Luke 12:39-40

12:39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief ¹  was coming, he would not have let ²  his house be broken into. 12:40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” ³ 

Luke 12:42-44

12:42 The Lord replied, ⁴  “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, ⁵  whom the master puts in charge of his household servants, ⁶  to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? 12:43 Blessed is that slave ⁷  whom his master finds at work ⁸  when he returns. 12:44 I tell you the truth, ⁹  the master ¹⁰  will put him in charge of all his possessions.

¹ sn On Jesus pictured as a returning thief, see 1 Thess 5:2, 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15.

² tc Most mss (א¹ A B L Q W Θ Ψ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy^p,h sa^ms bo) read “he would have watched and not let” here, but this looks like an assimilation to Matt 24:43. The alliance of two important and early mss along with a few others (Ì⁷⁵ א* [D] e i sy^s,c sa^mss), coupled with much stronger internal evidence, suggests that the shorter reading is authentic.

³ sn Jesus made clear that his coming could not be timed, and suggested it might take some time – so long, in fact, that some would not be looking for him any longer (at an hour when you do not expect him).

⁵ tn Grk “And the Lord said.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁶ tn Or “administrator,” “steward” (L&N 37.39).

⁷ tn This term, θεραπεία (qerapeia), describes the group of servants working in a particular household (L&N 46.6).

⁷ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

⁸ tn That is, doing his job, doing what he is supposed to be doing.

⁹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀληθῶς, alhqw"), I say to you.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the master) has been specified in the translation for clarity. See also Luke 19:11-27.