Luke 12:15-51

English Standard Version

¹⁵ And he said to them, ^(A)“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, ^(B)“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷ and he thought to himself, ^(C)‘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 ^(D)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 ^(E)for many years; relax, ^(F)eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ^(G)‘Fool! ^(H)This night ^(I)your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, ^(J)whose will they be?’ ²¹ So is the one ^(K)who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Be Anxious

²² And he said to his disciples, ^(L)“Therefore I tell you, ^(M)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 (N)Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. ^(O)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 ^(P)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, ^(Q)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, ^(R)O you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor ^(S)be worried. ³⁰ For ^(T)all the nations of the world seek after these things, and ^(U)your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ Instead, ^(V)seek ^(W)his^[c] kingdom, ^(X)and these things will be added to you.

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

You Must Be Ready

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

⁴¹ Peter said, “Lord, ^(AT)are you telling this parable for us or for all?” ⁴² And the Lord said, “Who then is ^(AU)the faithful and ^(AV)wise ^(AW)manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? ^43 (AX)Blessed is that servant^[g] whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you, ^(AY)he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master ^(AZ)is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and ^(BA)get drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come ^(BB)on a day when he does not expect him and ^(BC)at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. ^47 (BD)And that servant who ^(BE)knew his master's will but ^(BF)did not get ready ^(BG)or act according to his will, will receive a ^(BH)severe beating. ^48 (BI)But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, ^(BJ)will receive a light beating. ^(BK)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 (BL)“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! ^50 (BM)I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how ^(BN)great is my distress until it is accomplished! ^51 (BO)Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? ^(BP)No, I tell you, but rather division.