Luke 11:21-54

21When 1a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are 2secure. 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. 233The one who is not with Me is against Me; and the one who does not gather with Me scatters.

24“4When the unclean spirit comes out of 5a 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 6Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “7Blessed is the womb that carried You, and the breasts at which You nursed!” 28But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are 8those who hear the word of God and follow it.”

29Now as the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “9This generation is a wicked generation; it 10demands a 11sign, and so no 12sign will be given to it except the 13sign of Jonah. 30For just as 14Jonah became a 15sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31The 16Queen 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 17they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

33“18No 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. 3419Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is 20clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is 21bad, 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 2223ceremonially washed before the 24meal. 39But 25the Lord said to him, “Now 26you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish; but your inside is full of greed and wickedness. 4027You foolish ones, did He who made the outside not make the inside also? 41But 28give that which is within as a charitable gift, and 29then all things are 30clean for you.

42“31But woe to you Pharisees! For you 32pay tithes of mint, rue, and every kind of garden herb, and yet you 33ignore 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 34love the seat of honor in the synagogues and personal greetings in the marketplaces. 4435Woe to you! For you are like 36unseen tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”

45One of the 3738lawyers said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us too.” 46But He said, “Woe to you 39lawyers as well! For 40you load people with burdens that are hard to bear, 41while you yourselves will not even 42touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 4743Woe to you! For you build the 44tombs 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 45tombs. 49For this reason also, 46the wisdom of God said, ‘47I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill, and some they will 48persecute, 50so that the blood of all the prophets, shed 49since the foundation of the world, may be charged 50against this generation, 51from 51the blood of Abel to 52the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged 53against this generation.’ 52Woe to you 5455lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; 56you 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, 5457plotting against Him 58to catch 59Him in something He might say.