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Luke 12-13
English Standard Version
Luke 12-13
English Standard Version
Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees
12 In the meantime, (A)when 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 (C)the leaven of the Pharisees, (D)which is hypocrisy. 2 (E)Nothing 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 (F)private rooms shall be proclaimed on (G)the housetops.
Have No Fear
4 “I tell you, my friends, (H)do 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 (I)who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.[a] Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?[b] And (J)not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, (K)even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; (L)you are of more value than many sparrows.
Acknowledge Christ Before Men
8 “And I tell you, (M)everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge (N)before the angels of God, 9 but (O)the one who denies me before men (P)will be denied (Q)before the angels of God. 10 And (R)everyone who speaks a word (S)against the Son of Man (T)will be forgiven, but the one who (U)blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 (V)And when they (W)bring you before the synagogues and (X)the rulers and (Y)the authorities, (Z)do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 (AA)for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 (AB)Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, (AC)“Man, (AD)who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, (AE)“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, (AF)“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, (AG)‘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 (AH)barns 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 (AI)for many years; relax, (AJ)eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, (AK)‘Fool! (AL)This night (AM)your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, (AN)whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one (AO)who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Be Anxious
22 And he said to his disciples, (AP)“Therefore I tell you, (AQ)do 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 (AR)Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. (AS)Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his (AT)span of life?[c] 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,[d] yet I tell you, (AU)even 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, (AV)O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor (AW)be worried. 30 For (AX)all the nations of the world seek after these things, and (AY)your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, (AZ)seek (BA)his[e] kingdom, (BB)and these things will be added to you.
32 (BC)“Fear not, little (BD)flock, for (BE)it is your Father's good pleasure to give you (BF)the kingdom. 33 (BG)Sell your possessions, and (BH)give to the needy. (BI)Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with (BJ)a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 (BK)For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
You Must Be Ready
35 (BL)“Stay dressed for action[f] and (BM)keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are (BN)waiting 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 (BO)knocks. 37 (BP)Blessed are those servants[g] whom the master finds (BQ)awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, (BR)he will dress himself for service and (BS)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 (BT)But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour (BU)the thief was coming, he[h] would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be (BV)ready, for (BW)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, (BX)are you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is (BY)the faithful and (BZ)wise (CA)manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 (CB)Blessed is that servant[i] whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, (CC)he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master (CD)is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and (CE)get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come (CF)on a day when he does not expect him and (CG)at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 (CH)And that servant who (CI)knew his master's will but (CJ)did not get ready (CK)or act according to his will, will receive a (CL)severe beating. 48 (CM)But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, (CN)will receive a light beating. (CO)Everyone 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 (CP)“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 (CQ)I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how (CR)great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 (CS)Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? (CT)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, (CU)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.”
Interpreting the Time
54 He also said to the crowds, (CV)“When you see (CW)a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And (CX)when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be (CY)scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! (CZ)You 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 (DA)do you not judge (DB)for yourselves what is right? 58 (DC)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, (DD)you will never get out until you have paid the very last (DE)penny.”[j]
Repent or Perish
13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood (DF)Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, (DG)“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you (DH)repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in (DI)Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you (DJ)repent, you will all likewise perish.”
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 And he told this parable: “A man had (DK)a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. (DL)Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
A Woman with a Disabling Spirit
10 Now (DM)he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had (DN)a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he (DO)laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she (DP)glorified God. 14 But (DQ)the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus (DR)had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, (DS)“There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! (DT)Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, (DU)a daughter of Abraham whom (DV)Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, (DW)all his adversaries were put to shame, and (DX)all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
18 (DY)He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like (DZ)a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 (EA)It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in (EB)three measures of flour, until it was (EC)all leavened.”
The Narrow Door
22 (ED)He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and (EE)journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, (EF)will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 (EG)“Strive (EH)to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 (EI)When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, (EJ)‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, (EK)‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, (EL)‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, (EM)I do not know where you come from. (EN)Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 (EO)In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see (EP)Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but (EQ)you yourselves cast out. 29 And (ER)people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and (ES)recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, (ET)some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Lament over Jerusalem
31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from (EU)here, for (EV)Herod wants to kill you.” 32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day (EW)I finish my course. 33 Nevertheless, (EX)I (EY)must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that (EZ)a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ 34 (FA)O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that (FB)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! (FC)How often would I have (FD)gathered (FE)your children together (FF)as a hen gathers her brood (FG)under her wings, and (FH)you were not willing! 35 Behold, (FI)your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, (FJ)‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Footnotes
- Luke 12:5 Greek Gehenna
- Luke 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)
- Luke 12:25 Or a single cubit to his stature; a cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
- Luke 12:27 Some manuscripts Consider the lilies; they neither spin nor weave
- Luke 12:31 Some manuscripts God's
- Luke 12:35 Greek Let your loins stay girded; compare Exodus 12:11
- Luke 12:37 Or bondservants
- Luke 12:39 Some manuscripts add would have stayed awake and
- Luke 12:43 Or bondservant; also verses 45, 46, 47
- Luke 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)
Luke 12-13
New International Version
Luke 12-13
New International Version
Warnings and Encouragements(A)
12 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be[a] on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.(B) 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.(C) 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
4 “I tell you, my friends,(D) do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.(E) 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.(F) Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.(G)
8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.(H) 9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned(I) before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man(J) will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.(K)
11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,(L) 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”(M)
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”(N)
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool!(O) This very night your life will be demanded from you.(P) Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’(Q)
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”(R)
Do Not Worry(S)
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them.(T) And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[b]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor(U) was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!(V) 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father(W) knows that you need them.(X) 31 But seek his kingdom,(Y) and these things will be given to you as well.(Z)
32 “Do not be afraid,(AA) little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.(AB) 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor.(AC) Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven(AD) that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.(AE) 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.(AF)
Watchfulness(AG)(AH)
35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.(AI) Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.(AJ) 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief(AK) was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready,(AL) because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”
42 The Lord(AM) answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.(AN) He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.(AO) 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.(AP) From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Not Peace but Division(AQ)
49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism(AR) to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!(AS) 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”(AT)
Interpreting the Times
54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does.(AU) 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?(AV)
57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.(AW) 59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”(AX)
Repent or Perish
13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate(AY) had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?(AZ) 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam(BA) fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent,(BB) you too will all perish.”
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.(BC) 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down!(BD) Why should it use up the soil?’
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath
10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,(BE) 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years.(BF) She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her,(BG) and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath,(BH) the synagogue leader(BI) said to the people, “There are six days for work.(BJ) So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?(BK) 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham,(BL) whom Satan(BM) has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated,(BN) but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast(BO)(BP)
18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God(BQ) like?(BR) What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree,(BS) and the birds perched in its branches.”(BT)
20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[c] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”(BU)
The Narrow Door
22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.(BV) 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door,(BW) because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’(BX)
26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’(BY)
28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth,(BZ) when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west(CA) and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”(CB)
Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem(CC)(CD)
31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod(CE) wants to kill you.”
32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’(CF) 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet(CG) can die outside Jerusalem!
34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,(CH) and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate.(CI) I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’[d]”(CJ)
Footnotes
- Luke 12:1 Or speak to his disciples, saying: “First of all, be
- Luke 12:25 Or single cubit to your height
- Luke 13:21 Or about 27 kilograms
- Luke 13:35 Psalm 118:26
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.