Luke 12

¹During these times, when the myriads of the crowd had gathered together so that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

²But there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be known.

³Therefore what you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken into the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

⁴And I say to you, my friends: Do not fear those who kill the body and after these things have nothing more to do.

⁵But I will show you whom to fear: fear the one who, after killing, has authority to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear this one.

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

⁷But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not therefore fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.

⁸And I say to you: everyone who confesses me before men, the Son of Man also will confess him 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, it will be forgiven him; 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 or what you should say in your defense, or what you should say.

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

¹³Then someone from the crowd said to him: Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.

¹⁴But he said to him: Man, who appointed me a judge or arbiter over you?

¹⁵Then he said to them: Watch yourselves and guard against all greed, for a person's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

¹⁶Then he told them a parable, saying: The land of a certain rich man produced abundantly.

¹⁷And he was reasoning within himself, saying: What shall I do, for I have nowhere 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, you have many goods laid up for many years; rest, eat, drink, be merry.

²⁰But God said to him: Fool! This very night your life is being demanded from 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.

²²Then he said to his disciples: Therefore I say to you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor 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, they have no storehouse or barn, and yet God feeds them. How much more are you worth 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 even the least thing, why are you anxious 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 arrayed like one of these.

²⁸But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive 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, and do not be anxiously unsettled.

³⁰For all the nations of the world eagerly seek all these things; but your Father knows that you need them.

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

³²Do not fear, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

³³Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make yourselves purses that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in the heavens, where no thief draws near and no moth destroys.

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

³⁵Let your waists be girded and your lamps burning,

³⁶and you yourselves like people waiting for their master when he will return from the wedding feast, so that when he comes and knocks they may immediately open to him.

³⁷Blessed are those servants whom the master will find watchful when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them recline at table, and coming to serve he will wait on them.

³⁸Whether he comes in the second watch or in the third, and finds them so — blessed are those servants!

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

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

⁴¹Then Peter said to him: Lord, are you speaking this parable for us, or for everyone?

⁴²The Lord said: Who then is the faithful and wise steward whom the master will set over his household, to give them their food allowance at the proper time?

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

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

⁴⁵But if that servant should say in his heart: My master is delayed in coming, and should begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, 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 assign him his portion with the unfaithful.

⁴⁷And that servant who knew his master's will and did not prepare or act according to his will shall be beaten with many blows.

⁴⁸But the one who did not know, and did things worthy of blows, will receive few blows. Everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required of him; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, they will ask even more.

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

⁵⁰But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am distressed until it is accomplished!

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

⁵²For from now on there will be five in one house 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 her mother-in-law.

⁵⁴He also said to the crowds: When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say: A rainstorm is coming — and so it happens.

⁵⁵And when a south wind is blowing, you say: There will be scorching heat — and so it happens.

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

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

⁵⁸For as you are going with your adversary before a magistrate, make an effort on the way to settle with him, lest he drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

⁵⁹I tell you, you will certainly not come out from there until you have paid even the last lepton.