Luke 11:21-53

²¹When the strong man armed keeps watch over his house, then his goods are safe:

²²But when one who is stronger makes an attack on him and overcomes him, he takes away his instruments of war, in which he had put his faith, and makes division of his goods.

²³He who is not with me is against me, and he who will not give me help in getting people together is driving them away.

²⁴The unclean spirit, when he has gone out of a man, goes through dry places, looking for rest; and when he does not get it, he says, I will go back to my house from which I came.

²⁵And when he comes, he sees that it has been made fair and clean.

²⁶Then he goes and gets seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they go in, and take their places there: and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.

²⁷And it came about that when he said these things, a certain woman among the people said in a loud voice, Happy is the body which gave you birth, and the breasts from which you took milk.

²⁸But he said, More happy are they who give hearing to the word of God and keep it.

²⁹And when a great number of people came together to him, he said, This generation is an evil generation: it is looking for a sign and no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah.

³⁰For even as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of man be to this generation.

³¹The queen of the South will come up on the day of judging and give her decision against the men of this generation: for she came from the ends of the earth to give ear to the wisdom of Solomon; and now something greater than Solomon is here.

³²The men of Nineveh will come up in the day of judging and give their decision against this generation: for they were turned away from their sins at the preaching of Jonah; but now something greater than Jonah is here.

³³No man, when the light has been lighted, puts it in a secret place, or under a vessel, but on its table, so that those who come in may see the light.

³⁴The light of the body is the eye: when your eye is true, all your body is full of light; but when it is evil, your body is dark.

³⁵So take care that the light which is in you is not dark.

³⁶If, then, all your body is light, with no part of it dark, it will be completely full of light, as when a flame with its bright shining gives you light.

³⁷Now, while he was talking, a Pharisee made a request that he would come to a meal with him; and he went in and took his seat at the meal.

³⁸And when the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised because he came to the meal without first washing himself.

³⁹And the Lord said to him, You Pharisees make the outside of the cup and the plate clean; but inside you are thieves and full of evil.

⁴⁰O you foolish ones! did not he who made the outside in the same way make the inside?

⁴¹But if you give to the poor such things as you are able, then all things are clean to you.

⁴²But a curse is on you, Pharisees! for you make men give a tenth of every sort of plant, and give no thought to right and the love of God; but it is right for you to do these things, and not let the others be undone.

⁴³A curse is on you, Pharisees! for your desires are for the most important seats in the Synagogues and for words of respect said to you in the market-place.

⁴⁴A curse is on you! for you are like the resting-places of dead men, which are not seen, and men go walking over them without knowledge of it.

⁴⁵And one of the teachers of the law, answering, said to him, Master, in saying this, you give a bad name to us as to them.

⁴⁶And he said, A curse is on you, teachers of the law! for while other men are crushed under the weight of the rules you make for them, you yourselves do not put so much as one finger to them.

⁴⁷A curse is on you! for you make resting-places for the bodies of the prophets, but your fathers put them to death.

⁴⁸So you are witnesses and give approval to the work of your fathers; for they put them to death and you make their last resting-places.

⁴⁹For this reason the wisdom of God has said, I will send them prophets and teachers, and to some of them they will give death and cruel pains;

⁵⁰So that punishment may come on this generation for the blood of all the prophets which was given from the earliest days;

⁵¹From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who was put to death between the altar and the Temple. Yes, I say to you, It will come on this generation.

⁵²A curse is on you, teachers of the law! for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you did not go in yourselves, and you got in the way of those who were going in.

⁵³And when he had come out of that place, the scribes and the Pharisees came round him angrily, questioning him about more things;