Luke 12:35-48

English Standard Version

You Must Be Ready

³⁵^(A)“Stay dressed for action^[a] and ^(B)keep your lamps burning, ³⁶and be like men who are ^(C)waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and ^(D)knocks. ³⁷^(E)Blessed are those servants^[b] whom the master finds ^(F)awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, ^(G)he will dress himself for service and ^(H)have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! ³⁹^(I)But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour ^(J)the thief was coming, he^[c] would not have left his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰You also must be ^(K)ready, for ^(L)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

⁴¹Peter said, “Lord, ^(M)are you telling this parable for us or for all?” ⁴²And the Lord said, “Who then is ^(N)the faithful and ^(O)wise ^(P)manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? ⁴³^(Q)Blessed is that servant^[d] whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴Truly, I say to you, ^(R)he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁵But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master ^(S)is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and ^(T)get drunk, ⁴⁶the master of that servant will come ^(U)on a day when he does not expect him and ^(V)at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. ⁴⁷^(W)And that servant who ^(X)knew his master's will but ^(Y)did not get ready ^(Z)or act according to his will, will receive a ^(AA)severe beating. ⁴⁸^(AB)But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, ^(AC)will receive a light beating. ^(AD)Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.