Luke 12
12
1In those times, the myriads of the crowd being gathered together, so that they trod one on another, he began to say to his disciples first, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy; 2but there is nothing covered up which shall not be revealed, nor secret that shall not be known; 3therefore whatever ye have said in the darkness shall be heard in the light, and what ye have spoken in the ear in chambers shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. 4But I say to you, my friends, Fear not those who kill the body and after this have no more that they can do. 5But I will shew you whom ye shall fear: Fear him who after he has killed has authority to cast into hell; yea, I say to you, Fear him. 6Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? and one of them is not forgotten before God. 7But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore, ye are better than many sparrows. 8But I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, the Son of man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9but he that shall have denied me before men shall be denied before the angels of God; 10and whoever shall say a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him; but to him that speaks injuriously against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven. 11But when they bring you before the synagogues and rulers and the authorities, be not careful how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say; 12for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the hour itself what should be said.
13And a person said to him out of the crowd, Teacher, speak to my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 14But he said to him, Man, who established me as a judge or a divider over you? 15And he said to them, Take heed and keep yourselves from all covetousness, for it is not because a man is in abundance that his life is in his possessions. 16And he spoke a parable to them, saying, The land of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly. 17And he reasoned within himself saying, What shall I do? for I have not a place where I shall lay up my fruits. 18And he said, This will I do: I will take away my granaries and build greater, and there I will lay up all my produce and my good things; 19and I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much good things laid by for many years; repose thyself, eat, drink, be merry. 20But God said to him, Fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; and whose shall be what thou hast prepared? 21Thus is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
22And he said to his disciples, For this cause I say unto you, Be not careful for life, what ye shall eat, nor for the body, what ye shall put on. 23The life is more than food, and the body than raiment. 24Consider the ravens, that they sow not nor reap; which have neither storehouse nor granary; and God feeds them. How much better are ye than the birds? 25But which of you by being careful can add to his stature one cubit? 26If therefore ye cannot do even what is least, why are ye careful about the rest? 27Consider the lilies how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I say unto you, Not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed as one of these. 28But if God thus clothe the grass, which to-day is in the field and to-morrow is cast into the oven, how much rather you, O ye of little faith? 29And ye, seek not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, and be not in anxiety; 30for all these things do the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that ye have need of these things; 31but seek his kingdom, and all these things shall be added to you. 32Fear not, little flock, for it has been the good pleasure of your Father to give you the kingdom. 33Sell what ye possess and give alms; make to yourselves purses which do not grow old, a treasure which does not fail in the heavens, where thief does not draw near nor moth destroy. 34For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. 35Let your loins be girded about, and lamps burning; 36and ye like men who wait their own lord whenever he may leave the wedding, that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. 37Blessed are those bondmen whom the lord on coming shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that he will gird himself and make them recline at table, and coming up will serve them. 38And if he come in the second watch, and come in the third watch, and find them thus, blessed are those bondmen. 39But this know, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be dug through. 40And ye therefore, be ye ready, for in the hour in which ye do not think it, the Son of man comes.
41And Peter said to him, Lord, sayest thou this parable to us, or also to all? 42And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and prudent steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give the measure of corn in season? 43Blessed is that bondman whom his lord on coming shall find doing thus; 44verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all that he has. 45But if that bondman should say in his heart, My lord delays to come, and begin to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and to drink and to be drunken, 46the lord of that bondman shall come in a day when he does not expect it, and in an hour he knows not of, and shall cut him in two and appoint his portion with the unbelievers. 47But that bondman who knew his own lord's will, and had not prepared himself nor done his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; 48but he who knew it not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few. And to every one to whom much has been given, much shall be required from him; and to whom menhave committed much, they will ask from him the more. 49I have come to cast a fire on the earth; and what will I if already it has been kindled? 50But I have a baptism to be baptised with, and how am I straitened until it shall have been accomplished! 51Think ye that I have come to give peace in the earth? Nay, I say to you, but rather division: 52for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided; three shall be divided against two, and two against three: 53father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
54And he said also to the crowds, When ye see a cloud rising out of the west, straightway ye say, A shower is coming; and so it happens. 55And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it happens. 56Hypocrites, ye know how to judge of the appearance of the earth and of the heaven; how is it then that ye do not discern this time? 57And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 58For as thou goest with thine adverse party before a magistrate, strive in the way to be reconciled with him, lest he drag thee away to the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. 59I say unto thee, Thou shalt in no wise come out thence until thou hast paid the very last mite.
