New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
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One day he was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, "Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon.
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So he said, "When you pray, say, Father, Reveal who you are. Set the world right.
3 Give us each day the food we need,
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Keep us alive with three square meals.
4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation. ”
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Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil."
5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,
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Then he said, "Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread.
6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’
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An old friend traveling through just showed up, and I don't have a thing on hand.'
7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’
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"The friend answers from his bed, 'Don't bother me. The door's locked; my children are all down for the night; I can't get up to give you anything.'
8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
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"But let me tell you, even if he won't get up because he's a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he'll finally get up and get you whatever you need.
9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
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"Here's what I'm saying: Ask and you'll get; Seek and you'll find; Knock and the door will open.
10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
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"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in.
11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?
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If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate?
12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!
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If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider?
13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
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As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing - you're at least decent to your own children. And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?"
14 One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed,
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Jesus delivered a man from a demon that had kept him speechless. The demon gone, the man started talking a blue streak, taking the crowd by complete surprise.
15 but some of them said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.”
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But some from the crowd were cynical. "Black magic," they said. "Some devil trick he's pulled from his sleeve."
16 Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.
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Others were skeptical, waiting around for him to prove himself with a spectacular miracle.
17 He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.
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Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, "Any country in civil war for very long is wasted. A constantly squabbling family falls to pieces.
18 You say I am empowered by Satan. But if Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom survive?
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If Satan cancels Satan, is there any Satan left? You accuse me of ganging up with the Devil, the prince of demons, to cast out demons,
19 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.
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but if you're slinging devil mud at me, calling me a devil who kicks out devils, doesn't the same mud stick to your own exorcists?
20 But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.
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But if it's God's finger I'm pointing that sends the demons on their way, then God's kingdom is here for sure.
21 For when a strong man like Satan is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe—
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"When a strong man, armed to the teeth, stands guard in his front yard, his property is safe and sound.
22 until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.
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But what if a stronger man comes along with superior weapons? Then he's beaten at his own game, the arsenal that gave him such confidence hauled off, and his precious possessions plundered.
23 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.
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"This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you're not on my side, you're the enemy; if you're not helping, you're making things worse.
24 “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’
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"When a corrupting spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn't find anyone, it says, 'I'll go back to my old haunt.'
25 So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order.
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On return, it finds the person swept and dusted, but vacant.
26 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”
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It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits dirtier than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse than if he'd never gotten cleaned up in the first place."
27 As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!”
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While he was saying these things, some woman lifted her voice above the murmur of the crowd: "Blessed the womb that carried you, and the breasts at which you nursed!"
28 Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”
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Jesus commented, "Even more blessed are those who hear God's Word and guard it with their lives!"
29 As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah.
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As the crowd swelled, he took a fresh tack: "The mood of this age is all wrong. Everybody's looking for proof, but you're looking for the wrong kind. All you're looking for is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles. But the only proof you're going to get is the Jonah-proof given to the Ninevites, which looks like no proof at all.
30 What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be a sign to these people that he was sent by God.
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What Jonah was to Nineveh, the Son of Man is to this age.
31 “The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.
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"On Judgment Day the Ninevites will stand up and give evidence that will condemn this generation, because when Jonah preached to them they changed their lives. A far greater preacher than Jonah is here, and you squabble about 'proofs.'
32 The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.
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On Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will come forward and bring evidence that condemns this generation, because she traveled from a far corner of the earth to listen to wise Solomon. Wisdom far greater than Solomon's is right in front of you, and you quibble over 'evidence.'
33 “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.
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"No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It's put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they're going.
34 “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is bad, your body is filled with darkness.
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Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar.
35 Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.
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Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don't get musty and murky.
36 If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”
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Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room." Frauds!
37 As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table.
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When he finished that talk, a Pharisee asked him to dinner. He entered his house and sat right down at the table.
38 His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.
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The Pharisee was shocked and somewhat offended when he saw that Jesus didn't wash up before the meal.
39 Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness!
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But the Master said to him, "I know you Pharisees burnish the surface of your cups and plates so they sparkle in the sun, but I also know your insides are maggoty with greed and secret evil.
40 Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?
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Stupid Pharisees! Didn't the One who made the outside also make the inside?
41 So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.
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Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then your lives will be clean, not just your dishes and your hands.
42 “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
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"I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but manage to find loopholes for getting around basic matters of justice and God's love. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required.
43 “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces.
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"You're hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You love sitting at the head table at church dinners, love preening yourselves in the radiance of public flattery.
44 Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.”
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Frauds! You're just like unmarked graves: People walk over that nice, grassy surface, never suspecting the rot and corruption that is six feet under."
45 “Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.”
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One of the religion scholars spoke up: "Teacher, do you realize that in saying these things you're insulting us?"
46 “Yes,” said Jesus, “what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden.
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He said, "Yes, and I can be even more explicit. You're hopeless, you religion scholars! You load people down with rules and regulations, nearly breaking their backs, but never lift even a finger to help.
47 What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago.
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"You're hopeless! You build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed.
48 But in fact, you stand as witnesses who agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you join in their crime by building the monuments!
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The tombs you build are monuments to your murdering ancestors more than to the murdered prophets.
49 This is what God in his wisdom said about you: ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them, but they will kill some and persecute the others.’
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That accounts for God's Wisdom saying, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, but they'll kill them and run them off.'
50 “As a result, this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all God’s prophets from the creation of the world—
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What it means is that every drop of righteous blood ever spilled from the time earth began until now,.
51 from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will certainly be charged against this generation.
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from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was struck down between altar and sanctuary, is on your heads. Yes, it's on the bill of this generation and this generation will pay.
52 “What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”
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"You're hopeless, you religion scholars! You took the key of knowledge, but instead of unlocking doors, you locked them. You won't go in yourself, and won't let anyone else in either."
53 As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions.
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As soon as Jesus left the table, the religion scholars and Pharisees went into a rage. They went over and over everything he said,
54 They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him.
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plotting how they could trap him in something from his own mouth.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.