^7:7“Ask⁹ and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door¹⁰ will be opened for you. ^7:8For everyone who asks¹¹ receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ^7:9Is¹² there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ^7:10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?¹³^7:11If you then, although you are evil,¹⁴ know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts¹⁵ to those who ask him!

Read in Logos

Footnotes

9 The three present imperatives in this verse (Ask … seek … knock) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.
10 Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation here and in v. 8 for clarity.
11 The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 7 with the encouragement that God does respond.
12 Grk “Or is there.”
13 The two questions of vv. 9–10 expect the answer, “No parent would do this!”
14 The participle ὄντες (ontes) has been translated concessively.
15 The provision of the good gifts is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. The teaching as a whole stresses not that we get everything we want, but that God gives the good that we need.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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 good gifts to those who ask him!

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.

NLTNew Living Translation

“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. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? 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 good gifts to those who ask him.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you, if his son will ask him for bread, will give him a stone? Or also if he will ask for a fish, will give him a snake? Therefore if you, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?

KJV 1900King James Version

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Public Domain