Luke 12:17-27

17 And he reasoned to himself, saying, 'What should I do? For I do not have anywhere I can gather in my crops.'

18 And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will gather in there all my grain and possessions.

19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many possessions stored up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, celebrate!" '

20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your life is demanded from you, and [the things] which you have prepared--whose will they be?'

21 So [is] the one who stores up treasure for himself, and who is not rich toward God!"

Anxiety

22 And he said to his disciples, "For this [reason] I tell you, do not be anxious for [your] life, what you will eat, or for [your] body, what you will wear.

23 For life is more than food, and the body [more than] clothing.

24 Consider the ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; to them there is neither storeroom nor barn, and God feeds them. How much more are you worth than the birds?

25 And which of you [by] being anxious is able to add an hour to his life span?

26 If then you are not even able [to do] a very little thing, why are you anxious about the rest?

27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they do not toil or spin, but I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these.

Footnotes

• [a] The same Greek word can be translated "soul" or "life" depending on the context
• [b] *Literally "the"; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
• [c] *Literally "the"; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
• [d] *Here "[by]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("being anxious") which is understood as means
• [e] Or "a cubit" (the literal meaning); most scholars understand this to refer figuratively to an "hour" of life here, though some take it as a literal measurement of height