Luke 12
American Standard Version
12 In the mean time, when [a]the many thousands of the multitude were gathered together, insomuch that they trod one upon another, he began to [b]say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 But there is nothing covered up, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 3 Wherefore whatsoever ye have said in the darkness shall be heard in the light; and what ye have spoken in the ear in the inner chambers shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. 4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who after he hath killed hath [c]power to cast into [d]hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pence? and not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not: ye are of more value than many sparrows. 8 And I say unto you, Every one who shall confess [e]me before men, [f]him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: 9 but he that denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God. 10 And every one who shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven. 11 And when they bring you before the synagogues, and the rulers, and the authorities, be not anxious how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 12 for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in that very hour what ye ought to say.
13 And one out of the multitude said unto him, Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me. 14 But he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: [g]for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my [h]soul, [i]Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night [j]is thy [k]soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your [l]life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. 23 For the [m]life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment. 24 Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap; which have no store-chamber nor barn; and God feedeth them: of how much more value are ye than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto [n]the measure of his life? 26 If then ye are not able to do even that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven; how much more shall he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: but your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 Yet seek ye [o]his kingdom, and 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 that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. 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 be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage feast; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open unto him. 37 Blessed are those [p]servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 [q]But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be [r]broken through. 40 Be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.
41 And Peter said, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even unto all? 42 And the Lord said, Who then is [s]the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall set over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? 43 Blessed is that [t]servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he hath. 45 But if that [u]servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 the lord of that [v]servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall [w]cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the unfaithful. 47 And that [x]servant, who knew his lord’s will, and made not ready, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; 48 but he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more.
49 I came to cast fire upon the earth; and [y]what do I desire, if it is already kindled? 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! 51 Think ye that I am come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: 52 for there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53 They shall be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother in law against her daughter in law, and daughter in law against her mother in law.
54 And he said to the multitudes also, When ye see a cloud rising in the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it cometh to pass. 55 And when ye see a south wind blowing, ye say, There will be a [z]scorching heat; and it cometh to pass. 56 Ye hypocrites, ye know how to [aa]interpret the face of the earth and the heaven; but how is it that ye know not how to [ab]interpret this time? 57 And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 58 For as thou art going with thine adversary before the magistrate, on the way give diligence to be quit of him; lest haply he drag thee unto the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the [ac]officer, and the [ad]officer shall cast thee into prison. 59 I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the very last mite.
Footnotes
- Luke 12:1 Greek the myriads of.
- Luke 12:1 Or, say unto his disciples, First of all beware ye
- Luke 12:5 Or, authority
- Luke 12:5 Greek Gehenna.
- Luke 12:8 Greek in me.
- Luke 12:8 Greek in him.
- Luke 12:15 Or, for even in a man’s abundance his life is not from the things which he possesseth
- Luke 12:19 Or, life
- Luke 12:19 Or, life
- Luke 12:20 Greek they require thy soul.
- Luke 12:20 Or, life
- Luke 12:22 Or, soul
- Luke 12:23 Or, soul
- Luke 12:25 Or, his stature
- Luke 12:31 Many ancient authorities read the kingdom of God.
- Luke 12:37 Greek bondservants.
- Luke 12:39 Or, But this ye know
- Luke 12:39 Greek digged through.
- Luke 12:42 Or, the faithful steward, the wise man whom etc.
- Luke 12:43 Greek bondservant.
- Luke 12:45 Greek bondservant.
- Luke 12:46 Greek bondservant.
- Luke 12:46 Or, severely scourge him
- Luke 12:47 Greek bondservant.
- Luke 12:49 Or, how would I that it were already kindled!
- Luke 12:55 Or, hot wind
- Luke 12:56 Greek prove.
- Luke 12:56 Greek prove.
- Luke 12:58 Greek exactor.
- Luke 12:58 Greek exactor.
Luke 12
GOD’S WORD Translation
Jesus Speaks to His Disciples
12 Meanwhile, thousands of people had gathered. They were so crowded that they stepped on each other. Jesus spoke to his disciples and said, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees. I’m talking about their hypocrisy. 2 Nothing has been covered that will not be exposed. Whatever is secret will be made known. 3 Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. Whatever you have whispered in private rooms will be shouted from the housetops.
