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.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 12:35 Greek Let your loins stay girded; compare Exodus 12:11
  2. Luke 12:37 Or bondservants
  3. Luke 12:39 Some manuscripts add would have stayed awake and
  4. Luke 12:43 Or bondservant; also verses 45, 46, 47

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