Luke 12 – NIRV & CRO

New International Reader’s Version

Luke 12:1-59

Jesus Gives Words of Warning and Hope

1During that time a crowd of many thousands had gathered. There were so many people that they were stepping on one another. Jesus spoke first to his disciples. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees,” he said. “They just pretend to be godly. 2Everything that is secret will be brought out into the open. Everything that is hidden will be uncovered. 3What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. What you have whispered to someone behind closed doors will be shouted from the rooftops.

4“My friends, listen to me. Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t do any more than that. 5I will show you whom you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the authority to throw you into hell after you have been killed. Yes, I tell you, be afraid of him. 6Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? But God does not forget even one of them. 7In fact, he even counts every hair on your head! So don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

8“What about someone who says in front of others that he knows me? I tell you, the Son of Man will say in front of God’s angels that he knows that person. 9But what about someone who says in front of others that he doesn’t know me? I, the Son of Man, will say in front of God’s angels that I don’t know him. 10Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But anyone who speaks evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

11“You will be brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities. But do not worry about how to stand up for yourselves or what to say. 12The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

The Story of the Rich Fool

13Someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “tell my brother to divide the family property with me.”

14Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge or umpire between you?” 15Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against wanting to have more and more things. Life is not made up of how much a person has.”

16Then Jesus told them a story. He said, “A certain rich man’s land produced a very large crop. 17He thought to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have any 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. I will store my extra grain in them. 19I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain stored away for many years. Take life easy. Eat, drink and have a good time.” ’

20“But God said to him, ‘You foolish man! Tonight I will take your life away from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21“That is how it will be for whoever stores things away for themselves but is not rich in the sight of God.”

Do Not Worry

22Then Jesus spoke to his disciples. He said, “I tell you, do not worry. Don’t worry about your life and what you will eat. And don’t worry about your body and what you will wear. 23There is more to life than eating. There are more important things for the body than clothes. 24Think about the ravens. They don’t plant or gather crops. They don’t have any barns at all. But God feeds them. You are worth much more than birds! 25Can you add even one hour to your life by worrying? 26You can’t do that very little thing. So why worry about the rest?

27“Think about how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work or make clothing. But here is what I tell you. Not even Solomon in his royal robes was dressed like one of those flowers. 28If that is how God dresses the wild grass, how much better will he dress you! After all, the grass is here only today. Tomorrow it is thrown into the fire. Your faith is so small! 29Don’t spend time thinking about what you will eat or drink. Don’t worry about it. 30People who are ungodly run after all those things. Your Father knows that you need them. 31But put God’s kingdom first. Then those other things will also be given to you.

32“Little flock, do not be afraid. Your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell what you own. Give to those who are poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out. Store up riches in heaven that will never be used up. There, no thief can come near it. There, no moth can destroy it. 34Your heart will be where your riches are.

Be Ready

35“Be dressed and ready to serve. Keep your lamps burning. 36Be like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding dinner. When he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. 37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready when he comes. What I’m about to tell you is true. The master will then dress himself so he can serve them. He will have them take their places at the table. And he will come and wait on them. 38It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready. It will even be good if he comes in the middle of the night or toward morning. 39But here is what you must understand. Suppose the owner of the house knew at what hour the robber was coming. He would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at an hour when you don’t expect him.”

41Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this story to us, or to everyone?”

42The Lord answered, “Suppose a master puts one of his servants in charge of his other servants. The servant’s job is to give them the food they are to receive at the right time. The master wants a faithful and wise manager for this. 43It will be good for the servant if the master finds him doing his job when the master returns. 44What I’m about to tell you is true. The master will put that servant in charge of everything he owns. 45But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time to come back.’ Suppose that servant begins to beat the other servants, both men and women. Suppose he feeds himself. And suppose he drinks until he gets drunk. 46The master of that servant will come back on a day the servant doesn’t expect him. The master will return at an hour the servant doesn’t know. Then the master will cut him to pieces. He will send the servant to the place where unbelievers go.

47“Suppose a servant knows the master’s wishes. But the servant doesn’t get ready and doesn’t do what the master wants. Then that servant will receive a heavy beating. 48But suppose the servant does not know his master’s wishes. And suppose the servant does things for which he should be punished. He will receive a lighter beating. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. Even more will be asked of the person who is supposed to take care of much.

