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.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- 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.
- 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 told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
- Acts 4:34–35There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales,
- Acts 2:45Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.
- Luke 18:22On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
- Matt 6:19–21Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
- Luke 16:9I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.
- Luke 12:21This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”
- 1 Tim 6:17–19Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.
- Hag 1:6You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes but never get warm. You earn wages to put into a bag pierced through.”
- 2 Cor 8:2In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity.
- Jas 5:1–3Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
- Luke 11:41But give as alms the things that are within you, and you will see that everything is clean for you.
- John 12:6Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from 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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