Luke 12
1 While they were doing that, many thousands of people gathered [around Jesus]. There were so many that they were stepping on each other. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware of [becoming] hypocrites [like] the Pharisees. Their [evil influence] [MET] [spreads to others like] yeast [spreads its influence in dough].
Meanwhile the people had gathered in thousands, so that they trod upon one another, when Jesus, addressing himself to his disciples, began by saying to them: “Be on your guard against the leaven — that is, the hypocrisy — of the Pharisees.
2 People will not be able to continue concealing the things that [they or other] people try to conceal now. [God] will [some day] cause the things that are hidden now to be known {[everyone] to know the things that they hide now}.
There is nothing, however covered up, which will not be uncovered, nor anything kept secret which will not become known.
3 All the things that you say in the dark [secretly, some day] will be heard {people will hear them} in the daylight. The things you have whispered [SYN] privately among yourselves in your rooms will be proclaimed {[people] will proclaim them} publicly.”
Hence all that you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear, within closed doors, will be proclaimed upon the housetops.
4 “My friends, listen [carefully]. Do not be afraid of people who [are able to] kill you, but after they kill you, there is nothing more that they can do [to hurt you].
To you who are my friends I say, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but after that can do no more.
5 But I will warn you about the one that you should truly be afraid of. You should be afraid of [God], because he not only has [the power to] cause people to die, he has the power to throw them into hell afterward! Yes, he is truly the one that you should be afraid of! (Geenna g1067)
I will show you of whom you should be afraid. Be afraid of him who, after killing you, has the power to fling you into the Pit. Yes, I say, be afraid of him. (Geenna g1067)
6 [Think about] the sparrows. [They are worth so little] that [you] can [RHQ] buy five of them for only two small coins. But not one of them is ever forgotten by God {God never forgets one of them}!
Are not five sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them has escaped God’s notice.
7 You are worth more [to God] than many sparrows. So do not be afraid [of what people can do to you! God] even knows how many hairs there are on each of your heads, [so that if you(sg) lose one hair, he knows about it. So nothing bad can happen to you without his knowing it].
No, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
8 I want to tell you also that if people, [without being afraid, are willing to] tell others [that they are my disciples], [I], the one who came from heaven, will acknowledge before [God that they are my disciples]. [I will do that while] God’s angels listen.
Every one, I tell you, who shall acknowledge me before his fellow men, the Son of Man, also, will acknowledge before God’s angels;
9 But if people [are] afraid to say in front of others that they are [my disciples], [I] will say, while God’s angels listen, that they are not [my disciples].
but he, who disowns me before his fellow men, will be altogether disowned before God’s angels.
10 [I will tell you] also that [God is willing to] forgive people who say bad things about me, the one who came from heaven, but [he] will not forgive anyone who says evil things about what the Holy Spirit [does].
Every one who shall say anything against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but for him who slanders the Holy Spirit there will be no forgiveness.
11 [So] when people ask you in Jewish worship houses and in the presence of rulers and other authorities [about your trusting in me], do not worry about how you will answer them [when they accuse you]. Do not worry about what you should say,
Whenever they take you before the Synagogue Courts or the magistrates or other authorities, do not be anxious as to how you will defend yourselves, or what your defence will be, or what you will say;
12 because the Holy Spirit will tell you at that very time what you should say.”
for the Holy Spirit will show you at the moment what you ought to say.”
13 Then one of the people in the crowd said to [Jesus], “Teacher, tell my [older] brother to divide my father’s property and give me [the part that belongs] to me!”
“Teacher,” a man in the crowd said to Jesus, “tell my brother to share the property with me.”
14 But Jesus replied to him, “Man, (no one appointed me in order that I would settle [matters when people are] disputing about property!/did anyone appoint me in order that I would settle [matters when people are] disputing about property?) [RHQ]”
But Jesus said to him: “Man, who made me a judge or an arbiter between you?”
15 Then he said to the whole crowd, “Guard yourselves very carefully, in order that you do not desire other people’s things in any way! No one can make his life secure by [obtaining] many possessions.”
And then he added: “Take care to keep yourselves free from every form of covetousness; for even in the height of his prosperity a man’s true Life does not depend on what he has.”
16 Then Jesus told the people this illustration: “There was a certain rich man whose crops grew very well.
Then Jesus told them this parable — “There was once a rich man whose land was very fertile;
17 [So] he said [to himself], ‘I do not know what to do, because I do not have any place [big enough] to store all my crops!’
and he began to ask himself ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?
18 Then he thought to himself, ‘[I know] what I will do! I will tear down my grain bins and build larger ones! Then I will store all my wheat and other goods in [the big new bins].
This is what I will do,’ he said; ‘I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them;
19 [Then] I will say to myself [SYN], “Now I have plenty of goods stored up. [They will last] for many years. [So now] I will take life easy. I will eat and drink [all that I want to] and be happy [for a long time]!”’
and I will say to myself, Now you have plenty of good things put by for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’
20 But God said to him, ‘You foolish [man]! Tonight you will die! (Then all [the goods] you have saved up [for yourself] will [belong to someone else, not to] you!/Do you think that you [will benefit from] all that you have stored up for yourself?) [RHQ]’”
But God said to the man ‘Fool! This very night your life is being demanded; and as for all you have prepared — who will have it?’
21 [Then Jesus ended this illustration by saying], “That is what will happen to those who store up goods just for themselves, but who do not value the things [that] God [considers] valuable.”
So it is with those who lay by wealth for themselves and are not rich to the glory of God.”
22 Then [Jesus] said to his disciples, “So I want to tell you this: Do not worry about [things you need] in order to live. Do not worry about [whether you will have enough food] to eat or [enough clothes] to wear.
And Jesus said to his disciples: “That is why I say to you, Do not be anxious about the life here — what you can get to eat; nor yet about your body — what you can get to wear.
23 It is important to have sufficient food and clothing, but (the way you conduct your lives is more important./is not the way you conduct your lives more important?) [RHQ]
For life is more than food, and the body than its clothes.
24 Think about the birds: They do not plant [seeds], and they do not harvest [crops]. They do not have rooms or buildings in which to store crops. But God provides food for them. [And] you are certainly much more valuable than birds. [So God will certainly provide what you need]!
Think of the ravens — they neither sow nor reap; they have neither storehouse nor barn; and yet God feeds them! And how much more precious are you than birds!
25 (There is not a one of you who can add a little bit to how long he lives by worrying about it!/Is there any of you who can add a little bit to how long he lives by worrying about it?) [RHQ]
But which of you, by being anxious, can prolong his life a moment?
26 Worrying is a small thing to do. So since you cannot add to your life, (you certainly should not worry about other things that [you need to have in order to live!]/why do you worry about other things that [you need to have in order to live]?) [RHQ]
And, if you cannot do even the smallest thing, why be anxious about other things?
27 Think about the way that flowers grow [in the fields]. They do not work [to earn money], and they do not make their own clothes. But I tell you that [even though King] Solomon, [who lived long ago, wore very beautiful clothes], his clothes were not as beautiful as one of those [flowers].
Think of the lilies, and how they grow. They neither toil nor spin; yet, I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendour was not robed like one of these.
28 God makes the flowers beautiful, but they grow in the fields for only a short time. Then [they are cut at the same time that the grass] is cut, and thrown into an oven [to be burned to make heat for baking] bread. [So they really are not worth very much. But you are very precious to] God, [and he] will [care for you] much more [than he cares for the grass by filling it with beautiful flowers]. So he will certainly provide clothes for you, who [live much longer than the grass. Why] [RHQ] [do you] trust him so little?
If, even in the field, God so clothes the grass which is living to-day and to-morrow will be thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith!
29 Do not always be concerned about having enough to eat and drink, and do not be worrying about those things.
And you — do not be always seeking what you can get to eat or what you can get to drink; and do not waver.
30 The people who do not know God are always worried about such things. But your Father [in heaven] knows that you need those things, [so you should not worry about them].
