RLDS Chapter Context

Intro: The Lord's prayer -- The state of one to whom an evil spirit returns -- The key of knowledge.

1 And it came to pass, as Jesus was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done as in heaven, so in earth.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one who is indebted to us. And let us not be led unto temptation; but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom and power. Amen.

5 And he said unto them, Your heavenly Father will not fail to give unto you whatsoever ye ask of him. And he spake a parable, saying,

6 Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

7 For a friend of mine has come to me in his journey, and I have nothing to set before him;

8 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

9 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity, he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

10 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

11 For every one who asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

12 If a son shall ask bread of any of you who is a father, will he give him a stone? or, if a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

13 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

14 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give good gifts, through the Holy Spirit, to them who ask him.

15 And he was casting a devil out of a man, and he was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.

16 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils.

17 And others tempting, sought of him a sign from heaven.

18 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided cannot stand, but falleth.

19 If Satan also be divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this, because you say I cast out devils through Beelzebub.

20 And if I, by Beelzebub, cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast out devils? Therefore shall they be your judges.

21 But if I, with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God has come upon you.

22 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace;

23 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted and divideth his goods.

24 He that is not with me, is against me; and he who gathereth not with me, scattereth.

25 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, it walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, it saith, I will return unto mine house whence I came out.

26 And when it cometh, it findeth the house swept and garnished.

27 Then goeth the evil spirit, and taketh seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in, and dwell there; and the last end of that man is worse than the first.

28 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company, lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb which bare thee, and the paps which thou has sucked.

29 And he said, Yea, and blessed are all they who hear the word of God, and keep it.

30 When the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation; they seek a sign, and there shall no sign be given them, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

31 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so also shall the Son of Man be to this generation.

32 The queen of the south shall rise up in the day of judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them; for she came from the utmost parts of the earth, to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

33 The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the day of judgment with this generation; and shall condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

34 No man when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they who come in may see the light.

35 The light of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

36 Take heed therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

37 If thy whole body therefore is full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle lighteneth a room and doth give the light in all the room.

38 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him; and he went in, and sat down to meat.

39 And when the Pharisee saw him, he marveled that he had not first washed before dinner.

40 And the Lord said unto him; Now do you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

41 O fools, did not he who made that which is without, make that which is within also?

42 But if ye would rather give alms of such things as ye have; and observe to do all things which I have commanded you, then would your inward parts be clean also.

43 But I say unto you, Woe be unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint, and rue, and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment, and the love of God; These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

44 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for you love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

45 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are as graves which appear not, and the men who walk over are not aware of them.

46 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying, thou reproachest us also.

47 And he said, Woe unto you, lawyers, also! For ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.

48 Woe unto you! For you build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

49 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchers.

50 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets, and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute;

51 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the temple.

52 Verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

53 Woe unto you, lawyers! For ye have taken away the key of knowledge, the fullness of the scriptures; ye enter not in yourselves into the kingdom; and those who were entering in, ye hindered.

54 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and Pharisees began to be angry, and to urge vehemently, endeavoring to provoke him to speak of many things;

55 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.