Study Desk

^(a)When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, ^(b)He went to Capernaum.

And a centurion's slave, ^[a]who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.

When he heard about Jesus, ^(c)he sent some ^[b]Jewish elders asking Him to come and ^[c]save the life of his slave.

When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, "He is worthy for You to grant this to him;

for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue."

Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, "^[d]Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof;

for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just ^[e]say the word, and my ^[f]servant will be healed.

For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!' and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!' and he does it."

Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, "I say to you, ^(d)not even in Israel have I found such great faith."

When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, ^[g]accompanied by a large crowd.

Now as He approached the gate of the city, ^[h]a dead man was being carried out, the ^[i]only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.

When ^(e)the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, "^[j]Do not weep."

And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!"

The ^[k]dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

^(f)Fear gripped them all, and they began ^(g)glorifying God, saying, "A great ^(h)prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God has ^[l]visited His people!"

⁽ⁱ⁾This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.

^(j)The disciples of John reported to him about all these things.

Summoning ^[m]two of his disciples, John sent them to ^(k)the Lord, saying, "Are You the ^[n]Expected One, or do we look for someone else?"

When the men came to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the ^[o]Expected One, or do we look for someone else?'"

At that ^[p]very time He ^(l)cured many people of diseases and ^(m)afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.

And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the ⁽ⁿ⁾ blind receive sight , the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the ^(o) poor have the gospel preached to them .

Blessed is he ^[q]who does not take offense at Me."

When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

^[r]But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft ^[s]clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces!

But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet.

This is the one about whom it is written, ‘^(p) Behold , I send My messenger ^[t] ahead of You , Who will prepare Your way before You .'

I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is ^[u]least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they ^[v]acknowledged ^(q)God's justice, ^(r)having been baptized with ^(s)the baptism of John.

But the Pharisees and the ^[w](t)lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by ^[x]John.

"To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like?

They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.'

For John the Baptist has come ^(u)eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!'

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a ^[y]drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ^[z]sinners!'

Yet wisdom ^(v)is vindicated by all her children."

Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to ^[aa]dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.

^(w)And there was a woman in the city who was a ^[ab]sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,

and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were ^(x)a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a ^[ac]sinner."

And Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he ^[ad]replied, "Say it, Teacher."

"A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred ^[ae](y)denarii, and the other fifty.

When they ^(z)were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?"

Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly."

Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you ^(aa)gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

You ^(ab)gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet.

^(ac)You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.

For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."

Then He said to her, "^(ad)Your sins have been forgiven."

Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say ^[af]to themselves, "^(ae)Who is this man who even forgives sins?"

And He said to the woman, "^(af)Your faith has saved you; ^(ag)go in peace."

Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, ^(a)proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him,

and also ^(b)some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: ^(c)Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,

and Joanna the wife of Chuza, ^(d)Herod's ^(e)steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

^(f)When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable:

"The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the ^[a]air ate it up.

Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.

Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great." As He said these things, He would call out, "^(g)He who has ears to hear, ^[b]let him hear."

^(h)His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant.

And He said, "⁽ⁱ⁾To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that ^(j) seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand .

"Now the parable is this: ^(k)the seed is the word of God.

Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.

Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; ^[c]they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.

The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with ^[d]perseverance.

"Now ^(l)no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.

^(m)For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.

So take care how you listen; ⁽ⁿ⁾for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he ^[e]thinks he has shall be taken away from him."

^(o)And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd.

And it was reported to Him, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You."

But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these ^(p)who hear the word of God and do it."

^(q)Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, "Let us go over to the other side of ^(r)the lake." So they launched out.

But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on ^(s)the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.

They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, "^(t)Master, Master, we are perishing!" And He got up and ^(u)rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and ^[f]it became calm.

And He said to them, "Where is your faith?" They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?"

^(v)Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs.

Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, "^[g](w)What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of ^(x)the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me."

For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.

And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "^(y)Legion"; for many demons had entered him.

They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into ^(z)the abyss.

Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter ^[h]the swine. And He gave them permission.

And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into ^(aa)the lake and was drowned.

When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country.

The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down ^(ab)at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened.

Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was ^(ac)demon-possessed had been ^[i]made well.

And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned.

^(ad)But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might ^[j]accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying,

"Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

^(ae)And as Jesus returned, the ^[k]people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.

^(af)And there came a man named Jairus, and he was an ^[l](ag)official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus' feet, and began to implore Him to come to his house;

for he had an ^[m]only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.

