# Luke 12.39

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-08-18 | updated: 2026-08-18 -->

**Book:** [Luke](/codex/luke/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 37. <span class="rl-speech">Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them.</span> 38. <span class="rl-speech">And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find them so, blessed are those servants.</span>
>
> **39. <span class="rl-speech">But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be broken through.</span>**
>
> 40. <span class="rl-speech">Be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.</span> 41. And Peter said, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even unto all? (Luke 12:37-41, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 37. <span class="rl-speech">Blessed are those servants, whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Most certainly I tell you, that he will dress himself, and make them recline, and will come and serve them.</span> 38. <span class="rl-speech">They will be blessed if he comes in the second or third watch, and finds them so.</span>
>
> **39. <span class="rl-speech">But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not allowed his house to be broken into.</span>**
>
> 40. <span class="rl-speech">Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don’t expect him.”</span> 41. Peter said to him, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everybody?” (Luke 12:37-41, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 37. <span class="rl-speech">Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.</span> 38. <span class="rl-speech">And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.</span>
>
> **39. <span class="rl-speech">And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.</span>**
>
> 40. <span class="rl-speech">Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.</span> 41. Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? (Luke 12:37-41, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 37. <span class="rl-speech">'Happy those servants, whom the lord, having come, shall find watching; verily I say to you, that he will gird himself, and will cause them to recline (at meat), and having come near, will minister to them;</span> 38. <span class="rl-speech">and if he may come in the second watch, and in the third watch he may come, and may find [it] so, happy are those servants.</span>
>
> **39. <span class="rl-speech">'And this know, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief doth come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through;</span>**
>
> 40. <span class="rl-speech">and ye, then, become ye ready, because at the hour ye think not, the Son of Man doth come.'</span> 41. And Peter said to him, 'Sir, unto us this simile dost thou speak, or also unto all?' (Luke 12:37-41, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._

- [G0863 - aphiemi](/codex/g0863-aphiemi/), *aphiemi*, Strong's G0863
- [G1097 - ginosko](/codex/g1097-ginosko/), *ginosko*, Strong's G1097
- [G1492 - oida](/codex/g1492-oida/), *oida*, Strong's G1492

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## Quoted in

**Concepts:**

- [Jesus Said](/codex/jesus-said/), via [Luke 12](/codex/luke-12/)

**Passages:**

- [1 Thessalonians 5.2](/codex/1-thessalonians-5-2/)

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## Notes

_Your annotations._

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.