Jeremiah 17:11

Hebrew Bible

9 The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. Who can understand it? 10 I, the Lord, probe into people’s kidneys10. I examine people’s hearts. I deal with each person according to how he has behaved. I give them what they deserve based on what they have done. 11 The person who gathers wealth by unjust means is like the partridge that broods over eggs but does not hatch them. Before his life is half over, he will lose his ill-gotten gains. At the end of his life, it will be clear he was a fool. 12 Then I said, “Lord, from the very beginning you have been seated on your glorious throne on high.You are the place where we can find refuge.

Sirach 11:19

Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon

17 The Lord's gift remains with the devout, and his favor brings lasting success. 18 One becomes rich through diligence and self-denial, and the reward allotted to him is this: 19 when he says, "I have found rest, and now I shall feast on my goods!" he does not know how long it will be until he leaves them to others and dies. 20 Stand by your agreement and attend to it, and grow old in your work. 21 Do not wonder at the works of a sinner, but trust in the Lord and keep at your job; for it is easy in the sight of the Lord to make the poor rich suddenly, in an instant. 22 The blessing of the Lord is the reward of the pious, and quickly God causes his blessing to flourish.

 Notes and References

"... Even if the similarities between Luke 12:19–21 and these passages (Wisdom 15:8, Sirach 11:19, Jeremiah 17:11, Psalm 48:17-18 LXX) may be too brief and general to warrant a claim of direct intertextual connection, the thematic and verbal parallels at least suffice to illustrate that Jesus’s teaching in this parable reflects recurring insights in Israel’s Scriptures. Despite the absence of any overt reference to the Scriptures, then, the parable of the rich fool nevertheless bolsters the conclusion—reached above in relation to several earlier passages in Luke’s Gospel—that Israel’s Scriptures, rightly understood and lived, help to facilitate the correct interpretation of and emotional response to would-be joy-conducive circumstances. Stated negatively, the rich fool’s failure to attend to the wisdom of Scripture contributes to his failure to achieve the enjoyment that he thought his possessions would afford him. As we will see below, explicit references to the Scriptures in later joy- and wealth-related passages reinforce this connection ..."

Newberry, Julie Nicole You Will Have Joy and Gladness: A Narrative Analysis of the Conditions that Lead to Lukan Joy (pp. 420-421) Duke University, 2020

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