And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone,

came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His ^[n]cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped.

And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "^(ah)Master, the ^[o]people are crowding and pressing in on You."

But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that ^(ai)power had gone out of Me."

When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed.

And He said to her, "Daughter, ^(aj)your faith has ^[p]made you well; ^(ak)go in peace."

While He was still speaking, someone *came from the house of ^(al)the synagogue official, saying, "Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore."

But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, "^(am)Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be ^[q]made well."

When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl's father and mother.

Now they were all weeping and ^(an)lamenting for her; but He said, "Stop weeping, for she has not died, but ^(ao)is asleep."

And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died.

He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Child, arise!"

And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat.

Her parents were amazed; but He ^(ap)instructed them to tell no one what had happened.

^(a)And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.

And He sent them out to ^(b)proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.

And He said to them, "^(c)Take nothing for your journey, ^(d)neither a staff, nor a ^[a]bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have ^[b]two tunics apiece.

Whatever house you enter, stay there ^[c]until you leave that city.

And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, ^(e)shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them."

Departing, they began going ^[d]throughout the villages, ^(f)preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

^(g)Now ^(h)Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that ⁽ⁱ⁾John had risen from the dead,

and by some that ^(j)Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again.

Herod said, "I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?" And ^(k)he kept trying to see Him.

^(l)When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. ^(m)Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called ⁽ⁿ⁾Bethsaida.

But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.

Now the day ^[e]was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get ^[f]something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place."

But He said to them, "You give them something to eat!" And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people."

(For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, "Have them ^[g]sit down to eat ^(o)in groups of about fifty each."

They did so, and had them all ^[h]sit down.

Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the ^[i]people.

And they all ate and were satisfied; and ^[j]the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve ^(p)baskets full.

^(q)And it happened that while He was ^(r)praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, "Who do the ^[k]people say that I am?"

They answered and said, "John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again."

And He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered and said, "^(s)The ^[l]Christ of God."

But He ^[m](t)warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone,

^(u)saying, "^(v)The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day."

And He was saying to them all, "^(w)If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

For ^(x)whoever wishes to save his ^[n]life will lose it, but whoever loses his ^[o]life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.

For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and ^(y)loses or forfeits himself?

^(z)For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

But I say to you truthfully, ^(aa)there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."

^(ab)Some eight days after these sayings, He took along ^(ac)Peter and John and James, and ^(ad)went up on the mountain ^(ae)to pray.

And while He was ^(af)praying, the appearance of His face ^(ag)became different, and His clothing became white and ^[p]gleaming.

And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah,

who, appearing in ^[q]glory, were speaking of His ^(ah)departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

Now Peter and his companions ^(ai)had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.

And as ^[r]these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, "^(aj)Master, it is good for us to be here; ^(ak)let us make three ^[s]tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah"—^(al)not realizing what he was saying.

While he was saying this, a cloud ^[t]formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.

Then ^(am)a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "^(an)This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!"

And when the voice ^[u]had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And ^(ao)they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.

^(ap)On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him.

And a man from the crowd shouted, saying, "Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my ^[v]only boy,

and a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and it throws him into a convulsion with foaming at the mouth; and only with difficulty does it leave him, mauling him as it leaves.

I begged Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not."

And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."

While he was still approaching, the demon ^[w]slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father.

And they were all amazed at the ^[x](aq)greatness of God. ^(ar)But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples,

"Let these words sink into your ears; ^(as)for the Son of Man is going to be ^[y]delivered into the hands of men."

But ^(at)they ^[z]did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.

^(au)An argument ^[aa]started among them as to which of them might be the greatest.

But Jesus, ^(av)knowing ^[ab]what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side,

and said to them, "^(aw)Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; ^(ax)for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great."

^(ay)John answered and said, "^(az)Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us."

But Jesus said to him, "Do not hinder him; ^(ba)for he who is not against you is ^[ac]for you."

When the days were approaching for ^(bb)His ^[ad]ascension, He ^[ae]was determined ^(bc)to go to Jerusalem;

and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the ^(bd)Samaritans to ^[af]make arrangements for Him.

But they did not receive Him, ^(be)because ^[ag]He was traveling toward Jerusalem.

When His disciples ^(bf)James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to ^(bg)command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"

But He turned and rebuked them, [^[ah]and said, "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of;

for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." ] And they went on to another village.

^(bh)As they were going along the road, ^(bi)someone said to Him, "I will follow You wherever You go."

