RKJNT - Luke - 12

12:1  In the meantime, when a great crowd of people had gathered, so that they trod upon each other, he began to say first to his disciples, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

12:2  For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; nor hidden, that shall not be known.

12:3  Therefore, whatever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which you have spoken in the ear behind closed doors shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

12:4  And I say to you, my friends, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

12:5  But I will warn you whom to fear: Fear him, who after he has killed has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, Fear him.

12:6  Are not five sparrows sold for twopence, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

12:7  But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear: you are of more value than many sparrows.

12:8  And I say to you, Whoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:

12:9  But he who denies me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

12:10  And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven.

12:11  And when they bring you to the synagogues, and to magistrates, and authorities, take no thought of how you shall defend yourself, or what you shall say:

12:12  For the Holy Spirit shall teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.

12:13  And one of the company said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.

12:14  And he said to him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

12:15  And he said to them, Take heed, and beware of every form of greed: for a man's life does not consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.

12:16  And he spoke a parable to them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

12:17  And he thought to himself, What shall I do, because I have no room to store my crops?

12:18  And he said, This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones; and there I will store all my grain and goods.

12:19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

12:20  But God said to him, You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you: then who shall own those things, which you have prepared?

12:21  So it is with him who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

12:22  And he said to his disciples, Therefore I say to you, Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat; or for the body, what you shall put on.

12:23  For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

12:24  Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them: how much more valuable are you than the birds!

12:25  And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature?

12:26  If you then are not able to do such a small thing, why are you anxious about the rest?

12:27  Consider the lilies, how they grow: they do not toil or spin; and yet I say to you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

12:28  If then God so clothes the grass, which is in the field today, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith?

12:29  And do not seek what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, and do not be of an anxious mind.

12:30  For the nations of the world seek after all these things: and your Father knows that you have need of them.

12:31  But rather seek the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added to you.

12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

12:33  Sell what you have, and give alms; provide yourselves purses which do not grow old, a treasure in heaven that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

12:34  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

12:35  Be dressed and ready, and keep your lamps burning;

12:36  And be like men who wait for their lord to return from the wedding feast; that when he comes and knocks, they may open the door for him immediately.

12:37  Blessed are those servants, whom the lord shall find watching when he comes: truly I say to you, that he shall dress himself to serve, and make them sit down at the table, and will come forth and serve them.

12:38  And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

12:39  And know this, that if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

12:40  Therefore you be ready also: for the Son of man will come at a hour when you do not expect.

12:41  Then Peter said to him, Lord, are you speaking this parable to us, or to everyone?

12:42  And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his servants, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?

12:43  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord shall find so doing when he comes.

12:44  Truly I say to you, that he will make him ruler over all that he has.

12:45  But if that servant says in his heart, My lord delays his coming; and begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

12:46  The lord of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at a hour he is not aware of, and will cut him in pieces, and will assign him a place with the unbelievers.

12:47  And that servant, who knew his lord's will, and did not prepare himself, and did not do his will, shall be beaten with many blows.

12:48  But he who did not know, and committed things worthy of a beating, shall be beaten with few blows. For to whomever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask all the more.

12:49  I have come to send fire on the earth; and how I wish it was already kindled.

12:50  But I have a baptism to undergo; and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!

12:51  Do you suppose that I have come to give peace on earth? I tell you, No; but rather division:

12:52  For from henceforth there shall be five in one house, divided, three against two, and two against three.

12:53  They shall be divided 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 her mother-in-law.

12:54  And he also said to the people, When you see a cloud rise out of the west, immediately you say, A shower is coming; and so it does.

12:55  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, There will be heat; and it comes to pass.

12:56  You hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that you do not discern this time?

12:57  And why do you not even judge for yourselves what is right?

12:58  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, as you are on the way, make every effort to settle with him, lest he drag you before the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer cast you into prison.

12:59  I tell you, you shall not get out of there, until you have paid the very last farthing.