Luke 12:1Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, " Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Luke 12:2"But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
Luke 12:3"Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.
Luke 12:4¶ "I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.
Luke 12:5"But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!
Luke 12:6"Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.
Luke 12:7"Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
Luke 12:8¶ "And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God;
Luke 12:9but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
Luke 12:10"And everyone who speaks 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.
Luke 12:11"When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say;
Luke 12:12for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."
Luke 12:13¶ Someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."
Luke 12:14But He said to him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?"
Luke 12:15Then He said to them, "Beware, 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."
Luke 12:16And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive.
Luke 12:17"And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?'
Luke 12:18"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.
Luke 12:19'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."'
Luke 12:20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'
Luke 12:21"So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Luke 12:22¶ And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.
Luke 12:23"For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
Luke 12:24"Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!
Luke 12:25"And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span?
Luke 12:26"If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?
Luke 12:27"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
Luke 12:28"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? You men of little faith!
Luke 12:29"And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.
Luke 12:30"For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things.
Luke 12:31"But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
Luke 12:32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
Luke 12:33¶ "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.
Luke 12:34"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 12:35¶ "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.
Luke 12:36"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.
Luke 12:37"Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.
Luke 12:38"Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
Luke 12:39¶ "But be 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 broken into.
Luke 12:40"You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."
Luke 12:41¶ Peter said, "Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?"
Luke 12:42And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?
Luke 12:43"Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
Luke 12:44"Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Luke 12:45"But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;
Luke 12:46the 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.
Luke 12:47"And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes,
Luke 12:48but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
Luke 12:49¶ "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!
Luke 12:50"But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!
Luke 12:51"Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;
Luke 12:52for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.
Luke 12:53"They will be divided, father 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."
Luke 12:54¶ And He was also saying to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it turns out.
Luke 12:55"And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be a hot day,' and it turns out that way.
Luke 12:56"You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?
Luke 12:57¶ "And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?
Luke 12:58"For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle 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.
Luke 12:59"I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent."