Luke 12

¹In the meantime , when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another , he began to say to his disciples first , Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees , which is hypocrisy .

²Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed , or hidden that will not be known .

³Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light , and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops .

⁴I tell you , my friends , do not fear those who kill the body , and after that have nothing more that they can do .

⁵But I will warn you whom to fear : fear him who, after he has killed , has authority to cast into hell . Yes , I tell you , fear him !

⁶Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies ? And not one of them is forgotten before God .

⁷Why , even the hairs of your head are all numbered . Fear not ; you are of more value than many sparrows .

⁸And I tell you , everyone who acknowledges me before men , the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God ,

⁹but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God .

¹⁰And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven , but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven .

¹¹And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities , do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say ,

¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say .

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

¹⁴But he said to him , Man , who made me a judge or arbitrator over you ?

¹⁵And he said to them , Take care , and be on your guard against all covetousness , for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions .

¹⁶And he told them a parable , saying , The land of a rich man produced plentifully ,

¹⁷and he thought to himself , What shall I do , for I have nowhere to store my crops ?

¹⁸And he said , I will do this : I will tear down my barns and build larger ones , and there I will store all my grain and my goods .

¹⁹And I will say to my soul , Soul , you have ample goods laid up for many years ; relax , eat , drink , be merry .

²⁰But God said to him , Fool ! This night your soul is required of you , and the things you have prepared , whose will they be ?

²¹So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God .

²²And he said to his disciples , Therefore I tell you , do not be anxious about your life , what you will eat , nor about your body , what you will put on .

²³For life is more than food , and the body more than clothing .

²⁴Consider the ravens : they neither sow nor reap , they have neither storehouse nor barn , and yet God feeds them . Of how much more value are you than the birds !

²⁵And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life ?

²⁶If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that , why are you anxious about the rest ?

²⁷Consider the lilies , how they grow : they neither toil nor spin , yet I tell you , even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these .

²⁸But if God so clothes the grass , which is alive in the field today , and tomorrow is thrown into the oven , how much more will he clothe you , O you of little faith !

²⁹And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink , nor be worried .

³⁰For all the nations of the world seek after these things , and your Father knows that you need them .

³¹Instead , seek his kingdom , and these things will be added to you .

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

³³Sell your possessions , and give to the needy . Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old , with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail , where no thief approaches and no moth destroys .

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

³⁵Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning ,

³⁶and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast , so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks .

³⁷Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes . Truly , I say to you , he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table , and he will come and serve them .

³⁸If he comes in the second watch , or in the third , and finds them awake , blessed are those servants !

³⁹But know this , that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming , he would not have left his house to be broken into .

⁴⁰You also must be ready , for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect .

⁴¹Peter said , Lord , are you telling this parable for us or for all ?

⁴²And the Lord said , Who then is the faithful and wise manager , whom his master will set over his household , to give them their portion of food at the proper time ?

⁴³Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes .

⁴⁴Truly , I say to you , he will set him over all his possessions .

⁴⁵But if that servant says to himself , My master is delayed in coming , and begins to beat the male and female servants , and to eat and drink and get drunk ,

⁴⁶the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know , and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful .

⁴⁷And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will , will receive a severe beating .

⁴⁸But the one who did not know , and did what deserved a beating , will receive a light beating . Everyone to whom much was given , of him much will be required , and from him to whom they entrusted much , they will demand the more .

⁴⁹I came to cast fire on the earth , and would that it were already kindled !

⁵⁰I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished !

⁵¹Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth ? No , I tell you , but rather division .

⁵²For from now on in one house there will be five divided , three against two and two against three .

⁵³They will be divided , father against son and son against father , mother against daughter and daughter against mother , mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law .

⁵⁴He also said to the crowds , When you see a cloud rising in the west , you say at once , A shower is coming . And so it happens .

⁵⁵And when you see the south wind blowing , you say , There will be scorching heat , and it happens .

⁵⁶You hypocrites ! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky , but why do you not know how to interpret the present time ?

⁵⁷And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right ?

⁵⁸As you go with your accuser before the magistrate , make an effort to settle with him on the way , lest he drag you to the judge , and the judge hand you over to the officer , and the officer put you in prison .

⁵⁹I tell you , you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny .