1 A nd 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.'

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 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;

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 o ur appointed bread be giving us daily;

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

4 a nd 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.'

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, `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,

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 s eeing a friend of mine came out of the way unto me, and I have not what I shall 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 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.

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 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;

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 to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to 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 who is asking doth receive; and he who is seeking doth find; and to him who is knocking 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 ` 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?

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 a nd if he may ask an egg, will he present to him a scorpion?

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

13 I f, 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!'

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 A nd 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,

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

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

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

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

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

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 a nd 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.

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 ` 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;

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 by the finger of God I cast forth the demons, then come unawares upon you did the reign of God.

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

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

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

22 b ut 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;

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

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

24 ` 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;

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 having come, it findeth swept and adorned;

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

26 t hen 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.'

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 A nd 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!'

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

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

29 A nd 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,

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 became a sign to the Ninevites, so also shall 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 ` 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!

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 ` 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!

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 ` 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.

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 ` 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;

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, then, lest the light that in thee be darkness;

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

36 i f 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.'

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

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

38 a nd the Pharisee having seen, did wonder that he did not first baptize himself before the 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, the Pharisees, the outside of the cup and of the plate make clean, but your inward part is full of rapine 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 u nthinking! did not He who made the outside also the inside make?

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

41 B ut what ye have give ye alms, and, lo, all things are clean to you.

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

42 ` 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.

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 ` Wo to you, the Pharisees, because ye love the first seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the market-places.

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

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 A nd one of the lawyers answering, saith to him, `Teacher, these things saying, us also thou dost insult;'

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, `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.

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 ` Wo to you, because ye build the tombs 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 hen do ye testify, and are well pleased with the works of your fathers, because they indeed killed them, and ye do build their tombs;

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 b ecause 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,

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, that is being poured forth from the foundation of the world, may be required from 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 house; yes, I say to you, It shall be required from 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 ` 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.'

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 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,

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.