Under 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, “^aBeware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 ^aBut 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 ¹whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon ^athe housetops.

4 “I say to you, ^aMy friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will ¹warn you whom to fear: ^afear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into ^2bhell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6 Are not ^afive sparrows sold for two ¹cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 ^aIndeed, 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 ^aconfesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9 but ^ahe who denies Me before men will be denied ^bbefore the angels of God. 10 ^aAnd everyone who ¹speaks 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. 11 When they bring you before ^athe synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not ^bworry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12 for ^athe Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

13 Someone ¹in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “^aMan, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then He said to them, “^aBeware, 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.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then 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. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, ^ayou have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘^aYou fool! This very night ^1byour soul is required of you; and ^cnow who will own what you have prepared?’ 21 So is the man who ^astores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

22 And He said to His disciples, “^aFor this reason I say to you, ¹do not worry about your ²life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ^aravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor ^bbarn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add a single ^1ahour to his ²life’s span? 26 If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even ^aSolomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 But 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? ^aYou men of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not ^akeep worrying. 30 For ¹all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek His kingdom, and ^athese things will be added to you. 32 ^aDo not be afraid, ^blittle flock, for ^cyour Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

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

35 “^1aBe dressed in ^breadiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36 Be 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. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find ^aon the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that ^bhe will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38 ^aWhether he comes in the ¹second watch, or even in the ²third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

39 “^aBut ¹be 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 ^2bbroken into. 40 ^aYou too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not ¹expect.”

41 Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or ^ato everyone else as well?” 42 And ^athe Lord said, “^bWho then is the faithful and sensible ^csteward, whom his master will put in charge of his ¹servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that ^aslave whom his ¹master 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 ¹will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46 the 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. 47 And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will ^areceive many lashes, 48 but the one who did not ^aknow it, and committed deeds worthy of ¹a flogging, will receive but few. ^bFrom everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

49 “I ¹have come to cast fire upon the earth; and ²how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a ^abaptism to ¹undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51 ^aDo you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, 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, ^afather 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, “^aWhen you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. 55 And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a ^ahot day,’ and it turns out that way. 56 You hypocrites! ^aYou know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but ¹why do you not analyze this present time?

57 “And ^awhy do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? 58 For ^awhile you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to ¹settle 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. 59 I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last ^1acent.”

In the meantime, after so many thousands of the people had gathered that they were stepping on one another, Jesus began speaking first of all to His disciples, “^aBe continually on your guard against the ¹leaven of the Pharisees that is, their pervasive, corrupting influence and teaching, which is hypocrisy producing self-righteousness. 2 ^aBut there is nothing so carefully concealed that it will not be revealed, nor so hidden that it will not be made known. Matt 10:26-33; Mark 4:22 3 For that reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on ^athe housetops.

4 “I say to you, ^aMy 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 point out to you whom you should fear: ^afear the One who, after He has killed, has authority and power to hurl you into ^1bhell; yes, I say to you, stand in great awe of God and fear Him! 6 Are not ^afive sparrows sold for two ¹copper coins? Yet not one of them has ever been forgotten in the presence of God. 7 ^aIndeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are far more valuable than many sparrows.

8 “I say to you, whoever ^adeclares openly and confesses Me before men speaking freely of Me as his Lord, the Son of Man also will declare openly and confess him as one of His own before the angels of God. 9 But ^ahe who denies Me before men will be denied ^bin the presence of the angels of God. 10 ^aAnd everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who ¹blasphemes against the Holy Spirit that is, whoever intentionally discredits the Holy Spirit by attributing the authenticating miracles done by Me to Satan, it will not be forgiven him for him there is no forgiveness. Matt 12:31; Mark 3:28-30 11 When they bring you before ^athe synagogues and the magistrates and the authorities, do not be ^bworried about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; 12 for ^athe Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

13 Someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “^aMan, who appointed Me a judge or an arbitrator over the two of you?” 15 Then He said to them, “^aWatch out and guard yourselves against every form of greed; for not even when one has an overflowing abundance does his life consist of nor is it derived from his possessions.”

