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Mark 13:11
ESV And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
NIV Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
NASB And when they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you at that time; for you are not the ones speaking, but it is the Holy Spirit.
CSB So when they arrest you and hand you over, don't worry beforehand what you will say, but say whatever is given to you at that time, for it isn't you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
NLT But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
KJV But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

What does Mark 13:11 mean?

Luke 21:14–15 words this a little differently: "Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.". Jesus basically says not to try to figure out beforehand how to make a defense before these kings and governors. The Holy Spirit will give such a defense that adversaries will not be able to contradict it. Of course this doesn't mean we won't face persecution, just that the persecution won't be justified.

The equipping of the Holy Spirit acts as a witness to others of the reality of Christ. When Stephen was first confronted before his arrest, his enemies "could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking" (Acts 6:10). When Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin and gave their testimonies, the council had a hard time believing such "uneducated, common men" could speak so boldly; "and they recognized [the men] had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). It is this God-sent power that equipped the prophets (Hebrews 1:1), and although we do not have new revelation to express, as the Old Testament prophets did, we can still rely on the Holy Spirit to help us spread the good news of Jesus.

Nor does this mean we shouldn't prepare our knowledge at all (1 Peter 3:15), only that we don't need to obsess about those particular moments. Being confident in the Holy Spirit doesn't mean being carelessly unprepared. The apostles prayed for boldness in the first days of the church, that they would be able to evangelize despite the threats (Acts 4:29–31). Paul, despite his natural forceful personality, asked for prayer that he would continue to be bold and not afraid (Ephesians 6:19–20). The prayers worked, and Paul was even able to give his defense under heavy persecution (2 Timothy 4:17).

One of the major themes of Mark 13 is that we need to watch in order to be prepared. Not that we have all the details worked out, but that our hearts are ready for whatever challenges we will face, whether that be false teachers (Mark 13:5–6), natural disasters (Mark 13:8), or the chance to share the gospel before we're executed.
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