1In the meantime, when a crowd of many thousands of people gathered – so many that they were trampling upon one another - He turned to His disciples, and said, “Be on your guard against the leaven (yeast) of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2For there is nothing concealed that shall not be revealed; nor secret, that shall not be known. 3Therefore, whatever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which you have whispered in the ear in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”

4“And I say to you, My friends, ‘Do not fear them that kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do.’ 5But I will tell you Whom you shall fear: Fear Him Who, after He has killed, has power to send you into hell; yes, I say to you, ‘Fear Him.’ 6Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten by God? 7Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore, do not fear; you are valued more than many sparrows. 8I tell you, ‘Whoever publicly confesses (acknowledges) Me, him shall the Son of man also confess (acknowledge) before the angels of God; 9But he that denies (disowns) Me before men shall I deny before the angels of God. 10And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man may be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven.’ 11And when you are brought into the synagogues, or before judges and authorities, do not be anxious about how or what you should say in your defense; 12For the Holy Spirit shall instruct you in the same hour about what you ought to say.”

13And someone in the crowd said to Him, “Master, tell my brother that he should divide (share) the inheritance with me.” 14And Jesus replied to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbiter between you?” 15And then He said to them, “Beware; and guard against covetousness (all forms of greed); for a man's life does not consist of how many things he possesses.”

16And then He told them this parable: “The fertile land of a certain rich man yielded a bountiful crop. 17And he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, because I have no room to store all my crops?’ 18And he decided, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns, and build larger ones; and in those, I will store all my crops and my goods’. 19And then I will say to myself, ‘You have plenty of goods laid up for many years; take life easy - eat, drink, and be merry’. 20But God said to him, ‘You fool, this very night your soul shall be required (demanded) of you. Then who shall own all those things which you have provided?’ 21So it will be for anyone who lays up treasure for himself, but is not rich toward God.”

22And Jesus said to His disciples, “I tell you, ‘Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you shall wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24Consider the ravens, which have neither storehouses or barns: they neither sow nor reap, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable are you than the birds? 25And which of you, by worrying, can add one cubit to your stature, or one hour to your life? 26And since you cannot even do these things, why worry yourself about the rest? 27Consider how the lilies grow: they neither toil or spin; and yet I tell you, that Solomon, in all his splendor, was not arrayed like one of these. 28If, then, God so clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into a fire and burned; how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 29And do not fret over what you shall eat or drink, nor worry about such things. 30For all these things even the pagan nations of the world pursue; and your Father knows that you need these things. 31But instead, seek the kingdom of God; and all these other things shall be provided for you. 32Do not fear, little flock; for it gives your Father great pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell what you have, and give to the poor; and thereby, you will provide yourselves purses which never grow old, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief can approach, nor can moth corrupt. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.”

35“Be dressed ready for service, and keep your lamps burning. 36Be like men that wait for their master to return from a wedding feast; so that when he comes and knocks, the door may open for him immediately. 37Blessed are those servants whose master shall find them alert and watching for his return. Truly I tell you, that he, himself, shall dress to serve, and have them sit while he serves them. 38And whether he comes in the second watch, or the third watch, if he finds them ready, those servants will be rewarded. 39And understand this: If the owner of the house had known when the thief would be coming, he would have been watching, and not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40Therefore, you should also be ready; for the Son of man will come (return) at a time when you do not expect Him.” 41Then Peter asked Him, “Lord, are You telling this parable only to us, or to everyone?” 42And the Lord answered, “Who, then, is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall put in charge of his whole household, to give each servant his portion of food at the proper time? 43Blessed is (it will be good for) that servant that, when his lord comes, is found doing as he should. 44Of a truth I tell you that he will put him in charge of all that he has. 45But if that servant says to himself, ‘My lord has been delayed in returning.’ And begins to beat and abuse the other servants, and to eat and get drunk, 46His master will return at a time when he least expects him, and will severely punish him, and will banish him to the place with unbelievers (the unfaithful). 47And that servant, who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48But he that knew not, and committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For whoever is given much, of him much shall be required; and those to whom men have committed much will be asked the more of.”

49“I have come to set the earth on fire; and I wish it were already kindled! 50But I have a baptism to undergo; and how I am constrained (distressed) until it is accomplished! 51Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; 52For from now on, there shall be five in one house (family), divided; three against two, and two against three. 53They shall be divided father against the son, and the son against father; the mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

54And He also said to the people, “When you see a cloud rise out of the west, you immediately say, ‘There is a shower coming’; and so it is. 55And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot’; and so it is. 56You hypocrites, you know how to read the signs of the sky and the earth; but why is it that you do not know how to discern (interpret) the times? 57Why can you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58When you are going to the magistrate with your adversary, as you are along the road, make every effort to resolve the dispute with him. Otherwise, he may drag you before the judge, and then the judge turns you over to the officer, and the officer puts you into prison. 59If that happens, I tell you, you shall not leave there until you have paid every last bit that you owe.”