16 Then He told them a parable, saying, “There was a rich man whose land was very fertile and productive. 17 And he began thinking to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place large enough in which to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my storehouses and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, ^ayou have many good things stored up, enough for many years; rest and relax, eat, drink and be merry (celebrate continually) .”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘^aYou fool! This very night ^byour soul is required of you; and now who will own ^call the things you have prepared?’ Job 27:8; Jer 17:11 21 So it is for the one who continues ^ato store up and hoard possessions for himself, and is not rich in his relationship toward God.”

22 Jesus said to His disciples, “^aFor this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; or about your body, as to what you will wear. Matt 6:25-33 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ^aravens, for they neither sow seed nor reap the crop; they have no storehouse or ^bbarn, and yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add one ^ahour to his life’s span? 26 So if you are not even able to do a very little thing such as that, why are you worried about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies and wildflowers, how they grow in the open field. They neither labor nor spin wool to make clothing; yet I tell you, not even ^aSolomon in all his glory and splendor dressed himself like one of these. 1+@Kin 10:4-7 28 But if this is how God clothes the grass which is in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? ^aYou of little faith! 29 So as for you, do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink; nor have an anxious and ^aunsettled mind. 30 For all the pagan nations of the world greedily seek these things; and your heavenly Father already knows that you need them. 31 But strive for and actively seek His kingdom, and ^athese things will be given to you as well. 32 ^aDo not be afraid and anxious, ^blittle flock, for it is ^cyour Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

33 ^a“Sell your possessions (show compassion) and give donations to the poor. Provide money belts for yourselves that do not wear out, ^ban unfailing and inexhaustible treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For ^awhere your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

35 “^aBe dressed and ready for active service, and keep your ^blamps continuously burning. 36 Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that when he comes and knocks they may immediately open the door for him. 37 Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) are those servants whom the master finds ^aawake and watching when he arrives. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, ^bhe will prepare himself to serve, and will have them recline at the table, and will come and wait on them. 38 ^aWhether he comes in the second watch (before midnight) , or even in the third (after midnight) , and finds them so prepared and ready, blessed are those servants.

39 ^a“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time the thief was coming, he would have been awake and alert, and would not have allowed his house to be ^bbroken into. Matt 24:43, 44 40 ^aYou too, be continually ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

41 Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us disciples, or ^ato everyone else as well?”

42 ^aThe Lord said, “^bWho then is the faithful and wise ^csteward of the estate, whom his master will put in charge over his household, to give his servants their portion of food at the proper time? Matt 24:45-51 43 Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is that ^aservant whom his master finds so doing when he arrives. 44 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is taking his time in coming,’ and begins to beat the 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 does not know, and will ¹cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and yet did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will ^abe beaten with many lashes of the whip, 48 but the one who did not ^aknow it and did things worthy of a beating, will receive only a few lashes. ^bFrom everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. Num 15:29, 30; Deut 25:2, 3

49 “I have come to cast fire (judgment) on the earth; and how I wish that it were already kindled! 50 I have a ^abaptism of great suffering with which to be baptized, and how greatly I am distressed until it is accomplished! 51 ^aDo you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division between believers and unbelievers; Matt 10:34-36 52 for from now on five in one household will be divided over Me, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, ^afather 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.” Mic 7:6

54 He also said to the crowds, “^aWhen you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain,’ and that is how it turns out. 55 And when you see that a south wind is blowing, you say, ‘It will be a ^ahot day,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders) ! ^aYou know how to analyze and intelligently interpret the appearance of the earth and sky to forecast the weather, but why do you not intelligently interpret this present time?

57 “And ^awhy do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? 58 For ^awhile you are going with your opponent at law to appear before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle, so that he does not drag you before the judge, and the judge does not rule against you and turn you over to the officer, and the officer does not throw you into prison. Matt 5:25, 26 59 I say to you, you absolutely will not get out of there until you have paid the very last ^1acent.”