Warnings and Encouragements
1Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be12:1 Or speak to his disciples, saying: “First of all, be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
4“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
8“I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 9But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. 10And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
16And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’
20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Worry
22Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life12:25 Or single cubit to your height? 26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Watchfulness
35“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
41Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”
42The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
47“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Not Peace but Division
49“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53They 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.”
Interpreting the Times
54He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
57“Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
警戒門徒
1這時，成千上萬的人聚集在一起，甚至互相踐踏。耶穌先對門徒說：「你們要提防法利賽人的酵，就是他們的偽善。 2掩蓋的事終會暴露出來，隱藏的秘密終會被人知道。 3你們在暗處說的，將在明處被人聽見；你們在密室裡的私語，將在屋頂上被人宣揚。
4「朋友們，我告訴你們，不要懼怕那些殺害人的身體後再也無計可施的人。 5我告訴你們應該懼怕誰，要懼怕上帝——祂有權終結人的生命，並把人丟在地獄裡。是的，我告訴你們，要懼怕祂！
6「五隻麻雀不是只賣兩個銅錢嗎？但上帝連一隻麻雀也不會遺忘。 7其實就連你們的頭髮都被數過了。不要害怕，你們比許多麻雀要貴重！
8「我告訴你們，凡在人面前承認我的，人子在上帝的天使面前也必承認他。 9凡在人面前否認我的，人子在上帝的天使面前也要否認他。 10說話得罪人子的，還可以得到赦免，但褻瀆聖靈的，必得不到赦免！ 11當人押你們到會堂，或到官員和當權者面前時，不要顧慮如何辯解，或說什麼話， 12因為到時候聖靈必指示你們當說的話。」
無知富翁的比喻
13這時，人群中有人對耶穌說：「老師，請你勸勸我的兄長跟我分家產吧。」
14耶穌答道：「朋友，誰派我作你們的審判官或仲裁，為你們分家產呢？」 15接著，祂對眾人說：「你們要小心防範一切的貪心，因為人的生命並不在於家道富足。」
16耶穌又講了一個比喻，說：「有一個富翁，他的田裡大豐收， 17於是心裡盤算，『我儲藏農產的地方不夠了，怎麼辦呢？』 18於是他說，『不如把原有的倉庫拆掉，建幾座更大的，好儲藏我所有的糧食和財物！ 19那時，我就可以對自己說，「你積存這麼多財產，一生享用不盡，現在大可高枕無憂、盡情地吃喝玩樂吧！」』 20但上帝對他說，『無知的人啊！今晚就要取走你的命！你所預備的一切留給誰享用呢？』」
21耶穌說：「這就是那些只顧為自己積財、在上帝面前卻不富足之人的寫照。」
不要為衣食憂慮
22耶穌繼續對門徒說：「所以，我告訴你們，不要為生活憂慮，如吃什麼，也不要為身體憂慮，如穿什麼。 23因為生命比飲食重要，身體比穿著重要。 24你們看，烏鴉不種也不收，沒倉也沒庫，上帝尚且養活牠們，你們比飛鳥不知要貴重多少！
25「你們誰能用憂慮使自己多活片刻呢？ 26既然你們連這樣的小事都無能為力，又何必為其餘的事憂慮呢？ 27看看百合花如何生長吧，它們既不勞苦，也不紡織，但我告訴你們，就連所羅門王最顯赫時的穿戴還不如一朵百合花！
28「野地的草今天還在，明天就要被丟在爐中，上帝還這樣裝扮它們，何況你們呢？你們的信心太小了！ 29你們不要為吃什麼喝什麼憂慮， 30因為這些都是外族人的追求，你們的天父知道你們需要這些。 31你們要尋求祂的國，祂必供給你們的需要。
32「你們這一小群人啊，不要怕！因為你們的天父樂意把祂的國賜給你們。 33要變賣你們的家產去賙濟窮人，要為自己預備永不破損的錢袋，在天上積攢取之不盡的財寶，那裡沒有賊偷，也沒有蟲蛀。 34因為你們的財寶在哪裡，你們的心也在哪裡。
警醒預備
35「你們要束上腰帶，準備服侍，要點亮燈， 36像奴僕們等候主人從婚宴回來。主人回來一叩門，奴僕就可以立即給他開門。 37主人回來，看見奴僕警醒等候，奴僕就有福了！我實在告訴你們，主人必束上腰帶請他們坐席，並親自服侍他們。 38無論主人在深夜或黎明回家，若發現奴僕警醒等候，奴僕就有福了。
39「你們都知道，一家的主人若預先知道賊什麼時候來，一定不會讓賊入屋偷竊。 40同樣，你們也要做好準備，因為在你們意想不到的時候，人子就來了。」
忠僕和惡僕
41彼得問：「主啊！你這比喻是講給我們聽的，還是講給眾人聽的呢？」
42主說：「誰是那個受主人委託管理家中大小僕役、按時分糧食給他們、又忠心又精明的管家呢？ 43主人回家時，看見他盡忠職守，他就有福了。 44我實在告訴你們，主人一定會把所有產業都交給他管理。 45但如果他以為主人不會那麼快回來，就毆打僕婢、吃喝醉酒， 46主人會在他想不到的日子、不知道的時辰回來，嚴厲地懲罰12·46 「嚴厲地懲罰」或作「腰斬」。他，使他和不忠不信的人同受嚴刑。 47明知主人的意思卻不準備，也不遵行主人吩咐的僕人，必受更重的責打。 48但因不知道而做了該受懲罰之事的僕人，必少受責打。多給誰，就向誰多取；多託付誰，就向誰多要。
家庭分裂
49「我來是要把火丟在地上，我多麼希望這火已經燃燒起來。 50我有要受的『洗禮』，我何等迫切地想完成這『洗禮』啊！ 51你們以為我來是要使天下太平嗎？不，我告訴你們，我來是要使地上起紛爭。 52從今以後，一家五口會彼此相爭，三個人反對兩個人，或是兩個人反對三個人， 53父子相爭，母女對立，婆媳反目。」
明辨是非
54然後，祂又對眾人說：「你們看見雲從西方升起，就說，『快下雨了！』果然如此。 55南風一起，你們就說，『天必燥熱』，你們也說對了。 56你們這些偽善的人！既然知道觀察天色、預測天氣，為什麼不知道觀察這個世代呢？ 57你們為什麼不自己明辨是非呢？ 58如果你和控告你的人要去對簿公堂，要盡量在路上跟對方和解，以免被拉到審判官面前，審判官派差役把你關進監牢。 59我告訴你，除非你付清所欠的每一分錢，否則休想出監牢。」
