Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys.
Parallel translations
- KJV Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
- BSB Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
- NKJV Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.
- NASB “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor does a moth destroy.
- NLT “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Sell possessions and give to the needy, storing up an unfailing treasure in heaven. Generosity invests in what is eternal and secure.
Overview
Freed from anxiety and assured of the kingdom, disciples are called to open-handed generosity rather than hoarding. Earthly wealth is vulnerable to theft and decay, but treasure laid up in heaven is permanently safe. This redirects the heart toward eternal riches, reflecting trust in God's provision and love for the needy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Matt 19:21Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
- Acts 4:34–35For neither was there among them any who lacked, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
- Acts 2:45They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need.
- Luke 18:22When Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have, and distribute it to the poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Come, follow me.”
- Matt 6:19–21“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
- Luke 16:9I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents.
- Luke 12:21So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
- 1 Tim 6:17–19Charge those who are rich in this present world that they not be haughty, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the living God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy;
- Hag 1:6You have sown much, and bring in little. You eat, but you don’t have enough. You drink, but you aren’t filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes in it.”
- 2 Cor 8:2how that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality.
- Jas 5:1–3Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you.
- Luke 11:41But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you.
- John 12:6Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having the money box, used to steal what was put into it.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 12:33 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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