Parallel Verses

New American Standard Bible

“As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
So is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly;
In the midst of his days it will forsake him,
And in the end he will be a fool.”

King James Version

As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.

Holman Bible

He who makes a fortune unjustly
is like a partridge that hatches eggs it didn’t lay.
In the middle of his days
his riches will abandon him,
so in the end he will be a fool.

International Standard Version

As a partridge gathers together eggs that it didn't lay, so is a person who amasses wealth unjustly. In the middle of his life it will leave him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool."

A Conservative Version

As the partridge that sits on [eggs] which she has not laid, so is he who gets riches, and not by right. In the midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool.

American Standard Version

As the partridge that sitteth on eggs which she hath not laid, so is he that getteth riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool.

Amplified


“Like the partridge that hatches eggs which she has not laid,
So is he who makes a fortune in ways that are unjust.
It will be lost to him before his days are over,
And in the end he will be [nothing but] a fool.”

Bible in Basic English

Like the partridge, getting eggs together but not producing young, is a man who gets wealth but not by right; before half his days are ended, it will go from him, and at his end he will be foolish.

Darby Translation

As the partridge sitteth on eggs it hath not laid, so is he that getteth riches and not by right: in the midst of his days shall he leave them, and at his end shall be a fool.

Julia Smith Translation

The partridge brooded and she brought not forth; to make riches and not in judgment, he shall leave them in the half of his days, and in his latter part he shall be foolish.

King James 2000

As the partridge sits on eggs, and hatches them not; so he that gets riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.

Lexham Expanded Bible

[Like] a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay [is] one who amasses wealth without justice. In the middle of his days it will leave him, and at his end he will [prove to] be a fool."

Modern King James verseion

The quail sits on eggs and does not hatch them; in the same way he who gets riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the middle of his days, and in his end he shall be a fool.

Modern Spelling Tyndale-Coverdale

The deceitful maketh a nest, but bringeth forth no young: He cometh by riches, but not righteously. In the midst of his life must he leave them behind him, and at the last be found a very fool.

NET Bible

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."

New Heart English Bible

As the partridge that sits on eggs which she has not laid, so is he who gets riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool."

The Emphasized Bible

As a partridge gathereth eggs she did not lay, So is he that maketh riches but not with justice, - In the midst of his days, shall he leave them, And in his latter end, prove to have been base.

Webster

As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.

World English Bible

As the partridge that sits on [eggs] which she has not laid, so is he who gets riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days they shall leave him, and at his end he shall be a fool.

Youngs Literal Translation

A partridge hatching, and not bringing forth, Is one making wealth, and not by right, In the midst of his days he doth forsake it, And in his latter end -- he is a fool.

Interlinear

English(KJV)
Strong's
Root Form
Definition
Usage
As the partridge
קרא 
Qore' 
Usage: 2

דּגר 
Dagar 
Usage: 2

on eggs, and hatcheth
ילד 
Yalad 
Usage: 497

עשׁר 
`osher 
Usage: 37

and not by right
משׁפּט 
Mishpat 
Usage: 421

them in the midst
חצי 
Chetsiy 
Usage: 125

of his days
יום 
Yowm 
Usage: 2293

and at his end
אחרית 
'achariyth 
Usage: 61

References

American

Easton

Fausets

Hastings

Morish

Watsons

Context Readings

The Deceitful Heart

10 “I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.
11 “As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
So is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly;
In the midst of his days it will forsake him,
And in the end he will be a fool.”
12 A glorious throne on high from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.

Cross References

Luke 12:20

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’

Psalm 55:23

But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction;
Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days.
But I will trust in You.

Jeremiah 22:13

“Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness
And his upper rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay
And does not give him his wages,

Jeremiah 22:17

“But your eyes and your heart
Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain,
And on shedding innocent blood
And on practicing oppression and extortion.”

Proverbs 1:18-19

But they lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives.

Proverbs 13:11

Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles,
But the one who gathers by labor increases it.

Proverbs 15:27

He who profits illicitly troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.

Proverbs 21:6

The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue
Is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.

Proverbs 23:5

When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

Proverbs 28:8

He who increases his wealth by interest and usury
Gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor.

Proverbs 28:16

A leader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding,
But he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

Proverbs 28:20

A faithful man will abound with blessings,
But he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 28:22

A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth
And does not know that want will come upon him.

Ecclesiastes 5:13-16

There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt.

Isaiah 1:23-24

Your rulers are rebels
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves a bribe
And chases after rewards.
They do not defend the orphan,
Nor does the widow’s plea come before them.

Jeremiah 5:27-28

‘Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of deceit;
Therefore they have become great and rich.

Ezekiel 22:12-13

In you they have taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest and profits, and you have injured your neighbors for gain by oppression, and you have forgotten Me,” declares the Lord God.

Hosea 12:7-8

A merchant, in whose hands are false balances,
He loves to oppress.

Amos 3:10

But they do not know how to do what is right,” declares the Lord, “these who hoard up violence and devastation in their citadels.”

Amos 8:4-6

Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land,

Micah 2:1-2

Woe to those who scheme iniquity,
Who work out evil on their beds!
When morning comes, they do it,
For it is in the power of their hands.

Micah 2:9

“The women of My people you evict,
Each one from her pleasant house.
From her children you take My splendor forever.

Micah 6:10-12

“Is there yet a man in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of wickedness
And a short measure that is cursed?

Micah 7:3

Concerning evil, both hands do it well.
The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe,
And a great man speaks the desire of his soul;
So they weave it together.

Habakkuk 2:6-12

“Will not all of these take up a taunt-song against him,
Even mockery and insinuations against him
And say, ‘Woe to him who increases what is not his—
For how long—
And makes himself rich with loans?’

Zephaniah 1:9

“And I will punish on that day all who leap on the temple threshold,
Who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit.

Zechariah 5:4

I will make it go forth,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones.”

Zechariah 7:9-13

“Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother;

Malachi 3:5

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,” says the Lord of hosts.

Matthew 23:13

But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

1 Timothy 6:9

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

Titus 1:11

who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.

James 5:3-5

Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

2 Peter 2:3

and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

2 Peter 2:14

having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;

King James Version Public Domain

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org

American Standard Version Public Domain

NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. NetBible

Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain