1 In the meantime, *ch. 11:29when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, *Matt. 16:6,11,12;Mark 8:15"Beware of *1 Cor. 5:6-8;Gal. 5:9the leaven of the Pharisees, *Matt. 23:28;Mark 12:15which is hypocrisy.2 *ch. 8:17;Mark 4:22;[1 Tim. 5:25]; For ver. 2-9, see Matt. 10:26-33Nothing 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 *Matt. 6:6private rooms shall be proclaimed on *See ch. 5:19the housetops.

4 "I tell you, my friends, *Isa. 8:12,13;51:12,13;Jer. 1:8;1 Pet. 3:14do 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 *James 4:12who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.*12:5 Greek GehennaYes, I tell you, fear him!6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?*12:6 Greek two assaria; an assarion was a Roman copper coin worth about 1/16 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)And *[Ps. 50:11]not one of them is forgotten before God.7 Why, *See 1 Sam. 14:45even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; *Matt. 6:26;12:12you are of more value than many sparrows.

8 "And I tell you, *[Rom. 10:9,10;Heb. 10:35;Rev. 3:5] everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge *[ch. 15:10;Matt. 25:31;1 Tim. 5:21;Rev. 3:5]before the angels of God,9 but *2 Tim. 2:12;2 Pet. 2:1;1 John 2:23;[Mark 8:38] the one who denies me before men *ch. 13:25;Matt. 7:23;25:12will be denied *[See ver. 8above]before the angels of God.10 And *[Matt. 12:31,32;Mark 3:28-30;Heb. 6:4-6;10:26;1 John 5:16] everyone who speaks a word *Matt. 11:19;John 7:12;9:24against the Son of Man *1 Tim. 1:12,13will be forgiven, but the one who *[Acts 7:51;Heb. 10:29]blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.11 *Matt. 10:17,19;[ch. 21:12,14;Mark 13:11] And when they *See Matt. 23:34bring you before the synagogues and *Titus 3:1the rulers and *Titus 3:1the authorities, *See ver. 22do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say,12 *See Matt. 10:19,20for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

13 *ch. 11:27Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, *Mic. 6:8;Rom. 2:1,3;9:20"Man, *[Ex. 2:14;Acts 7:27]who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?"15 And he said to them, *1 Tim. 6:6-11;[Heb. 13:5]"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, *[Ps. 49:16-20]"The land of a rich man produced plentifully,17 and he thought to himself, *[Eccles. 5:10]‘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 *ver. 24barns 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 *[Prov. 27:1;James 4:13-15] for many years; relax, *Eccles. 2:24;11:9;1 Cor. 15:32;[ch. 15:23]eat, drink, be merry."’20 But God said to him, *Jer. 17:11;[Matt. 16:26] ‘Fool! *[See ver. 19above] This night *Job 27:8your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, *Ps. 39:6;[Job 27:17-22;Eccles. 2:18,21]whose will they be?’21 So is the one *Matt. 6:19,20who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."

22 And he said to his disciples, *For ver. 22-31, see Matt. 6:25-33"Therefore I tell you, *ver. 11;ch. 10:41;Matt. 10:19;13:22(Gk.);1 Cor. 7:32(Gk.);Phil. 4:6;1 Pet. 5:7do 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 *[Job 38:41;Ps. 147:9] Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. *See ver. 7Of how much more value are you than the birds!25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his *ch. 2:52(Gk.)span of life?*12:25 Or a single cubit to his stature; a cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters26 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, *1 Kgs. 10:4-7even 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, *Matt. 8:26;14:31;16:8;[ch. 17:6]O you of little faith!29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor *[James 1:6]be worried.30 For *Matt. 6:8all the nations of the world seek after these things, and *Matt. 6:8your Father knows that you need them.31 Instead, *[Matt. 5:6,20] seek *ch. 11:2his*12:31 Some manuscripts God’skingdom, *[1 Kgs. 3:11-14;Mark 10:29,30;1 Tim. 4:8;1 Pet. 3:9]and these things will be added to you.

