The Lord's Prayer
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Now Jesusa was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, 1as John taught his disciples."
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and 9forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And 10lead us not into temptation."
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And 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,
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for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him';
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and 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'?
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I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything 11because he is his friend, yet because of his impudencec he will rise and give him whatever he needs.
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And I tell you, 12ask, and 13it will be given to you; 14seek, and you will find; 15knock, and it will be opened to you.
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For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
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What father among you, if his son asks ford a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;
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or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
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If you then, 16who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father 17give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Jesus and Beelzebul
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18Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.
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But some of them said, "He casts out demons 19by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,"
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while others, 20to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.
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21But he, 22knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.
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And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
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And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, 23by whom do 24your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
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But if it is by 25the finger of God that I cast out demons, then 26the kingdom of God has come upon you.
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When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe;
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27but when one stronger than he attacks him and 28overcomes him, he takes away his 29armor in which he trusted and 30divides his spoil.
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31Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Return of an Unclean Spirit
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32"When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through 33waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'
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And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order.
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Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And 34the last state of that person is worse than the first."
True Blessedness
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As he said these things, 35a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, 36"Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!"
The Sign of Jonah
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40When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, 41"This generation is an evil generation. 42It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
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For as 43Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
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44The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and 45condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, 46something greater than Solomon is here.
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47The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and 48condemn it, for 49they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, 50something greater than Jonah is here.
The Light in You
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51"No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
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Your eye is 52the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is 53bad, your body is full of darkness.
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54Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.
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If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, 55as when a lamp with its rays gives you light."
Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers
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While Jesuse was speaking, 56a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table.
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The Pharisee was astonished to see 57that he did not first wash before dinner.
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And the Lord said to him, 58"Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of 59greed and wickedness.
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64"But woe to you Pharisees! For 65you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect 66justice and 67the love of God. 68These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
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Woe to you Pharisees! For 69you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
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Woe to you! 70For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it."
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One of 71the lawyers answered him, "Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also."
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And he said, "Woe to you 72lawyers also! For 73you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
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74Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.
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75So you are witnesses and you 76consent to the deeds of 77your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.
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Therefore also 78the Wisdom of God said, 79'I will send them 80prophets and apostles, 81some of whom they will 82kill and persecute,'
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so that 83the blood of all the prophets, shed 84from the foundation of the world, may be 85charged against this generation,
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from the blood of 86Abel to the blood of 87Zechariah, who perished between 88the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be 89required of this generation.
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Woe to you 90lawyers! 91For you have taken away the key of 92knowledge. You 93did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering."
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As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things,
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)