Luke 12:13-24
New English Translation
The Parable of the Rich Landowner
13 Then[a] someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell[b] my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But Jesus[c] said to him, “Man,[d] who made me a judge or arbitrator between you two?”[e] 15 Then[f] he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from[g] all types of greed,[h] because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 He then[i] told them a parable:[j] “The land of a certain rich man produced[k] an abundant crop, 17 so[l] he thought to himself,[m] ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’[n] 18 Then[o] he said, ‘I[p] will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to myself,[q] “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life[r] will be demanded back from[s] you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’[t] 21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself,[u] but is not rich toward God.”
Exhortation Not to Worry
22 Then[v] Jesus[w] said to his[x] disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry[y] about your[z] life, what you will eat, or about your[aa] body, what you will wear. 23 For there is more to life than food, and more to the body than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens:[ab] They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds[ac] them. How much more valuable are you than the birds!
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 12:13 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
- Luke 12:13 sn Tell my brother. In 1st century Jewish culture, a figure like a rabbi was often asked to mediate disputes, except that here mediation was not requested, but representation.
- Luke 12:14 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 12:14 tn This term of address can be harsh or gentle depending on the context (BDAG 82 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 8). Here it is a rebuke.
- Luke 12:14 tn The pronoun ὑμᾶς (humas) is plural, referring to both the man and his brother; thus the translation “you two.”
- Luke 12:15 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
- Luke 12:15 tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (phulassō) in this verse.
- Luke 12:15 tn Or “avarice,” “covetousness.” Note the warning covers more than money and gets at the root attitude—the strong desire to acquire more and more possessions and experiences.
- Luke 12:16 tn Grk “And he.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the connection to the preceding statement.
- Luke 12:16 tn Grk “a parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.
- Luke 12:16 tn Or “yielded a plentiful harvest.”
- Luke 12:17 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this is a result of the preceding statement.
- Luke 12:17 tn Grk “to himself, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.
- Luke 12:17 sn I have nowhere to store my crops. The thinking here is prudent in terms of recognizing the problem. The issue in the parable will be the rich man’s solution, particularly the arrogance reflected in v. 19.
- Luke 12:18 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
- Luke 12:18 sn Note how often the first person pronoun is present in these verses. The farmer is totally self absorbed.
- Luke 12:19 tn Grk “to my soul,” which is repeated as a vocative in the following statement, but is left untranslated as redundant.
- Luke 12:20 tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (psuchē) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.
- Luke 12:20 tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaiteō), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).
- Luke 12:20 tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
- Luke 12:21 sn It is selfishness that is rebuked here, in the accumulation of riches for himself. Recall the emphasis on the first person pronouns throughout the parable.
- Luke 12:22 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Jesus’ remarks to the disciples are an application of the point made in the previous parable.
- Luke 12:22 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 12:22 tc αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) is lacking in P45vid,75 B 1241 c e. Although the addition of clarifying pronouns is a known scribal alteration, in this case it is probably better to view the dropping of the pronoun as the alteration in light of its minimal attestation.
- Luke 12:22 tn Or “do not be anxious.”
- Luke 12:22 tc Most mss (P45 Ψ 070 ƒ13 33 M) supply the pronoun ὑμῶν (humōn, “your”) here, although several significant and early witnesses omit it (P75 א A B D L Q W Θ ƒ1 700 2542 al lat). Externally, the shorter reading is superior. Internally, the pronoun looks to be a scribal clarification. In context the article can be translated as a possessive pronoun anyway (ExSyn 215), as it has been done for this translation.
- Luke 12:22 tc Some mss (B 070 ƒ13 33 1424 al) supply the pronoun ὑμῶν (humōn, “your”) here, although the witnesses for the omission are early, significant, and varied (P45vid,75 א A D L Q W Θ Ψ ƒ1 M lat). See previous tc note for more discussion.
- Luke 12:24 tn Or “crows.” Crows and ravens belong to the same family of birds. English uses “crow” as a general word for the family. Palestine has several indigenous members of the crow family.
- Luke 12:24 tn Or “God gives them food to eat.” L&N 23.6 has both “to provide food for” and “to give food to someone to eat.”
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