32 *Isa. 41:14;44:2"Fear not, little *Isa. 40:11;Matt. 26:31;John 10:16;21:15-17;Acts 20:28,29;1 Pet. 5:2,3flock, for *[ch. 10:21;Matt. 11:26;Eph. 1:5,9;Phil. 2:13] it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you *ch. 22:29;See Matt. 13:19the kingdom.33 *See Matt. 19:21Sell your possessions, and *ch. 11:41give to the needy. *[ch. 16:9] Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with *Matt. 6:20;[ver. 21; 1 Pet. 1:4]a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.34 *Matt. 6:21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

35 *Eph. 6:14;1 Pet. 1:13"Stay dressed for action* 12:35 Greek Let your loins stay girded ; compare Exodus 12:11 and *[Matt. 25:7]keep your lamps burning,36 and be like men who are *See 2 Pet. 3:12waiting 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 *Rev. 3:20knocks.37 *See Matt. 24:42,46Blessed are those servants*12:37 Or bondservantswhom the master finds *See Matt. 24:42,46awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, *John 13:4;[ver. 35;ch. 17:8] he will dress himself for service and *[ch. 22:27]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 *For ver. 39-46, [Matt. 24:43-51] But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour *[1 Thess. 5:2;2 Pet. 3:10;Rev. 3:3]the thief was coming, he*12:39 Some manuscripts add would have stayed awake andwould not have left his house to be broken into.40 You also must be *ver. 47;Matt. 25:10ready, for *ch. 21:27the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

41 Peter said, "Lord, *[Mark 13:37]are you telling this parable for us or for all?" 42 And the Lord said, "Who then is *See Matt. 24:45the faithful and *See Matt. 24:45wise *ch. 16:1manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?43 *John 13:17;Rev. 16:15Blessed is that servant*12:43 Or bondservant; also verses 45, 46, 47whom his master will find so doing when he comes.44 Truly, I say to you, *Matt. 25:21,23he will set him over all his possessions.45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master *Matt. 25:5;[Heb. 10:37;2 Pet. 3:4,9] is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and *1 Thess. 5:7get drunk,46 the master of that servant will come *2 Pet. 3:12;[ver. 40]on a day when he does not expect him and *2 Pet. 3:12;[ver. 40]at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.47 *[Matt. 11:24;John 15:22,24] And that servant who *[James 4:17;2 Pet. 2:21] knew his master’s will but *ver. 40did not get ready *[James 4:17;2 Pet. 2:21] or act according to his will, will receive a *[Deut. 25:2,3]severe beating.48 *Lev. 5:17;[Num. 15:29,30] But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, *Rom. 1:19,20;2:14,15;[1 Tim. 1:13] will receive a light beating. *[Matt. 25:29]; See Matt. 13:12Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

49 *[Matt. 3:11]"I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!50 *Mark 10:38I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how *2 Cor. 5:14(Gk.)great is my distress until it is accomplished!51 *For ver. 51-53, see Matt. 10:34,35Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? *[Rev. 6:4]No, 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, *Matt. 10:21;[Mic. 7:6]father 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."

54 He also said to the crowds, *[Matt. 16:2,3] "When you see *1 Kgs. 18:43,44a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens.55 And *[See ver. 54above] when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be *See Matt. 20:12scorching heat,’ and it happens.56 You hypocrites! *Matt. 16:3You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

57 "And why *ch. 21:30do you not judge *John 7:24;1 Cor. 11:13for yourselves what is right?58 *Matt. 5:25,26;[Prov. 25:8]As 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, *[Matt. 18:34,35] you will never get out until you have paid the very last *ch. 21:2;Mark 12:42penny."*12:59 Greek lepton, a Jewish bronze or copper coin worth about 1/128 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)