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35 darkness. Take heed therefore, that the light 36 which is in thee be not darkness. If then thy whole body be enlightened, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

37

While he was speaking, a certain Pharisce asked him to dine with him: and he went in, 38 and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he wondered that he had not washed 39 before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Ye Pharisees do indeed make clean the outside of the cup and dish; but your inward part is 40 full of rapine and malice. Ye fools, did not he

who made that which is without, make that 41 which is within also? But rather give alms of

such things as ye have; and behold, all things 42 are clean unto you. But wo unto you, Pharisees for ye pay tithe of mint, and rue, and all manner of herbs, and neglect justice and the love of God: These ye ought to have done, and 43 not to leave the other undone. Wo unto you, Pharisees for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the markets. 44 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for ye are as graves which are not seen, and men who walk over them are not aware of them.

Then one of the lawyers said unto him, Master, thus saying, thou dost reproach us 46 also. And he said, Wo unto you also, ye lawyers for ye lade men with burthens: griev

* Doctors or teachers of the Jewish laws.

ous to be borne, but ye yourselves touch not 47 the burdens with one of your fingers. Wo

unto you for ye build the sepulchres of the 48 prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness, that ye allow the deeds of your fathers for they indeed killed them, and 49 ye build their sepulchres. Therefore also said the wisdom of God,* I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will 50 slay and persecute: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this genera51 tion. From the blood of Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, it 52 shall be required of this generation. Wo unto you, lawyers for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. 53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees addressed him rudely, and interrogated him on many subjects with a 54 view to provoke him; endeavoring to ensnare him and to find some expression as matter of accusation against him.

CHAP. XII.

1 IN the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, so

* See Matt. xxiii, 24. In the Old Testament there is no passage corresponding to this.

that they trod one upon another, he said unto his disciples, Above all things beware of the leaven 2 of the Pharisees, which is bypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; 3 neither hidden, that shall not be known. And whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness, shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets, shall be proclaim4 ed upon the house-tops. And I say unto you, my friends, be not afraid of them who kill the body, and after that have no more that they 5 can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear Fear him who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto

6 you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold

for two farthings? yet not one of them is for7 gotten before God; and even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore ye are of more value than many 8 sparrows. Also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me before men, him the Son of man will also confess before the angels of God. 9 But he that denieth me before men, shall be 10 denied before the angels of God. And who soever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it may be forgiven him; but he who blasphemeth the Holy Spirit shall not be for11 given. And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates and rulers, take no thought how, or what thing ye shall 12 answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what 13 ye ought to say. And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother,

14 that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge, 15 or arbiter for you? Then he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of 16 the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth 17 plentifully and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, since I have no room 18 where to bestow my fruits? And he said, I will do this; I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow 19 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, 20 and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which 21 thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself here, and is not rich towards God.

22

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no anxious thought for your life, what ye shall eat, neither for the body 23 what ye shall put on. The life is more than 24 meat, and the body than raiment. Consider the ravens for they neither sow nor reap; they have not store house, nor barn; but God feedeth them: How much more are ye bet25 ter than the birds? And which of you by being anxious can add to his stature one cubit? 26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why are ye anxious for the rest?

27 Consider the lilies how they grow

They neither toil nor spin; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed 28 like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to-day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29 And seek not chiefly what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be of anxious mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after:* and your father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

31

But rather seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you. 32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's 33 good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what ye have, and give alms: provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens which faileth not, where no thief 34 approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For

where your treasure is, there will your heart 35 be also. Let your loins be girded about, and 36 your lights burning; and ye yourselves like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him im37 mediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the master, when he cometh, shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, 38 and will come and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the

* The world generally seeketh for such things.

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