Jesus Will Separate People From One Another

49“I have come to bring fire on the earth. How I wish the fire had already started! 50But I have a baptism of suffering to go through. And I must go through it. 51Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you. I have come to separate people. 52From now on there will be five members in a family, each one against the other. There will be three against two and two against three. 53They will be separated. Father will turn against son and son against father. Mother will turn against daughter and daughter against mother. Mother-in-law will turn against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Understanding the Meaning of What Is Happening

54Jesus spoke to the crowd. He said, “You see a cloud rising in the west. Right away you say, ‘It’s going to rain.’ And it does. 55The south wind blows. So you say, ‘It’s going to be hot.’ And it is. 56You pretenders! You know how to understand the appearance of the earth and the sky. Why can’t you understand the meaning of what is happening right now?

57“Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58Suppose someone has a claim against you, and you are on your way to court. Try hard to settle the matter on the way. If you don’t, that person may drag you off to the judge. The judge may turn you over to the officer. And the officer may throw you into prison. 59I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny!”

Knijga O Kristu

Luka 12:1-59

Protiv licemjerja

(Mt 10:26-27)

1Kad se okupilo tisuće ljudi tako da su već gazili jedni po drugima, Isus najprije počne govoriti svojim učenicima: “Farizejsko se licemjerje širi poput kvasca koji prožme sve tijesto. Čuvajte se da ne budete licemjerni kao oni. 2Jer dolazi vrijeme kad će sve što je skriveno biti otkriveno; sve što je tajno čut će se pred svima. 3Što ste god rekli u tami, čut će se na svjetlu i što ste šaptali u zatvorenim sobama, razglasit će se s krovova da svi čuju!

Ne treba se plašiti

(Mt 10:28-33; 12:31-32; Mk 3:28-29)

4Prijatelji moji, kažem vam, ne bojte se onih koji mogu ubiti samo tijelo, ali vam ne mogu ništa gore učiniti! 5Ali reći ću vam koga se treba bojati. Bojte se Boga koji može ubiti, a zatim baciti u pakao. Njega se bojte!

6Ne prodaje li se pet vrapčića za dva novčića? A Bog ipak ne zaboravi nijednoga od njih. 7A vama su izbrojene i vlasi na glavi. Stoga se ne bojte! Vi ste mu mnogo vredniji od mnoštva vrabaca.

8Tko ovdje na zemlji pred ljudima prizna da pripada meni, za njega ću ja, Sin Čovječji, pred anđelima Božjim priznati da mu pripadam. 9Ali onoga koji mene zaniječe na zemlji odreći ću se pred Božjim anđelima. 10Ipak, onome koji što kaže protiv Sina Čovječjega oprostit će se. Ali onome tko pohuli protiv Svetoga Duha neće se oprostiti.

11A kad vas budu dovodili pred sud u sinagogama, pred poglavare i vlasti, ne brinite se što reći sebi u obranu 12jer će vas Sveti Duh tada poučiti što da kažete.”

Prispodoba o budalastom bogatašu

13Netko iz mnoštva poviče: “Učitelju, molim te, reci mojemu bratu da podijeli sa mnom imanje koje smo dobili u baštinu.”

14Isus mu odgovori: “Čovječe, tko je mene postavio da sudim i dijelim između vas?” 15Onda se obratio svima: “Klonite se svake pohlepe. Ma koliko da obilujete, život se ne sastoji u onomu što posjedujete.”

16Ispriča im zatim prispodobu: “Nekomu je bogatašu zemlja urodila tako obilnom žetvom 17da je razmišljao: ‘Što da radim? Nemam u što skupiti toliku ljetinu. 18Znam! Srušit ću stare žitnice i izgraditi veće pa ću ondje zgrnuti i žito i sva svoja dobra. 19Onda ću svojoj duši reći: Evo, imaš u zalihi obilje za još mnogo godina. Dušo moja, počivaj, jedi, pij i veseli se!’

20Ali Bog mu reče: ‘Neumniče! Još ćeš noćas umrijeti. Komu će onda pripasti sve što si skupio?’

21Neumnik je onaj tko zgrće zemaljsko blago, a ne stječe bogatstvo koje je vrijedno u Božjim očima.”

Ne brinite se!

(Mt 6:25-34)

22Zatim Isus reče učenicima: “Zato vam kažem: Ne brinite se tjeskobno kako ćete preživjeti, što ćete jesti, ni u što ćete obući svoje tijelo! 23Pa život je vredniji od hrane, a tijelo od odjeće. 24Pogledajte gavrane! Niti siju, niti žanju, niti imaju spremišta i žitnice, a Bog ih ipak hrani. A vi ste toliko vredniji od ptica! 25Može li tko od vas sebi brigama produžiti život barem i za jedan dan? 26Pa ako ni to malo ne možete, zašto ste stalno zabrinuti?

