Deuteronomy 27-31
Christian Standard Bible
The Law Written on Stones
27 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, “Keep every command I am giving you today. 2 When you cross the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up large stones and cover them with plaster.(A) 3 Write all the words of this law on the stones after you cross to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey,(B) as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. 4 When you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to cover them with plaster. 5 Build an altar of stones there to the Lord your God—do not use any iron tool on them.(C) 6 Use uncut stones to build the altar of the Lord your God and offer burnt offerings to the Lord your God on it. 7 There you are to sacrifice fellowship offerings, eat, and rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God. 8 Write clearly all the words of this law on the plastered stones.”
The Covenant Curses
9 Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, “Be silent, Israel, and listen! This day you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and statutes I am giving you today.”
11 On that day Moses commanded the people, 12 “When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these tribes will stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.(D) 14 The Levites will proclaim in a loud voice to every Israelite:
15 ‘The person who makes a carved idol or cast image, which is detestable to the Lord, the work of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret is cursed.’
And all the people will reply, ‘Amen!’
16 ‘The one who dishonors his father or mother is cursed.’
And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
17 ‘The one who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker is cursed.’
And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
18 ‘The one who leads a blind person astray on the road is cursed.’
And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
19 ‘The one who denies justice to a resident alien, a fatherless child, or a widow is cursed.’
And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
20 ‘The one who sleeps with his father’s wife is cursed, for he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’[a]
And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
21 ‘The one who has sexual intercourse with any animal is cursed.’
And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
22 ‘The one who sleeps with his sister, whether his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter is cursed.’
And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
23 ‘The one who sleeps with his mother-in-law is cursed.’
And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
24 ‘The one who secretly kills his neighbor is cursed.’
And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
25 ‘The one who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person is cursed.’
And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
26 ‘Anyone who does not put the words of this law into practice is cursed.’
And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
Blessings for Obedience
28 “Now(E) if you faithfully obey the Lord your God(F) and are careful to follow all his commands I am giving you today,(G) the Lord your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth.(H) 2 All these blessings will come and overtake(I) you, because you obey the Lord your God:
3 You will be blessed in the city
and blessed in the country.(J)
4 Your offspring[b] will be blessed,
and your land’s produce,
and the offspring of your livestock,
including the young of your herds
and the newborn of your flocks.(K)
5 Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed.
6 You will be blessed when you come in
and blessed when you go out.(L)
7 “The Lord will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you from one direction but flee from you in seven directions. 8 The Lord will grant you a blessing on your barns and on everything you do;[c](M) he will bless you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.(N) 9 The Lord will establish you as his holy people,(O) as he swore to you, if you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. 10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you bear the Lord’s name,(P) and they will stand in awe of you.(Q) 11 The Lord will make you prosper abundantly with offspring,[d] the offspring of your livestock, and your land’s produce in the land the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you. 12 The Lord will open for you his abundant storehouse,(R) the sky, to give your land rain in its season and to bless all the work of your hands.(S) You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. 13 The Lord will make you the head and not the tail;(T) you will only move upward and never downward if you listen to the Lord your God’s commands I am giving you today and are careful to follow them. 14 Do not turn aside to the right or the left from all the things I am commanding you today,(U) and do not follow other gods to worship them.
Curses for Disobedience
15 “But if you do not obey the Lord your God by carefully following all his commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake(V) you:(W)
16 You will be cursed in the city
and cursed in the country.
17 Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed.
18 Your offspring will be cursed,
and your land’s produce,
the young of your herds,
and the newborn of your flocks.
19 You will be cursed when you come in
and cursed when you go out.
