Luke 12

God Knows and Cares

1Under these circumstances, after 1so many thousands of 2people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “3Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 24But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have 5whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon 6the housetops.

4“I say to you, 7My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5But I will 8warn you whom to fear: 9fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into 1011hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6Are not 12five sparrows sold for two 13cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 714Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

8“And I say to you, everyone who 15confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9but 16he who denies Me before men will be denied 17before the angels of God. 1018And everyone who 19speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. 11When they bring you before 20the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not 21worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12for 22the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Covetousness Denounced

13Someone 23in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14But He said to him, “24Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15Then He said to them, “25Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: 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, 26you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20But God said to him, ‘27You fool! This very night 2829your soul is required of you; and 30now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21So is the man who 31stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

22And He said to His disciples, “32For this reason I say to you, 33do not worry about your 34life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24Consider the 35ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor 36barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25And which of you by worrying can add a single 3738hour to his 39life’s span? 26If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even 40Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28But 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? 41You men of little faith! 29And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not 42keep worrying. 30For 43all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31But seek His kingdom, and 44these things will be added to you. 3245Do not be afraid, 46little flock, for 47your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

33“48Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, 49an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34For 50where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Be in Readiness

35“5152Be dressed in 53readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find 54on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that 55he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 3856Whether he comes in the 57second watch, or even in the 58third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

39“59But 60be 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 6162broken into. 4063You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not 64expect.”

41Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or 65to everyone else as well?” 42And 66the Lord said, “67Who then is the faithful and sensible 68steward, whom his master will put in charge of his 69servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43Blessed is that 70slave whom his 71master finds so doing when he comes. 44Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master 72will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46the master of that slave 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 assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will 73receive many lashes, 48but the one who did not 74know it, and committed deeds worthy of 75a flogging, will receive but few. 76From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

Christ Divides Men

49“I 77have come to cast fire upon the earth; and 78how I wish it were already kindled! 50But I have a 79baptism to 80undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 5181Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53They will be divided, 82father 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.”

54And He was also saying to the crowds, “83When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. 55And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a 84hot day,’ and it turns out that way. 56You hypocrites! 85You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but 86why do you not analyze this present time?

57“And 87why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? 58For 88while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to 89settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last 9091cent.”