Luke 12:18-59

¹⁸And he said, This I will do: I will take down my store-houses and make greater ones, and there I will put all my grain and my goods.

¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have a great amount of goods in store, enough for a number of years; be at rest, take food and wine and be happy.

²⁰But God said to him, You foolish one, tonight I will take your soul from you, and who then will be the owner of all the things which you have got together?

²¹So that is what comes to the man who gets wealth for himself, and has not wealth in the eyes of God.

²²And he said to his disciples, For this reason I say to you, Take no thought for your life, about what food you will take, or for your body, how it may be clothed.

²³Is not life more than food, and the body than its clothing?

²⁴Give thought to the ravens; they do not put seeds into the earth, or get together grain; they have no store-houses or buildings; and God gives them their food: of how much greater value are you than the birds!

²⁵And which of you by taking thought is able to make himself any taller?

²⁶If, then, you are not able to do even that which is least, why are you troubled about the rest?

²⁷Give thought to the flowers: they do no work, they make no thread; and still I say to you, Even Solomon, in all his glory, was not clothed like one of these.

²⁸But if God gives such clothing to the grass in the field, which today is living, and tomorrow will be burned in the oven, how much more will he give clothing to you, O men of little faith?

²⁹And do not give overmuch thought to your food and drink, and let not your mind be full of doubts.

³⁰For the nations of the world go in search of all these things: but your Father has knowledge that you have need of them.

³¹But let your chief care be for his kingdom, and these other things will be given to you in addition.

³²Have no fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

³³Give what property you have in exchange for money, and give the money to the poor; make for yourselves money-bags which will not get old, wealth stored up in heaven which will be yours for ever, where thieves will not come nor worms put it to destruction.

³⁴For where your wealth is, there will your heart be.

³⁵Be ready, dressed as for a journey, with your lights burning.

³⁶And be like men who are looking for their lord, when he comes back from the bride-feast; so that when he comes to the door, it will be open to him quickly.

³⁷Happy are those servants who are watching when the lord comes; truly I say to you, he will make himself their servant and, placing them at the table, he will come out and give them food.

³⁸And if he comes in the second division of the night or in the third, and they are watching for him, happy are those servants.

³⁹But be certain of this, that if the master of the house had had knowledge of the time when the thief was coming, he would have been watching, and would not have let his house be broken into.

⁴⁰So be ready: for the Son of man is coming at a time when you are not looking for him.

⁴¹And Peter said to him, Lord, are these words said to us only, or to all men?

⁴²And the Lord said, Who then is the wise and responsible servant whom his lord will put in control of his family, to give them their food at the right time?

⁴³Happy is that servant who, when his lord comes, is doing so.

⁴⁴Truly I say to you, he will put him in control of all his goods.

⁴⁵But if that servant says to himself, My lord is a long time coming; and goes about giving blows to the men-servants and the women-servants, feasting and taking overmuch wine;

⁴⁶The lord of that servant will come at a time when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not ready for him, and he will have him cut in two and will give him his part in the fate of those who have no faith;

⁴⁷And the servant who had knowledge of his lord's desires and was not ready for him and did not do as he was ordered, will be given a great number of blows;

⁴⁸But he who, without knowledge, did things for which punishment is given, will get only a small number of blows. The man to whom much is given, will have to give much; if much is given into his care, of him more will be requested.

⁴⁹I came to send a fire on the earth, and it may even now have been lighted.

⁵⁰But there is a baptism which I have to undergo; and how am I kept back till it is complete!

⁵¹Is it your opinion that I have come to give peace on earth? I say to you, No, but division:

⁵²For from this time, a family of five in one house will be on opposite sides, three against two and two against three.

⁵³They will be at war, the father against his son, and the son against his father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.

⁵⁴Then he said to the people, When you see a cloud coming up in the west, straight away you say, There will be rain; and so it is.

⁵⁵And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, There will be heat; and so it is.

⁵⁶O false ones! the face of the earth and the heaven is clear to you; how is it that the signs of these times are not as clear to you?

⁵⁷And why are you, in your hearts, unable to be judges of what is right?

⁵⁸For if anyone has a cause at law against you, and you are going with him before the ruler, make an attempt, on the way, to come to an agreement with him, for if you do not, he may take you before the judge and the judge will give you up to the police, and they will put you in prison.

⁵⁹I say to you, You will not come out of it till you have made payment to the very last farthing.