be giving to your children, how much more shall the Father who is from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those asking 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 forth a demon, and it was dumb, and it came to pass, the demon having gone forth, the dumb man spake, and the multitudes wondered,

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

and certain of them said, `By Beelzeboul, ruler of the demons, he doth cast forth the demons;'

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

and others, tempting, a sign out of heaven from him were asking.

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.

And he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, `Every kingdom having been divided against itself is desolated; and house against house doth fall;

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 the Adversary against himself was divided, how shall his kingdom be made to stand? for ye say, by Beelzeboul is my casting forth the demons.

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 Beelzeboul cast forth the demons -- your sons, by whom do they cast forth? because of this your judges they shall be;

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 forth the demons, then come unawares upon you did the reign of God.

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

`When the strong man armed may keep his hall, in peace are his goods;

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, having come upon, may overcome him, his whole-armour he doth take away in which he had trusted, and his spoils he distributeth;

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 who is not with me is against me, and he who is not gathering with me doth scatter.

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 may go forth from the man it walketh through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding, it saith, I will turn back to my house whence I came forth;

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

and having come, it findeth 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 doth it go, and take to it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and having entered, they dwell there, and the last of that man becometh worst 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, in his saying these things, a certain woman having lifted up the voice out of the multitude, said to him, `Happy the womb that carried thee, and the paps that thou didst suck!'

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

And he said, `Yea, rather, happy those hearing the word of God, and keeping!'

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.

And the multitudes crowding together upon him, he began to say, `This generation is evil, a sign it doth seek after, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet,

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 Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also shall 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, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and lo, greater than Solomon 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, because they reformed at the proclamation of Jonah; and lo, greater than Jonah 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.

`And no one having lighted a lamp, doth put in a secret place, nor under the measure, but on the lamp-stand, that those coming in may behold 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 the eye, when then thine eye may be simple, thy whole body also is lightened; and when it may be evil, thy body also is darkened;

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

take heed, then, lest the light that in thee be 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 then thy whole body is lightened, not having any part darkened, the whole shall be lightened, as when the lamp by the brightness may give thee light.'

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.

And in speaking, a certain Pharisee was asking him that he might dine with him, and having gone in, he reclined (at meat),

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

and the Pharisee having seen, did wonder that he did not first baptize himself before the 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.

And the Lord said unto him, `Now do ye, the Pharisees, the outside of the cup and of the plate make clean, but your inward part is full of rapine and wickedness;

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

unthinking! did not He who made the outside also the inside make?

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

But what ye have give ye alms, and, lo, 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 wo to you, the Pharisees, because ye tithe the mint, and the rue, and every herb, and ye pass by the judgment, and the love of God; these things it behoveth to do, and those not to be neglecting.

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.

`Wo to you, the Pharisees, because ye love the first seats in the synagogues, and the 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

`Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye are as the unseen tombs, and the men walking above have not known.'

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 lawyers answering, saith to him, `Teacher, these things saying, us also thou dost insult;'

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, `And to you, the lawyers, wo! because ye burden men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves with one of your fingers do not touch the burdens.

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

`Wo to you, because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and 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.

Then do ye testify, and are well pleased with the works of your fathers, because they indeed killed them, and ye do build their tombs;

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.’

because of this also the wisdom of God said: I will send to them prophets, and apostles, and some of them they shall kill and persecute,

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, that is being poured forth from the foundation of the world, may be required from 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 unto the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the house; yes, I say to you, It shall be required from 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.”

`Wo to you, the lawyers, because ye took away the key of the knowledge; yourselves ye did not enter; and those coming in, ye did hinder.'

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 in his speaking these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began fearfully to urge and to press him to speak about many things,

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

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