Luke 12:16-50

New King James Version

¹⁶ Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, ^(A)“Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; ^(B)eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night ^(C)your soul will be required of you; ^(D)then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

²¹ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, ^(E)and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Worry^(F)

²² Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, ^(G)do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. ²³ Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and ^(H)God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? ²⁵ And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁶ If you then are not able to do the least, why ^[a]are you anxious for the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even ^(I)Solomon in all his glory was not ^[b]arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of ^(J)little faith?

²⁹ “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. ³⁰ For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father ^(K)knows that you need these things. ^31 (L)But seek ^[c]the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

³² “Do not fear, little flock, for ^(M)it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ^33 (N)Sell what you have and give ^(O)alms; ^(P)provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant^(Q)

^35 (R)“Let your waist be girded and ^(S)your lamps burning; ³⁶ and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. ^37 (T)Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. ³⁸ And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. ^39 (U)But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would ^[d]have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ^40 (V)Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

⁴¹ Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”

⁴² And the Lord said, ^(W)“Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food ^[e]in due season? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ^44 (X)Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. ^45 (Y)But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come on a ^(Z)day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ And ^(AA)that servant who ^(AB)knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. ^48 (AC)But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Christ Brings Division^(AD)

^49 (AE)“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ But ^(AF)I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is ^(AG)accomplished!