4 “My friends, I can guarantee that you don’t need to be afraid of those who kill the body. After that they can’t do anything more. 5 I’ll show you the one you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the power to throw you into hell after killing you. I’m warning you to be afraid of him.
6 “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two cents? God doesn’t forget any of them. 7 Even every hair on your head has been counted. Don’t be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows. 8 I can guarantee that the Son of Man will acknowledge in front of God’s angels every person who acknowledges him in front of others. 9 But God’s angels will be told that I don’t know those people who tell others that they don’t know me. 10 Everyone who says something against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But the person who dishonors the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 “When you are put on trial in synagogues or in front of rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say. 12 At that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you must say.”
A Story about Material Possessions
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of the inheritance that our father left us.”
14 Jesus said to him, “Who appointed me to be your judge or to divide ⌞your inheritance⌟?”
15 He told the people, “Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed. Life is not about having a lot of material possessions.”
16 Then he used this illustration. He said, “A rich man had land that produced good crops. 17 He thought, ‘What should I do? I don’t have enough room to store my crops.’ 18 He said, ‘I know what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones so that I can store all my grain and goods in them. 19 Then I’ll say to myself, “You’ve stored up a lot of good things for years to come. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.” ’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! I will demand your life from you tonight! Now who will get what you’ve accumulated?’ 21 That’s how it is when a person has material riches but is not rich in his relationship with God.”
Stop Worrying(A)
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat or wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. 24 Consider the crows. They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even have a storeroom or a barn. Yet, God feeds them. You are worth much more than birds.
25 “Can any of you add an hour to your life by worrying? 26 If you can’t do a small thing like that, why worry about other things? 27 Consider how the flowers grow. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. 28 That’s the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it’s alive, and tomorrow it’s thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith?
29 “Don’t concern yourself about what you will eat or drink, and quit worrying about these things. 30 Everyone in the world is concerned about these things, but your Father knows you need them. 31 Rather, be concerned about his kingdom. Then these things will be provided for you. 32 Don’t be afraid, little flock. Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
33 “Sell your material possessions, and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves wallets that don’t wear out! Make a treasure for yourselves in heaven that never loses its value! In heaven thieves and moths can’t get close enough to destroy your treasure. 34 Your heart will be where your treasure is.
The Son of Man Will Return When You Least Expect Him
35 “Be ready for action, and have your lamps burning. 36 Be like servants waiting to open the door at their master’s knock when he returns from a wedding. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I can guarantee this truth: He will change his clothes, make them sit down at the table, and serve them. 38 They will be blessed if he comes in the middle of the night or toward morning and finds them awake.
39 “Of course, you realize that if the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let him break into his house. 40 Be ready, because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him.”
41 Peter asked, “Lord, did you use this illustration just for us or for everyone?”
42 The Lord asked, “Who, then, is the faithful, skilled manager that the master will put in charge of giving the other servants their share of food at the right time? 43 That servant will be blessed if his master finds him doing this job when he comes. 44 I can guarantee this truth: He will put that servant in charge of all his property. 45 On the other hand, that servant may think that his master is taking a long time to come home. The servant may begin to beat the other servants and to eat, drink, and get drunk. 46 His master will return at an unexpected time. Then his master will punish him severely and assign him a place with unfaithful people.
47 “The servant who knew what his master wanted but didn’t get ready to do it will receive a hard beating. 48 But the servant who didn’t know ⌞what his master wanted⌟ and did things for which he deserved punishment will receive a light beating. A lot will be expected from everyone who has been given a lot. More will be demanded from everyone who has been entrusted with a lot.
Jesus Will Cause Conflict
49 “I have come to throw fire on the earth. I wish that it had already started! 50 I have a baptism to go through, and I will suffer until it is over.
51 “Do you think I came to bring peace to earth? No! I can guarantee that I came to bring nothing but division. 52 From now on a family of five will be divided. Three will be divided against two and two against three. 53 A father will be against his son and a son against his father. A mother will be against her daughter and a daughter against her mother. A mother-in-law will be against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Use Good Judgment
54 Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud coming up in the west, you immediately say, ‘There’s going to be a rainstorm,’ and it happens. 55 When you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and that’s what happens. 56 You hypocrites! You can forecast the weather by judging the appearance of earth and sky. But for some reason you don’t know how to judge the time in which you’re living. 57 So why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 For instance, when an opponent brings you to court in front of a ruler, do your best to settle with him before you get there. Otherwise, he will drag you in front of a judge. The judge will hand you over to an officer who will throw you into prison. 59 I can guarantee that you won’t get out until you pay every penny of your fine.”
