Jesus teaches his disciples to pray and to ask, seek and knock. Accused of working by Beelzebub, he answers his critics and pronounces woes on the Pharisees and lawyers.
1 And it came to pass , that, as he was praying in a certain place , when he ceased , one of his disciples said unto him , Lord , teach us to pray , as John also taught his disciples .
2 And he said unto them , When ye pray , say , Our Father which art in heaven , Hallowed be thy name . Thy kingdom come . Thy will be done , as in heaven , so in earth .
3 Give us day by day our daily bread .
4 And forgive us our sins ; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us . And lead us not into temptation ; but deliver us from evil .
5 And he said unto them , Which of you shall have a friend , and shall go unto him at midnight , and say unto him , Friend , lend me three loaves ;
6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me , and I have nothing to set before him ?
7 And he from within shall answer and say , Trouble me not : the door is now shut , and my children are with me in bed ; I cannot rise and give thee .
8 I say unto you , Though he will not rise and give him , because he is his friend , yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth .
9 And I say unto you , Ask , and it shall be given you ; seek , and ye shall find ; knock , and it shall be opened unto you .
10 For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened .
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father , will he give him a stone ? or if he ask a fish , will he for a fish give him a serpent ?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg , will he offer him a scorpion ?
13 If ye then , being evil , know how to give good gifts unto your children : how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ?
14 And he was casting out a devil , and it was dumb . And it came to pass , when the devil was gone out , the dumb spake ; and the people wondered .
15 But some of them said , He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils .
16 And others , tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven .
17 But he , knowing their thoughts , said unto them , Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation ; and a house divided against a house falleth .
18 If Satan also be divided against himself , how shall his kingdom stand ? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub .
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils , by whom do your sons cast them out ? therefore shall they be your judges .
20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils , no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you .
21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace , his goods are in peace :
22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him , and overcome him , he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted , and divideth his spoils .
23 He that is not with me is against me : and he that gathereth not with me scattereth .
24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man , he walketh through dry places , seeking rest ; and finding none , he saith , I will return unto my house whence I came out .
25 And when he cometh , he findeth it swept and garnished .
26 Then goeth he , and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself ; and they enter in , and dwell there : and the last state of that man is worse than the first .
27 And it came to pass , as he spake these things , a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice , and said unto him , Blessed is the womb that bare thee , and the paps which thou hast sucked .
28 But he said , Yea rather , blessed are they that hear the word of God , and keep it .
29 And when the people were gathered thick together , he began to say , This is an evil generation : they seek a sign ; and there shall no sign be given it , but the sign of Jonas the prophet .
30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites , so shall also the Son of man be to this generation .
31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation , and condemn them : for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and , behold , a greater than Solomon is here .
32 The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation , and shall condemn it : for they repented at the preaching of Jonas ; and , behold , a greater than Jonas is here .
33 No man , when he hath lighted a candle , putteth it in a secret place , neither under a bushel , but on a candlestick , that they which come in may see the light .
34 The light of the body is the eye : therefore when thine eye is single , thy whole body also is full of light ; but when thine eye is evil , thy body also is full of darkness .
35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness .
36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light , having no part dark , the whole shall be full of light , as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light .
37 And as he spake , a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him : and he went in , and sat down to meat .
38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner .
39 And the Lord said unto him , Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter ; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness .
40 Ye fools , did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also ?
41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have ; and , behold , all things are clean unto you .
42 But woe unto you , Pharisees ! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs , and pass over judgment and the love of God : these ought ye to have done , and not to leave the other undone .
43 Woe unto you , Pharisees ! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues , and greetings in the markets .
44 Woe unto you , scribes and Pharisees , hypocrites ! for ye are as graves which appear not , and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
45 Then answered one of the lawyers , and said unto him , Master , thus saying thou reproachest us also .
46 And he said , Woe unto you also , ye lawyers ! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne , and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers .
47 Woe unto you ! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets , and your fathers killed them .
48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers : for they indeed killed them , and ye build their sepulchres .
49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God , I will send them prophets and apostles , and some of them they shall slay and persecute :
50 That the blood of all the prophets , which was shed from the foundation of the world , may be required of this generation ;
51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias , which perished between the altar and the temple : verily I say unto you , It shall be required of this generation .
52 Woe unto you , lawyers ! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge : ye entered not in yourselves , and them that were entering in ye hindered .
53 And as he said these things unto them , the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently , and to provoke him to speak of many things :
54 Laying wait for him , and seeking to catch something out of his mouth , that they might accuse him .