20 The Lord will send against you curses, confusion,(X) and rebuke in everything you do until you are destroyed and quickly perish,(Y) because of the wickedness of your actions in abandoning me.(Z) 21 The Lord will make pestilence cling to you until he has exterminated you from the land you are entering to possess.(AA) 22 The Lord will afflict you with wasting disease, fever, inflammation, burning heat, drought,[e] blight, and mildew;(AB) these will pursue you until you perish. 23 The sky above you will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. 24 The Lord will turn the rain of your land into falling[f] dust; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed. 25 The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions.(AC) You will be an object of horror(AD) to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth, with no one to scare them away.(AE)
27 “The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt,(AF) tumors, a festering rash, and scabies, from which you cannot be cured. 28 The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness, and mental confusion,(AG) 29 so that at noon you will grope as a blind person gropes in the dark.(AH) You will not be successful in anything you do. You will only be oppressed and robbed continually, and no one will help you.(AI) 30 You will become engaged to a woman, but another man will rape her. You will build a house but not live in it.(AJ) You will plant a vineyard but not enjoy its fruit. 31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be taken away from you and not returned to you. Your flock will be given to your enemies, and no one will help you. 32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another people, while your eyes grow weary looking for them every day. But you will be powerless to do anything.(AK) 33 A people you don’t know will eat your land’s produce and everything you have labored for. You will only be oppressed and crushed continually.(AL) 34 You will be driven mad by what you see. 35 The Lord will afflict you with painful and incurable boils on your knees and thighs—from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.(AM)
36 “The Lord will bring you and your king that you have appointed to a nation neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will worship other gods, of wood and stone.(AN) 37 You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.(AO)
38 “You will sow much seed in the field but harvest little, because locusts will devour it. 39 You will plant and cultivate vineyards but not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your territory but not moisten your skin with oil, because your olives will drop off. 41 You will father sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will be taken prisoner. 42 Buzzing insects will take possession of all your trees and your land’s produce. 43 The resident alien among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you, but you won’t lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail.
45 “All these curses will come, pursue, and overtake you until you are destroyed, since you did not obey the Lord your God and keep the commands and statutes he gave you. 46 These curses will be a sign and a wonder(AP) against you and your descendants forever. 47 Because you didn’t serve the Lord your God with joy and a cheerful heart,(AQ) even though you had an abundance of everything, 48 you will serve your enemies that the Lord will send against you, in famine, thirst, nakedness, and a lack of everything. He will place an iron yoke(AR) on your neck until he has destroyed you. 49 The Lord will bring a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth,(AS) to swoop down on you like an eagle,(AT) a nation whose language you won’t understand,(AU) 50 a ruthless nation, showing no respect for the old and not sparing the young. 51 They will eat the offspring of your livestock and your land’s produce until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, fresh oil, young of your herds, or newborn of your flocks until they cause you to perish. 52 They will besiege you within all your city gates until your high and fortified walls, that you trust in, come down throughout your land. They will besiege you within all your city gates throughout the land the Lord your God has given you.
53 “You will eat your offspring,[g] the flesh of your sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you(AV) during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you. 54 The most sensitive and refined man among you will look grudgingly at his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children, 55 refusing to share with any of them his children’s flesh that he will eat because he has nothing left during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you in all your towns. 56 The most sensitive and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her refinement and sensitivity, will begrudge the husband she embraces, her son, and her daughter, 57 the afterbirth that comes out from between her legs and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything else during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you within your city gates.
