Luke 11:14-54

141And He was casting out a mute demon; when the demon had gone out, the man who was previously unable to speak talked, and the crowds were amazed. 15But some of them said, “He casts out the demons 2by 3Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16Others, 4to test Him, 5were demanding of Him a 6sign from heaven. 177But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against 8itself falls. 18And if 9Satan also has been divided against himself, how will his kingdom 10stand? For you claim that I cast out the demons by 11Beelzebul. 19Yet if by 12Beelzebul I cast out the demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 20But if I cast out the demons by 13the 14finger of God, then 15the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21When 16a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are 17secure. 22But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, that man takes away his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. 2318The one who is not with Me is against Me; and the one who does not gather with Me scatters.

24“19When the unclean spirit comes out of 20a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it then says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. 26Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they come in and live there; and the last condition of that person becomes worse than the first.”

27While 21Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “22Blessed is the womb that carried You, and the breasts at which You nursed!” 28But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are 23those who hear the word of God and follow it.”

29Now as the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “24This generation is a wicked generation; it 25demands a 26sign, and so no 27sign will be given to it except the 28sign of Jonah. 30For just as 29Jonah became a 30sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31The 31Queen 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 listen to the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because 32they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

33“33No one lights a lamp and puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 3434Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is 35clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is 36bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35So watch out that the light in you is not darkness. 36Therefore if your whole body is full of light, without any dark part, it will be wholly illuminated, as when the lamp illuminates you with its light.”

37Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in and reclined at the table. 38When the Pharisee saw this, he was surprised that Jesus had not first 3738ceremonially washed before the 39meal. 39But 40the Lord said to him, “Now 41you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish; but your inside is full of greed and wickedness. 4042You foolish ones, did He who made the outside not make the inside also? 41But 43give that which is within as a charitable gift, and 44then all things are 45clean for you.

42“46But woe to you Pharisees! For you 47pay tithes of mint, rue, and every kind of garden herb, and yet you 48ignore justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 43Woe to you Pharisees! For you 49love the seat of honor in the synagogues and personal greetings in the marketplaces. 4450Woe to you! For you are like 51unseen tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”

45One of the 5253lawyers said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us too.” 46But He said, “Woe to you 54lawyers as well! For 55you load people with burdens that are hard to bear, 56while you yourselves will not even 57touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 4758Woe to you! For you build the 59tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. 48So you are witnesses and you approve of the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their 60tombs. 49For this reason also, 61the wisdom of God said, ‘62I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill, and some they will 63persecute, 50so that the blood of all the prophets, shed 64since the foundation of the world, may be charged 65against this generation, 51from 66the blood of Abel to 67the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged 68against this generation.’ 52Woe to you 6970lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; 71you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”

53When He left that place, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to interrogate Him about many subjects, 5472plotting against Him 73to catch 74Him in something He might say.