Luke 12
Jubilee Bible 2000
12 ¶ In the meantime, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2 For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be known.
3 Therefore whatever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light, and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of those that kill the body and, after that, have no more that they can do.
5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who, after being killed, has power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows.
8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God;
9 but he that denies me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, there is forgiveness for him; but unto him that blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven.
11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues and unto magistrates and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer or what ye shall say;
12 for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
13 ¶ And one of the crowd said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15 And he said unto them, Take heed and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses.
16 And he spoke a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully;
17 and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my storehouses and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast many goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast stored up?
21 So is he that lays up treasure for himself and is not rich in God.
22 ¶ And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23 The life is more than food, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then are not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothes the grass, which is today in the field and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, neither be ye high minded.
30 For all these things do the Gentiles of the world seek after, and your Father knows that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell what ye have and give alms; {lit. do acts of mercy} provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that fails not, where no thief approaches neither moth corrupts.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
35 Let your loins be girded about and your lamps burning,
36 and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he comes and knocks, they may open unto him immediately.
37 Blessed are those slaves, whom the lord when he comes shall find watching; verily I say unto you that he shall gird himself and make them to sit down to food and will come forth and serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 And know this: that if the husband of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
40 Be ye therefore ready also; for the Son of man comes at an hour when ye think not.
41 ¶ Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us or even to all?
42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward whom his lord shall make ruler over his household to give them their portion of food in due season?
43 Blessed is that slave whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing.
44 Of a truth I say unto you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
45 But and if that slave shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming, and shall begin to beat the menslaves and maids and to eat and drink and to be drunken,
46 the lord of that slave will come in a day when he does not look for him and at an hour when he is not aware and will cut him off and will appoint him his portion with the unfaithful.
47 And that slave who knew his lord’s will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required; and to whom much was committed, more will be asked of him.
49 I am come to cast fire into the earth; and what do I desire, except that it be kindled?
50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am anguished until it is accomplished!
51 Think ye that I am come to the earth to give peace? No, I tell you, but rather division;
52 for from now on there shall be five in one house divided: three against two and two against three.
53 The father shall be divided against the son and the son against the father, the mother against the daughter and the daughter against the mother, the mother-in-law against her daughter- in-law and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
54 ¶ And he said also to the people, When ye see the cloud rising out of the west, straightway ye say, A shower comes, and so it is.
55 And when the south wind blows, ye say, There will be heat, and it comes to pass.
56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?
57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?
58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou may be delivered from him, lest he drag thee away to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.
59 I tell thee, in no wise shalt thou come out of there until thou hast paid the very last mite.
Luke 12
New King James Version
Beware of Hypocrisy(A)
12 In (B)the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, (C)“Beware of the [a]leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 (D)For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
Jesus Teaches the Fear of God(E)
4 (F)“And I say to you, (G)My 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 show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, (H)fear Him!
6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two [b]copper coins? And (I)not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Confess Christ Before Men(J)
8 (K)“Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me (L)before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who (M)denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
10 “And (N)anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.
11 (O)“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will (P)teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 But He said to him, (Q)“Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them, (R)“Take heed and beware of [c]covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
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, (S)“Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; (T)eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night (U)your soul will be required of you; (V)then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, (W)and is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Worry(X)
22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, (Y)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 (Z)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 [d]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 (AA)Solomon in all his glory was not [e]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 (AB)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 (AC)knows that you need these things. 31 (AD)But seek [f]the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
32 “Do not fear, little flock, for (AE)it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 (AF)Sell what you have and give (AG)alms; (AH)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(AI)
35 (AJ)“Let your waist be girded and (AK)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 (AL)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 (AM)But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would [g]have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 40 (AN)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, (AO)“Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food [h]in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 (AP)Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. 45 (AQ)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 (AR)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 (AS)that servant who (AT)knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 (AU)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(AV)
49 (AW)“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But (AX)I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is (AY)accomplished! 51 (AZ)Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, (BA)but rather division. 52 (BB)For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. 53 (BC)Father will be divided 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 her mother-in-law.”
Discern the Time(BD)
54 Then He also said to the multitudes, (BE)“Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. 55 And when you see the (BF)south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. 56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern (BG)this time?
Make Peace with Your Adversary
57 “Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right? 58 (BH)When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort (BI)along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite.”
Footnotes
- Luke 12:1 yeast
- Luke 12:6 Gr. assarion, a coin worth about 1⁄16 of a denarius
- Luke 12:15 NU all covetousness
- Luke 12:26 do you worry
- Luke 12:27 clothed
- Luke 12:31 NU His kingdom, and these things
- Luke 12:39 NU not have allowed
- Luke 12:42 at the right time
Luke 12
Living Bible
12 Meanwhile the crowds grew until thousands upon thousands were milling about and crushing each other. He turned now to his disciples and warned them, “More than anything else, beware of these Pharisees and the way they pretend to be good when they aren’t. But such hypocrisy cannot be hidden forever. 2 It will become as evident as yeast in dough. 3 Whatever they[a] have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be broadcast from the housetops for all to hear!
4 “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of these who want to murder you. They can only kill the body; they have no power over your souls. 5 But I’ll tell you whom to fear—fear God who has the power to kill and then cast into hell.
6 “What is the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies? Not much more than that. Yet God does not forget a single one of them. 7 And he knows the number of hairs on your head! Never fear, you are far more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.
8 “And I assure you of this: I, the Messiah,[b] will publicly honor you in the presence of God’s angels if you publicly acknowledge me here on earth as your Friend. 9 But I will deny before the angels those who deny me here among men. 10 (Yet those who speak against me[c] may be forgiven—while those who speak against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven.)
11 “And when you are brought to trial before these Jewish rulers and authorities in the synagogues, don’t be concerned about what to say in your defense, 12 for the Holy Spirit will give you the right words even as you are standing there.”
13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Sir, please tell my brother to divide my father’s estate with me.”
14 But Jesus replied, “Man, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? 15 Beware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are.”
16 Then he gave an illustration: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 In fact, his barns were full to overflowing—he couldn’t get everything in. He thought about his problem, 18 and finally exclaimed, ‘I know—I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones! Then I’ll have room enough. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “Friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Wine, women, and song for you!”’[d]
20 “But God said to him, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. Then who will get it all?’
21 “Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven.”
22 Then turning to his disciples he said, “Don’t worry about whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. 23 For life consists of far more than food and clothes. 24 Look at the ravens—they don’t plant or harvest or have barns to store away their food, and yet they get along all right—for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!
25 “And besides, what’s the use of worrying? What good does it do? Will it add a single day to your life? Of course not! 26 And if worry can’t even do such little things as that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?
27 “Look at the lilies! They don’t toil and spin, and yet Solomon in all his glory was not robed as well as they are. 28 And if God provides clothing for the flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, don’t you suppose that he will provide clothing for you, you doubters? 29 And don’t worry about food—what to eat and drink; don’t worry at all that God will provide it for you. 30 All mankind scratches for its daily bread, but your heavenly Father knows your needs. 31 He will always give you all you need from day to day if you will make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will fatten your purses in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no rips or holes in them. Your treasures there will never disappear; no thief can steal them; no moth can destroy them. 34 Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.
35 “Be prepared—all dressed and ready— 36 for your Lord’s return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. 37 There will be great joy for those who are ready and waiting for his return. He himself will seat them and put on a waiter’s uniform and serve them as they sit and eat! 38 He may come at nine o’clock at night—or even at midnight. But whenever he comes, there will be joy for his servants who are ready!
39 “Everyone would be ready for him if they knew the exact hour of his return—just as they would be ready for a thief if they knew when he was coming. 40 So be ready all the time. For I, the Messiah,[e] will come when least expected.”
41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you talking just to us or to everyone?”
42-44 And the Lord replied, “I’m talking to any faithful, sensible man whose master gives him the responsibility of feeding the other servants. If his master returns and finds that he has done a good job, there will be a reward—his master will put him in charge of all he owns.
45 “But if the man begins to think, ‘My Lord won’t be back for a long time,’ and begins to whip the men and women he is supposed to protect, and to spend his time at drinking parties and in drunkenness— 46 well, his master will return without notice and remove him from his position of trust and assign him to the place of the unfaithful. 47 He will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty he refused to do it.
48 “But anyone who is not aware that he is doing wrong will be punished only lightly. Much is required from those to whom much is given, for their responsibility is greater.
49 “I have come to bring fire to the earth, and, oh, that my task were completed! 50 There is a terrible baptism ahead of me, and how I am pent up until it is accomplished!
51
54 Then he turned to the crowd and said, “When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a shower.’ And you are right.
55 “When the south wind blows you say, ‘Today will be a scorcher.’ And it is. 56 Hypocrites! You interpret the sky well enough, but you refuse to notice the warnings all around you about the crisis ahead. 57 Why do you refuse to see for yourselves what is right?
58 “If you meet your accuser on the way to court, try to settle the matter before it reaches the judge, lest he sentence you to jail; 59 for if that happens, you won’t be free again until the last penny is paid in full.”
Footnotes
- Luke 12:3 they, literally, “you.”
- Luke 12:8 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”
- Luke 12:10 me, literally, “the Son of Man.”
- Luke 12:19 Wine, women, and song for you, literally, “Eat, drink, and be merry.”
- Luke 12:40 the Messiah, literally, “the Son of Man.”
- Luke 12:53 the decision of an honored mother-in-law, implied by ancient custom.
Copyright © 2013, 2020 by Ransom Press International
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.