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Luke 12

Jesus tells the people to be careful how they live

12 While all this was happening, many thousands of people had come together near that place. The crowd was so big that people were almost walking over each other. Jesus began to talk first to his disciples. He said, ‘Be careful! Do not accept the yeast of the Pharisees. [ a ] Do not be hypocrites like they are.

2 Some people hide the things that they do. But there will be a time when other people will see those things clearly. Everyone will know all their secrets. 3 You may have said things secretly, in the dark of the night. But one day, people will hear those things in the light of day. You may have said things quietly into someone's ear, behind a door that you have shut. But one day, people will shout out those secrets loudly from the tops of the houses.

4 You are my friends, so I tell you this: do not be afraid of those people who can kill only your body. After that, they can do nothing worse to you. 5 But I tell you, it is God that you should be afraid of. He has the power to kill people and then to throw them into hell. Yes, I am telling you, be very afraid of him.

6 Think about this. People sell five birds for two small coins. But each little bird is valuable to God. He knows about them all and takes care of them. 7 God even knows how many hairs there are on your head. So do not be afraid of those people who are against you. You are more valuable to God than many little birds.

8 I tell you this. You should say clearly to other people, “I believe in Jesus.” If you do this, I, the Son of Man, will say to the angels of God, “This is someone who is my disciple.” 9 But if you say to other people, “I do not believe in Jesus,” I will say to the angels of God, “I do not know this person. He is not one of my disciples.”

10 Somebody may speak against me, the Son of Man, and God will forgive him. But if somebody says bad things against the Holy Spirit, God will not forgive that person. [ b ]

11 People will take you into their meeting places. They will make you stand in front of rulers and other people that have authority. They will want to show that you have done bad things. But do not be afraid of them. Do not worry about what you should say. 12 At that time, the Holy Spirit will teach you. He will tell you what words you should say.’

A story about a rich fool

13 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, I have a problem with my brother. Our father has died. Tell my brother to give me my part of the things that our father left us.’ [ c ]

14 Jesus replied, ‘It is not my job to say which of you is right or wrong. And it is not my job to say how much each of you should have.’ 15 Then he said to all the people, ‘Be very careful! Do not want more things than you really need. A person's life is worth more than the things that he has, even if he is very rich.’

16 Jesus then told them a story: ‘A man had some very good ground, where he planted seeds. The plants grew very well. When they became ripe, he had much more than he planted. 17 He thought about how much he would soon have. “I have nowhere to store all the food from my plants,” he said to himself. 18 But then he decided what to do. He thought, “I will pull down the building where I now store my food. Then I will build a bigger place to store it all, as well as everything else that is mine. 19 Then I will say to myself, ‘You have plenty of things stored safely. These will be enough for you for many years. Now you can live an easy life. Eat and drink as much as you want. Enjoy yourself.’ ”

20 But then God said to the man, “You are a fool! Tonight you will die. You will have to leave everything behind that you have stored. Somebody else will have them, but you will not!” ’

21 Then Jesus said, ‘Some people think only about having many things for themselves. This story shows how those people live. But God says about them, “They have nothing of value at all.” ’

Do not have troubles in your mind

22 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you this: You should not worry about how to stay alive. Do not worry about the food that you need to stay alive. Do not worry about the clothes that you need to wear. 23 Your life is more important than the food that you eat. Your body is more important than your clothes.

24 Think about the birds. They do not plant seeds in the ground. They do not cut down plants to eat. They have no buildings to store food. But God gives them food to eat. You are much more valuable than the birds. 25 Even if you always worry about your life, you cannot make it as much as one hour longer! 26 No, you cannot even do a small thing like that. So, if you are always worrying about the things that you need, will that really help you?

27 Think about how the wild flowers grow. They do not do work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you this about them: Even one wild flower is more beautiful than King Solomon was. And King Solomon wore the most beautiful clothes. 28 It is God that gives beautiful clothes even to the grass. One day the grass is growing in the field, but the next day people will cut it and burn it. [ d ] God will certainly take care of you, much more than he takes care of the grass. You should trust him more than you do!

