^11:11What father among you, if your³¹ son asks for³² a fish, will give him a snake³³ instead of a fish? ^11:12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?³⁴^11:13If you then, although you are³⁵ evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit³⁶ to those who ask him!”

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Footnotes

31 Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun ( ).
32 Most (א A C D L W Θ Ψ f1, 13 33 𝔐 lat syc,p,h bo) have “bread, does not give him a stone instead, or” before “a fish”; the longer reading, however, looks like a harmonization to Matt 7:9. The shorter reading is thus preferred, attested by 𝔓45, 75 B 1241 sys sa.
33 The snake probably refers to a water snake.
34 The two questions of vv. 11–12 expect the answer, “No father would do this!”
35 The participle ὑπάρχοντες (huparchontes) has been translated as a concessive participle.
36 The provision of the Holy Spirit is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. Some apply it to the general provision of the Spirit, but this would seem to look only at one request in a context that speaks of repeated asking. The teaching as a whole stresses not that God gives everything his children want, but that God gives the good that they need. The parallel account in Matthew (7:11) refers to good things where Luke mentions the Holy Spirit.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

NLTNew Living Translation

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 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.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

But what father from among you, if his son will ask for a fish, instead of a fish will give him a snake? Or also, if he will ask for an egg, will give him a scorpion? Therefore if you, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

KJV 1900King James Version

If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

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