Luke 11:37-12:12

English Standard Version

Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers

³⁷ While Jesus^[a] was speaking, ^(A)a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. ³⁸ The Pharisee was astonished to see ^(B)that he did not first wash before dinner. ³⁹ And the Lord said to him, ^(C)“Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of ^(D)greed and wickedness. ^40 (E)You fools! ^(F)Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But ^(G)give as alms those things that are within, and behold, ^(H)everything is clean for you.

^42 (I)“But woe to you Pharisees! For ^(J)you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect ^(K)justice and ^(L)the love of God. ^(M)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! For ^(N)you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you! ^(O)For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

⁴⁵ One of ^(P)the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” ⁴⁶ And he said, “Woe to you ^(Q)lawyers also! For ^(R)you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. ^47 (S)Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. ^48 (T)So you are witnesses and you ^(U)consent to the deeds of ^(V)your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Therefore also ^(W)the Wisdom of God said, ^(X)‘I will send them ^(Y)prophets and apostles, ^(Z)some of whom they will ^(AA)kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰ so that ^(AB)the blood of all the prophets, shed ^(AC)from the foundation of the world, may be ^(AD)charged against this generation, ⁵¹ from the blood of ^(AE)Abel to the blood of ^(AF)Zechariah, who perished between ^(AG)the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be ^(AH)required of this generation. ⁵² Woe to you ^(AI)lawyers! ^(AJ)For you have taken away the key of ^(AK)knowledge. You ^(AL)did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

⁵³ As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, ^54 (AM)lying in wait for him, ^(AN)to catch him in something he might say.

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees

12 In the meantime, ^(AO)when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, ^(AP)“Beware of ^(AQ)the leaven of the Pharisees, ^(AR)which is hypocrisy. ^2 (AS)Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ³ Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in ^(AT)private rooms shall be proclaimed on ^(AU)the housetops.

Have No Fear

⁴ “I tell you, my friends, ^(AV)do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. ⁵ But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him ^(AW)who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.^[b] Yes, I tell you, fear him! ⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?^[c] And ^(AX)not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷ Why, ^(AY)even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; ^(AZ)you are of more value than many sparrows.

Acknowledge Christ Before Men

⁸ “And I tell you, ^(BA)everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge ^(BB)before the angels of God, ⁹ but ^(BC)the one who denies me before men ^(BD)will be denied ^(BE)before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And ^(BF)everyone who speaks a word ^(BG)against the Son of Man ^(BH)will be forgiven, but the one who ^(BI)blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ^11 (BJ)And when they ^(BK)bring you before the synagogues and ^(BL)the rulers and ^(BM)the authorities, ^(BN)do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, ^12 (BO)for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”