Luke 12:13-24

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!