27Pogledajte samo poljske ljiljane! Niti se muče niti predu. A kažem vam da se ni kralj Salomon u svoj svojoj raskoši nije zaodjenuo kao jedan od njih. 28Pa ako Bog tako odijeva poljsku travu koja danas jest, a već se sutra baca u peć, zar se neće još i više brinuti za vas, malovjerni? 29Zato i vi: ne brinite se i ne uznemirujte oko toga što ćete jesti i piti 30jer tako čine nevjernici ovoga svijeta. Vaš Otac zna da vam je sve to potrebno. 31Stoga najprije tražite kraljevstvo njegovo pa će vam se i to nadodati.

32Ne boj se, malo stado. Vašemu se Ocu svidjelo da vam dade kraljevstvo.

33Prodajte svoju imovinu i dajte je kao milostinju! Tako ćete sebi spremiti blago na nebesima, kamo lopovi ne dolaze i gdje ga moljci neće izgristi. 34Jer gdje vam je blago, ondje će vam biti i srce.”

Treba budno čekati Gospodnji dolazak

(Mt 24:45-51)

35“Budite pripravni, posve obučeni i neka vam svjetiljka gori 36kao da čekate povratak svojega gospodara sa svadbene gozbe da budete spremni otvoriti mu vrata čim stigne i pokuca. 37Blago onim slugama koje gospodar na povratku nađe bdjeti. Zaista vam kažem, on će privezati pregaču, reći im da sjednu za stol i sam ih poslužiti da jedu. 38Možda će doći usred noći ili pred zoru.12:38 U grčkome: O drugoj ili o trećoj straži. Blago onima koje nađe bdjeti.

39Znajte: kad bi vlasnik kuće znao kada će doći lopov, ne bi mu dopustio da u nju provali. 40Budite i vi stalno pripravni jer će Sin Čovječji doći kad mu se i ne nadate.”

41“Gospodine, jesi li tu prispodobu ispričao samo nama ili svima?” upita Petar.

Vjerni i razumni upravitelj

42Isus mu reče: “Tko je dakle onaj vjerni i razumni upravitelj kojega će gospodar postaviti da upravlja ukućanima i da im daje hranu u pravo vrijeme? 43Blago onome koga gospodar, kada dođe, nađe da tako čini! 44Zaista vam kažem, povjerit će mu da upravlja svim njegovim imanjem. 45Ali ako sluga pomisli: ‘Gospodar se još neće vratiti’ pa počne tući sluge i sluškinje te jesti, piti i opijati se, 46gospodar će doći u dan kad mu se ne nada i u čas u koji neće ni slutiti. Nemilosrdno će ga kazniti i odrediti mu usud među nevjernicima.

47Onaj koji je znao volju svojega gospodara, ali nije tako činio i nije bdio, bit će strogo kažnjen. 48Ali tko nije znao da to što čini zaslužuje kaznu, bit će kažnjen blaže. Kome je mnogo dano, od njega će se mnogo i tražiti. Od onoga kojemu je mnogo povjereno više će se tražiti.”

Zbog Isusa će nastati razdor

(Mt 10:34-36)

49“Došao sam baciti oganj suda na zemlju. Kako bih želio da je već planuo! 50Ali valja mi se krstiti trpljenjem i tako sam tjeskoban dok se to ne završi! 51Mislite li da sam na zemlju došao donijeti mir? Nipošto. Došao sam donijeti razdor. 52Jer odsad će nastajati razdori u obitelji: troje će ljudi biti na mojoj strani, a protiv drugih dvoje i obrnuto. 53Otac će biti protiv sina i sin protiv oca, majka protiv kćeri i kći protiv majke, svekrva protiv snahe i snaha protiv svekrve.”

Znaci vremena

(Mt 16:2-3; 5:25-26)

54Reče zatim mnoštvu: “Kad opazite da se na zapadu gomilaju oblaci, znate reći: Kiša će! 55A kad zapuše južnjak, kažete: Bit će vruće! I bude vrućina. 56Licemjeri! Izgled zemlje i neba znate protumačiti. Kako onda ne znate protumačiti znake vremena?

57Zašto sami ne želite uvidjeti što je pravo? 58Kad s protivnikom ideš na sud, pokušaj se s njim nagoditi da spor ne završi na sudu jer te sudac može osuditi i predati izvršitelju da te baci u tamnicu. 59A onda, kažem ti, nećeš odande izići dok ne isplatiš sve do posljednjeg novčića.”