29 Do not always be thinking about the food and drink that you need. Do not worry about things like that. 30 People who do not know God are always trying to get these things. But as for you, your Father God knows that you need them. 31 Instead, always think about the things that are important in the kingdom of God. Then God will also give you the things that you need each day.

32 You are only a small group of people, but do not be afraid. Your Father God has given his kingdom to you. He is happy to do that. 33 So sell what you have and give the money to poor people. Then you will have valuable things in heaven. That is like keeping your money in a bag that will never have any holes in it. There, the value of your things will never become less. There, nobody can take them from you. Insects cannot destroy them. 34 If you do that, you will be thinking a lot about heaven. That is where you will have stored your valuable things.’

Be ready for Jesus to return

35 Jesus said, ‘Always be ready for my return. Be like people that are ready to start work at any time. They have put on their clothes so that they are ready for work. [ e ] And they have lit their lamps. 36 You must be like servants that are waiting for their master to arrive. When he returns home from the marriage party, he will knock on the door. His servants should be ready to open it for him immediately. 37 Those servants will be very happy if their master finds them awake. I tell you this: The master will dress himself to give them food. He will say to them, “Sit at the table. I will come to serve you.”

38 The master may arrive in the middle of the night. He may even arrive just before the sun rises. But, if the master finds them awake and ready, the servants will be happy.

39 You can be sure about this. The master of a house does not know when a man might come to rob him. If he knew the time, he would keep awake. He would not let the robber come into his house and take away his things.

40 You also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at a time when you are not thinking about it.’ [ f ]

Be a good servant

41 Peter asked Jesus, ‘Master, are you only telling this story to us, your disciples? Or is this story for everyone to hear?’

42 Jesus replied, ‘Be a wise servant. Be someone that the master can trust. The master will choose a man like that. He will say to him, “I want you to rule my house and the other servants. Give them the food that they need at the right time.” 43 That servant will be very happy when his master comes home. His master will see that he has done everything well. 44 Let me tell you what will happen. The master will give that servant authority to rule over everything in his house. 45 But another servant might say to himself, “My master is very late. He will not come yet.” Then he begins to hit the other servants, both the men and the women. He eats too much, and he drinks too much. He even becomes drunk. 46 Then the master of that servant will come home and he will surprise the servant. He did not think that his master would come home on that day or at that time. Then the master will punish that servant a lot. He will put the servant with those people that do not obey him.

47 A servant may know what his master wants him to do. Then he should prepare himself and do that. If he does not, his master will punish him very much. He will hit him a lot. 48 But another servant perhaps does not know what his master wants him to do. So he does wrong things. The master will punish him because he did those wrong things. But he will not hit him as much. If God gives a lot to somebody, he will want a lot back in return. And God will want much more from the person to whom he has given authority over much more.

49 I came to start a fire on earth. I would be happy if that fire were already burning. 50 I have a baptism of pain to receive. I cannot rest until this has happened. [ g ]

51 I did not come into the world so that everyone will agree with each other. No, I tell you. I came to put people against one another. 52 From now on, because of me, five people in a family will be against each other. Two people will be against the other three. Three of them will be against the other two. 53 They will not agree together. The father will be against his son and the son will be against his father. The mother will be against her daughter and the daughter will be against her mother. The mother will be against her son's wife. And the son's wife will be against her husband's mother.’ [ h ]

54 Then Jesus said to the crowd, ‘If you see a cloud that is rising in the west, immediately you say, “It will rain.” And the rain does come. 55 Sometimes you see that the south wind is blowing. So you say, “It will be very hot weather.” And the hot weather does come. 56 You are hypocrites! You look at the earth and the sky, and you know what weather will come. So look at the special things that are happening near you now. They show you what will soon happen. But you do not understand what they are showing you. Why not? [ i ]

57 You should know what is right. And you should do it. 58 This may happen to you: Someone says, “You have done something wrong against me.” So he takes hold of you to go to the judge. [ j ] Before you arrive at the office of the judge, try to agree with this man how to make things right again. If you do not agree together about the problem, it may be bad for you. The judge will give you to his officer. The officer will put you in prison. 59 I tell you. You will remain in prison until you have paid all the money, even the last small coin.’ [ k ]

