Luke 11:14–36

A HOUSE DIVIDED

¹⁴Nowⁱ he was driving out a demon^j that was mute.^k When the demon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. ¹⁵But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul,^l the ruler^m of the demons.”^{n 16}And others, as a test,^o were demanding of him a sign^p from heaven.

¹⁷Knowing their thoughts,^q he told them, “Every kingdom divided^r against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. ¹⁸If Satan^s also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom^t stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons^u drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. ²⁰If I drive out demons by the finger of God,^v then the kingdom of God^w has come upon you. ²¹When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure. ²²But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers^x him, he takes from him all his weapons^y he trusted^z in, and divides up his plunder.^{aa 23}Anyone who is not with me is against me,^ab and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.

AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT’S RETURN

²⁴“When^ac an unclean spirit^ad comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest,^ae and not finding rest, it then^B says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ ²⁵Returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. ²⁶Then it goes and brings seven other spirits^af more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.”^ag

TRUE BLESSEDNESS

²⁷As he was saying these things, a woman from the crowd^ah raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the one who nursed you!”^ai

²⁸He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God^aj and keep it.”^ak

THE SIGN OF JONAH

²⁹As the crowds were increasing, he began saying, “This generation^al is an evil generation.^am It demands a sign,^an but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.^{Cao 30}For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Man^ap will be to this generation. ³¹The queen of the south^aq will rise up at the judgment^ar with the men of this generation and condemn^as them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon,^at and look—something greater than Solomon is here. ³²The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s preaching, and look—something greater than Jonah is here.

THE LAMP OF THE BODY

³³“No^au one lights a lamp^av and puts it in the cellar or under a basket,^D but on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see its light. ³⁴Your eye is the lamp of the body.^aw When your eye is healthy, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is bad,^ax your body is also full of darkness. ³⁵Take care, then, that the light in you is not darkness. ³⁶If, therefore, your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be entirely illuminated, as when a lamp shines its light on you.”