Luke 12:13-21

Contemporary English Version

A Rich Fool

¹³ A man in a crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of what our father left us when he died.”

¹⁴ Jesus answered, “Who gave me the right to settle arguments between you and your brother?”

¹⁵ Then he said to the crowd, “Don't be greedy! Owning a lot of things won't make your life safe.”

¹⁶ So Jesus told them this story:

A rich man's farm produced a big crop, ¹⁷ and he said to himself, “What can I do? I don't have a place large enough to store everything.”

¹⁸ Later, he said, “Now I know what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I can store all my grain and other goods. ^19 (A) Then I'll say to myself, ‘You have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’ ”

²⁰ But God said to him, “You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up?”

²¹ “This is what happens to people who store up everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God.”