LUKE 12:20 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) But God said to him, ‘How foolish! Tonight I’ll be demanding your soul and then who will everything you stored up go to?’

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, magenta:vocative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT But God said to him, ‘Foolish one, this night they are demanding your soul from you, and what you have prepared, whose will it be?’

UST But God said to him, ‘You foolish man! Tonight you will die! Then all the things you have saved up for yourself will belong to someone else, not to you!” ’

BSB But God said to him, ‘[You] fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’

BLB And God said to him, 'Fool! This night, your soul is required of you; and what you did prepare--to whom will it be?'

AICNT But God said to him, ‘Fool, this night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ”

OEB But God said to the man “Fool! This very night your life is being demanded; and as for all you have prepared – who will have it?”

2DT God said, ‘Imprudent one, on this night they request your self from you. The things you prepared, for whom will they be?’

WEBBE “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’

WMBB (Same as above)

NET But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

LSV And God said to him, Unthinking [one]! This night your life is required of you, and what things you prepared—to whom will they be [given]?

FBV But God said to him, ‘You foolish man! Your life will be demanded back this very night, and then who will get everything you've stored up?’

TCNT But God said to him, ‘Yoʋ fool! This very night yoʋr life will be demanded [fn]back from yoʋ, and the things yoʋ have prepared, whose will they be?’

12:20 back ¦ — TH WH

T4T But God said to him, ‘You foolish man! Tonight you will die! ◄Then all the goods you have saved up for yourself will belong to someone else, not to you!/Do you think that you will benefit from all that you have stored up for yourself?► [RHQ]’ ”

LEB But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your life[fn] is demanded from you, and the things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’

12:20 The same Greek word can be translated “soul” or “life” depending on the context

BBE But God said to him, You foolish one, tonight I will take your soul from you, and who then will be the owner of all the things which you have got together?

Moff But God said to him, "Foolish man, this very night your soul is wanted; and who will get all you have prepared?"

Wymth "But God said to him, "`Foolish man, this night your life is demanded from you; and these preparations—for whom shall they be?'

ASV But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be?

DRA But God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?

YLT 'And God said to him, Unthinking one! this night thy soul they shall require from thee, and what things thou didst prepare — to whom shall they be?

Drby But [fn]God said to him, Fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; and whose shall be what thou hast prepared?

12.20 Elohim

RV But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be?
(But God said unto him, Thou/You foolish one, this night is thy/your soul required of thee/you; and the things which thou/you hast prepared, whose shall they be? )

SLT And God said to him, O foolish one, this night they require thy soul from thee: and what thou hast prepared, to whom shall it be?

Wbstr But God said to him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?

KJB-1769 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
( But God said unto him, Thou/You fool, this night thy/your soul shall be required of thee/you: then whose shall those things be, which thou/you hast provided? )

KJB-1611 But God said vnto him, Thou foole, this night [fn]thy soule shal be required of thee: then whose shal those things be which thou hast prouided?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

12:20 Gre. doe they require thy soule.

Bshps But God sayde vnto hym: Thou foole, this nyght wyll they fetch awaye thy soule againe fro thee: Then whose shall those thynges be, which thou hast prouided?
(But God said unto him: Thou/You fool, this night will they fetch away thy/your soul again from thee/you: Then whose shall those things be, which thou/you hast provided?)

Gnva But God said vnto him, O foole, this night wil they fetch away thy soule from thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast prouided?
(But God said unto him, Oh fool, this night will they fetch away thy/your soul from thee/you: then whose shall those things be which thou/you hast provided? )

Cvdl But God sayde vnto him: Thou foole, this night shal they requyre thy soule from the, and whose shal it be that thou hast prepared?
(But God said unto him: Thou/You fool, this night shall they require thy/your soul from them, and whose shall it be that thou/you hast prepared?)

TNT But God sayde vnto him: Thou fole this night will they fetche awaye thy soule agayne from the. Then whose shall thoose thinges be which thou hast provyded?
(But God said unto him: Thou/You fole this night will they fetche away thy/your soul again from them. Then whose shall thoose things be which thou/you hast provyded? )

Wycl And God seide to hym, Fool, in this nyyt thei schulen take thi lijf fro thee. And whos schulen tho thingis be, that thou hast arayed?
(And God said to him, Fool, in this night they should take thy/your life from thee/you. And whose should those things be, that thou/you hast arrayed?)

