Luke 12

^aIn the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, ^bBeware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is ^chypocrisy. ^2dFor there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. ³Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in ^eclosets shall be proclaimed upon the ^fhousetops. ⁴And I say unto you ^gmy friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵But I will ^hforewarn you whom you shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. ⁶Are not ⁱfive sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? ⁷But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. ⁸Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before ^kthe angels of God: ⁹but he that denieth me before men shall be denied before ^kthe angels of God. ¹⁰And ^lwhosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. ^11mAnd when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto ^nomagistrates, and ^nppowers, ^qtake ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: ^12rfor the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

¹³And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. ¹⁴And he said unto him, ^sMan, ^twho made me a judge or a divider over you? ¹⁵And he said unto them, ^uTake heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. ¹⁶And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: ¹⁷and he ^xthought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to ^ybestow my fruits? ¹⁸And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my ^zbarns, and build greater; and there will I ^ybestow all my fruits and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, ^aSoul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and ^bbe merry. ²⁰But God said unto him, Thou fool, ^cthis night ^dthy soul shall be required of thee: then ^ewhose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? ²¹So is he that ^flayeth up treasure for himself, and ^gis not rich towards God.

²²And he said unto his disciples, ^hTherefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. ²³The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. ²⁴Consider ⁱthe ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have ^kstorehouse nor ^zbarn; and ⁱGod feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? ²⁵And which of you with taking thought can add to his ^lstature ^mone cubit? ²⁶If ye then be not able to do ^mthat thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? ²⁷Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? ²⁹And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. ³⁰For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. ³¹But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. ³²ⁿFear not, ^olittle flock; for ^pit is your Father’s good pleasure to give you ^qthe kingdom. ^33rSell that ye have, and ^sgive alms; ^tprovide yourselves ^ubags which wax not old, ^xa treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither ^xmoth corrupteth. ^34yFor where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

^35zLet your loins be girded about, and ^ayour lights burning; ³⁶and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will ^breturn from ^cthe wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. ^37dBlessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find ^ewatching: verily I say unto you, that he shall ^fgird himself, and ^gmake them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. ³⁸And if he shall come in the ^hsecond watch, or come in the ^hthird watch, and ^dfind them so, blessed are those servants. ³⁹ⁱAnd this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have ^ewatched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. ⁴⁰Be ye therefore ^jready also: ^kfor the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

⁴¹Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable ^lunto us, or even ^mto all? ⁴²And the Lord said,

Who then is that faithful and wise ⁿsteward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? ⁴³Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. ⁴⁴Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. ⁴⁵But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; ⁴⁶the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not ware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his ^oportion with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷And ^pthat servant, which knew his lord’s will, and ^jprepared not himself, neither did according to his will, ^qshall be beaten with many stripes. ^48pBut he ^rthat knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, ^sshall be beaten with few stripes. ^tFor unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom ^umen have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

⁴⁹I am come to send ^wfire on the earth; ^xand what will I, if it be already kindled? ⁵⁰But I have ^ya baptism to be baptized with; and ^zhow am I ^astraitened ^btill it be accomplished! ^51cSuppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather ^wdivision: ⁵²for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. ⁵³The father shall be divided against the son, and ^dthe son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

⁵⁴And he said also to the people, ^eWhen ye see ^fa cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. ⁵⁵And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be ^gheat; and it cometh to pass. ^56hYe hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? ⁵⁷Yea, and why even ⁱof yourselves judge ye not what is right? ^58kWhen thou goest ^lwith thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. ⁵⁹I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.

XIII.