Saying Against Greed. 13^* Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” 14He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”^h 15Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”ⁱ

Parable of the Rich Fool. 16Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. 17He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ 18And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods 19^j and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’^k 20But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ 21Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”^*

23The desire of the just ends only in good;

the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

24One person is lavish yet grows still richer;

another is too sparing, yet is the poorer.^*

25Whoever confers benefits will be amply enriched,

and whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

26Whoever hoards grain, the people curse,

but blessings are on the head of one who distributes it!

27Those who seek the good seek favor,

but those who pursue evil will have evil come upon them.^*

28Those who trust in their riches will fall,

but like green leaves the just will flourish.^k

29Those who trouble their household inherit the wind,

and fools become slaves to the wise of heart.

30The fruit of justice is a tree of life,

and one who takes lives is a sage.^*

31If the just are recompensed on the earth,

how much more the wicked and the sinner!^{* l}

1As when brushwood is set ablaze,

or fire makes the water boil!

Then your name would be made known to your enemies

and the nations would tremble before you,

2While you worked awesome deeds we could not hope for,^*

3such as had not been heard of from of old.

No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen,

any God but you

working such deeds for those who wait for him.^a

4Would that you might meet us doing right,

that we might be mindful of you in our ways!

Indeed, you are angry; we have sinned,

we have acted wickedly.

5We have all become like something unclean,

all our just deeds are like polluted rags;

We have all withered like leaves,

and our crimes carry us away like the wind.^b

6There are none who call upon your name,

none who rouse themselves to take hold of you;

For you have hidden your face from us

and have delivered us up to our crimes.

7^* Yet, LORD, you are our father;

we are the clay and you our potter:

we are all the work of your hand.

The Judgment of the Nations.^* 31^f “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, 32^g and all the nations^* will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35^h For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, 36naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ 37Then the righteous^* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ 40ⁱ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 41^{* j} Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42^k For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ 44^* Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ 45He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ 46^l And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”