Luke 12:35
New International Version
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,

New Living Translation
“Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning,

English Standard Version
“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning,

Berean Standard Bible
Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning.

Berean Literal Bible
Let your waist be girded about, and the lamps burning.

King James Bible
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

New King James Version
“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;

New American Standard Bible
“Be prepared, and keep your lamps lit.

NASB 1995
“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.

NASB 1977
“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps alight.

Legacy Standard Bible
“GIRD UP YOUR LOINS, and keep your lamps lit.

Amplified Bible
“Be dressed and ready for active service, and keep your lamps continuously burning.

Christian Standard Bible
“Be ready for service and have your lamps lit.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“Be ready for service and have your lamps lit.

American Standard Version
Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning;

Contemporary English Version
Be ready and keep your lamps burning

English Revised Version
Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Be ready for action, and have your lamps burning.

Good News Translation
"Be ready for whatever comes, dressed for action and with your lamps lit,

International Standard Version
"You must keep your belts fastened and your lamps burning.

Majority Standard Bible
Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning.

NET Bible
"Get dressed for service and keep your lamps burning;

New Heart English Bible
"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning.

Webster's Bible Translation
Let your loins be girt, and your lights burning;

Weymouth New Testament
"Have your girdles on, and let your lamps be alight;

World English Bible
“Let your waist be dressed and your lamps burning.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Let your loins be girded, and the lamps burning,

Berean Literal Bible
Let your waist be girded about, and the lamps burning.

Young's Literal Translation
'Let your loins be girded, and the lamps burning,

Smith's Literal Translation
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Let your waists be girded, and let lamps be burning in your hands.

New American Bible
“Gird your loins and light your lamps

New Revised Standard Version
“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Let your girdle be fastened on your loins, and your lamps lighted.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Let your loins be girded, and your lamps burning;

Godbey New Testament
Let your loins be girted, and your lamps burning;

Haweis New Testament
Let your loins be firmly girded round, and your lamps burning:

Mace New Testament
Let your loins be girt, and your lamps burning:

Weymouth New Testament
"Have your girdles on, and let your lamps be alight;

Worrell New Testament
"Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning;

Worsley New Testament
Let your loins be girt, and your lights burning, and

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Be Ready for Service
34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 35Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. 36Then you will be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once.…

Cross References
Matthew 24:42-44
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. / But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. / For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.

Mark 13:33-37
Be on your guard and stay alert! For you do not know when the appointed time will come. / It is like a man going on a journey who left his house, put each servant in charge of his own task, and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch. / Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the master of the house will return—whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning. ...

1 Thessalonians 5:6
So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober.

Ephesians 6:14
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed,

1 Peter 1:13
Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 16:15
“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”

Romans 13:11-12
And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. / The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong.

2 Peter 3:10-12
But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare. / Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness / as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat.

Philippians 4:5
Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near.

Isaiah 11:5
Righteousness will be the belt around His hips, and faithfulness the sash around His waist.

Exodus 12:11
This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.

Proverbs 31:17
She girds herself with strength and shows that her arms are strong.

Isaiah 59:17
He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal.

Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.


Treasury of Scripture

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

your loins.

1 Kings 18:46
And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Proverbs 31:17
She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

Isaiah 5:27
None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

your lights.

Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 25:1,4-10
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom…

Philippians 2:15
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

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Luke 12
1. Jesus preaches to his apostles to avoid hypocrisy
13. and warns against covetousness, by the parable of the man who set up greater barns.
22. We must not worry about earthly things,
31. but seek the kingdom of God;
33. give alms;
35. be ready at a knock to open to our Lord whensoever he comes.
41. Jesus' disciples are to see to their charges,
49. and look for persecution.
54. The people must take this time of grace;
57. because it is a fearful thing to die without reconciliation.














Be dressed
The phrase "be dressed" in the Berean Standard Bible is a call to readiness and preparation. In the original Greek, the word used is "perizōnnymi," which means to gird oneself. This imagery is drawn from the ancient practice of gathering up long garments with a belt to allow for freedom of movement, especially in preparation for work or battle. Spiritually, this signifies the believer's need to be prepared for the Lord's return, living in a state of readiness and active service. It is a call to spiritual vigilance and moral integrity, ensuring that one's life is aligned with the teachings of Christ.

ready for service
This phrase emphasizes the purpose of being dressed or prepared. The Greek word "hetoimos" conveys a sense of being prepared or ready. In the context of first-century culture, servants were expected to be ready to serve their master at any moment. For Christians, this means living a life of active service to God and others, embodying the servant leadership exemplified by Jesus. It is a reminder that our faith is not passive but requires active engagement and readiness to fulfill God's will.

and keep your lamps burning
The imagery of lamps burning is rich with biblical symbolism. In the Greek, "lampas" refers to a torch or lamp, a source of light in the darkness. This phrase calls believers to maintain their spiritual fervor and vigilance. In the historical context, lamps were essential for navigating the night, symbolizing guidance, truth, and the presence of God. Scripturally, light often represents holiness and the revelation of God's truth. Thus, keeping one's lamp burning signifies maintaining a vibrant, visible faith that shines in a world often shrouded in spiritual darkness. It is a call to perseverance and continual spiritual renewal, ensuring that one's life remains a beacon of hope and truth.

(35) Let your loins be girded . . .--To "gird up the loins" was, in Eastern habits and with Eastern garments, the received symbol of readiness for active service (Luke 12:37; Luke 17:8; 1Kings 18:46; 2Kings 1:8; John 13:4; 1Peter 1:13). The "lights" are the lamps (as in Matthew 5:15) which the watchful hold in their hands. What follows has the interest of presenting the germ of the thought which was afterwards developed into the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. (See Notes on Matthew 25:1-13.) . . . Verses 35, 36. - Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning; 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. The Master goes on with his teaching on the subject of covetousness, still addressing himself primarily to the disciples. "There is another reason why my chosen followers should treat the amassing of earthly goods with indifference; no man knows when the end of this state of things may come; their hearts must be fixed on something else than perishable things. They must act as servants on the watch for the return of their lord. See now, my own," Jesus proceeds to say; "your attitude in life must be that of servants, at once loyal and devoted, whom their employer has left in his house while he is absent at a great wedding-feast. The day of his absence passes into evening, and evening shades into night; and even the night wears slowly and tediously away, and still the master of the house comes not back from his festival." But the faithful servants all this while never slumber, or even lie down to rest. All the time of his absence, with their loose flowing Eastern robes taken up, and the skirt fastened under the girdle, with their lamps all trimmed and burning, these watchers wait the coming of their lord, though he tarry long, that they may be ready to receive him and serve him the moment he arrives. All kinds of busy house service, too, carried on during the long night of watching, is implied by the girt-up robes and the lit lamps of the tireless watchers.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Be
Ἔστωσαν (Estōsan)
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

dressed for service
ὑμῶν (hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

and {keep}
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

[your]
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

lamps
λύχνοι (lychnoi)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3088: A lamp. From the base of leukos; a portable lamp or other illuminator.

burning.
καιόμενοι (kaiomenoi)
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2545: To ignite, light, burn, lit. and met; I consume with fire. Apparently a primary verb; to set on fire, i.e. Kindle or consume.


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NT Gospels: Luke 12:35 Let your waist be girded and your (Luke Lu Lk)
Luke 12:34
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