Luke 11:14–36

A House Divided

¹⁴Now ^sHe was driving out a demon ^tthat was mute. ^uvWhen 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, ^wthe ruler ^xof the demons!” ^y16And others, as a test, ^zwere demanding of Him a sign ^afrom heaven.

¹⁷Knowing their thoughts, ^bHe told them: “Every kingdom divided ^cagainst itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. ¹⁸If Satan ^dalso is divided against himself, how will his kingdom ^estand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons ^fgdrive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. ²⁰If I drive out demons by the finger of God, ^hthen the kingdom of God ⁱhas come to you. ²¹When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure. ^j22But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers ^khim, he takes from him all his weapons ^lmhe trusted ⁿin, and divides up his plunder. ^o23Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, ^pand anyone who does not gather with Me scatters.

An Unclean Spirit’s Return

²⁴“When ^qan ^•unclean spirit ^rcomes out of a man, it roams through waterless places looking for rest, ^sand not finding rest, it then ^tsays, ‘I’ll go back to my house where I came from.’ ²⁵And returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. ²⁶Then it goes and brings seven other spirits ^umore evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that man’s last condition is worse than the first.” ^v

True Blessedness

²⁷As He was saying these things, a woman from the crowd ^wraised her voice and said to Him, “The womb that bore You and the one who nursed You ^xare blessed!”

²⁸He said, “Even more, those who hear the word of God ^yand keep it ^zare blessed!”

The Sign of Jonah

²⁹As the crowds were increasing, He began saying: “This generation ^ais an evil generation. ^bIt demands a sign, ^cbut no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. ^de30For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the ^•Son of Man ^fwill be to this generation. ³¹The queen of the south ^gwill rise up at the judgment ^hwith the men of this generation and condemn ⁱthem, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, ^jand look—something greater than Solomon is here! ³²The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s proclamation, and look—something greater than Jonah is here!

The Lamp of the Body

³³“No ^kone lights a lamp ^land puts it in the cellar or under a basket, ^mbut on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see its light. ³⁴Your eye is the lamp of the body. ⁿWhen your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is bad, ^oyour 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.” ^p