Luke 12

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Meanwhile the people had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another. Andhe began to speak, first of al to his disciples. 'Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees -- theirhypocrisy.	1 Meanwhile, so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. He began to speak, first to his disciples, "Beware of the leaven--that is, the hypocrisy--of the Pharisees.
2 Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and everything now hidden wil be made clear.	2 "There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.
3 For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you havewhispered in hidden places wil be proclaimed from the housetops.	3 Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.
4 'To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kil the body and after that can do no more.	4 I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more.
5 I wil tel you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has kil ed, has the power to cast into hel . Yes, I telyou, he is the one to fear.	5 I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
6 Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God's sight.	6 Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
7 Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth morethan many sparrows.	7 Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.
8 'I tel you, if anyone openly declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, the Son of manwil declare himself for him in the presence of God's angels.	8 I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.
9 But anyone who disowns me in the presence of human beings wil be disowned in the presence ofGod's angels.	9 But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.
10 'Everyone who says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven, but no one who blasphemesagainst the Holy Spirit wil be forgiven.	10 "Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 'When they take you before synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how todefend yourselves or what to say,	11 When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say.
12 because when the time comes, the Holy Spirit wil teach you what you should say.'	12 For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."
13 A man in the crowd said to him, 'Master, tel my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.'	13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me."
14 He said to him, 'My friend, who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?'	14 He replied to him, "Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?"
15 Then he said to them, 'Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for life does notconsist in possessions, even when someone has more than he needs.'	15 Then he said to the crowd, "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions."
16 Then he told them a parable, 'There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from hisland,	16 Then he told them a parable. "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
17 thought to himself, "What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops."	17 He asked himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?'
18 Then he said, "This is what I will do: I wil pul down my barns and build bigger ones, and store al mygrain and my goods in them,	18 And he said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods
19 and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come;take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time."	19 and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!"
20 But God said to him, "Fool! This very night the demand wil be made for your soul; and this hoard ofyours, whose wil it be then?"	20 But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?'
21 So it is when someone stores up treasure for himself instead of becoming rich in the sight of God.'	21 Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God."
22 Then he said to his disciples, 'That is why I am tel ing you not to worry about your life and what youare to eat, nor about your body and how you are to clothe it.	22 He said to (his) disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life and what you will eat, or about your body and what you will wear.
23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.	23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.
24 Think of the ravens. They do not sow or reap; they have no storehouses and no barns; yet God feedsthem. And how much more you are worth than the birds!	24 Notice the ravens: they do not sow or reap; they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. How much more important are you than birds!
25 Can any of you, however much you worry, add a single cubit to your span of life?	25 Can any of you by worrying add a moment to your lifespan?
26 If a very smal thing is beyond your powers, why worry about the rest?	26 If even the smallest things are beyond your control, why are you anxious about the rest?
27 Think how the flowers grow; they never have to spin or weave; yet, I assure you, not even Solomon inal his royal robes was clothed like one of them.	27 Notice how the flowers grow. They do not toil or spin. But I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of them.
28 Now if that is how God clothes a flower which is growing wild today and is thrown into the furnacetomorrow, how much more wil he look after you, who have so little faith!	28 If God so clothes the grass in the field that grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
29 But you must not set your hearts on things to eat and things to drink; nor must you worry.	29 As for you, do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not worry anymore.
30 It is the gentiles of this world who set their hearts on al these things. Your Father wel knows youneed them.	30 All the nations of the world seek for these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
31 No; set your hearts on his kingdom, and these other things will be given you as well.	31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these other things will be given you besides.
32 'There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.	32 Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
33 'Sel your possessions and give to those in need. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out,treasure that wil not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it.	33 Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
34 For wherever your treasure is, that is where your heart wil be too.	34 For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
35 'See that you have your belts done up and your lamps lit.	35 "Gird your loins and light your lamps
36 Be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door assoon as he comes and knocks.	36 and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
37 Blessed those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. In truth I tel you, he wil do uphis belt, sit them down at table and wait on them.	37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
38 It may be in the second watch that he comes, or in the third, but blessed are those servants if he findsthem ready.	38 And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.
39 You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time the burglar wouldcome, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house.	39 Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
40 You too must stand ready, because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.'	40 You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."
41 Peter said, 'Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?'	41 Then Peter said, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?"
42 The Lord replied, 'Who, then, is the wise and trustworthy steward whom the master wil place over hishousehold to give them at the proper time their al owance of food?	42 And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute (the) food allowance at the proper time?
43 Blessed that servant if his master's arrival finds him doing exactly that.	43 Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
44 I tel you truly, he wil put him in charge of everything that he owns.	44 Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
45 But if the servant says to himself, "My master is taking his time coming," and sets about beating themenservants and the servant-girls, and eating and drinking and getting drunk,	45 But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk,
46 his master wil come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master willcut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.	46 then that servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
47 'The servant who knows what his master wants, but has got nothing ready and done nothing inaccord with those wishes, wil be given a great many strokes of the lash.	47 That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely;
48 The one who did not know, but has acted in such a way that he deserves a beating, will be givenfewer strokes. When someone is given a great deal, a great deal wil be demanded of that person; whensomeone is entrusted with a great deal, of that person even more will be expected.	48 and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.
49 'I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!	49 "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!
50 There is a baptism I must stil receive, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!	50 There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
51 'Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tel you, but rather division.	51 Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
52 For from now on, a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three;	52 From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three;
53 father opposed to son, son to father, mother to daughter, daughter to mother, mother-in-law todaughter-in-law, daughter-in-law to mother-in-law.'	53 a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
54 He said again to the crowds, 'When you see a cloud looming up in the west you say at once that rainis coming, and so it does.	54 He also said to the crowds, "When you see (a) cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain--and so it does;
55 And when the wind is from the south you say it's going to be hot, and it is.	55 and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot--and so it is.
56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not knowhow to interpret these times?	56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
57 'Why not judge for yourselves what is upright?	57 "Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
58 For example: when you are going to court with your opponent, make an effort to settle with him on theway, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge hand you over to the officer and the officer have youthrown into prison.	58 If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison.
59 I tel you, you wil not get out til you have paid the very last penny.'	59 I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."