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Luke 12: DARBY
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Luke 12
12
Beware of Religious Hypocrisy
1Meanwhile, a crowd of many thousands came together, so that they were trampling#Lk 8:5 on one another. He began to say to his disciples first,#Mt 16:5–6; Mk 8:14–15 “Be on your guard#Jr 9:4; Lk 17:3; Ac 20:28 against the leaven#12:1 Or yeast#Lk 13:21; Gl 5:9 of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.#Mt 23:28; Mk 12:15; Gl 2:13; 1Pt 2:1 2There is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered,#Mt 10:26–33; Mk 4:22; Lk 8:17 nothing hidden that won’t be made known.#Lk 6:44 3Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an ear in private rooms#Mt 6:6; 24:26; Lk 12:24 will be proclaimed on the housetops.#Ac 10:9
Fear God
4 “I say to you, my friends, #
Ac 27:3
don’t fear#Is 8:13; 51:12; Jr 1:8; Jn 6:20 those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5But I will show you the one to fear: Fear#Ps 147:11; Pr 1:7; Ac 10:2; Rv 14:7 him who has authority to throw people into hell#Mk 9:43; Jms 3:6 after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the one to fear! 6Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies?#12:6 Lit two assaria; a small copper coin Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.#Ps 50:11 7Indeed, 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 #
Mt 7:23; Jn 9:22 me before others, the Son of Man#Lk 5:24; 11:30 will also acknowledge him before the angels of God,#Lk 15:10; Jn 1:51; Ac 10:3; Rm 10:9; Rv 3:5 9but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.#Lk 9:26 10Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,#Mt 12:31–32; Mk 3:28–30 but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit#Lk 1:15,35; 2:25–26; 3:22 will not be forgiven. 11Whenever#Mt 10:19–20; Mk 13:11; Lk 21:14–15 they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities,#Lk 20:20; Eph 3:10; Col 2:15 don’t worry#Php 4:6 about how you should defend#Ac 26:24 yourselves or what you should say. 12For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said.”#Pr 1:23; Jn 14:26
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher,#Lk 11:45 tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 “Friend,” # 12:14 Lit Man he said to him, “who appointed me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard#1Tm 6:20; 2Tm 1:14; 4:15; 2Pt 3:17; 1Jn 5:21 against all greed,#Eph 5:3 because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”#Gn 12:5; Jb 20:20; 31:24; Ps 62:10
16Then he told them a parable:#Lk 5:36; 8:11 “A rich#Lk 6:24; 16:19; 18:23; 19:2; 21:1 man’s land was very productive. 17He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops? 18I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. 19Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy;#Mt 11:28; Mk 6:31; Rv 6:11; 14:13 eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’#Ec 2:24
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! #
Jr 17:11; Lk 11:40 This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared — whose will they be?’#Ps 39:6; 49:10; Jr 17:11; Mt 16:26
21 “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure #
2Pt 3:7
for himself and is not rich toward God.”#Mt 6:19–20
The Cure for Anxiety
22Then he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you,#Mt 6:25–34 don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear.#Pr 31:25 23For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24Consider the ravens:#1Kg 17:4,6; Jb 38:41; Ps 147:9; Pr 30:17 They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them.#Rv 12:6 Aren’t you worth much more than the birds? 25Can any of you add one moment to his life span#12:25 Or add a cubit to his height by worrying?#Php 4:6 26If 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 #
1Kg 10:4–7
in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 28If 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?#Mt 8:26; 14:31; 16:8 29Don’t strive for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious. 30For the Gentile world eagerly seeks#Heb 11:14; 13:14 all these things, and your Father#Mt 5:16; 6:1; 11:27; Jn 8:42 knows that you need them.
