Luke 11:14–23

Jesus and Beelzebul

11:14,15,17–22,24–26pp—Mt 12:22,24–29,43–45 11:17–22pp—Mk 3:23–27

¹⁴Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.^{k 15}But some of them said, “By Beelzebul,^l the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”^{m 16}Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.ⁿ

¹⁷Jesus knew their thoughts^o and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. ¹⁸If Satan^p is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁰But if I drive out demons by the finger of God,^q then the kingdom of God^r has come upon you.

²¹“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. ²²But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

²³“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.^s