1  While they were doing that, many thousands of people gathered around Jesus. There were so many that they were stepping on each other. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware of becoming hypocrites like the Pharisees. Their evil influence [MET] spreads to others like yeast spreads its influence in dough. 2  People will not be able to continue concealing the things that they or other people try to conceal now. God will some day cause the things that are hidden now to be known { everyone to know the things that they hide now}. 3  All the things that you say in the dark secretly, some day will be heard {people will hear them} in the daylight. The things you have whispered [SYN] privately among yourselves in your rooms will be proclaimed { people will proclaim them} publicly.”

4 “My friends, listen carefully. Do not be afraid of people who are able to kill you, but after they kill you, there is nothing more that they can do to hurt you. 5  But I will warn you about the one that you should truly be afraid of. You should be afraid of God, because he not only has the power to cause people to die, he has the power to throw them into hell afterward! Yes, he is truly the one that you should be afraid of! 6  Think about the sparrows. They are worth so little that you can [RHQ] buy five of them for only two small coins. But not one of them is ever forgotten by God {God never forgets one of them}! 7  You are worth more to God than many sparrows. So do not be afraid of what people can do to you! God even knows how many hairs there are on each of your heads, so that if you(sg) lose one hair, he knows about it. So nothing bad can happen to you without his knowing it.

8  I want to tell you also that if people, without being afraid, are willing to tell others that they are my disciples, I, the one who came from heaven, will acknowledge before God that they are my disciples. I will do that while God’s angels listen. 9  But if people are afraid to say in front of others that they are my disciples, I will say, while God’s angels listen, that they are not my disciples. 10  I will tell you also that God is willing to forgive people who say bad things about me, the one who came from heaven, but he will not forgive anyone who says evil things about what the Holy Spirit does. 11  So when people ask you in Jewish worship houses and in the presence of rulers and other authorities about your trusting in me, do not worry about how you will answer them when they accuse you. Do not worry about what you should say, 12  because the Holy Spirit will tell you at that very time what you should say.”

13  Then one of the people in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my older brother to divide my father’s property and give me the part that belongs to me!” 14  But Jesus replied to him, “Man, ◄no one appointed me in order that I would settle matters when people are disputing about property!/did anyone appoint me in order that I would settle matters when people are disputing about property?► [RHQ]” 15  Then he said to the whole crowd, “Guard yourselves very carefully, in order that you do not desire other people’s things in any way! No one can make his life secure by obtaining many possessions.”

16  Then Jesus told the people this illustration: “There was a certain rich man whose crops grew very well. 17  So he said to himself, ‘I do not know what to do, because I do not have any place big enough to store all my crops!’ 18  Then he thought to himself, ‘ I know what I will do! I will tear down my grain bins and build larger ones! Then I will store all my wheat and other goods in the big new bins. 19  Then I will say to myself [SYN], “Now I have plenty of goods stored up. They will last for many years. So now I will take life easy. I will eat and drink all that I want to and be happy for a long time!” ’ 20  But God said to him, ‘You foolish man! Tonight you will die! ◄Then all the goods you have saved up for yourself will belong to someone else, not to you!/Do you think that you will benefit from all that you have stored up for yourself?► [RHQ]’ ”

21  Then Jesus ended this illustration by saying, “That is what will happen to those who store up goods just for themselves, but who do not value the things that God considers valuable.”

22  Then Jesus said to his disciples, “So I want to tell you this: Do not worry about things you need in order to live. Do not worry about whether you will have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. 23  It is important to have sufficient food and clothing, but ◄the way you conduct your lives is more important./is not the way you conduct your lives more important?► [RHQ] 24  Think about the birds: They do not plant seeds, and they do not harvest crops. They do not have rooms or buildings in which to store crops. But God provides food for them. And you are certainly much more valuable than birds. So God will certainly provide what you need! 25 ◄There is not a one of you who can add a little bit to how long he lives by worrying about it!/Is there any of you who can add a little bit to how long he lives by worrying about it?► [RHQ] 26  Worrying is a small thing to do. So since you cannot add to your life, ◄you certainly should not worry about other things that you need to have in order to live!/why do you worry about other things that you need to have in order to live?► [RHQ] 27  Think about the way that flowers grow in the fields. They do not work to earn money, and they do not make their own clothes. But I tell you that even though King Solomon, who lived long ago, wore very beautiful clothes, his clothes were not as beautiful as one of those flowers. 28  God makes the flowers beautiful, but they grow in the fields for only a short time. Then they are cut at the same time that the grass is cut, and thrown into an oven to be burned to make heat for baking bread. So they really are not worth very much. But you are very precious to God, and he will care for you much more than he cares for the grass by filling it with beautiful flowers. So he will certainly provide clothes for you, who live much longer than the grass. Why [RHQ] do you trust him so little? 29  Do not always be concerned about having enough to eat and drink, and do not be worrying about those things. 30  The people who do not know God are always worried about such things. But your Father in heaven knows that you need those things, so you should not worry about them. 31  Instead, be concerned about letting God completely direct your life. Then he will also give you enough of the things you need.

