But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. And I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.

And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit [that is, whoever intentionally discredits the Holy Spirit by attributing the authenticating miracles done by Me to Satan], it will not be forgiven him [for him there is no forgiveness].

And when people bring you in front of synagogue assemblies and rulers and authorities [i.e., for judgment], do not worry about how to speak or what you should say.

For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

But he said, Man, who made me a judge or a maker of decisions for you?

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

And he reasoned within himself saying, What shall I do? for I have not a place where I shall lay up my fruits.

For I have no room where to stow my fruits. And he said, This I will do: I will pull down my barns and build greater; and there will I stow all my fruits and my goods.

And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

"But God said to him, "'Foolish man, this night your life is demanded from you; and these preparations--for whom shall they be?'

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment.

Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

But if God clothes the grass in the field in this way, [although it] is [here] today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more [will he do so for] you, you of little faith?

Don’t keep striving for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious.

For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

But [strive for and actively] seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

"{You must be prepared for action} and [your] lamps burning.

And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

Blessed [are] those slaves whom the master will find on the alert [when he] returns! Truly I say to you that he will dress himself for service and have them recline at the table and will come by [and] serve them.

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.

Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us [disciples], or to everyone else as well?”

And the Lord answered, "Who then is the trustworthy and sensible property manager, to whom his master will assign the management of his household, to provide adequate and timely meals for its members?

But if the slave says to himself, 'My master is not coming back for a long time,' and begins to beat the men and women slaves and to eat and drink and get drunk,

The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

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;

But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

for I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am straitened till it be accomplished?

For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

And why do you not also judge for yourselves [what is] right?

For as thou art going with thine adversary before the magistrate, on the way give diligence to be quit of him; lest haply he drag thee unto the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the officer, and the officer shall cast thee into prison.

Never, I tell you, will you get free till you have paid the last farthing."

I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.

I tell you, no; but unless you repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways and live changed lives], you will all likewise perish.”

Then He began telling them this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree that had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, but did not find any;

so he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and have found none. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground [depleting the soil and blocking the sunlight]?’

But he answering says to him, Sir, let it alone for this year also, until I shall dig about it and put dung,

and if it may bear fruit for the future; -- but, otherwise, certainly, thou shalt cut it down.

And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had an illness caused by a spirit (demon). She was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.

When Jesus saw her, He called out to her, “Woman, you are free of your disability.”

But the official of the synagogue became angry because Jesus had healed [someone] on the Sabbath day. [Note: This was viewed as a violation of proper Sabbath day observance by certain Jews who interpreted the law of Moses with narrow legalism]. So, the official said to the crowd, "There are six days [in the week] for people to work. Therefore, you should come to be healed on one of them, and not on the Sabbath day."

Therefore the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water?

And this woman, a daughter (descendant) of Abraham whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

when once the master of the house has gotten up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock [on] the door, saying, 'Lord, open [the door] for us!' And he will answer [and] say to you, 'I do not know where you are from!'

"There will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves being driven far away.

The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.

Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.

Behold, your habitation shall be left unto you desolate. For I tell you, Ye shall not see me until the time come that ye shall say, 'Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.'"

It happened one Sabbath, when He went for a meal at the house of one of the ruling Pharisees, that they were watching Him closely and carefully [hoping to entrap Him].

Now he told a parable to those who had been invited [when he] noticed how they were choosing for themselves the places of honor, saying to them,

When you get a request to come to a feast, do not take the best seat, for a more important man than you may be coming,

and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, 'Make room for this person.' Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest place.

go and sit down in the lowest place, that when he who invited thee cometh, he may say, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have honour in the presence of them that sit at table with thee. For every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that

For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

And he said to the master of the house, When you give a feast, do not send for your friends and your brothers and your family or your neighbours who have wealth, for they may give a feast for you, and so you will get a reward.

But when you give a feast, send for the poor and the blind and those who are broken in body:

And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

And all began, without exception, to excuse themselves. The first said to him, I have bought land, and I must go out and see it; I pray thee hold me for excused.

And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee hold me for excused.

And another said, 'I have married a wife, and for this [reason] I am not able to come.'

For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life [in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God]—he cannot be My disciple.

For no one who does not take up his own cross and come after me can be a disciple of mine.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

For fear that if he makes a start and is not able to go on with it to the end, all who see it will be laughing at him,

and if not, while he is yet far off, having sent an embassy, he asks for terms of peace.

For salt is good, but if the taste goes from it, of what use is it?

It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.

And he made a story for them, saying,

"Suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them. He leaves the 99 in the wilderness and looks for the one that is lost until he finds it, doesn't he?

And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

I say unto you, that thus there shall be joy in heaven for one repenting sinner, more than for ninety and nine righteous who have no need of repentance.

Or what woman, who has ten silver coins [Note: These coins each amounted to about one day of a farm laborer's pay, or about $60-$84 in 1994], and if she loses one of them, would not light a lamp, sweep the house and search for it diligently until she finds it?

And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

Thus, I say unto you, there is joy before the angels of God for one repenting sinner.

And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

And when he had spent everything [he had], a severe famine occurred in that country and he became desperate for food.

Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

for he would have been contented to have liv'd upon the carruways, with which they usually fed the swine: but nobody would supply him.

Then he came to himself and said, 'How many hired servants at my father's have bread enough, and I die for hunger.

'And having risen, he went unto his own father, and he being yet far distant, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and having ran he fell upon his neck and kissed him;

'And the father said unto his servants, Bring forth the first robe, and clothe him, and give a ring for his hand, and sandals for the feet;

For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

And he sent for one of the servants, questioning him about what it might be.

And he said, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed for him the stall-fed steer, because he hath received him in health.

But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.

But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.