58 “If you are not careful to obey all the words of this law, which are written in this scroll, by fearing this glorious and awe-inspiring name—the Lord, your God— 59 he will bring wondrous plagues on you and your descendants, severe and lasting plagues, and terrible and chronic sicknesses. 60 He will afflict you again with all the diseases of Egypt,(AW) which you dreaded, and they will cling to you. 61 The Lord will also afflict you with every sickness and plague not recorded in the book of this law, until you are destroyed. 62 Though you were as numerous as the stars of the sky, you will be left with only a few people, because you did not obey the Lord your God. 63 Just as the Lord was glad to cause you to prosper and to multiply you, so he will also be glad to cause you to perish and to destroy you. You will be ripped out of the land you are entering to possess. 64 Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples from one end of the earth to the other,(AX) and there you will worship other gods, of wood and stone,(AY) which neither you nor your ancestors have known.(AZ) 65 You will find no peace among those nations, and there will be no resting place(BA) for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despondent spirit. 66 Your life will hang in doubt before you. You will be in dread night and day, never certain of survival. 67 In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’—because of the dread you will have in your heart and because of what you will see. 68 The Lord will take you back in ships to Egypt by a route that I said you would never see again.(BB) There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”
Renewing the Covenant
29 These are the words of the covenant(BC) that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.(BD) 2 Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen with your own eyes(BE) everything the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to his entire land. 3 You saw with your own eyes the great trials and those great signs and wonders.(BF) 4 Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.(BG) 5 I led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes and the sandals on your feet did not wear out;(BH) 6 you did not eat food or drink wine or beer—so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.(BI) 7 When you reached this place, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out against us in battle, but we defeated them.(BJ) 8 We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.(BK) 9 Therefore, observe the words of this covenant(BL) and follow them, so that you will succeed in everything you do.(BM)
10 “All of you are standing today before the Lord your God—your leaders, tribes, elders, officials, all the men of Israel, 11 your dependents, your wives, and the resident aliens in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water— 12 so that you may enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, which he is making with you today, so that you may enter into his oath 13 and so that he may establish you today as his people and he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.(BN) 14 I am making this covenant and this oath not only with you, 15 but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God and with those who are not here today.
Abandoning the Covenant
16 “Indeed, you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and passed through the nations where you traveled. 17 You saw their abhorrent images and idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which were among them.(BO) 18 Be sure there is no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.(BP) 19 When someone hears the words of this oath, he may consider himself exempt,[h] thinking, ‘I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart.’ This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land. 20 The Lord will not be willing to forgive him. Instead, his anger and jealousy will burn against that person, and every curse written in this scroll will descend on him. The Lord will blot out his name under heaven,(BQ) 21 and single him out for harm from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the law.
22 “Future generations of your children who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a distant country will see the plagues of that land and the sicknesses the Lord has inflicted on it. 23 All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown, producing nothing, with no plant growing on it, just like the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord demolished in his fierce anger.(BR) 24 All the nations will ask, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this intense outburst of anger?’ 25 Then people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, which he had made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 They began to serve other gods, bowing in worship to gods they had not known(BS)—gods that the Lord had not permitted them to worship.(BT) 27 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, and he brought every curse written in this book on it. 28 The Lord uprooted them from their land in his anger, rage, and intense wrath, and threw them into another land where they are today.’ 29 The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.
Returning to the Lord
30 “When all these things happen to you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you,(BU) 2 and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and all your soul(BV) by doing[i] everything I am commanding you today, 3 then he will restore your fortunes,[j](BW) have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.(BX) 4 Even if your exiles are at the farthest horizon, he will gather you and bring you back from there.(BY) 5 The Lord your God will bring you into the land your ancestors possessed, and you will take possession of it.(BZ) He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than he did your ancestors.(CA) 6 The Lord your God will circumcise your heart(CB) and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live.(CC) 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. 8 Then you will again obey him and follow all his commands I am commanding you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands,(CD) your offspring,[k] the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land. Indeed, the Lord will again delight in your prosperity, as he delighted in that of your ancestors, 10 when you obey the Lord your God by keeping his commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to him with all your heart and all your soul.
Choose Life
11 “This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach. 12 It is not in heaven so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 13 And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 14 But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.(CE) 15 See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity.(CF) 16 For[l] I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live[m] and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow in worship to other gods and serve them, 18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not prolong your days in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life(CG) so that you and your descendants may live, 20 love the Lord your God, obey him, and remain faithful[n] to him. For he is your life, and he will prolong your days as you live in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors(CH) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Joshua Takes Moses’s Place
31 Then Moses continued to speak these[o] words to all Israel, 2 saying, “I am now 120 years old;(CI) I can no longer act as your leader.[p] The Lord has told me, ‘You will not cross the Jordan.’(CJ) 3 The Lord your God is the one who will cross ahead of you.(CK) He will destroy these nations before you, and you will drive them out. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, as the Lord has said.(CL) 4 The Lord will deal with them as he did Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and their land when he destroyed them.(CM) 5 The Lord will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous;(CN) don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you;(CO) he will not leave you or abandon you.”(CP)
7 Moses then summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with[q] this people into the land the Lord swore to give to their ancestors.(CQ) You will enable them to take possession of it. 8 The Lord is the one who will go before you.(CR) He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.(CS) Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
9 Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the Lord’s covenant, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of debt cancellation,(CT) during the Festival of Shelters,(CU) 11 when all Israel assembles in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he chooses,(CV) you are to read this law aloud before all Israel.(CW) 12 Gather the people—men, women, dependents, and the resident aliens within your city gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear(CX) the Lord your God and be careful to follow all the words of this law. 13 Then their children(CY) who do not know the law will listen and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
14 The Lord said to Moses, “The time of your death is now approaching. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting so that I may commission him.” When Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting, 15 the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud,(CZ) and the cloud stood at the entrance to the tent.(DA)
16 The Lord said to Moses, “You are about to rest with your ancestors,(DB) and these people will soon prostitute themselves with the foreign gods(DC) of the land they are entering. They will abandon me(DD) and break the covenant(DE) I have made with them. 17 My anger will burn against them on that day;(DF) I will abandon them and hide my face from them so that they will become easy prey.(DG) Many troubles and afflictions will come to them. On that day they will say, ‘Haven’t these troubles come to us because our God is no longer with us?’ 18 I will certainly hide my face on that day because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods. 19 Therefore write down this song(DH) for yourselves and teach it to the Israelites; have them sing it,[r] so that this song may be a witness for me against the Israelites. 20 When I bring them into the land I swore to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey,(DI) they will eat their fill(DJ) and prosper.[s] They will turn to other gods and worship them, despising me(DK) and breaking my covenant.(DL) 21 And when many troubles and afflictions come to them, this song will testify against them, because[t] their descendants will not have forgotten it. For I know what they are prone to do,[u] even before I bring them into the land I swore to give them.” 22 So Moses wrote down this song on that day and taught it to the Israelites.
23 The Lord commissioned Joshua son of Nun, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I swore to them, and I will be with you.”(DM)
Moses Warns the People
24 When Moses had finished writing down on a scroll every single word of this law, 25 he commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the Lord’s covenant, 26 “Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God so that it may remain there as a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are rebelling against the Lord now, while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after I am dead! 28 Assemble all your tribal elders and officers before me so that I may speak these words directly to them and call heaven and earth as witnesses against them.(DN) 29 For I know that after my death you will become completely corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. Disaster will come to you in the future, because you will do what is evil in the Lord’s sight, angering him with what your hands have made.”(DO) 30 Then Moses recited aloud every single word of this song to the entire assembly of Israel:
Footnotes
- 27:20 Lit has uncovered the edge of his father’s garment; Ru 3:9; Ezk 16:8
- 28:4 Lit The fruit of your womb, also in v. 18
- 28:8 Lit you put your hand to, also in v. 20
- 28:11 Lit abundantly in the fruit of your womb
- 28:22 Or sword
- 28:24 Lit powder and
- 28:53 Lit eat the fruit of your womb
- 29:19 Lit may consider himself blessed in his heart
- 30:2 Lit soul according to
- 30:3 Or will end your captivity
- 30:9 Lit hands in the fruit of your womb
- 30:16 LXX reads If you obey the commands of the Lord your God that
- 30:16 LXX reads ordinances, then you will live
- 30:20 Lit and hold on
- 31:1 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg read all these
- 31:2 Lit no longer go out or come in
- 31:7 Some Hb mss, Sam, Syr, Vg read you will bring
- 31:19 Lit Israelites; put it in their mouths
- 31:20 Lit be fat
- 31:21 Lit because the mouths of
- 31:21 Or know the plans they are devising
Luke 12
Christian Standard Bible
Beware of Religious Hypocrisy
