1   Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, packed so close that they were treading on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples: ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees; I mean their hypocrisy. 2   There is nothing covered up that will not be uncovered, nothing hidden that will not be made known. 3   You may take it, then, that everything you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the house-tops.

4   ‘To you who are my friends I say: Do not fear those who kill the body and after that have nothing more they can do. 5   I will warn

Journeys and encounters you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Believe me, he is the one to fear.

6   ‘Are not sparrows five for twopence? And yet not one of them is overlooked by God. 7   More than that, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Have no fear; you are worth more than any number of sparrows.

8   ‘I tell you this: everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God; 9   but he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.

10   ‘Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will receive forgiveness; but for him who slanders the Holy Spirit there will be no forgiveness.

11   ‘When you are brought before synagogues and state authorities, do not begin worrying about how you will conduct your defence or what you will say. 12   For when the time comes the Holy Spirit will instruct you what to say.’

13   A man in the crowd said to him, ‘Master, tell my brother to divide the family property with me.’ 14   He replied, ‘My good man, who set me over you to judge or arbitrate?’ ^note 15   Then he said to the people, ‘Beware! Be on your guard against greed of every kind, for even when a man has more than enough, his wealth does not give him life.’ 16   And he told them this parable: ‘There was a rich man whose land yielded heavy crops. 17   He debated with himself: “What am I to do? 18   I have not the space to store my produce. This is what I will do,” said he: “I will pull down my storehouses and build them bigger. 19   I will collect in them all my corn and other goods, and then say to myself, ‘Man, you have plenty of good things laid by, enough for many years: take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’” 20   But God said to him, “You fool, this very night you must surrender your life; you have made your money—who will get it now?” 21   That is how it is with the man who amasses wealth for himself and remains a pauper in the sight of God. ^note

22   ‘Therefore’, he said to his disciples, ‘I bid you put away anxious thoughts about food to keep you alive and clothes to cover your body. 23    24   Life is more than food, the body more than clothes. Think of the ravens: they neither sow nor reap; they have no storehouse

Journeys and encounters or barn; yet God feeds them. You are worth far more than the birds! 25   Is there a man among you who by anxious thought can add a foot to his height ^note? 26   If, then, you cannot do even a very little thing, why are you anxious about the rest?

27   ‘Think of the lilies: they neither spin nor weave; ^note yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendour was not attired like one of these. 28   But if that is how God clothes the grass, which is growing in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown on the stove, how much more will he clothe you! 29   How little faith you have! And so you are not to set your mind on food and drink; you are not to worry. 30   For all these are things for the heathen to run after; but you have a Father who knows that you need them. 31   No, set your mind upon his kingdom, and all the rest will come to you as well.

32   ‘Have no fear, little flock; for your Father has chosen to give you the Kingdom. 33   Sell your possessions and give in charity. Provide for yourselves purses that do not wear out, and never-failing treasure in heaven, where no thief can get near it, no moth destroy it. 34   For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

35    36   ‘Be ready for action, with belts fastened and lamps alight. Be like men who wait for their master's return from a wedding-party, ready to let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. 37   Happy are those servants whom the master finds on the alert when he comes. I tell you this: he will fasten his belt, seat them at table, and come and wait on them. 38   Even if it is the middle of the night or before dawn when he comes, happy they if he finds them alert. 39   And remember, if the householder had known what time the burglar was coming he would not have let his house be broken into. 40   Hold yourselves ready, then, because the Son of Man will come at the time you least expect him.’

41   Peter said, ‘Lord, do you intend this parable specially for us or is it for everyone?’ 42   The Lord said, ‘Well, who is the trusty and sensible man whom his master will appoint as his steward, to manage his servants and issue their rations at the proper time? 43   Happy that servant who is found at his task when his master comes! 44   I tell you this: he will be put in charge of all his master's property. 45   But if that servant says to himself, “The master is a long time coming”, and begins to bully the menservants and maids, and eat and drink and get drunk; 46   then the master will arrive on a day that servant

Journeys and encounters does not expect, at a time he does not know, and will cut him in pieces. Thus he will find his place among the faithless.

47   ‘The servant who knew his master's wishes, yet made no attempt to carry them out, will be flogged severely. 48   But one who did not know them and earned a beating will be flogged less severely. Where a man has been given much, much will be expected of him; and the more a man has had entrusted to him the more he will be required to repay.

49   ‘I have come to set fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50   I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until the ordeal is over! 51   Do you suppose I came to establish peace on earth? 52   No indeed, I have come to bring division. For from now on, five members of a family will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53   father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother against son's wife and son's wife against her mother-in-law.’

54   He also said to the people, ‘When you see cloud banking up in the west, you say at once, “It is going to rain”, and rain it does. 55   And when the wind is from the south, you say, “There will be a heat-wave”, and there is. 56   What hypocrites you are! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky; how is it you cannot interpret this fateful hour?

57   ‘And why can you not judge for yourselves what is the right course? 58   When you are going with your opponent to court, make an effort to settle with him while you are still on the way; otherwise he may drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable put you in jail. 59   I tell you, you will not come out till you have paid the last farthing.’

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