Luke 12:31-34

12:31 Instead, pursue ¹  his ²  kingdom, ³  and these things will be given to you as well.

12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased ⁴  to give you the kingdom. 12:33 Sell your possessions ⁵  and give to the poor. ⁶  Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out – a treasure in heaven ⁷  that never decreases, ⁸  where no thief approaches and no moth ⁹  destroys. 12:34 For where your treasure ¹⁰  is, there your heart will be also.

[12:31]  ¹ tn Grk “seek,” but in the sense of the previous verses.

[12:31]  ² tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁵ A D¹ Q W Θ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy) read τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou, “of God”) instead of αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”; found in א B D* L Ψ 579 892 pc co). But such a clarifying reading is suspect. αὐτοῦ is superior on both internal and external grounds. Ì⁷⁵ includes neither and as such would support the translation above since the article alone can often be translated as a possessive pronoun.

[12:31]  ³ sn His (that is, God’s) kingdom is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[12:32]  ⁴ tn Or perhaps, “your Father chooses.”

[12:33]  ⁵ sn The call to sell your possessions is a call to a lack of attachment to the earth and a generosity as a result.

[12:33]  ⁶ tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today.

[12:33]  ⁷ tn Grk “in the heavens.”

[12:33]  ⁸ tn Or “an unfailing treasure in heaven,” or “an inexhaustible treasure in heaven.”

[12:33]  ⁹ tn The term σής (shs) 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.

[12:34]  ¹⁰ sn Seeking heavenly treasure means serving others and honoring God by doing so; see Luke 6:35-36.