Luke 12:4-21

⁴“I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

⁵But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him who after he has killed, has power to cast into Gehinnom. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

⁶“Aren’t five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of them is forgotten by God.

⁷But the very hairs of your head are all counted. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.

⁸“I tell you, everyone who confesses me before men, the Son of Man will also confess before the angels of God;

⁹but he who denies me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of God’s angels.

¹⁰Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

¹¹When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don’t be anxious how or what you will answer or what you will say;

¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say.”

¹³One of the multitude said to him, “Rabbi, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”

¹⁵He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”

¹⁶He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly.

¹⁷He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’

¹⁸He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

¹⁹I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”’

²⁰“But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’

²¹So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.”