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Luke 12:13-34
English Standard Version
Luke 12:13-34
English Standard Version
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 (A)Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, (B)“Man, (C)who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, (D)“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, (E)“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, (F)‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my (G)barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up (H)for many years; relax, (I)eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, (J)‘Fool! (K)This night (L)your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, (M)whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one (N)who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Be Anxious
22 And he said to his disciples, (O)“Therefore I tell you, (P)do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 (Q)Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. (R)Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his (S)span of life?[a] 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,[b] yet I tell you, (T)even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, (U)O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor (V)be worried. 30 For (W)all the nations of the world seek after these things, and (X)your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, (Y)seek (Z)his[c] kingdom, (AA)and these things will be added to you.
32 (AB)“Fear not, little (AC)flock, for (AD)it is your Father's good pleasure to give you (AE)the kingdom. 33 (AF)Sell your possessions, and (AG)give to the needy. (AH)Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with (AI)a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 (AJ)For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 12:25 Or a single cubit to his stature; a cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
- Luke 12:27 Some manuscripts Consider the lilies; they neither spin nor weave
- Luke 12:31 Some manuscripts God's
Luke 12:13-34
New International Version
Luke 12:13-34
New International Version
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”(A)
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool!(B) This very night your life will be demanded from you.(C) Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’(D)
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”(E)
Do Not Worry(F)
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them.(G) And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[a]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor(H) was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!(I) 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father(J) knows that you need them.(K) 31 But seek his kingdom,(L) and these things will be given to you as well.(M)
32 “Do not be afraid,(N) little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.(O) 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor.(P) Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven(Q) that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.(R) 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.(S)
Footnotes
- Luke 12:25 Or single cubit to your height
Luke 12:13-34
New American Standard Bible
Luke 12:13-34
New American Standard Bible
Greed Denounced
13 Now someone [a]in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “[b](A)You there—who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over the two of you?” 15 But He said to them, “(B)Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. 19 And I will say to [c]myself, “(C)You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘(D)You fool! This very night [d](E)your soul is demanded of you; and (F)as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’ 21 Such is the one who (G)stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.”
22 And He said to His disciples, “(H)For this reason I tell you, [e]do not worry about your [f]life, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the (I)ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor (J)barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add a [g](K)day to his [h]life’s span? 26 Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor nor [i]spin; but I tell you, not even (L)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? (M)You of little faith! 29 And do not [j]seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not (N)keep worrying. 30 For [k]all these things are what the nations of the world [l]eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But [m]seek His kingdom, and (O)these things will be [n]provided to you. 32 [o](P)Do not be afraid, (Q)little flock, because (R)your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.
33 “(S)Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts that do not wear out, (T)an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor does a moth destroy. 34 For (U)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 12:13 Lit from
- Luke 12:14 Lit Man, who
- Luke 12:19 Lit my soul, “Soul, you have...”
- Luke 12:20 Lit they are demanding your soul from you
- Luke 12:22 Or stop being worried
- Luke 12:22 Lit soul
- Luke 12:25 Lit cubit (about 18 in. or 45 cm)
- Luke 12:25 Or height
- Luke 12:27 I.e., spin thread for cloth
- Luke 12:29 Or keep seeking
- Luke 12:30 Or these things all the nations of the world
- Luke 12:30 Or wish for
- Luke 12:31 Or continually seek
- Luke 12:31 Or added to
- Luke 12:32 Or Stop being afraid
Luke 12:13-34
The Message
Luke 12:13-34
The Message
The Story of the Greedy Farmer
13 Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.”
14 He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?”
15 Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”
16-19 Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’
20 “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’
21 “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”
Steep Yourself in God-Reality
22-24 He continued this subject with his disciples. “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.
25-28 “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?
29-32 “What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.
33-34 “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
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Luke 12:13-34
New Living Translation
Luke 12:13-34
New Living Translation
Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
Teaching about Money and Possessions
22 Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. 23 For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. 24 Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! 25 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 26 And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?
27 “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 28 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
29 “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. 30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. 31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.
32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
33 “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. 34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
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English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.