12 Meanwhile, a crowd of many thousands came together, so that they were trampling(A) on one another. He began to say to his disciples first,(B) “Be on your guard(C) against the leaven[a](D) of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.(E) 2 There is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered,(F) nothing hidden that won’t be made known.(G) 3 Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an ear in private rooms(H) will be proclaimed on the housetops.(I)
Fear God
4 “I say to you, my friends,(J) don’t fear(K) those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5 But I will show you the one to fear: Fear(L) him who has authority to throw people into hell(M) after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the one to fear! 6 Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies?[b] Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.(N) 7 Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Acknowledging Christ
8 “And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges(O) me before others, the Son of Man(P) will also acknowledge him before the angels of God,(Q) 9 but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.(R) 10 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,(S) but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit(T) will not be forgiven. 11 Whenever(U) they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities,(V) don’t worry(W) about how you should defend(X) yourselves or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said.”(Y)
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher,(Z) tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 “Friend,”[c] he said to him, “who appointed me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard(AA) against all greed,(AB) because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”(AC)
16 Then he told them a parable:(AD) “A rich(AE) man’s land was very productive. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops? 18 I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. 19 Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy;(AF) eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’(AG)
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool!(AH) This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’(AI)
21 “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure(AJ) for himself and is not rich toward God.”(AK)
The Cure for Anxiety
22 Then he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you,(AL) don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear.(AM) 23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens:(AN) They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them.(AO) Aren’t you worth much more than the birds? 25 Can any of you add one moment to his life span[d] by worrying?(AP) 26 If then you’re not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon(AQ) in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 28 If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he do for you—you of little faith?(AR) 29 Don’t strive for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious. 30 For the Gentile world eagerly seeks(AS) all these things, and your Father(AT) knows that you need them.
31 “But seek his kingdom,(AU) and these things will be provided for you.(AV) 32 Don’t be afraid,(AW) little flock,(AX) because your Father delights(AY) to give you the kingdom.(AZ) 33 Sell(BA) your possessions and give to the poor.(BB) Make money-bags(BC) for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure(BD) in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.(BE)
Ready for the Master’s Return
35 “Be ready for service[e] and have your lamps lit.(BF) 36 You are to be like people waiting for their master(BG) to return from the wedding banquet(BH) so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once.(BI) 37 Blessed will be those servants the master finds alert(BJ) when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will get ready,[f] have them recline at the table, then come and serve them.(BK) 38 If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn,[g] and finds them alert, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming,(BL) he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also be ready,(BM) because the Son of Man(BN) is coming at an hour you do not expect.”(BO)
Rewards and Punishment
41 “Lord,” Peter asked, “are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?”
42 The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible manager(BP) his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food(BQ) at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’(BR) and starts to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces[h] and assign him a place with the unfaithful.[i] 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it[j] will be severely beaten.(BS) 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved(BT) punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.[k](BU)
Not Peace but Division
49 “I came(BV) to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo,(BW) and how it consumes(BX) me until it is finished!(BY) 51 Do you think that I came here to bring peace on the earth?(BZ) No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 From now on, five in one household will be divided: three against two, and two against three.
53 They will be divided, father against son,
son against father,
mother against daughter,
daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law,
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”[l](CA)
Interpreting the Time
54 He also said to the crowds,(CB) “When you see a cloud rising in the west, right away you say, ‘A storm is coming,’ and so it does.(CC) 55 And when the south wind is blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites!(CD) You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why don’t you know how to interpret this present time?(CE)
Settling Accounts
57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?(CF) 58 As you are going with your adversary(CG) to the ruler, make an effort to settle with him on the way. Then he won’t drag you before the judge,(CH) the judge hand you over to the bailiff, and the bailiff throw you into prison.(CI) 59 I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny.”[m](CJ)
Footnotes
- 12:1 Or yeast
- 12:6 Lit two assaria; a small copper coin
- 12:14 Lit Man
- 12:25 Or add a cubit to his height
- 12:35 Lit “Let your loins be girded; an idiom for tying up loose outer clothing in preparation for action; Ex 12:11
- 12:37 Lit will gird himself
- 12:38 Lit even in the second or third watch
- 12:46 Lit him in two
- 12:46 Or unbelievers
- 12:47 Lit or do toward his will,
- 12:48 Or much
- 12:53 Mc 7:6
- 12:59 Gk lepton, the smallest and least valuable copper coin in use
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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