These are the things for which all the nations of the world are seeking, and your Father knows that you need them.
31 Instead, be concerned about letting [God] completely direct [your life]. Then [he] will also give you enough of the things [you need].
No, seek his Kingdom, and these things shall be added for you.
32 [You who are my disciples are like a] small flock of sheep, [and I am like your shepherd]. So you should not be afraid. Your Father [in heaven] wants to let you rule with him [in heaven].
So do not be afraid, my little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom.
33 [So now] sell the things that you own. Give [the money that you get for those things] to poor people. [If you do that, it will be as though] you are providing for yourselves purses that will not wear out, and [God will give] you a treasure in heaven that will always be safe. There, no thief can come near [to steal it], and no termite can destroy it.
Sell what belongs to you, and give in charity. Make yourselves purses that will not wear out — an inexhaustible treasure in Heaven, where no thief comes near, or moth works ruin.
34 Remember that [the things] that you [think are the most] valuable are [the things] that you will be constantly concerned about.”
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
35 “Be always ready [for doing God’s work] [MET], like [people] who have put on their work clothes and are ready [during the day], with their lamps burning all night.
Make yourselves ready, with your lamps alight;
36 Be [ready for me to return] [MET], like servants who are waiting for their master to return after being at a wedding feast [for several days]. They are [waiting to] open the door for him and [start working for him again] as soon as he arrives and knocks at the door.
and be like men who are waiting for their Master’s return from his wedding, so that, when he comes and knocks, they may open the door for him at once.
37 If those servants are awake when he returns, [he will] be very pleased with them. I will tell you this: He will put on [the kind of clothes] that servants wear and tell them to sit down, and he will serve them a meal.
Happy are those servants whom, on his return, the Master will find watching. I tell you that he will make himself ready, and bid them take their places at table, and will come and wait upon them.
38 [Even] if he comes between midnight and sunrise, if he finds that his servants are [awake and] ready [for him], he will be very pleased with them.
Whether it is late at night, or in the early morning that he comes, if he finds all as it should be, then happy are they.
39 But you must also remember this: If owners of a house knew what time a thief was coming, they [would stay awake and] would not allow their house to be broken into [and their goods to be stolen] {[the thief] to break into the house [and steal their goods]}.
This you do know, that, had the owner of the house known at what time the thief was coming, he would have been on the watch, and would not have let his house be broken into.
40 Similarly, you must be ready [for me to return], because [I], the one who came from heaven, will come [again] at a time when you do not expect [me to come].”
Do you also prepare, for when you are least expecting him the Son of Man will come.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, are you [(sg)] speaking this illustration [only] for us or for everyone [else also]?”
“Master,” said Peter, “are you telling this parable with reference to us or to every one?”
42 The Lord replied, “[I am saying it for you and for anyone else] [MET, RHQ] who is like a faithful and wise manager in his master’s house. His master appoints him to [supervise affairs in his house] and to give all the [other] servants their food at the proper time. [Then he leaves on a long trip].
“Who, then,” replied the Master, “is that trustworthy steward, the careful man, who will be placed by his master over his establishment, to give them their rations at the proper time?
43 If the servant is doing that work when his master returns, [his master] will be very pleased with him.
Happy will that servant be whom his master, when he comes home, shall find doing this.
44 I tell you this: His master will appoint him to supervise all of his affairs [permanently].
His master, I tell you, will put him in charge of the whole of his property.
45 But that servant might think to himself, ‘My master [has been away] for a long time, [so he probably will] not return soon [and find out what I am doing].’ [Then he might] start to beat the [other] servants, both male and female ones. [He might also start] to eat [a lot of food] and get drunk.
But should that servant say to himself ‘My master is a long time coming,’ and begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk,
46 [If he does that, and if] his master returns on a day when the servant does not expect him, then his master will (cut him into two pieces/punish him severely) [HYP] and put him [in the place where he puts all] those who do not [serve him] faithfully.
that servant’s master will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour of which he is unaware, and will flog him severely and assign him his place among the untrustworthy.
47 Every servant who knows what his master wants him to do but who does not get himself ready and does not do what his master desires will be beaten severely {[The master] will beat severely every servant who knows what his master wants him to do but who does not get himself ready and does not do what his master desires}.
The servant who knows his master’s wishes and yet does not prepare and act accordingly will receive many lashes;
48 But every [servant] who did not know [what his master wanted] him to do, and who did things for which he deserved to be punished, will be beaten lightly {[the master] will beat lightly every [servant] who did not know [what his master wanted] him to do and did the things for which he deserved that [his master] would beat him}. [God will treat his people similarly, because he] expects a lot from those people whom [he] has allowed [to understand a lot]. People who entrust things [to others’ care] expect those people [to care for those things] very well. Similarly, [God] expects a lot from those people whom he has allowed [to understand a lot]. Furthermore, he expects the most from people to whom he has given the most [ability].”
while one who does not know his master’s wishes, but acts so as to deserve a flogging, will receive but few. From every one to whom much has been given much will be expected, and from the man to whom much has been entrusted the more will be demanded.
49 “I came to earth to cause [there to be trials] [MET], [which will purify you as] fire [purifies metal] (OR, to cause judgment/divisions among you). I wish that the time when [you] will be purified {when [God] will purify you} (OR, when divisions will be caused {to cause divisions among people}) had already begun.
I came to cast fire upon the earth; and what more can I wish, if it is already kindled?
50 I must soon suffer [IDM] greatly. I am distressed, and I will continue to be distressed until my suffering is finished.
There is a baptism that I must undergo, and how great is my distress until it is over!
51 Do you think that as a result of my coming to earth people will live together peacefully? No! I must tell you, [that is not what will happen! Instead, people] will be divided.
Do you think that I am here to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but to cause division.
52 Because some people in one house [will believe in me and some will not], they will be divided. [For example], three people in one house [who do not believe in me] will oppose two [who do believe], or two [who do not believe in me] will oppose three [who do believe].
For from this time, if there are five people in a house, they will be divided, three against two, and two against three.
53 A man will oppose his son, or a son will oppose his father. A woman will oppose her daughter, or a woman will oppose her mother. A woman will oppose her daughter-in-law, or a woman will oppose her mother-in-law.”
‘Father will be opposed to son and son to father, mother to daughter and daughter to mother, mother-in-law to her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law.’”
54 He [also] said to the crowds, “[In this country], when you see a [dark] cloud forming in the west, you immediately say ‘It is going to rain!’ and that is what happens.
And to the people Jesus said: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once ‘There is a storm coming,’ and come it does.
55 [In this region], when the wind blows from the south, you say, ‘It is going to be a very hot day!’ and that is what happens.
And when you see that the wind is in the south, you say ‘It will be burning hot,’ and so it proves.
56 You hypocrites! By observing the clouds and the wind, you are able to discern what is happening regarding [the weather]. It is disgusting that you are not able to discern [what God is doing] at this present time [RHQ]!
Hypocrites! You know how to judge of the earth and the sky; how is it, then, that you cannot judge of this time?
57 (Each of you ought to determine now what is the right thing for you to do, [while you still have time to do that]!/Why cannot each of you determine what is the right [thing for you to do now while you still have time to do that]?) [RHQ]
Why do not you yourselves decide what is right?
58 [If you do not do that, God will punish you] [MET]. [It will be like what happens when] someone takes one of you to court, saying that you [(sg)] have done something very bad. You should try to settle things with him while you are still on the way to the court. If he forces you to go to the judge, the judge will decide that you are guilty and put you into the hands of the court officer. Then that officer will put you in prison.
When, for instance, you are going with your opponent before a magistrate, on your way to the court do your best to be quit of him; for fear that he should drag you before the judge, then the judge will hand you over to the bailiff of the court, and the bailiff throw you into prison.
59 I tell you that if you go to prison, you will never get out, [because you will never be able to] pay every bit [of what the judge says you owe] [MET]. [Similarly, you ought to settle accounts with God before you die, too].”
You will not, I tell you, come out until you have paid the very last farthing.”