Footnotes

  1. 12:1 People put yeast and water into flour to make bread. The yeast grows in the bread and this causes the bread to rise. A little bit of yeast causes a whole loaf to rise. People copied what the Pharisees did. So it was like yeast that was growing. One bad person can cause many other people to do wrong things.
  2. 12:10 Jesus will forgive people that speak against him. They must say that they are sorry. And they must stop speaking in that way. The Holy Spirit shows them that they have spoken badly about Jesus. But some people will not listen to the Holy Spirit and they will speak against him. There is no way for God to forgive those people.
  3. 12:13 When a man died, the older son received twice as much as his younger brother. People were often not happy with this. The ruler in the meeting place sometimes talked with people to decide what was right. It was not right for Jesus to do this.
  4. 12:28 People burned dry grass and wild flowers to cook food.
  5. 12:35 In those days, everybody wore long clothes. To be ready to work, they pulled up the lowest part of their skirt. They then fixed it to their belt, so that they could move easily.
  6. 12:40 A robber takes things from someone, when that person is not watching. Jesus is telling those that obey him to be ready for his return. Nobody knows when that will be.
  7. 12:50 Jesus is using pictures to tell them about future events. The fire means the time when God will judge bad people. The baptism means the pain that Jesus will have. A time will soon come when he feels much pain. He will have this pain when he dies. It will be like going under the water in baptism.
  8. 12:53 Some people in a family will obey God. Some will not. Some people will not like those that obey Jesus.
  9. 12:56 The things that were happening were showing something. They showed that Jesus was the Messiah. He would soon die.
  10. 12:58 A judge listens to what people say against each other. He then decides who is right or wrong.
  11. 12:59 Jesus is telling the people that everyone is in debt to God. They do not obey him as they should. Jesus says that we should agree with God now. And we should do something about our debt. If we do not, God will be our judge. He will punish us when we stand in front of him.

Don’t Be Like the Pharisees

12 Many thousands of people came together. There were so many people that they were stepping on each other. Before Jesus spoke to the people, he said to his followers, “Be careful of the yeast of the Pharisees. I mean that they are hypocrites. 2 Everything that is hidden will be shown, and everything that is secret will be made known. 3 What you say in the dark will be told in the light. And what you whisper in a private room will be shouted from the top of the house.”

Fear Only God ( A )

4 Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of people. They can kill the body, but after that they can do nothing more to hurt you. 5 I will show you the one to fear. You should fear God, who has the power to kill you and also to throw you into hell. Yes, he is the one you should fear.

6 “When birds are sold, five small birds cost only two pennies. But God does not forget any of them. 7 Yes, God even knows how many hairs you have on your head. Don’t be afraid. You are worth much more than many birds.

Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Faith ( B )

8 “I tell you, if you stand before others and are willing to say you believe in me, then I [ a ] will say that you belong to me. I will say this in the presence of God’s angels. 9 But if you stand before others and say you do not believe in me, then I will say that you do not belong to me. I will say this in the presence of God’s angels.

10 “Whoever says something against the Son of Man can be forgiven. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

11 “When men bring you into the synagogues before the leaders and other important men, don’t worry about what you will say. 12 The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

Jesus Warns Against Selfishness

13 One of the men in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, our father just died and left some things for us. Tell my brother to share them with me.”

14 But Jesus said to him, “Who said I should be your judge or decide how to divide your father’s things between you two?” 15 Then Jesus said to them, “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. People do not get life from the many things they own.”

16 Then Jesus used this story: “There was a rich man who had some land. His land grew a very good crop of food. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What will I do? I have no place to keep all my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘I know what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger barns! I will put all my wheat and good things together in my new barns. 19 Then I can say to myself, I have many good things stored. I have saved enough for many years. Rest, eat, drink, and enjoy life!’

20 “But God said to that man, ‘Foolish man! Tonight you will die. So what about the things you prepared for yourself? Who will get those things now?’

