12:35. Let your loins be girt and lamps burning in your hands.
12:36. And you yourselves like to men who wait for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open to him immediately.
12:37. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Amen I say to you that he will gird himself and make them sit down to meat and pa.s.sing will minister unto them.
12:38. And if he shall come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so, blessed are those servants.
12:39. But this know ye, that if the householder did know at what hour the thief would come, he would surely watch and would not suffer his house to be broken open.
12:40. Be you then also ready: for at what hour you think not the Son of man will come.
12:41. And Peter said to him: Lord, dost thou speak this parable to us, or likewise to all?
12:42. And the Lord said: Who thinkest thou is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord setteth over his family, to give them their measure of wheat in due season?
12:43. Blessed is that servant whom, when his lord shall come, he shall find so doing.
12:44. Verily I say to you, he will set him over all that he possesseth.
12:45. But if that servant shall say in his heart: My Lord is long a coming; and shall begin to strike the men-servants and maid-servants, and to eat and to drink and be drunk:
12:46. The lord of that servant will come in the day that he hopeth not, and at the hour that he knoweth not: and shall separate him and shall appoint him his portion with unbelievers.
12:47. And that servant, who knew the will of his lord and prepared not himself and did not according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
12:48. But he that knew not and did things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. And unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required: and to whom they have committed much, of him they will demand the more.
12:49. I am come to cast fire on the earth. And what will I, but that it be kindled?
12:50. And I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized. And how am I straitened until it be accomplished?
12:51. Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.
12:52. For there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided: three against two, and two against three.
12:53. The father shall be divided against the son and the son against his father: the mother against the daughter and the daughter against her mother: the mother-in-law against the daughter-in-law and the daughter- in-law law against her mother-in-law.
12:54. And he said also to the mult.i.tudes: When you see a cloud rising from the west, presently you say: A shower is coming. And so it happeneth.
12:55. And when ye see the south wind blow, you say: There will heat.
And it cometh to pa.s.s.
12:56. You hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the heaven and of the earth: but how is it that you do not discern this time?
12:57. And why, even of yourselves, do you not judge that which is just?
12:58. And when thou goest with thy adversary to the prince, whilst thou art in the way, endeavour to be delivered from him: lest perhaps he draw thee to be judge, and the judge deliver thee to the exacter, and the exacter cast thee into prison.
12:59. I say to thee, thou shalt not go out thence until thou pay the very last mite.
Luke Chapter 13
The necessity of penance. The barren fig tree. The cure of the infirm woman. The journey to Jerusalem.
13:1. And there were present, at that very time, some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
13:2. And he answering, said to them: Think you that these Galileans were sinners above all the men of Galilee, because they suffered such things?
13:3. No, I say to you: but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish.
13:4. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower fell in Siloe and slew them: think you that they also were debtors above all the men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
13:5. No, I say to you: but except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish.
13:6. He spoke also this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard: and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.
13:7. And he said to the dresser of the vineyard: Behold, for these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree and I find none. Cut it down therefore. Why c.u.mbereth it the ground?
13:8. But he answering, said to him: Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig about it and dung it.
13:9. And if happily it bear fruit: but if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
13:10. And he was teaching in their synagogue on their sabbath.
13:11. And behold there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years. And she was bowed together: neither could she look upwards at all.
13:12. Whom when Jesus saw, he called her unto him and said to her: Woman, thou art delivered from thy infirmity.
13:13. And he laid his hands upon her: and immediately she was made straight and glorified G.o.d.
13:14. And the ruler of the synagogue being angry that Jesus had healed on the sabbath answering, said to the mult.i.tude: Six days there are wherein you ought to work. In them therefore come and be healed: and not on the sabbath day.
13:15. And the Lord answering him, said: Ye hypocrites, doth not every one of you, on the sabbath day, loose his ox or his a.s.s from the manger and lead them to water?
13:16. And ought not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
13:17. And when he said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the things that were gloriously done by him.
13:18. He said therefore: To what is the kingdom of G.o.d like, and whereunto shall I resemble it?
13:19. It is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his garden: and it grew and became a great tree, and the birds of the air lodged in the branches thereof.
13:20. And again he said: Whereunto shall I esteem the kingdom of G.o.d to be like?
13:21. It is like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
13:22. And he went through the cities and towns teaching and making his journey to Jerusalem.
13:23. And a certain man said to him: Lord, are they few that are saved?