11:1 One time Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his ·followers [disciples] said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his ·followers [disciples].”
11:2 Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, ·may your name always be kept holy [T hallowed be your name]. May your kingdom come [C soon or fully].
11:3 Give us ·the food we need for each day [T our daily bread].
11:4 Forgive us for our sins, ·because [as] we forgive everyone who ·has done wrong to us [sins against us; L is indebted to us; C sin is pictured as a debt owed]. And ·do not cause us to be tempted [or do not subject us to testing; T lead us not into temptation].’”
11:5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you went to your friend’s house at midnight and said to him, ‘Friend, loan me three loaves of bread.
11:6 A friend of mine has come ·into town [L from the road] to visit me, but I have nothing ·for him to eat [to offer him; L to set before him].’
11:7 Your friend inside the house answers, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already ·locked [shut], and my children ·and I are [L are with me] in bed [C a small Palestinian home where everyone slept in one room]. I cannot get up and give you anything.’
11:8 I tell you, [L even] if friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread, ·your boldness will make him [your shameless persistence will make him; or in order not to be shamed before the community he will] get up and give you whatever you need.
11:9 So I tell you, ·ask [keep on asking], and God will give to you. ·Search [Keep on searching/seeking], and you will find. ·Knock [Keep on knocking], and the door will open for you.
11:10 ·Yes, [L For; Because] everyone who asks will receive. The one who ·searches [seeks] will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened.
11:11 If your ·children ask [or son asks] for a fish, which of you fathers would give them a snake instead?
11:12 Or, if ·your children ask [or he asks] for an egg, would you give them a scorpion?
11:13 Even though you are ·bad [sinful; evil], you know how to give good ·things [L gifts] to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
11:14 One time Jesus was ·sending [driving; casting] out a demon ·who could not talk [or who was making a man mute]. When the demon came out, the man who had been unable to speak, then spoke. The ·people were [crowd was] amazed.
11:15 But some of them said, “Jesus uses the power of Beelzebul [C another name for Satan], the ruler of demons, to ·force [drive; cast] demons out of people.”
11:16 Other people, wanting to test Jesus, asked him to give them a sign from heaven.
11:17 But knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom that is ·divided against [at war with] itself ·will be destroyed [is doomed/heading for ruin]. And a ·family [L house] that is ·divided against [at war with] itself will ·not continue [L fall].
11:18 So if Satan is divided against himself, ·his kingdom will not continue [L how will his kingdom stand?]. [L For] You say that I use the power of Beelzebul [v. 15] to ·force [drive; cast] out demons.
11:19 But if I use the power of Beelzebul to ·force [drive; cast] out demons, what power do your ·people [own exorcists; followers; L sons] use to ·force [drive; cast] demons out? So they will ·be your judges.
11:20 But if I use the ·power [L finger] of God to ·force [drive; cast] out demons, then the kingdom of God has ·come to [arrived among] you.
11:21 “When a strong person ·with many weapons [fully armed] guards his own ·house [villa; or palace; C a large building with a courtyard], his possessions are safe.
11:22 But when someone stronger comes and ·defeats [overpowers; conquers] him, the stronger one will take away the ·weapons [armor] ·the first man trusted [on which he relied] and will ·give away the possessions [L divide his plunder].
11:23 “Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not ·work [L gather] with me ·is working against me [scatters; C the metaphor is probably to gathering or scattering a flock; John 10:12].
11:24 “When an ·evil [defiling; L unclean; 4:33] spirit comes out of a person, it ·travels [wanders] through ·dry [waterless; arid] places, looking for a place to rest. But when it finds no place, it says, ‘I will go back to the house [C meaning the person] I left.’
11:25 And when it comes back, it finds that house swept clean and ·made neat [in order; fixed up].
11:26 Then ·the evil spirit [L it] goes out and brings seven other spirits more evil than it is, and they go in and live there. So ·the person has even more trouble than before [L the last state of that person is worse than the first].”
11:27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out to Jesus, “Blessed is the ·mother who gave birth to you [L the womb that bore you] and [L the breasts that] nursed you.”
11:28 But Jesus said, “·No [L Rather; On the contrary], blessed are those who hear the ·teaching [word] of God and ·obey [practice; keep] it.”
11:29 As the crowd grew larger, Jesus ·said [began to say], “·The people who live today are evil [L This generation is an evil/wicked generation]. They ·want to see [seek] a ·miracle for a sign [L sign], but no sign will be given them, except the sign of Jonah [Matt. 12:39–40].
11:30 As Jonah was a sign for those people who lived in Nineveh, the Son of Man will be a sign for ·the people of this time [this generation].
11:31 ·On the judgment day [At the judgment] the Queen of the South [C the Queen of Sheba] will stand up with the people ·who live now [of this generation]. She will ·show they are guilty [condemn them], because she came from ·far away [L the ends of the earth] to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching [1 Kin. 10:1–13]. And ·I tell you that [L look; T behold] ·someone [or something; C either Jesus or his message of the Kingdom of God] greater than Solomon is here.
11:32 ·On the judgment day [At the judgment] the ·people [or men; C the Greek term usually refers to males] of Nineveh will stand up with ·the people who live now [this generation], and they will ·show that you are guilty [condemn it]. [L Because] When Jonah preached to them, they ·were sorry and changed their lives [repented]. And I tell you that ·someone [or something; v. 31] greater than Jonah is here.
11:33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a ·secret place [cellar] or under a ·bowl [or basket], but on a lampstand so the people who come in can see [L the light; Matt. 5:15; Mark 4:21].
11:34 Your eye is ·a light [L the lamp] for the body. When your eyes are ·good [healthy; clear], your whole body will be full of light. But when your eyes are ·evil [unhealthy; bad], your whole body will be full of darkness.
11:35 So be careful ·not to let the light in you become [or that the light in you is not actually] darkness.
11:36 If your whole body is full of light, and none of it is dark, then you will ·shine bright [be radiant; be filled with light], as when a lamp shines [brightly; L with its rays] on you.”
11:37 After Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked Jesus to ·eat [dine] with him. So Jesus went in and ·sat at the table [reclined; C the posture for a banquet or dinner party; see 7:36].
11:38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his hands before the meal [C a Jewish ritual for ceremonial purity].
11:39 The Lord said to him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are full of ·greed [extortion; robbery] and ·evil [wickedness].
11:40 You foolish people! The same one who made what is outside also made what is inside.
11:41 So ·give what is in your dishes [or give from your hearts; L give the inside things] ·to the poor [as alms], and then ·you [everything] will be fully clean.
11:42 ·How terrible for [L Woe to] you Pharisees! You ·give God one-tenth of [pay tithe on] even your mint, your rue, and every other ·plant [herb] in your garden. But you ·fail to be fair to others [neglect to show justice] and to love God. These are the things you should do ·while continuing [without neglecting] to do those other things.
11:43 ·How terrible for [L Woe to] you Pharisees, because you love to have the most ·important [honorable] seats in the synagogues, and you love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.
11:44 ·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, because you are like ·hidden [unmarked] graves, which people walk on without knowing.”
11:45 One of the experts on the law said to Jesus, “Teacher, when you say these things, you are insulting us, too.”
11:46 Jesus answered, “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, you experts on the law! You ·make strict rules that are very hard for people to obey [L burden people with burdens hard to carry], but you yourselves don’t even ·try to follow those rules [or lift a finger to ease the burden].
11:47 ·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, because you build ·tombs [monuments; memorials] for the prophets whom your ancestors killed!
11:48 And now you ·show [are witnesses; testify] that you approve of what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you build ·tombs [monuments; memorials] for them!
11:49 This is why ·in his wisdom God said [L God’s Wisdom said; C a personification of wisdom; Prov. 8], ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them. ·They will kill some, and they will treat others cruelly [or Some they will persecute and kill].’
11:50 So ·you who live now [this generation] will be ·punished for [charged with; held responsible for] the ·deaths of all the prophets who were killed [L blood of all the prophets shed] since the ·beginning [foundation; creation] of the world—
11:51 from the ·killing [blood] of Abel to the ·killing [blood] of Zechariah, who died between the altar and the ·Temple [sanctuary; L house (of God); C in the arrangement of the Hebrew OT, Abel and Zechariah were the first and last people to be murdered; Gen. 4:4–8; 2 Chr. 24:20–21]. Yes, I tell you that ·you who are alive now [this generation] will be ·punished [charged; held responsible] for them all.
11:52 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, you experts on the law. You have taken away the key to ·learning about God [L knowledge]. You yourselves ·would not learn [L did not enter], and you ·stopped [hindered; prevented] others from ·learning [L entering], too.”
11:53 When Jesus left, the ·teachers of the law [scribes] and the Pharisees began to ·give him trouble [fiercely oppose him; act with hostility], ·asking him [provoking/attacking/besieging him with] questions about many things,
11:54 ·trying [lying in wait; plotting an ambush; C metaphorically] to catch him saying something wrong.
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