Luke 12
English Standard Version
Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees
12 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 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 private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.
Have No Fear
4 “I tell you, my friends, 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 who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Acknowledge Christ Before Men
8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And 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 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
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 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “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, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘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 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 for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Be Anxious
22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, 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 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. 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 span of life? 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, yet I tell you, 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, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
You Must Be Ready
35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are 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 knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and 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 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, 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 does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. 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 “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? 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, 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, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! 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 do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 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, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”
Psalm 49
English Standard Version
Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
49 Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,2 both low and high, rich and poor together!3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?7 Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life,8 for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,9 that he should live on forever and never see the pit.
10 For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others.11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names.12 Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd,and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah
16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases.17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—19 his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light.20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
Job 20
English Standard Version
Zophar Speaks: The Wicked Will Suffer
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
2 “Therefore my thoughts answer me, because of my haste within me.3 I hear censure that insults me, and out of my understanding a spirit answers me.4 Do you not know this from of old, since man was placed on earth,5 that the exulting of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless but for a moment?6 Though his height mount up to the heavens, and his head reach to the clouds,7 he will perish forever like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’8 He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night.9 The eye that saw him will see him no more, nor will his place any more behold him.10 His children will seek the favor of the poor, and his hands will give back his wealth.11 His bones are full of his youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in the dust.
12 “Though evil is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue,13 though he is loath to let it go and holds it in his mouth,14 yet his food is turned in his stomach; it is the venom of cobras within him.15 He swallows down riches and vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly.16 He will suck the poison of cobras; the tongue of a viper will kill him.17 He will not look upon the rivers, the streams flowing with honey and curds.18 He will give back the fruit of his toil and will not swallow it down;from the profit of his trading he will get no enjoyment.19 For he has crushed and abandoned the poor; he has seized a house that he did not build.
20 “Because he knew no contentment in his belly, he will not let anything in which he delights escape him.21 There was nothing left after he had eaten; therefore his prosperity will not endure.22 In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress; the hand of everyone in misery will come against him.23 To fill his belly to the full, God will send his burning anger against him and rain it upon him into his body.24 He will flee from an iron weapon; a bronze arrow will strike him through.25 It is drawn forth and comes out of his body; the glittering point comes out of his gallbladder; terrors come upon him.26 Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not fanned will devour him; what is left in his tent will be consumed.27 The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.28 The possessions of his house will be carried away, dragged off in the day of God's wrath.29 This is the wicked man's portion from God, the heritage decreed for him by God.”
Job 27
English Standard Version
Job Continues: I Will Maintain My Integrity
27 And Job again took up his discourse, and said:
2 “As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,3 as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,4 my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit.5 Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.6 I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.
7 “Let my enemy be as the wicked, and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.8 For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life?9 Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him?10 Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God; what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain?
13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty:14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword, and his descendants have not enough bread.15 Those who survive him the pestilence buries, and his widows do not weep.16 Though he heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay,17 he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver.18 He builds his house like a moth's, like a booth that a watchman makes.19 He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more; he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.20 Terrors overtake him like a flood; in the night a whirlwind carries him off.21 The east wind lifts him up and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.22 It hurls at him without pity; he flees from its power in headlong flight.23 It claps its hands at him and hisses at him from its place.