At which time [fig., Meanwhile], when the countless thousands of the crowd had been gathered together, so as to be trampling on one another, He began to be saying to His disciples first [of all], "You* yourselves be watching out for the leaven [or, yeast] of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy [or, insincerity].
"Because whatever you* said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you* spoke to the ear in private rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
"But I will show to you* whom you* should fear: fear the [One, who] after [having] killed is having authority to cast into hell [Gr., gehenna]. Yes, I say to you*, fear this [One]!
"Five sparrows are sold [for] two assars [about 1/32 of an ounce or 0.44 grams of silver], are they not? And not one of them has been forgotten before God.
"And all who will speak a word against the Son of Humanity, it will be forgiven to him; but to the one having spoken against [or, having blasphemed] the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.
"Now when they shall be bringing you* before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, stop being anxious how or what you* are to speak in your* defense, or what you* should say.
Then He said to them, "Be watching out for and be guarding yourselves against covetous desire [or, greed], because not in the abounding of his possessions is his life [fig., a person's life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions]."
"And he said, 'This I will do: I will tear down my barns, and I will build larger ones, and there I will gather together [fig., store] all my crops and my goods.
Then He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you*, stop being anxious [about] your* life, what you* shall eat, and [about] the body, what you* shall wear.
"Be considering the ravens, for they do not sow nor reap, to which there is no [fig., which do not have] storeroom nor barn, and God provides for them. How much more valuable you* are than the birds!
"Consider the lilies, how do they grow? They do not labor nor do they spin. But I say to you*, not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these.
"But if God clothes in such a manner the grass in the field, being [here] today and tomorrow is thrown into a furnace, how much more [will He clothe] you*, [O you*] of little faith?
"Sell your* possessions and give charitable gifts. Make for yourselves money bags [which] are not wearing out, an inexhaustible treasure in the heavens, where a thief does not come near nor does a moth destroy.
"And you* [are to be] like people waiting for their lord, when he returns from the wedding feasts, so that having come and knocked, immediately they shall open to him.
"Happy [are] those slaves, whom the lord having come will find keeping watch. Positively, I say to you*, he will wrap [a belt] around himself and have them recline [to eat], and having come alongside, he will serve them.
"And if he comes in the second watch [i.e. between 9:00 p.m. and midnight], [or] he even comes in the third watch [i.e. between midnight and 3:00 a.m.], and he finds [them] so, happy are those slaves.
"But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief [was] coming, he would have kept watch and would not have allowed [the walls of] his house to be dug through.
Then the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom the lord will put in charge over his household servants to give [them their] food allowance at [the right] time?
"But if that slave says in his heart, 'My lord is delaying to be coming,' and he begins to be beating the slave-boys and the slave-girls and to be eating and to be drinking and to be getting drunk,
the lord of that slave will come in a day in which he does not expect [him], and in an hour which he does not know, and he will cut him in two [fig., punish him severely], and he will appoint his portion with the unbelievers.
"So that slave, the one having known his lord's will and not having prepared nor having done according to his will, will be repeatedly beaten with many [lashes].
"But the one not having known, and having done [things] worthy of a beating, will be repeatedly beaten with few [lashes]. So to every [one] to whom much was given, much will be demanded from him, and to whom they entrusted much, all the more they will ask of him.
"A father will be divided against a son and a son against a father, a mother against a daughter and a daughter against a mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." [see Micah 7:6]
"For as you* are going with your opponent [in a lawsuit] to a ruler [or, magistrate], on the way give work [fig., make every effort] to have been released from [fig., to make an settlement with] him, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the court officer, and the court officer throw you into prison.
"I say to you, by no means shall you come out from there until you pay back even the last lepton [i.e. a small copper coin worth 1/1000th of an ounce or 0.025 grams of silver]."