Luke 12:13-59

English Standard Version

The Parable of the Rich Fool

^13 (A)Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But he said to him, ^(B)“Man, ^(C)who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And he said to them, ^(D)“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶ And he told them a parable, saying, ^(E)“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷ and he thought to himself, ^(F)‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my ^(G)barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up ^(H)for many years; relax, ^(I)eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ^(J)‘Fool! ^(K)This night ^(L)your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, ^(M)whose will they be?’ ²¹ So is the one ^(N)who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Be Anxious

²² And he said to his disciples, ^(O)“Therefore I tell you, ^(P)do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ^24 (Q)Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. ^(R)Of how much more value are you than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his ^(S)span of life?^{[a] 26} If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,^[b] yet I tell you, ^(T)even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, ^(U)O you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor ^(V)be worried. ³⁰ For ^(W)all the nations of the world seek after these things, and ^(X)your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ Instead, ^(Y)seek ^(Z)his^[c] kingdom, ^(AA)and these things will be added to you.

^32 (AB)“Fear not, little ^(AC)flock, for ^(AD)it is your Father's good pleasure to give you ^(AE)the kingdom. ^33 (AF)Sell your possessions, and ^(AG)give to the needy. ^(AH)Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with ^(AI)a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ^34 (AJ)For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You Must Be Ready

^35 (AK)“Stay dressed for action^[d] and ^(AL)keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ and be like men who are ^(AM)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 ^(AN)knocks. ^37 (AO)Blessed are those servants^[e] whom the master finds ^(AP)awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, ^(AQ)he will dress himself for service and ^(AR)have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸ If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! ^39 (AS)But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour ^(AT)the thief was coming, he^[f] would not have left his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ^(AU)ready, for ^(AV)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

⁴¹ Peter said, “Lord, ^(AW)are you telling this parable for us or for all?” ⁴² And the Lord said, “Who then is ^(AX)the faithful and ^(AY)wise ^(AZ)manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? ^43 (BA)Blessed is that servant^[g] whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you, ^(BB)he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master ^(BC)is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and ^(BD)get drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come ^(BE)on a day when he does not expect him and ^(BF)at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. ^47 (BG)And that servant who ^(BH)knew his master's will but ^(BI)did not get ready ^(BJ)or act according to his will, will receive a ^(BK)severe beating. ^48 (BL)But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, ^(BM)will receive a light beating. ^(BN)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.

Not Peace, but Division

^49 (BO)“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! ^50 (BP)I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how ^(BQ)great is my distress until it is accomplished! ^51 (BR)Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? ^(BS)No, I tell you, but rather division. ⁵² For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, ^(BT)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 mother-in-law.”

Interpreting the Time

⁵⁴ He also said to the crowds, ^(BU)“When you see ^(BV)a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. ⁵⁵ And ^(BW)when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be ^(BX)scorching heat,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶ You hypocrites! ^(BY)You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Settle with Your Accuser

⁵⁷ “And why ^(BZ)do you not judge ^(CA)for yourselves what is right? ^58 (CB)As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, ^(CC)you will never get out until you have paid the very last ^(CD)penny.”^[h]