And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the ^[ai]air have ^[aj]nests, but ^(bj)the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

And He said to another, "^(bk)Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father."

But He said to him, "Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and ^(bl)proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God."

Another also said, "I will follow You, Lord; but ^(bm)first permit me to say good-bye to those at home."

But Jesus said to him, "^(bn)No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Now after this ^(a)the Lord appointed ^[a]seventy ^(b)others, and sent them ^(c)in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.

And He was saying to them, "^(d)The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

Go; ^(e)behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

^(f)Carry no money belt, no ^[b]bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way.

Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.'

If a ^[c]man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.

Stay in ^[d]that house, eating and drinking ^[e]what they give you; for ^(g)the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.

Whatever city you enter and they receive you, ^(h)eat what is set before you;

and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘⁽ⁱ⁾The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say,

‘^(j)Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet ^[f]be sure of this, that ^(k)the kingdom of God has come near.'

I say to you, ^(l)it will be more tolerable in that day for ^(m)Sodom than for that city.

"⁽ⁿ⁾Woe to you, ^(o)Chorazin! Woe to you, ^(p)Bethsaida! For if the ^[g]miracles had been performed in ^(q)Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in ^[h](r)sackcloth and ashes.

But it will be more tolerable for ^(s)Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you.

And you, ^(t)Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades!

"^(u)The one who listens to you listens to Me, and ^(v)the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me."

The ^[i]seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even ^(w)the demons are subject to us in Your name."

And He said to them, "I was watching ^(x)Satan fall from heaven like lightning.

Behold, I have given you authority to ^(y)tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that ^(z)your names are recorded in heaven."

^(aa)At that very ^[j]time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I ^[k]praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.

^(ab)All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and ^(ac)no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

^(ad)Turning to the disciples, He said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see,

for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them."

^(ae)And a ^[l](af)lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? ^[m]How does it read to you?"

And he answered, "^(ag) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself ."

And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; ^(ah) do this and you will live ."

But wishing ^(ai)to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

Jesus replied and said, "A man was ^(aj)going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and ^[n]beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.

And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

But a ^(ak)Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,

and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

On the next day he took out two ^[o]denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.'

Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?"

And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do ^[p]the same."

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named ^(al)Martha welcomed Him into her home.

She had a sister called ^(am)Mary, who was ^(an)seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word.

But ^(ao)Martha was distracted with ^[q]all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me."

But the Lord answered and said to her, "^(ap)Martha, Martha, you are ^(aq)worried and bothered about so many things;

^(ar)but only one thing is necessary, for ^(as)Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

It happened that while ^[a]Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples."

And He said to them, "^(a)When you pray, say: ‘^[b]Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.

‘Give us ^(b)each day our ^[c]daily bread.

‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who ^(c)is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'"

Then He said to them, "^[d]Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;

for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him';

and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children ^[e]and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.'

I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet ^(d)because of his ^[f]persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

"So I say to you, ^[g](e)ask, and it will be given to you; ^[h]seek, and you will find; ^[i]knock, and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.

Now ^[j]suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a ^[k]fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?

Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he?

^(f)If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your ^[l]heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

^(g)And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed.

But some of them said, "He casts out demons ^(h)by ⁽ⁱ⁾Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons."

Others, ^[m]to test Him, ^(j)were demanding of Him a ^[n]sign from heaven.

^(k)But He knew their thoughts and said to them, "^[o]Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against ^[p]itself falls.

If ^(l)Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by ^(m)Beelzebul.

And if I by ⁽ⁿ⁾Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges.

But if I cast out demons by the ^(o)finger of God, then ^(p)the kingdom of God has come upon you.

When ^[q]a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are ^[r]undisturbed.

But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder.

^(q)He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

"^(r)When the unclean spirit goes out of ^[s]a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.'

And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.

Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."

While ^[t]Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "^(s)Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed."

But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are ^(t)those who hear the word of God and observe it."

As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "^(u)This generation is a wicked generation; it ^(v)seeks for a ^[u]sign, and yet no ^[v]sign will be given to it but the ^[w]sign of Jonah.

For just as ^(w)Jonah became a ^[x]sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

The ^(x)Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because ^(y)they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

"^(z)No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.

^(aa)The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is ^[y]clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is ^[z]bad, your body also is full of darkness.

Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness.

If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays."

Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee *asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table.

When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ^[aa](ab)ceremonially washed before the ^[ab]meal.

But ^(ac)the Lord said to him, "Now ^(ad)you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but ^[ac]inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness.

^(ae)You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also?