Luke 12

¹Meanwhile, when the crowd had gathered in its thousands, so that they were trampling one another, he began to speak first to his disciples: “Guard yourselves against the yeast 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 darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered into an ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

⁴“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that can do nothing more. ⁵But I will show you whom to fear: fear the one who, after killing, has authority to throw you into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him! ⁶Aren't five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

⁸“I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before people, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before God's angels. ⁹But whoever denies me before people will be denied before God's angels. ¹⁰Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ¹¹When they bring you before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should say in your defense, or what you should say, ¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you must say.”

¹³Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴He said to him, “Man, who appointed me a judge or divider over you?” ¹⁵He said to them, “Watch out and guard yourselves against every kind of greed, because a person's life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” ¹⁶He told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced a good crop. ¹⁷He reasoned with himself, ‘What shall I do? I have nowhere to gather my crops.’ ¹⁸Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my storehouses and build larger ones, and gather all the grain and my goods there. ¹⁹I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods stored up for many years. Rest, eat, drink, and celebrate.”’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘Senseless man! This very night your soul is being demanded from you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’ ²¹So it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

²²He 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. ²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ²⁴Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, and they have neither storeroom nor storehouse, yet God feeds them. How much more you are worth than birds! ²⁵Which of you by worrying can add a cubit to the length of his life? ²⁶If you cannot do even the smallest thing, why worry about the rest? ²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these. ²⁸If God so clothes the grass that is in the field today and thrown into the oven tomorrow, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith! ²⁹Do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not be anxious. ³⁰For all the nations of the world seek these things, and your Father knows you need them. ³¹But seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

³²“Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³Sell your possessions and give alms. Make yourselves money bags that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be too.

³⁵“Keep your waists belted and your lamps burning, ³⁶and be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, so that when he comes and knocks they can open to him immediately. ³⁷Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will belt his waist, have them recline at the table, and come and serve them. ³⁸Even if he comes in the second or third watch and finds them so, blessed are they. ³⁹Know this: if the owner of the house knew at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰You too must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

⁴¹Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone too?” ⁴²The Lord said, “Who, then, is the faithful, sensible manager whom the master will put in charge of his household staff, to give them their food allowance at the proper time? ⁴³Blessed is that slave whom his master finds doing so when he comes. ⁴⁴Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master is taking a long time to come,’ and begins to beat the male and female slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk, ⁴⁶the master of that slave will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him in two and assign his portion with the unfaithful. ⁴⁷That slave who knew his master's will and did not prepare or act according to his will will receive many blows. ⁴⁸But the one who did not know and did things deserving blows will receive few. From everyone to whom much was given, much will be required, and from the one entrusted with much, they will demand more.

⁴⁹“I came to cast fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is completed! ⁵¹Do you think I came to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. ⁵²For from now on five in one house will be 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 immediately say, ‘A rainstorm is coming,’ and so it happens. ⁵⁵And when a south wind blows, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and sky. How is it that you do not know how to interpret this time? ⁵⁷And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸As you go with your accuser before a ruler, make an effort along the way to be released from him, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. ⁵⁹I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last small coin.”