31 “But seek his kingdom, #
Mt 5:6,20; Lk 11:2 and these things will be provided for you.#1Kg 3:11–14; Mt 19:29; Mk 10:29–30 32Don’t be afraid,#Lk 12:4,7 little flock,#Is 40:11; Ac 20:28; 1Pt 5:2–3 because your Father delights#Mt 11:26; Lk 10:21; Eph 1:5,9; Php 2:13 to give you the kingdom.#Mt 13:19; 25:34; Lk 22:29 33Sell#Mt 6:19–21 your possessions and give to the poor.#Ac 24:17 Make money-bags#Lk 10:4 for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure#Mk 10:21; 2Co 4:7 in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.#1Pt 1:4
Ready for the Master’s Return
35 “Be ready for service # 12:35 Lit “Let your loins be girded; an idiom for tying up loose outer clothing in preparation for action; Ex 12:11 and have your lamps lit.#Mt 24:42–51; 25:1–13; Mk 13:33–37; Jn 13:4–5 36You are to be like people waiting for their master#2Pt 3:12 to return from the wedding banquet#Jn 2:1 so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once.#Rv 3:20 37Blessed will be those servants the master finds alert#Rm 13:11 when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will get ready,#12:37 Lit will gird himself have them recline at the table, then come and serve them.#Lk 17:8; 22:27 38If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn,#12:38 Lit even in the second or third watch and finds them alert, blessed are those servants. 39But know this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming,#1Th 5:2 he would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also be ready,#Lk 21:36 because the Son of Man#Mk 2:10 is coming at an hour you do not expect.”#1Th 5:2; 2Pt 3:10; Rv 3:3; 16:15
Rewards and Punishment
41“Lord,” Peter asked, “are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?”
42The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible manager#Lk 16:1 his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food#1Tm 6:8 at the proper time? 43Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. 44Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’#1Jn 2:28 and starts to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46that 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#12:46 Lit him in two and assign him a place with the unfaithful.#12:46 Or unbelievers 47And that servant who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it#12:47 Lit or do toward his will, will be severely beaten.#Dt 25:2; Jms 4:17 48But the one who did not know and did what deserved#Lv 5:17; Nm 15:29 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.#12:48 Or much#Lv 5:17; Mt 13:12; Rm 1:20; 2:14; 1Tm 1:13
Not Peace but Division
49 “I came #
Mt 10:34–36; Mk 10:38 to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze! 50But I have a baptism to undergo,#Ac 22:16; Rm 6:3; Eph 4:5 and how it consumes#2Co 5:14 me until it is finished!#Jn 19:28; 19:30 51Do you think that I came here to bring peace on the earth?#Lk 2:14 No, I tell you, but rather division. 52From 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.” # 12:53 Mc 7:6 #
Mc 7:6
Interpreting the Time
54He also said to the crowds,#Mt 16:2–3 “When you see a cloud rising in the west, right away you say, ‘A storm is coming,’ and so it does.#1Kg 18:43–44 55And when the south wind is blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56Hypocrites!#Lk 6:42 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?#Lk 20:10; 21:8,30
Settling Accounts
57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? #
Mt 5:25–26
58As you are going with your adversary#1Pt 5:8 to the ruler, make an effort to settle with him on the way. Then he won’t drag you before the judge,#2Tm 4:8 the judge hand you over to the bailiff, and the bailiff throw you into prison.#Pr 25:8 59I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny.”#12:59 Gk lepton, the smallest and least valuable copper coin in use#Lk 21:2
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