Luke 12
Legacy Standard Bible
Fear Only God
12 At this time, after [a]so many thousands of the crowd had gathered together that they were trampling on one another, He began saying to His disciples first, “(A)Be on your guard for the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 (B)But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3 Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have [b]whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon (C)the housetops.
4 “But I say to you, (D)My friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom to fear: (E)fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into [c](F)hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6 Are not (G)five sparrows sold for two [d]assaria? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 (H)Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
8 “And I say to you, everyone who (I)confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God, 9 but (J)he who denies Me before men will be denied (K)before the angels of God. 10 (L)And everyone who [e]speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. 11 Now when they bring you before (M)the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not (N)worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say, 12 for (O)the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Parable of the Rich Fool
13 And someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “(P)Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then He said to them, “(Q)Watch out and be on your guard against every form of greed, for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, (R)you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘(S)You fool! This very night [f](T)your soul is required of you; and (U)now who will own what you prepared?’ 21 So is the one who (V)stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Worry
22 And He said to His disciples, “(W)For this reason I say to you, [g]do not worry about your [h]life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the (X)ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor (Y)barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add a single [i](Z)cubit to his [j]life span? 26 Therefore, if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, but I tell you, not even (AA)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? (AB)You of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not (AC)keep worrying. 30 For [k]all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek, but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek His kingdom, and (AD)these things will be added to you. 32 (AE)Do not fear, (AF)little flock, for (AG)your Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom.
33 “(AH)Sell your possessions and give it as charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, (AI)an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34 For (AJ)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Be Ready for His Coming
35 “(AK)Gird up (AL)your loins, and keep your lamps lit. 36 And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find (AM)awake when he comes; truly I say to you, that (AN)he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38 (AO)Whether he comes in the [l]second watch, or even in the [m]third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 “(AP)But [n]be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be [o](AQ)broken into. 40 (AR)You too, be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not [p]expect.”
41 Now Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or (AS)to everyone else as well?” 42 And (AT)the Lord said, “(AU)Who then is the faithful and prudent (AV)steward, whom his master will put in charge of his [q]servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that (AW)slave whom his [r]master finds so doing when he comes. 44 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master [s]will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47 And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will (AX)receive many beatings, 48 but the one who did not (AY)know it, and committed deeds worthy of a beating, will receive but a few. (AZ)From everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
Not Peace, but Division
49 “I [t]have come to cast fire upon the earth, and [u]how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a (BA)baptism to [v]undergo, and how distressed I am until it is finished! 51 (BB)Do you think that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52 for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, (BC)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.”
54 And He was also saying to the crowds, “(BD)When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it happens. 55 And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a (BE)hot day,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! (BF)You know how to examine the appearance of the earth and the sky, but [w]why do you not examine this present time?
57 “And (BG)why do you not even judge for yourselves what is right? 58 For (BH)while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to [x]settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the last [y](BI)lepton.”
Footnotes
- Luke 12:1 Lit myriads
- Luke 12:3 Lit spoken in the ear
- Luke 12:5 Gr Gehenna
- Luke 12:6 A Roman copper coin, approx. 1/16 of a laborer’s daily wage
- Luke 12:10 Lit will speak
- Luke 12:20 Lit they are demanding your soul from you
- Luke 12:22 Or stop being worried
- Luke 12:22 Lit soul
- Luke 12:25 A cubit was approx. 18 in. or 45 cm
- Luke 12:25 Or height
- Luke 12:30 Or these things all the nations of the world
- Luke 12:38 9 p.m. to midnight
- Luke 12:38 Midnight to 3 a.m.
- Luke 12:39 Lit know
- Luke 12:39 Lit dug through
- Luke 12:40 Lit think
- Luke 12:42 Lit service
- Luke 12:43 Or lord
- Luke 12:45 Lit is delaying to come
- Luke 12:49 Or came
- Luke 12:49 Lit what do I wish if...?
- Luke 12:50 Lit be baptized with
- Luke 12:56 Lit how
- Luke 12:58 Lit be released from him
- Luke 12:59 Smallest Greek copper coin, approx. 1/128 of a laborer’s daily wage
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