New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy.
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At that time, when thousands of the people had come together, in such numbers that they were crushing one another, he said first to his disciples, Have nothing to do with the leaven of the Pharisees, which is deceit.
2 Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.
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But nothing is covered up, which will not come to light, or secret, which will not be made clear.
3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.
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So, whatever you have said in the dark, will come to men's hearing in the light, and what you have said secretly inside the house, will be made public from the house-tops.
4 "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more.
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And I say to you, my friends, Have no fear of those who may put the body to death, and are able to do no more than that.
5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!
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But I will make clear to you of whom you are to be in fear: of him who after death has power to send you to hell; yes, truly I say, Have fear of him.
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight.
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Are not five sparrows given in exchange for two farthings? and God has every one of them in mind.
7 But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
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But even the hairs of your head are numbered. Have no fear: you are of more value than a flock of sparrows.
8 "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God;
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And I say to you that to everyone who gives witness to me before men, the Son of man will give witness before the angels of God.
9 but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.
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But if anyone says before men that he has no knowledge of me, I will say that I have no knowledge of him before the angels of God.
10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
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And if anyone says a word against the Son of man, he will have forgiveness: but for him who says evil words against the Holy Spirit, there will be no forgiveness.
11 When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say;
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And when they take you before the Synagogues and the authorities and the rulers, take no thought about what answers you will give, or what you will say:
12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say."
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For the Holy Spirit will make clear to you in that very hour what to say.
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me."
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And one of the people said to him, Master, give an order to my brother to make division of the heritage with me.
14 But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?"
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But he said, Man, who made me a judge or a maker of decisions for you?
15 And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."
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And he said to them, Take care to keep yourselves free from the desire for property; for a man's life is not made up of the number of things which he has.
16 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly.
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And he said to them, in a story, The land of a certain man of great wealth was very fertile:
17 And he thought to himself, "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?'
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And he said to himself, What is to be done? for I have no place in which to put all my fruit.
18 Then he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
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And he said, This I will do: I will take down my store-houses and make greater ones, and there I will put all my grain and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'
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And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have a great amount of goods in store, enough for a number of years; be at rest, take food and wine and be happy.
20 But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'
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But God said to him, You foolish one, tonight I will take your soul from you, and who then will be the owner of all the things which you have got together?
21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
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So that is what comes to the man who gets wealth for himself, and has not wealth in the eyes of God.
22 He 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.
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And he said to his disciples, For this reason I say to you, Take no thought for your life, about what food you will take, or for your body, how it may be clothed.
23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
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Is not life more than food, and the body than its clothing?
24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
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Give thought to the ravens; they do not put seeds into the earth, or get together grain; they have no store-houses or buildings; and God gives them their food: of how much greater value are you than the birds!
25 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?
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And which of you by taking thought is able to make himself any taller?
26 If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest?
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If, then, you are not able to do even that which is least, why are you troubled about the rest?
27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
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Give thought to the flowers: they do no work, they make no thread; and still I say to you, Even Solomon, in all his glory, was not clothed like one of these.
28 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!
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But if God gives such clothing to the grass in the field, which today is living, and tomorrow will be burned in the oven, how much more will he give clothing to you, O men of little faith?
29 And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.
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And do not give overmuch thought to your food and drink, and let not your mind be full of doubts.
30 For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
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For the nations of the world go in search of all these things: but your Father has knowledge that you have need of them.
31 Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
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But let your chief care be for his kingdom, and these other things will be given to you in addition.
32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
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Have no fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
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Give what property you have in exchange for money, and give the money to the poor; make for yourselves money-bags which will not get old, wealth stored up in heaven which will be yours for ever, where thieves will not come nor worms put it to destruction.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
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For where your wealth is, there will your heart be.
35 "Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;
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Be ready, dressed as for a journey, with your lights burning.
36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks.
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And be like men who are looking for their lord, when he comes back from the bride-feast; so that when he comes to the door, it will be open to him quickly.
37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them.
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Happy are those servants who are watching when the lord comes; truly I say to you, he will make himself their servant and, placing them at the table, he will come out and give them food.
38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
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And if he comes in the second division of the night or in the third, and they are watching for him, happy are those servants.
39 "But know 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.
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But be certain of this, that if the master of the house had had knowledge of the time when the thief was coming, he would have been watching, and would not have let his house be broken into.
40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
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So be ready: for the Son of man is coming at a time when you are not looking for him.
41 Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?"
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And Peter said to him, Lord, are these words said to us only, or to all men?
42 And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?
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And the Lord said, Who then is the wise and responsible servant whom his lord will put in control of his family, to give them their food at the right time?
43 Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.
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Happy is that servant who, when his lord comes, is doing so.
44 Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions.
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Truly I say to you, he will put him in control of all his goods.
45 But if that slave says to himself, "My master is delayed in coming,' and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk,
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But if that servant says to himself, My lord is a long time coming; and goes about giving blows to the men-servants and the women-servants, feasting and taking overmuch wine;
46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful.
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The lord of that servant will come at a time when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not ready for him, and he will have him cut in two and will give him his part in the fate of those who have no faith;
47 That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating.
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And the servant who had knowledge of his lord's desires and was not ready for him and did not do as he was ordered, will be given a great number of blows;
48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.
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But he who, without knowledge, did things for which punishment is given, will get only a small number of blows. The man to whom much is given, will have to give much; if much is given into his care, of him more will be requested.
49 "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
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I came to send a fire on the earth, and it may even now have been lighted.
50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!
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But there is a baptism which I have to undergo; and how am I kept back till it is complete!
51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!
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Is it your opinion that I have come to give peace on earth? I say to you, No, but division:
52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three;
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For from this time, a family of five in one house will be on opposite sides, three against two and two against three.
53 they will be divided: father 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 mother-in-law."
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They will be at war, the father against his son, and the son against his father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.
54 He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, "It is going to rain'; and so it happens.
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Then he said to the people, When you see a cloud coming up in the west, straight away you say, There will be rain; and so it is.
55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, "There will be scorching heat'; and it happens.
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And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, There will be heat; and so it is.
56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
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O false ones! the face of the earth and the heaven is clear to you; how is it that the signs of these times are not as clear to you?
57 "And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
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And why are you, in your hearts, unable to be judges of what is right?
58 Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison.
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For if anyone has a cause at law against you, and you are going with him before the ruler, make an attempt, on the way, to come to an agreement with him, for if you do not, he may take you before the judge and the judge will give you up to the police, and they will put you in prison.
59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny."
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I say to you, You will not come out of it till you have made payment to the very last farthing.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.