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Luke 11:29-54
New Life Version
Luke 11:29-54
New Life Version
Jesus Tells about Jonah (A)
29 When the people were gathered near Jesus, He said, “The people of this day are sinful. They are looking for something special to see. They will get nothing special to see, except what Jonah the early preacher did. 30 As Jonah was something special to the people of the city of Nineveh, the Son of Man will be to the people of this day also. 31 The queen of the south will stand up on the day men stand before God. She will say the people of this day are guilty because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wise sayings of Solomon. And look, Someone greater than Solomon is here! 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up on the day men stand before God. They will say the people of this day are guilty because the men of Nineveh were sorry for their sins and turned from them when Jonah preached. And look, Someone greater than Jonah is here!
Jesus Teaches about Light
33 “No man lights a lamp and then hides it under a pail. He puts the light on a lamp-stand so those who come in can see it. 34 The eye is the light of the body. When your eye is good, your whole body is full of light. When your eye is sinful, your whole body is full of darkness. 35 Be careful that the light in you is not dark. 36 If your whole body is full of light, with no dark part, then it will shine. It will be as a lamp that gives light.”
Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Proud Religious Law-Keeper
37 As Jesus was talking, a proud religious law-keeper asked Him to eat with him. Jesus went to the man’s house and took His place at the table. 38 The proud religious law-keeper was surprised and wondered why Jesus had not washed before He ate. 39 But the Lord said to him, “You proud religious law-keepers make the outside of the cup and plate clean, but inside you are full of stealing and sinning. 40 You are foolish. Did not He that made the outside make the inside also? 41 Give yourself as a gift and then you will be clean.
42 “It is bad for you, proud religious law-keepers! You give one-tenth part of your spices. But you give no thought to what is right and to the love of God. You should do both of these.
43 “It is bad for you, proud religious law-keepers! For you like to have the important seats in the places of worship. You like to have people speak good-sounding words to you as you are in the center of town where people gather. 44 It is bad for you, teachers of the Law and proud religious law-keepers and you who pretend to be someone you are not! For you are like graves that are hidden. Men walk on graves without knowing they are there.”
Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Men Who Knew the Law
45 One of the men who knew the Law said to Jesus, “Teacher, You are making us look bad when You speak like this.” 46 Jesus said, “It is bad for you also, you men who know the Law! For you put heavy loads on the shoulders of men. But you will not even put your finger on one of these loads to help them. 47 It is bad for you! For you make beautiful buildings for the graves of the early preachers your fathers killed. 48 You are saying what your fathers did was good, because they killed the early preachers and you are making their graves.
49 “For this reason the wisdom of God has said, ‘I will send them early preachers and missionaries. Some they will kill and some they will make it very hard for.’ 50 The blood of all the early preachers from the beginning of the world is on the people of this day. 51 It will be from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias, the one who died between the altar and the house of God. For sure, I tell you, the people of this day will be guilty for this.
52 “It is bad for you men who know the Law! For you have locked the door to the house of learning. You are not going in yourselves and you do not allow those to go in who are about to go in.”
53 As Jesus went away from there, the teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers were very angry and tried to make Him say many things. 54 They planned against Jesus and tried to trap Him with something He might say.
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Luke 11:29-54
New International Version
Luke 11:29-54
New International Version
The Sign of Jonah(A)
29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign,(B) but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.(C) 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom;(D) and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah;(E) and now something greater than Jonah is here.
The Lamp of the Body(F)
33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.(G) 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,[b] your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”
Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law
37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table.(H) 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.(I)
39 Then the Lord(J) said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.(K) 40 You foolish people!(L) Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor,(M) and everything will be clean for you.(N)
42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth(O) of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.(P) You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.(Q)
43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.(R)
44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves,(S) which people walk over without knowing it.”
45 One of the experts in the law(T) answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”
46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.(U)
47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.(V) 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom(W) said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’(X) 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel(Y) to the blood of Zechariah,(Z) who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.(AA)
52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”(AB)
53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.(AC)
Footnotes
- Luke 11:34 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.
- Luke 11:34 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy.
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