Luke 12:35-40

Be in Readiness

35 "¹Be dressed in ²readiness, and keep your lamps lit.

36 "Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.

37 "Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find ³on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that ⁴he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.

38 "⁵Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

39 "⁶But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be ⁷broken into.

40 "⁸You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 25:1f
• 2. Ephesians 6:14; 1 Peter 1:13
• 3. Matthew 24:42
• 4. Luke 17:8; John 13:4
• 5. Matthew 24:43
• 6. Luke 12:39, 40: {Matthew 24:43, 44}
• 7. Matthew 6:19
• 8. Mark 13:33; Luke 21:36

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "Let your loins be girded"
• [b] I.e. 9 p.m. to midnight
• [c] I.e. midnight to 3 a.m.
• [d] Lit "know"
• [e] Lit "dug through"
• [f] Lit "think, suppose"