21 “This is how it will be for anyone who saves things only for himself. To God that person is not rich.”

Put God’s Kingdom First ( C )

22 Jesus said to his followers, “So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat or what you will wear. 23 Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. 24 Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in houses or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than crows. 25 None of you can add any time to your life by worrying about it. 26 And if you can’t do the little things, why worry about the big things?

27 “Think about how the wildflowers grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. 28 If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think he will do for you? That’s just grass—one day it’s alive, and the next day someone throws it into a fire. But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely he will do much more for you. Your faith is so small!

29 “So don’t always think about what you will eat or what you will drink. Don’t worry about it. 30 That’s what all those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. But your Father knows that you need these things. 31 What you should be thinking about is God’s kingdom. Then he will give you all these other things you need.

Don’t Trust in Money

32 “Don’t fear, little flock. Your Father wants to share his kingdom with you. 33 Sell the things you have and give that money to those who need it. This is the only way you can keep your riches from being lost. You will be storing treasure in heaven that lasts forever. Thieves can’t steal that treasure, and moths can’t destroy it. 34 Your heart will be where your treasure is.

Always Be Ready ( D )

35 “Be ready! Be fully dressed and have your lights shining. 36 Be like servants who are waiting for their master to come home from a wedding party. The master comes and knocks, and the servants immediately open the door for him. 37 When their master sees that they are ready and waiting for him, it will be a great day for those servants. I can tell you without a doubt, the master will get himself ready to serve a meal and tell the servants to sit down. Then he will serve them. 38 Those servants might have to wait until midnight or later for their master. But they will be glad they did when he comes in and finds them still waiting.

39 “What would a homeowner do if he knew when a thief was coming? You know he would not let the thief break in. 40 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at a time when you don’t expect him!”

Who Is the Trusted Servant? ( E )

41 Peter said, “Lord, did you tell this story for us or for all people?”

42 The Lord said, “Who is the wise and trusted servant? The master trusts one servant to give the other servants their food at the right time. Who is the servant that the master trusts to do that work? 43 When the master comes and finds him doing the work he gave him, it will be a day of blessing for that servant! 44 I can tell you without a doubt, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns.

45 “But what will happen if that servant is evil and thinks his master will not come back soon? He will begin to beat the other servants, men and women. He will eat and drink until he has had too much. 46 Then the master will come when the servant is not ready, at a time when the servant is not expecting him. Then the master will punish that servant and send him away to be with the other people who don’t obey.

47 “That servant knew what his master wanted him to do. But he did not make himself ready or try to do what his master wanted. So that servant will be punished very much! 48 But what about the servant who does not know what his master wants? He also does things that deserve punishment. But he will get less punishment than the servant who knew what he should do. Whoever has been given much will be responsible for much. Much more will be expected from the one who has been given more.”

Following Jesus May Bring You Trouble ( F )

49 Jesus continued speaking: “I came to bring fire to the world. I wish it were already burning! 50 There is a kind of baptism [ b ] that I must suffer through. I feel very troubled until it is finished. 51 Do you think I came to give peace to the world? No, I came to divide the world! 52 From now on, a family of five will be divided, three against two, and two against three.

53 A father and son will be divided:
The son will turn against his father.
The father will turn against his son.
A mother and her daughter will be divided:
The daughter will turn against her mother.
The mother will turn against her daughter.
A mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law will be divided:
The daughter-in-law will turn against her mother-in-law.
The mother-in-law will turn against her daughter-in-law.”

Understanding the Times ( G )

54 Then Jesus said to the people, “When you see clouds growing bigger in the west, you say, ‘A rainstorm is coming.’ And soon it begins to rain. 55 When you feel the wind begin to blow from the south, you say, ‘It will be a hot day.’ And you are right. 56 You hypocrites! You can understand the weather. Why don’t you understand what is happening now?

Settle Your Problems ( H )

57 “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right? 58 Suppose someone is suing you, and you are both going to court. Try hard to settle it on the way. If you don’t settle it, you may have to go before the judge. And the judge will hand you over to the officer, who will throw you into jail. 59 I tell you, you will not get out of there until you have paid every cent you owe.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 12:8 I Literally, “the Son of Man” (Jesus).
  2. Luke 12:50 baptism This word, which usually means to be immersed in water, has a special meaning here—being covered or “buried” in troubles.

12 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:

9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:

12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?

42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

54 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.

55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.

56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.

God Knows and Cares

12 Under these circumstances, after [ a ] so many thousands of [ b ] people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all , “ ( A ) Beware of the [ c ] leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 ( B ) But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3 Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have [ d ] whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on ( C ) the housetops.

4 “Now I say to you, ( D ) My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: ( E ) fear the One who, after He has killed someone , has the power to throw that person into [ e ] ( F ) hell; yes, I tell you, fear [ f ] Him! 6 Are ( G ) five sparrows not sold for two [ g ] assaria? And yet not one of them has gone unnoticed in the sight of God. 7 ( H ) But even the hairs of your head are all counted. [ h ] Do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

8 “Now I say to you, everyone who ( I ) confesses Me before people, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God; 9 but ( J ) the one who denies Me before people will be denied ( K ) before the angels of God. 10 ( L ) And everyone who [ i ] speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. 11 Now when they bring you before ( M ) the synagogues and the officials and the authorities, do not ( N ) worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12 for ( O ) the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Greed Denounced

13 Now someone [ j ] in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “ [ k ] ( P ) You there—who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over the two of you?” 15 But He said to them, “ ( Q ) Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. 19 And I will say to [ l ] myself, “ ( R ) You have many goods stored up for many years to come ; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘ ( S ) You fool! This very night [ m ] ( T ) your soul is demanded of you; and ( U ) as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now ?’ 21 Such is the one who ( V ) stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.”

22 And He said to His disciples, “ ( W ) For this reason I tell you, [ n ] do not worry about your [ o ] life, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ( X ) ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor ( Y ) barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add a [ p ] ( Z ) day to his [ q ] life’s span? 26 Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor nor [ r ] spin; but I tell you, not even ( AA ) Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? ( AB ) You of little faith! 29 And do not [ s ] seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not ( AC ) keep worrying. 30 For [ t ] all these things are what the nations of the world [ u ] eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But [ v ] seek His kingdom, and ( AD ) these things will be [ w ] provided to you. 32 [ x ] ( AE ) Do not be afraid, ( AF ) little flock, because ( AG ) your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.

33 “ ( AH ) Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts that do not wear out, ( AI ) an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor does a moth destroy. 34 For ( AJ ) where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Be in Readiness

35 “ [ y ] ( AK ) Be prepared, and keep your ( AL ) lamps lit. 36 You are also to be like people who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door for him when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find ( AM ) on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that ( AN ) he will [ z ] prepare himself to serve , and have them recline at the table , and he will come up and serve them. 38 ( AO ) Whether he comes in the [ aa ] second watch, or even in the [ ab ] third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves .

39 “ ( AP ) But [ ac ] be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be ( AQ ) broken into. 40 ( AR ) You too, be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think He will .”

41 Peter said, “Lord, are You telling this parable to us, or ( AS ) to everyone else as well?” 42 And ( AT ) the Lord said, “ ( AU ) Who then is the faithful and sensible ( AV ) steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that ( AW ) slave whom his [ ad ] master finds so doing when he comes. 44 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will take a long time to come,’ and he begins to beat the other slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46 then the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, and will [ ae ] cut him in two, and assign [ af ] him a place with the unbelievers. 47 And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accordance with his will, will ( AX ) receive many blows, 48 but the one who did not ( AY ) know it , and committed acts deserving of [ ag ] a beating, will receive only a few blows. ( AZ ) From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

Christ Divides People

49 “I [ ah ] have come to cast fire upon the earth; and [ ai ] how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a ( BA ) baptism [ aj ] to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51 ( BB ) Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; 52 for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, ( BC ) father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

54 And He was also saying to the crowds, “ ( BD ) Whenever you see a cloud rising [ ak ] in the west, you immediately say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. 55 And whenever you feel a [ al ] south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a ( BE ) hot day ,’ and it turns out that way . 56 You hypocrites! ( BF ) You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you do not know how to analyze this present time?

