1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certainplace, after He had finished, one of His disciplessaid to Him, "Lord, teach us to prayjust as Johnalsotaught his disciples."
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And He said to them, "1When you pray, say:'Father, hallowed be Your name.Your kingdomcome.
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'And forgive us our sins,For we ourselvesalsoforgiveeveryone who 3is indebted to us.And lead us not into temptation.' "
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Then He said to them, "Supposeone of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me threeloaves;
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for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I havenothing to setbefore him';
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and from inside he answers and says, 'Do not bother* me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot*get up and give you anything.'
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"I tell you, eventhough he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet4because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
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"So I say to you, 5ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
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"For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
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"Nowsupposeone of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snakeinstead of a fish, will he?
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"Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he?
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"6If you then, beingevil, knowhow to givegoodgifts to your children, howmuchmore will your heavenly*Fathergive the HolySpirit to those who ask Him?"
Pharisees' Blasphemy
147And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mutemanspoke; and the crowds were amazed.
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But some of them said, "He casts out demons8by 9Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons."
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Others, to test Him, 10were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.
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11But He knew their thoughts and said to them, "Anykingdomdividedagainstitself is laidwaste; and a house divided againstitselffalls.
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"If12Satanalso is dividedagainsthimself, how will his kingdomstand? For you say that I cast out demons by 13Beelzebul.
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"And if I by 14Beelzebulcast out demons, by whom do your sonscast them out? So* they will be your judges.
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"But if I cast out demons by the 15finger of God, then16the kingdom of God has come upon you.
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"When a strong man, fullyarmed, guards his ownhouse, his possessions are undisturbed*.
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"But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takesaway from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder.
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"17He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.
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"18When the uncleanspiritgoes out of a man, it passesthroughwaterlessplacesseekingrest, and not finding any, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'
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"And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.
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"Then it goes and takes along sevenotherspiritsmoreevil than itself, and they go in and livethere; and the last state of that manbecomesworse than the first."
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While Jesus was sayingthesethings, one of the women in the crowdraised her voice and said to Him, "19Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed."
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But He said, "On the contrary*, blessed are 20those who hear the word of God and observe it."