Luke 11:14-13:21

^11:14 He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. It happened, when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.” ¹⁶ Others, testing him, sought from him a sign from heaven. ¹⁷ But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself falls. ¹⁸ If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ But if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore will they be your judges. ²⁰ But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come to you.

²¹ “When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe. ²² But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him his whole armor in which he trusted, and divides up his plunder.

²³ “He that is not with me is against me. He who does not gather with me scatters. ²⁴ The unclean spirit, when he has gone out of the person, passes through dry places, seeking rest, and finding none, he says, ‘I will turn back to my house from which I came out.’ ²⁵ When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then he goes, and takes seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that person becomes worse than the first.”

²⁷ It came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the crowd lifted up her voice, and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you.”

²⁸ But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”

²⁹ When the crowds were gathering together to him, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks after a sign. No sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For even as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will also the Son of Man be to this generation. ³¹ The Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the people of this generation, and will condemn them: for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look, one greater than Solomon is here. ³² The people of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it: for they repented at the proclaiming of Jonah, and look, one greater than Jonah is here.

³³ “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ Therefore see whether the light that is in you is not darkness. ³⁶ If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light.”

³⁷ Now as he spoke, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in, and sat at the table. ³⁸ When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that he had not first washed himself before dinner. ³⁹ The Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. ⁴⁰ You foolish ones, did not he who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But give as tzedakah those things which are within, and see, all things will be clean to you. ⁴² But woe to you Pharisees. For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and the love of God. You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees. For you love the best seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you. For you are like hidden graves, and the people who walk over them do not know it.”

⁴⁵ One of the Law scholars answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also.”

⁴⁶ He said, “Woe to you Law scholars also. For you load people with burdens that are difficult to carry, and you yourselves won’t even lift one finger to help carry those burdens. ⁴⁷ Woe to you. For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. ⁴⁸ So you are witnesses and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Therefore also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and emissaries; and some of them they will kill 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 Hevel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.’ Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. ⁵² Woe to you Law scholars. For you took away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in, you hindered.”

⁵³ And when he left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to oppose him bitterly, and to provoke him to speak about many things; ⁵⁴ lying in wait for him, seeking to catch him in something he might say, that they might accuse him.

^12:1 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered together, so much so that they trampled on each other, he began to tell his talmidim first of all, “Beware of the hametz of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ² But there is nothing covered up, that will not be revealed, nor hidden, that will not be known. ³ Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light. What you have spoken in the ear in the inner chambers will be proclaimed on the housetops.

⁴ “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him, who after he has killed, has power to cast into Gehinnom. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

⁶ “Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of them is forgotten by God. ⁷ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.

⁸ “I tell you, everyone who confesses me before people, him will the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God; ⁹ but the one who denies me in the presence of people will be denied in the presence of the angels of God. ¹⁰ Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ¹¹ When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you will answer, or what you will say; ¹² for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say.”

¹³ And someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴ But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ He said to them, “Beware. Keep yourselves from all covetousness, for a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”

¹⁶ He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly. ¹⁷ He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I do not have room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”‘

²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’ ²¹ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

²² He said to his talmidim, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear. ²³ Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: they do not sow, they do not reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds. ²⁵ Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height? ²⁶ If then you are not able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow. They do not toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith? ²⁹ Do not seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious. ³⁰ For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹ But seek his Kingdom, and these things will be added to you. ³² Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. ³³ Sell that which you have, and do tzedakah. Make for yourselves purses which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

³⁵ “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning. ³⁶ Be like people watching for their lord, when he returns from the marriage feast; that, when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open to him. ³⁷ Blessed are those servants, whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, that he will dress himself, and make them recline, and will come and serve them. ³⁸ And if he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are they. ³⁹ But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched and not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you do not expect him.”

⁴¹ Peter said to him, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everybody?”

⁴² The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the right times? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his lord will find doing so when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, that he will set him over all that he has. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My lord delays his coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunk, ⁴⁶ then the lord of that servant will come in a day when he is not expecting him, and in an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in two, and place his portion with the unfaithful. ⁴⁷ That servant, who knew his lord’s will, and did not prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes, ⁴⁸ but he who did not know, and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes. To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.

⁴⁹ “I came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already kindled. ⁵⁰ But I have an immersion to be immersed with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished. ⁵¹ Do you think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division. ⁵² For from now on, there will be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

⁵⁴ He said to the crowds also, “When you see a cloud rising from the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it happens. ⁵⁵ When a south wind blows, you say, ‘There will be a scorching heat,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites. You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not know how to interpret this time? ⁵⁷ Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸ For when you are going with your adversary before the magistrate, try diligently on the way to be released from him, lest perhaps he drag you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you will by no means get out of there, until you have paid the very last penny.”

^13:1 Now there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ² And he answered and said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered these things? ³ I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way. ⁴ Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwell in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.”

⁶ He spoke this parable. “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none. ⁷ He said to the vine dresser, ‘Look, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why does it waste the soil?’ ⁸ He answered, ‘Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it, and fertilize it. ⁹ And if it bears fruit next time, [fine]; but if not, you can cut it down.'”

¹⁰ He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. ¹¹ And look, a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and she was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up. ¹² When Yeshua saw her, he called her, and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” ¹³ He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight, and glorified God.

₁₄ The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Yeshua had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd, “There are six days when work should be done. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

¹⁵ Therefore the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites. Does not each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water? ¹⁶ Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, look, eighteen years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

¹⁷ As he said these things, all his adversaries were disappointed, and all the crowd rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

¹⁸ Then he said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? And to what can I compare it? ¹⁹ It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a tree, and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches.”

²⁰ And again he said, “To what can I compare the Kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”