Luke 12
1 At which time the myriads of the multitude having been gathered together, so as to tread upon one another, he began to say unto his disciples, first, 'Take heed to yourselves of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy;
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 and there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known;
There is nothing, however covered up, which will not be uncovered, nor anything kept secret which will not become known.
3 because whatever in the darkness ye said, in the light shall be heard: and what to the ear ye spake in the inner-chambers, shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops.
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 'And I say to you, my friends, be not afraid of those killing the body, and after these things are not having anything over to do;
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 show to you, whom ye may fear; Fear him who, after the killing, is having authority to cast to the gehenna; yes, I say to you, Fear ye Him. (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 'Are not five sparrows sold for two assars? and one of them is not forgotten before God,
Are not five sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them has escaped God’s notice.
7 but even the hairs of your head have been all numbered; therefore fear ye not, than many sparrows ye are of more value.
No, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
8 'And I say to you, Every one — whoever may confess with me before men, the Son of Man also shall confess with him before the messengers of God,
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 and he who hath denied me before men, shall be denied before the messengers of God,
but he, who disowns me before his fellow men, will be altogether disowned before God’s angels.
10 and every one whoever shall say a word to the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven to him, but to him who to the Holy Spirit did speak evil, it shall not be forgiven.
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 'And when they bring you before the synagogues, and the rulers, and the authorities, be not anxious how or what ye may reply, or what ye may 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 for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in that hour what it behoveth [you] to say.'
for the Holy Spirit will show you at the moment what you ought to say.”
13 And a certain one said to him, out of the multitude, 'Teacher, say to my brother to divide with me the inheritance.'
“Teacher,” a man in the crowd said to Jesus, “tell my brother to share the property with me.”
14 And he said to him, 'Man, who set me a judge or a divider over you?'
But Jesus said to him: “Man, who made me a judge or an arbiter between you?”
15 And he said unto them, 'Observe, and beware of the covetousness, because not in the abundance of one's goods is his life.'
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 And he spake a simile unto them, saying, 'Of a certain rich man the field brought forth well;
Then Jesus told them this parable — “There was once a rich man whose land was very fertile;
17 and he was reasoning within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where I shall gather together my fruits?
and he began to ask himself ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?
18 and he said, This I will do, I will take down my storehouses, and greater ones I will build, and I will gather together there all my products and my good things,
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 and I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast many good things laid up for many years, be resting, eat, drink, be merry.
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 'And God said to him, Unthinking one! this night thy soul they shall require from thee, and what things thou didst prepare — to whom shall they be?
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 so [is] he who is treasuring up to himself, and is not rich toward God.'
So it is with those who lay by wealth for themselves and are not rich to the glory of God.”
22 And he said unto his disciples, 'Because of this, to you I say, Be not anxious for your life, what ye may eat; nor for the body, what ye may put on;
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 the life is more than the nourishment, and the body than the clothing.
For life is more than food, and the body than its clothes.
24 'Consider the ravens, that they sow not, nor reap, to which there is no barn nor storehouse, and God doth nourish them; how much better are ye than the fowls?
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 and who of you, being anxious, is able to add to his age one cubit?
But which of you, by being anxious, can prolong his life a moment?
26 If, then, ye are not able for the least — why for the rest are ye anxious?
And, if you cannot do even the smallest thing, why be anxious about other things?
27 'Consider the lilies, how do they grow? they labour not, nor do they spin, and I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these;
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 and if the herbage in the field, that to-day is, and to-morrow into an oven is cast, God doth so clothe, how much more you — ye of little faith?
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 'And ye — seek not what ye may eat, or what ye may drink, and be not in suspense,
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 for all these things do the nations of the world seek after, and your Father hath known that ye have need of these things;
These are the things for which all the nations of the world are seeking, and your Father knows that you need them.
31 but, seek ye the reign of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
No, seek his Kingdom, and these things shall be added for you.
32 'Fear not, little flock, because your Father did delight to give you the reign;
So do not be afraid, my little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom.
33 sell your goods, and give alms, make to yourselves bags that become not old, a treasure unfailing in the heavens, where thief doth not come near, nor moth destroy;
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 for where your treasure is, there also your heart will be.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
35 'Let your loins be girded, and the lamps burning,
Make yourselves ready, with your lamps alight;
36 and ye like to men waiting for their lord, when he shall return out of the wedding feasts, that he having come and knocked, immediately they may open to him.
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 'Happy those servants, whom the lord, having come, shall find watching; verily I say to you, that he will gird himself, and will cause them to recline (at meat), and having come near, will minister to them;
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 and if he may come in the second watch, and in the third watch he may come, and may find [it] so, happy are those servants.
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 'And this know, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief doth come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through;
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 and ye, then, become ye ready, because at the hour ye think not, the Son of Man doth come.'
Do you also prepare, for when you are least expecting him the Son of Man will come.”
41 And Peter said to him, 'Sir, unto us this simile dost thou speak, or also unto all?'
“Master,” said Peter, “are you telling this parable with reference to us or to every one?”
42 And the Lord said, 'Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the lord shall set over his household, to give in season the wheat measure?
“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 Happy that servant, whom his lord, having come, shall find doing so;
Happy will that servant be whom his master, when he comes home, shall find doing this.
44 truly I say to you, that over all his goods he will set him.
His master, I tell you, will put him in charge of the whole of his property.
45 'And if that servant may say in his heart, My lord doth delay to come, and may begin to beat the men-servants and the maid-servants, to eat also, and to drink, and to be drunken;
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 the lord of that servant will come in a day in which he doth not look for [him], and in an hour that he doth not know, and will cut him off, and his portion with the unfaithful he will appoint.
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 'And that servant, who having known his lord's will, and not having prepared, nor having gone according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes,
The servant who knows his master’s wishes and yet does not prepare and act accordingly will receive many lashes;
48 and he who, not having known, and having done things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few; and to every one to whom much was given, much shall be required from him; and to whom they did commit much, more abundantly they will ask of him.
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 'Fire I came to cast to the earth, and what will I if already it was kindled?
I came to cast fire upon the earth; and what more can I wish, if it is already kindled?
50 but I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I pressed till it may be completed!
There is a baptism that I must undergo, and how great is my distress until it is over!
51 'Think ye that peace I came to give in the earth? no, I say to you, but rather division;
Do you think that I am here to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but to cause division.
52 for there shall be henceforth five in one house divided — three against two, and two against three;
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 father shall be divided against a son, and a son against a father, a mother against a daughter, and a daughter against a mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against 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 And he said also to the multitudes, 'When ye may see the cloud rising from the west, immediately ye say, A shower doth come, and it is so;
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 and when — a south wind blowing, ye say, that there will be heat, and it is;
And when you see that the wind is in the south, you say ‘It will be burning hot,’ and so it proves.
56 hypocrites! the face of the earth and of the heaven ye have known to make proof of, but this time — how do ye not make proof of [it]?
Hypocrites! You know how to judge of the earth and the sky; how is it, then, that you cannot judge of this time?
57 'And why, also, of yourselves, judge ye not what is righteous?
Why do not you yourselves decide what is right?
58 for, as thou art going away with thy opponent to the ruler, in the way give diligence to be released from him, lest he may drag thee unto the judge, and the judge may deliver thee to the officer, and the officer may cast thee into 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 say to thee, thou mayest not come forth thence till even the last mite thou mayest give back.'
You will not, I tell you, come out until you have paid the very last farthing.”