Luth Aber GOtt sprach zu ihm: Du Narr, diese Nacht wird man deine SeeLE von dir fordern, und wes wird‘s sein, das du bereitet hast?
(But God spoke to/for him: You(sg) fool(n), this/these night becomes man your soul from you/to_you(sg) demand, and which it_will be, the you(sg) prepared have?)

ClVg Dixit autem illi Deus: Stulte, hac nocte animam tuam repetunt a te: quæ autem parasti, cujus erunt?[fn]
(He/She_said however them God: Stulte, this_way at_night the_soul your(sg) repetunt from you(sg): which however parasti, whose they_will_be? )

12.20 Dixit autem. Dicere Dei, est ad hominem pravas ejus machinationes subita animadversione compescere. Stulte. Quia longa tibi tempora divitiarum promittebas, hac nocte præreptus aliis congregata relinques. Repetunt, etc. In nocte aufertur anima, quæ in obscuritate cordis quod poterat pati, prævidere noluit.

12.20 He/She_said however. Sayere of_God, it_is to man wickeds his machinations subita animadversione compescere. Stulte. Because longa to_you times of_riches promittebas, this_way at_night beforereptus to_others gathered relinques. Repetunt, etc. In at_night takes_awayur soul, which in/into/on obscuritate of_the_heart that he_could pati, to_foresee he_did_not_want.

UGNT εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός, ἄφρων, ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ, τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ; ἃ δὲ ἡτοίμασας, τίνι ἔσται?
(eipen de autōi ho Theos, afrōn, tautaʸ taʸ nukti, taʸn psuⱪaʸn sou apaitousin apo sou; ha de haʸtoimasas, tini estai?)

SBL-GNT εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ θεός· ⸀Ἄφρων, ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ τὴν ψυχήν σου ⸀ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ· ἃ δὲ ἡτοίμασας, τίνι ἔσται;
(eipen de autōi ho theos; ⸀Afrōn, tautaʸ taʸ nukti taʸn psuⱪaʸn sou ⸀apaitousin apo sou; ha de haʸtoimasas, tini estai;)

RP-GNT Εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ θεός, Ἄφρον, ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ· ἃ δὲ ἡτοίμασας, τίνι ἔσται;
(Eipen de autōi ho theos, Afron, tautaʸ taʸ nukti taʸn psuⱪaʸn sou apaitousin apo sou; ha de haʸtoimasas, tini estai;)

TC-GNT Εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός, [fn]Ἄφρον, ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ τὴν ψυχήν σου [fn]ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ· ἃ δὲ ἡτοίμασας, τίνι ἔσται;
(Eipe de autōi ho Theos, Afron, tautaʸ taʸ nukti taʸn psuⱪaʸn sou apaitousin apo sou; ha de haʸtoimasas, tini estai; )

12:20 αφρον ¦ αφρων CT ST

12:20 απαιτουσιν ¦ αιτουσιν TH WH

Key for above GNTs: red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 12:13–21: Jesus warned the people not to be greedy

In the previous section Jesus was speaking to his disciples. In this section a man in the crowd interrupted and asked Jesus to settle a quarrel between him and his brother about an inheritance. Jesus used this situation as an opportunity to warn the crowd about being greedy and selfish. He told them a parable about a rich man who kept all his riches for himself. God called him a fool and judged him for it.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

The Parable About The Rich Fool

A Rich Fool (CEV)

Jesus Warns Against Selfishness (NCV)

This parable is only in the Gospel of Luke.

12:20a

But God said to him, ‘You fool!

But God said to him, ‘Foolish man,
But then God told him, ‘You are a very foolish/ignorant man!
But God said to him, ‘You have no mind/sense!

But God said to him: God’s words in this verse contradicted what the man thought would happen in the future. They interrupted what the man was thinking to himself. Introduce these words in a natural way in your language.

You fool!: Here God addressed the man simply as “Fool!” Several English versions, such as the ESV and NKJV, translate it that way. The BSB adds the word You in order to show that this is direct address. A plural form of the word “fool” is used in 11:40a, where the BSB translates it as “fools.” It describes a person who is ignorant or does not think clearly. It can also describe people who do not think properly or seriously about moral issues.

