Luke 12:35-53

English Standard Version

You Must Be Ready

^35 (A)“Stay dressed for action^[a] and ^(B)keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ and be like men who are ^(C)waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and ^(D)knocks. ^37 (E)Blessed are those servants^[b] whom the master finds ^(F)awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, ^(G)he will dress himself for service and ^(H)have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸ If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! ^39 (I)But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour ^(J)the thief was coming, he^[c] would not have left his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ^(K)ready, for ^(L)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

⁴¹ Peter said, “Lord, ^(M)are you telling this parable for us or for all?” ⁴² And the Lord said, “Who then is ^(N)the faithful and ^(O)wise ^(P)manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? ^43 (Q)Blessed is that servant^[d] whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you, ^(R)he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master ^(S)is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and ^(T)get drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come ^(U)on a day when he does not expect him and ^(V)at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. ^47 (W)And that servant who ^(X)knew his master's will but ^(Y)did not get ready ^(Z)or act according to his will, will receive a ^(AA)severe beating. ^48 (AB)But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, ^(AC)will receive a light beating. ^(AD)Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Not Peace, but Division

^49 (AE)“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! ^50 (AF)I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how ^(AG)great is my distress until it is accomplished! ^51 (AH)Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? ^(AI)No, I tell you, but rather division. ⁵² For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, ^(AJ)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 mother-in-law.”