nkjv Luke:12 SEEK
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In the meantime ,
when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together ,
so that they trampled one another ,
He began to say to His disciples first of all , "
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees ,
which is hypocrisy .
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For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed ,
nor hidden that will not be known .
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Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light ,
and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops .
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And I say to you ,
My friends ,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body ,
and after that have no more that they can do .
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But I will show you whom you should fear :
Fear Him who ,
after He has killed ,
has power to cast into hell ;
yes ,
I say to you ,
fear Him !
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Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins ?
And not one of them is forgotten before God .
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But the very hairs of your head are all numbered .
Do not fear therefore ;
you are of more value than many sparrows .
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Also I say to you ,
whoever confesses Me before men ,
him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God .
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But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God .
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And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man ,
it will be forgiven him ;
but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit ,
it will not be forgiven .
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Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities ,
do not worry about how or what you should answer ,
or what you should say .
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For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say ."
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Then one from the crowd said to Him , "
Teacher ,
tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me ."
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But He said to him , "
Man ,
who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you ?"
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And He said to them , "
Take heed and beware of covetousness ,
for one '
s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses ."
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Then He spoke a parable to them ,
saying : "
The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully .
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And he thought within himself ,
saying , "
What shall I do ,
since I have no room to store my crops ?'
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So he said , "
I will do this :
I will pull down my barns and build greater ,
and there I will store all my crops and my goods .
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And I will say to my soul , "
Soul ,
you have many goods laid up for many years ;
take your ease ;
eat ,
drink ,
and be merry ."'
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But God said to him , "
Fool !
This night your soul will be required of you ;
then whose will those things be which you have provided ?'
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So is he who lays up treasure for himself ,
and is not rich toward God ."
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Then He said to His disciples , "
Therefore I say to you ,
do not worry about your life ,
what you will eat ;
nor about the body ,
what you will put on .
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Life is more than food ,
and the body is more than clothing .
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Consider the ravens ,
for they neither sow nor reap ,
which have neither storehouse nor barn ;
and God feeds them .
Of how much more value are you than the birds ?
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And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature ?
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If you then are not able to do the least ,
why are you anxious for the rest ?
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Consider the lilies ,
how they grow :
they neither toil nor spin ;
and yet I say to you ,
even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these .
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If then God so clothes the grass ,
which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven ,
how much more will He clothe you ,
O you of little faith ?
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And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink ,
nor have an anxious mind .
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For all these things the nations of the world seek after ,
and your Father knows that you need these things .
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But seek the kingdom of God ,
and all these things shall be added to you .
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Do not fear ,
little flock ,
for it is your Father '
s good pleasure to give you the kingdom .
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Sell what you have and give alms ;
provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old ,
a treasure in the heavens that does not fail ,
where no thief approaches nor moth destroys .
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For where your treasure is ,
there your heart will be also .
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Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning ;
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and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master ,
when he will return from the wedding ,
that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately .
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Blessed are those servants whom the master ,
when he comes ,
will find watching .
Assuredly ,
I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat ,
and will come and serve them .
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And if he should come in the second watch ,
or come in the third watch ,
and find them so ,
blessed are those servants .
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But know this ,
that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come ,
he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into .
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Therefore you also be ready ,
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect ."
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Then Peter said to Him , "
Lord ,
do You speak this parable only to us ,
or to all people ?"
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And the Lord said , "
Who then is that faithful and wise steward ,
whom his master will make ruler over his household ,
to give them their portion of food in due season ?
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Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes .
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Truly ,
I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has .
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But if that servant says in his heart , "
My master is delaying his coming ,'
and begins to beat the male and female servants ,
and to eat and drink and be drunk ,
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the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him ,
and at an hour when he is not aware ,
and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers .
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And that servant who knew his master '
s will ,
and did not prepare himself or do according to his will ,
shall be beaten with many stripes .
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But he who did not know ,
yet committed things deserving of stripes ,
shall be beaten with few .
For everyone to whom much is given ,
from him much will be required ;
and to whom much has been committed ,
of him they will ask the more .
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I came to send fire on the earth ,
and how I wish it were already kindled !
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But I have a baptism to be baptized with ,
and how distressed I am till it is accomplished !
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Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth ?
I tell you ,
not at all ,
but rather division .
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For from now on five in one house will be divided :
three against two ,
and two against three .
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Father will be divided against son and son against father ,
mother against daughter and daughter against mother ,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law ."
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Then He also said to the multitudes , "
Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west ,
immediately you say , "
A shower is coming ';
and so it is .
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And when you see the south wind blow ,
you say , "
There will be hot weather ';
and there is .
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Hypocrites !
You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth ,
but how is it you do not discern this time ?
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Yes ,
and why ,
even of yourselves ,
do you not judge what is right ?
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When you go with your adversary to the magistrate ,
make every effort along the way to settle with him ,
lest he drag you to the judge ,
the judge deliver you to the officer ,
and the officer throw you into prison .
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I tell you ,
you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite ."