Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Luke 12:15-21:

Jesus stood up and warned the crowd, “Don’t be greedy!
Wealth won’t get you where you want to go.”

       Then he told them this story:

       “At harvest time a rich man had an abundant crop,
              but he didn’t have enough room to store it all.

       After thinking things over for a while,
       he finally decided to tear down his old barns
              and build super sized storage bins.

       “Once I do this,” he smiled and said to himself,
       “I’ll have enough set aside for years to come.”
              So he decided to live his life to the max.

       But as he celebrated, the voice of God thundered,
              “Stupid fool! Tonight you die. Then who will get it all?”

Jesus concluded by saying,
“This is what happens to people who pile up wealth
       without weighing the thunderous judgment of God.”