11 One time Yeshua was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of the talmidim said to him, “Sir, teach us to pray, just as Yochanan taught his talmidim.” ² He said to them, “When you pray, say:

⁵ He also said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend; and you go to him in the middle of the night and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶ because a friend of mine who has been travelling has just arrived at my house, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ ⁷ Now the one inside may answer, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already shut, my children are with me in bed — I can’t get up to give you anything!’ ⁸ But I tell you, even if he won’t get up because the man is his friend, yet because of the man’s hutzpah he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

⁹ “Moreover, I myself say to you: keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who goes on asking receives; and he who goes on seeking finds; and to him who continues knocking, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “Is there any father here who, if his son asked him for a fish, would instead of a fish give him a snake? ¹² or if he asked for an egg would give him a scorpion? ¹³ So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will the Father keep giving the Ruach HaKodesh from heaven to those who keep asking him!”

¹⁴ He was expelling a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the man who had been mute spoke; and the people were astounded. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “It is by Ba‘al-Zibbul” — the ruler of the demons — “that he expels the demons.” ¹⁶ And others, trying to trap him, demanded from him a sign from Heaven. ¹⁷ But he, knowing what they were thinking, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, with one house collapsing on another. ¹⁸ So if the Adversary too is divided against himself, how can his kingdom survive? I’m asking because you claim it is by Ba‘al-Zibbul that I drive out the demons. ¹⁹ If I drive out demons by Ba‘al-Zibbul, by whom do your people drive them out? So, they will be your judges! ²⁰ But if I drive out demons by the finger of God,^[a] then the Kingdom of God has come upon you!

²¹ “When a strong man who is fully equipped for battle guards his own house, his possessions are secure. ²² But when someone stronger attacks and defeats him, he carries off all the armor and weaponry on which the man was depending, and divides up the spoils. ²³ Those who are not with me are against me, and those who do not gather with me are scattering.

²⁴ “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it travels through dry country seeking rest. On finding none, it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ ²⁵ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they come and live there — so that in the end the person is worse off than he was before.”

²⁷ As Yeshua was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice to call out, “How blessed is the mother that gave birth to you and nursed you from her breast!” ²⁸ But he said, “Far more blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”