Luke 12:13-21
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher,(A) tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 “Friend,”[a] He said to him, “who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard(B) against all greed(C) because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”(D)
16 Then He told them a parable:(E) “A rich(F) man’s land was very productive. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops? 18 I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. 19 Then I’ll say to myself, “You[b] have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy;(G) eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’(H)
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool!(I) This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’(J)
21 “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure(K) for himself and is not rich toward God.”(L)
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- Luke 12:14 Lit Man
- Luke 12:19 Lit say to my soul, “Soul, you
Luke 12:13-21
New King James Version
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 But He said to him, (A)“Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them, (B)“Take heed and beware of [a]covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, (C)“Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; (D)eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night (E)your soul will be required of you; (F)then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, (G)and is not rich toward God.”
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- Luke 12:15 NU all covetousness
Luke 12:13-21
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.”
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Luke 12:13-21
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?”(A) 15 And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”(B) 16 Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my 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 for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’(C) 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’(D) 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”(E)
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.