In some languages it may be more natural to use a statement to express this meaning. For example:

You are an ignorant/foolish man!

You have no mind/thoughts/sense!

If you use a statement like this, be sure that it implies the right meaning. In some languages you may need to add implied information. For example:

You are stupid to think like that!

12:20b

This very night your life will be required of you.

this very night you will have to give up/back your soul/life.
You do not realize that I will take away your life/soul this same night.
Tonight I will cause you to die!

This very night: We do not know what time God spoke to the man. If it was at night, then the phrase This very night refers to later during the same night. If God spoke to him during the day, then this phrase refers to the coming night.

The phrase This very night is emphatic. In some languages an emphatic phrase occurs at the beginning of a sentence. For example:

Tonight your life will be taken from you. (NCV)

In other languages an emphatic phrase is placed at the end of a sentence. For example:

You will die this very night. (NLT)

You will die before this night is over.

Use a natural way in your language to emphasize that the man would die that same night.

your life will be required of you: In Greek the phrase will be required is literally “they demand/require.” In this context the phrase is used like a passive, as in the BSB. It probably indicates that God himself would require the rich man’s life. This is a way to say that the man would die. Other ways to translate this expression are:

As a passive clause. For example:
your life will be taken from you (NCV)
As an active clause that specifies God as the actor. For example:
I will demand your life from you (GW)
As an active clause that does not specify who will cause the action. For example:
You will die (NLT)
you must surrender your life (REB)

Translate this expression in a way that is most natural in your language.

your life: The Greek word that the BSB translates as life is literally “soul.” Several English versions, such as the NASB and NKJV, translate it that way. Here it refers to the man’s life on this earth.

12:20c

Then who will own what you have accumulated?’

Then who will get the things that you have prepared to enjoy/use yourself?'"
Then the things that you have stored/accumulated for yourself will belong to other people!'"

Then who will own what you have accumulated?: This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes that someone else would get all the things that the rich man had been saving for himself.

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
Then who will get everything you worked for? (NLT)
Then who will get what you have stored up? (CEV)
As a statement. For example:
Then it will be someone else who gets the things that you have prepared for yourself.

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

The parable ends at this point. In the next verse Jesus gave his conclusion to the parable.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes

εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός, ἄφρων, ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ, τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ; ἃ δὲ ἡτοίμασας, τίνι ἔσται?

said (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός Ἄφρων ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτί τήν ψυχήν σοῦ αἰτοῦσιν ἀπό σοῦ ἅ δέ ἡτοίμασας τίνι ἔσται)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation, and then another quotation within that one. Alternate translation: [But God told him that he was very foolish, because he was going to die that night, and the things he had stored up would belong to someone else]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

ἄφρων

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός Ἄφρων ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτί τήν ψυχήν σοῦ αἰτοῦσιν ἀπό σοῦ ἅ δέ ἡτοίμασας τίνι ἔσται)

God is using the adjective foolish as a noun in order to indicate what kind of person this man is. ULT adds the term one to show this. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate the term with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [You foolish person]

ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ, τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ

˱on˲_this ¬the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός Ἄφρων ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτί τήν ψυχήν σοῦ αἰτοῦσιν ἀπό σοῦ ἅ δέ ἡτοίμασας τίνι ἔσται)

This is an indefinite construction, such as many languages use, but God is the actual subject. Alternate translation: [I am demanding your soul from you this very night]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ, τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ

The term soul means the life of a person. God is using the same term as the man did, but with a different meaning, to show that he was foolish to have such confidence in his possessions. Alternate translation: [you are going to lose your life this very night]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / euphemism

τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ

This expression speaks about death in a discreet way. Alternate translation: [you are going to die]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

ἃ δὲ ἡτοίμασας, τίνι ἔσται?

God does not expect the man to tell him who will inherit his things. Rather, God is using the question as a teaching tool, to make the man realize that he could not count on possessing those things, and so he was wrong to put his confidence in them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate these words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [the things you have stored up will belong to someone else!]

Parallel LUKE 12:20

Section 12:13–21: Jesus warned the people not to be greedy

12:20a

12:20b

12:20c