Luke 12:22–48

Do Not Worry

²²And He said to His disciples, “^aFor this reason I say to you, ¹do not worry about your ²life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.

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

²⁴“Consider the ^aravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor ^bbarn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!

²⁵“And which of you by worrying can add a single ^1acubit to his ²life span?

²⁶“Therefore, if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?

²⁷“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, but I tell you, not even ^aSolomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

²⁸“But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? ^aYou of little faith!

²⁹“And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not ^akeep worrying.

³⁰“For ¹all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek, but your Father knows that you need these things.

³¹“But seek His kingdom, and ^athese things will be added to you.

³²“^aDo not fear, ^blittle flock, for ^cyour Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom.

³³“^aSell your possessions and give it as charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, ^ban unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.

³⁴“For ^awhere your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Be Ready for His Coming

³⁵“^aGird up ^byour loins, and keep your lamps lit.

³⁶“And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.

³⁷“Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find ^aawake when he comes; truly I say to you, that ^bhe will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.

³⁸“^aWhether he comes in the ¹second watch, or even in the ²third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

³⁹“^aBut ¹be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be ^2bbroken into.

⁴⁰“^aYou too, be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not ¹expect.”

⁴¹Now Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or ^ato everyone else as well?”

⁴²And ^athe Lord said, “^bWho then is the faithful and prudent ^csteward, whom his master will put in charge of his ¹servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?

⁴³“Blessed is that ^aslave whom his ¹master finds so doing when he comes.

⁴⁴“Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

⁴⁵“But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master ¹will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk,

⁴⁶the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

⁴⁷“And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will ^areceive many beatings,

⁴⁸but the one who did not ^aknow it, and committed deeds worthy of a beating, will receive but a few. ^bFrom everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.