57 “And ( BG ) why do you not even judge by yourselves what is right? 58 For ( BH ) when you are going with your accuser to appear before the magistrate, on the way, make an effort to [ am ] settle with him, so that he does not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you will not get out of there until you have paid up [ an ] the very last [ ao ] ( BI ) lepton.”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 12:1 Lit myriads
  2. Luke 12:1 Lit the crowd
  3. Luke 12:1 I.e., fermented dough
  4. Luke 12:3 Lit spoken to the ear
  5. Luke 12:5 Gr Gehenna
  6. Luke 12:5 Lit this one
  7. Luke 12:6 A Roman copper coin (singular assarion ), about 1/16 of a laborer’s daily wage
  8. Luke 12:7 Or Stop being afraid
  9. Luke 12:10 Lit will speak
  10. Luke 12:13 Lit from
  11. Luke 12:14 Lit Man, who
  12. Luke 12:19 Lit my soul, “Soul, you have...”
  13. Luke 12:20 Lit they are demanding your soul from you
  14. Luke 12:22 Or stop being worried
  15. Luke 12:22 Lit soul
  16. Luke 12:25 Lit cubit (about 18 in. or 45 cm)
  17. Luke 12:25 Or height
  18. Luke 12:27 I.e., spin thread for cloth
  19. Luke 12:29 Or keep seeking
  20. Luke 12:30 Or these things all the nations of the world
  21. Luke 12:30 Or wish for
  22. Luke 12:31 Or continually seek
  23. Luke 12:31 Or added to
  24. Luke 12:32 Or Stop being afraid
  25. Luke 12:35 Lit Have your waist belted
  26. Luke 12:37 Lit belt himself up
  27. Luke 12:38 I.e., 9 p.m. to midnight
  28. Luke 12:38 I.e., midnight to 3 a.m.
  29. Luke 12:39 Lit know
  30. Luke 12:43 Or lord
  31. Luke 12:46 Possibly referring to other extreme punishment
  32. Luke 12:46 Lit his part with
  33. Luke 12:48 Lit blows
  34. Luke 12:49 Or came
  35. Luke 12:49 Lit what do I wish if ...?
  36. Luke 12:50 Lit with which to be baptized
  37. Luke 12:54 I.e., from the Mediterranean
  38. Luke 12:55 I.e., from the desert
  39. Luke 12:58 Lit be rid of him
  40. Luke 12:59 Lit even the last
  41. Luke 12:59 The smallest Greek copper coin, about 1/128 of a laborer’s daily wage

Warnings and Encouragements ( A )

12 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be [ a ] on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ( B ) 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ( C ) 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

4 “I tell you, my friends, ( D ) do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. ( E ) 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ( F ) Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. ( G )

8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. ( H ) 9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned ( I ) before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man ( J ) will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ( K )

11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, ( L ) 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” ( M )

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” ( N )

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! ( O ) This very night your life will be demanded from you. ( P ) Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ ( Q )

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” ( R )

Do Not Worry ( S )

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. ( T ) And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life [ b ] ? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor ( U ) was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! ( V ) 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father ( W ) knows that you need them. ( X ) 31 But seek his kingdom, ( Y ) and these things will be given to you as well. ( Z )

32 “Do not be afraid, ( AA ) little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ( AB ) 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. ( AC ) Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven ( AD ) that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ( AE ) 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ( AF )

Watchfulness ( AG ) ( AH )

35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. ( AI ) Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ( AJ ) 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief ( AK ) was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, ( AL ) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

42 The Lord ( AM ) answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ( AN ) He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. ( AO ) 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. ( AP ) From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Not Peace but Division ( AQ )

49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism ( AR ) to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! ( AS ) 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” ( AT )

Interpreting the Times

54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. ( AU ) 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time? ( AV )

57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. ( AW ) 59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” ( AX )

Footnotes

  1. Luke 12:1 Or speak to his disciples, saying: “First of all, be
  2. Luke 12:25 Or single cubit to your height
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