1He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, »Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.« 2He said to them, »When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins,for we ourselves also forgive everyonewho is indebted to us.And lead us not into temptation.’« 5And he said to them, »Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6for 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, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as much as he needs. 9So 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. 10For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, who are 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!« 14Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute man spoke; and the multitudes marveled. 15But some of them said, »He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons.« 16Others, testing him, sought from him a sign from heaven. 17But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them: »Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a house divided against itself falls. 18If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20But if I cast 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. 22But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. 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.’ 25And when he comes, he finds it swept 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.« 27As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, »Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that nursed you!« 28But he said, »Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!« 29When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, »This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to 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. 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 behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, one greater than Jonah is here. 33»No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see the light. 34Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35Therefore be careful that the light in you is not darkness. 36If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.« 37While he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him; so he went in and sat at table. 38The Pharisee was surprised to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 39But the Lord said to him, »Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40You foolish ones! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you. 42But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 43Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44Woe to you! For you are like graves which are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it.« 45One of the lawyers answered him, »Teacher, by saying these things you reproach us also.« 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. 47Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48So you witness that you approve of the deeds of your fathers; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it shall be required of this generation. 52Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.« 53As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard, and to provoke him to speak of many things, 54lying in wait for him, to catch at something he might say.