32  You who are my disciples are like a small flock of sheep, and I am like your shepherd. So you should not be afraid. Your Father in heaven wants to let you rule with him in heaven. 33  So now sell the things that you own. Give the money that you get for those things to poor people. If you do that, it will be as though you are providing for yourselves purses that will not wear out, and God will give you a treasure in heaven that will always be safe. There, no thief can come near to steal it, and no termite can destroy it. 34  Remember that the things that you think are the most valuable are the things that you will be constantly concerned about.”

35 “Be always ready for doing God’s work [MET], like people who have put on their work clothes and are ready during the day, with their lamps burning all night. 36  Be ready for me to return [MET], like servants who are waiting for their master to return after being at a wedding feast for several days. They are waiting to open the door for him and start working for him again as soon as he arrives and knocks at the door. 37  If those servants are awake when he returns, he will be very pleased with them. I will tell you this: He will put on the kind of clothes that servants wear and tell them to sit down, and he will serve them a meal. 38  Even if he comes between midnight and sunrise, if he finds that his servants are awake and ready for him, he will be very pleased with them. 39  But you must also remember this: If owners of a house knew what time a thief was coming, they would stay awake and would not allow their house to be broken into and their goods to be stolen { the thief to break into the house and steal their goods}. 40  Similarly, you must be ready for me to return, because I, the one who came from heaven, will come again at a time when you do not expect me to come.”

41  Peter said, “Lord, are you (sg) speaking this illustration only for us or for everyone else also?” 42  The Lord replied, “ I am saying it for you and for anyone else [MET, RHQ] who is like a faithful and wise manager in his master’s house. His master appoints him to supervise affairs in his house and to give all the other servants their food at the proper time. Then he leaves on a long trip. 43  If the servant is doing that work when his master returns, his master will be very pleased with him. 44  I tell you this: His master will appoint him to supervise all of his affairs permanently. 45  But that servant might think to himself, ‘My master has been away for a long time, so he probably will not return soon and find out what I am doing.’ Then he might start to beat the other servants, both male and female ones. He might also start to eat a lot of food and get drunk. 46  If he does that, and if his master returns on a day when the servant does not expect him, then his master will ◄cut him into two pieces/punish him severely► [HYP] and put him in the place where he puts all those who do not serve him faithfully. 47  Every servant who knows what his master wants him to do but who does not get himself ready and does not do what his master desires will be beaten severely { The master will beat severely every servant who knows what his master wants him to do but who does not get himself ready and does not do what his master desires}. 48  But every servant who did not know what his master wanted him to do, and who did things for which he deserved to be punished, will be beaten lightly { the master will beat lightly every servant who did not know what his master wanted him to do and did the things for which he deserved that his master would beat him}. God will treat his people similarly, because he expects a lot from those people whom he has allowed to understand a lot. People who entrust things to others’ care expect those people to care for those things very well. Similarly, God expects a lot from those people whom he has allowed to understand a lot. Furthermore, he expects the most from people to whom he has given the most ability.”

49 “I came to earth to cause there to be trials [MET], which will purify you as fire purifies metal (OR, to cause judgment/divisions among you). I wish that the time when you will be purified {when God will purify you} (OR, when divisions will be caused {to cause divisions among people}) had already begun. 50  I must soon suffer [IDM] greatly. I am distressed, and I will continue to be distressed until my suffering is finished. 51  Do you think that as a result of my coming to earth people will live together peacefully? No! I must tell you, that is not what will happen! Instead, people will be divided. 52  Because some people in one house will believe in me and some will not, they will be divided. For example, three people in one house who do not believe in me will oppose two who do believe, or two who do not believe in me will oppose three who do believe. 53  A man will oppose his son, or a son will oppose his father. A woman will oppose her daughter, or a woman will oppose her mother. A woman will oppose her daughter-in-law, or a woman will oppose her mother-in-law.”

54  He also said to the crowds, “ In this country, when you see a dark cloud forming in the west, you immediately say ‘It is going to rain!’ and that is what happens. 55  In this region, when the wind blows from the south, you say, ‘It is going to be a very hot day!’ and that is what happens. 56  You hypocrites! By observing the clouds and the wind, you are able to discern what is happening regarding the weather. It is disgusting that you are not able to discern what God is doing at this present time [RHQ]!

57 ◄Each of you ought to determine now what is the right thing for you to do, while you still have time to do that!/Why cannot each of you determine what is the right thing for you to do now while you still have time to do that?► [RHQ] 58  If you do not do that, God will punish you [MET]. It will be like what happens when someone takes one of you to court, saying that you (sg) have done something very bad. You should try to settle things with him while you are still on the way to the court. If he forces you to go to the judge, the judge will decide that you are guilty and put you into the hands of the court officer. Then that officer will put you in prison. 59  I tell you that if you go to prison, you will never get out, because you will never be able to pay every bit of what the judge says you owe [MET]. Similarly, you ought to settle accounts with God before you die, too.”