Luke
Chapter 12
1 While a huge crowd was gathering and people were stepping on each other, he started to tell his disciples, “Be careful of the Pharisees’ yeast, which is their fake behavior.”
2 Everything hidden will be uncovered, and every secret will be known.
3 Whatever you have said in secret will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in private rooms will be shouted from the rooftops.
4 I tell you, my friends, don’t be scared of those who can kill the body but can’t do anything more after that.
5 But I will tell you who to be afraid of: Be afraid of the one who, after killing, has the power to throw you into hell; yes, I am telling you, be afraid of him.
6 Aren’t five sparrows sold for two small coins, and God doesn’t forget even one of them?
7 God knows the number of hairs on your head. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
8 I tell you, if anyone acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge them before God’s angels.
9 Whoever denies me before others will be denied before God’s angels.
10 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 When they take you to the synagogues, to leaders, and authorities, don’t worry about how you will defend yourselves or what to say.
12 The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
14 He said to him, “Person, who appointed me to be a judge or to split property between you?”
15 He told them, “Be careful and avoid greed: a person’s life is not about having a lot of possessions.”
16 He told them a story: A rich man’s land produced a lot of crops.
17 He thought to himself, “What should I do? I don’t have enough space to store my crops.”
18 He said, “I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my crops and possessions.”
19 I will tell myself, “You have plenty of things stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, and have fun.”
20 God said to him, “You fool, tonight your life will be taken from you. Then who will get what you have prepared?”
21 This is like someone who saves wealth for themselves but isn’t generous towards God.
22 He told his disciples, “That’s why I’m telling you not to worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.
23 Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than clothes.
24 Look at the ravens: they don’t plant or harvest; they have no storage or barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds?
25 Who among you can grow taller by worrying about it, even by a little bit?
26 If you can’t do even the smallest task, why worry about the rest?
27 Look at the flowers and how they grow: they don’t work hard or make cloth; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed as beautifully as one of these.
28 If God dresses the grass in the field today, which is thrown into the fire tomorrow, won’t he give you clothes, you who have little faith?
29 Don’t worry about what you will eat, drink, or be uncertain about.
30 All the countries in the world go after these things, and God knows you need them.
31 Instead, look for God’s kingdom, and all these things will be given to you.
32 Don’t be afraid, small group; because God is happy to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell what you own and give to the poor; make for yourselves money bags that do not wear out, a treasure in heaven that never fails, where no thief can come near and no moth destroys.
34 Where you keep what you value most, that’s where your heart will be too.
35 Be ready and keep your lamps lit.
36 Be like people waiting for their master to come back from a wedding, so when he arrives and knocks, they can open the door for him right away.
37 Happy are the servants who are found alert by God when he arrives; truly, I tell you, God will prepare himself, have them sit for a meal, and come out to serve them.
38 If he comes during the second or third watch and finds them ready, those servants are blessed.
39 Know this: if the homeowner knew when the thief would come, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.
40 So be ready too, because the Son of Man will come at a time you do not expect.
41 Then Peter asked him, “God, are you telling this story to us or to everyone?”
42 God asked, “Who is the trustworthy and sensible manager that his master will put in charge of his household to give them their food at the right time?”
43 Happy is the servant whom his master finds working when he returns.
44 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of everything he owns.
45 But if that servant thinks, ‘My master is taking a long time to come back,’ and starts to hit the other servants, and eats and drinks too much and gets drunk;
46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he’s not expecting him, at a time he doesn’t know, and will punish him severely, assigning him a place with the disbelievers.
47 The servant who knew what his master wanted but didn’t get ready or do what his master wanted will be punished severely.
48 The person who did not know and did wrong will get a light punishment. When someone has been given a lot, a lot will be expected from them. And when people have been trusted with a lot, they will be asked to give even more.
49 I have come to bring fire on the earth; and how I wish it was already burning!
50 But I must go through a baptism; and I feel pressured until it’s done!
51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? I tell you, no; I came to divide.
52 From now on, five people in one family will be split, three against two and two against three.
53 A father will be against his son, and a son against his father; a mother will be against her daughter, and a daughter against her mother; a mother-in-law will be against her daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
54 He also told the people, “When you see a cloud coming from the west, right away you say, ‘A rain is coming’; and that’s what happens.”
55 When you see the south wind, you say, “It will be hot,” and it happens.
56 You pretenders, you can understand the look of the sky and the earth; but why can’t you understand what’s happening now?
57 Yes, and why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?
58 When you go to court with your opponent, try hard to settle the matter before you get there. If you don’t, your opponent might drag you to the judge, the judge might hand you over to the guard, and the guard might put you in jail.
59 I tell you, you will not leave there until you have paid the very last penny.