Study Desk

Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

"But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

"Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

"Now I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.

And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

"But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed someone, has the power to throw that person into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!

But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

"Are five sparrows not sold for two assaria? And yet not one of them has gone unnoticed in the sight of God.

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

"But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

"Now I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before people, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God;

Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:

but the one who denies Me before people will be denied before the angels of God.

But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

"And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.

And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

"Now when they bring you before the synagogues and the officials and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say;

And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:

for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

Now someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."

And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

But He said to him, "You there—who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over the two of you?"

And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

But He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions."

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive.

And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

"And he began thinking to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?'

And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

"And he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there.

And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

'And I will say to myself, "You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!"'

And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?'

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

"Such is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God."

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear.

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

"For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

"Consider the ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!

Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

"And which of you by worrying can add a day to his life's span?

And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

"Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things?

If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

"Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith!

If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

"And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.

And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

"For all these things are what the nations of the world eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things.

For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

"But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided to you.

But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

"Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

"Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor does a moth destroy.

Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

"Be prepared, and keep your lamps lit.

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

"You are also to be like people who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door for him when he comes and knocks.

And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

"Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will prepare himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and he will come up and serve them.

Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

"Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

"But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

"You too, be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think He will."

Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Peter said, "Lord, are You telling this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?"

Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?

And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?

And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

"Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.

Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

"Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

"But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will take a long time to come,' and he begins to beat the other slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;

But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

then the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

"And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accordance with his will, will receive many blows,

And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

but the one who did not know it, and committed acts deserving of a beating, will receive only a few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

"I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!

I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

"But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!

But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

"Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division;

Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.

For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

"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."

The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

And He was also saying to the crowds, "Whenever you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it turns out.

And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.

"And whenever you feel a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be a hot day,' and it turns out that way.

And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.

"You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you do not know how to analyze this present time?

Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

"And why do you not even judge by yourselves what is right?

Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

"For when you are going with your accuser to appear before the magistrate, on the way, make an effort to settle with him, so that he does not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

"I tell you, you will not get out of there until you have paid up the very last lepton."

I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.