The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³ Then someone in the crowd told him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”

¹⁴ But Jesus^[a] asked him, “Mister,^[b] who appointed me to be a judge or arbitrator over you people?” ¹⁵ Then he told them, “Be careful to guard yourselves against every kind of greed, because a person’s life doesn’t consist of the amount of possessions he has.”

¹⁶ Then he told them a parable. He said, “The land of a certain rich man produced good crops. ¹⁷ So he began to think to himself, ‘What should I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and I’ll store all my grain and goods in them. ¹⁹ Then I’ll say to myself, “You’ve stored up plenty of good things for many years. Take it easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’ ²⁰ But God told him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you. Now who will get the things you’ve accumulated?’ ²¹ That’s how it is with the person who stores up treasures for himself rather than with God.”