Luke 12:31-33 New English Translation
31 Instead, pursue[a] his[b] kingdom,[c] and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased[d] to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions[e] and give to the poor.[f] Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out—a treasure in heaven[g] that never decreases,[h] where no thief approaches and no moth[i] destroys.
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- Luke 12:31 tn Grk “seek,” but in the sense of the previous verses.
- Luke 12:31 tc Most mss (P45 A D1 Q W Θ 070 ƒ1,13 33 M lat sy) read τοῦ θεοῦ (tou theou, “of God”) instead of αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”; found in א B D* L Ψ 579 892 co). But such a clarifying reading is suspect. αὐτοῦ is superior on both internal and external grounds. P75 includes neither and as such would support the translation above since the article alone can often be translated as a possessive pronoun.
- Luke 12:31 sn His (that is, God’s) kingdom is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
- Luke 12:32 tn Or perhaps, “your Father chooses.”
- Luke 12:33 sn The call to sell your possessions is a call to a lack of attachment to the earth and a generosity as a result.
- Luke 12:33 tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today.
- Luke 12:33 tn Grk “in the heavens.”
- Luke 12:33 tn Or “an unfailing treasure in heaven,” or “an inexhaustible treasure in heaven.”
- Luke 12:33 tn The term σής (sēs) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2, which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.
New English Translation (NET)
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