Luke 12
Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees
In the meantime, awhen so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, b“Beware of cthe leaven of the Pharisees, dwhich is hypocrisy. 2 aNothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in aprivate rooms shall be proclaimed on bthe housetops.
Have No Fear
4 “I tell you, my friends, ado not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him awho, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And anot one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, aeven the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; byou are of more value than many sparrows.
Acknowledge Christ Before Men
8 “And I tell you, aeveryone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge bbefore the angels of God, 9 but athe one who denies me before men bwill be denied cbefore the angels of God. 10 And aeveryone who speaks a word bagainst the Son of Man cwill be forgiven, but the one who dblasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 aAnd when they bbring you before the synagogues and cthe rulers and cthe authorities, ddo not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 afor the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 aSomeone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, a“Man, bwho made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 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, a“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, a‘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 abarns 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 afor many years; relax, beat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, a‘Fool! bThis night cyour soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, dwhose will they be?’ 21 So is the one awho lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Be Anxious
22 And he said to his disciples, a“Therefore I tell you, bdo 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 aConsider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. bOf how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his aspan of life? 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, yet I tell you, aeven 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, aO you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor abe worried. 30 For aall the nations of the world seek after these things, and ayour Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, aseek bhis kingdom, cand these things will be added to you.
32 a“Fear not, little bflock, for cit is your Father’s good pleasure to give you dthe kingdom. 33 aSell your possessions, and bgive to the needy. cProvide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with da treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 aFor where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
You Must Be Ready
35 a“Stay dressed for action and bkeep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are awaiting 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 bknocks. 37 aBlessed are those servants whom the master finds aawake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, bhe will dress himself for service and chave 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 aBut know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour bthe thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be aready, for bthe Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, aare you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is athe faithful and awise bmanager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 aBlessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, ahe will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master ais delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and bget drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come aon a day when he does not expect him and aat an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 aAnd that servant who bknew his master’s will but cdid not get ready bor act according to his will, will receive a dsevere beating. 48 aBut the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, bwill receive a light beating. cEveryone 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 a“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 aI have a baptism to be baptized with, and how bgreat is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 aDo you think that I have come to give peace on earth? bNo, 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, afather 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, a“When you see ba cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And awhen you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be bscorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! aYou 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 ado you not judge bfor yourselves what is right? 58 aAs 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, ayou will never get out until you have paid the very last bpenny.”
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.