Jeremiah 17:11 Like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay is the man who makes a fortune unjustly. In the middle of his days his riches will desert him, and in the end he will be the fool."

Bible > Jeremiah > Chapter 17 > Verse 11

◄ Jeremiah 17:11 ►

New International Version
Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay are those who gain riches by unjust means. When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them, and in the end they will prove to be fools.

New Living Translation
Like a partridge that hatches eggs she has not laid, so are those who get their wealth by unjust means. At midlife they will lose their riches; in the end, they will become poor old fools.

English Standard Version
Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.

Berean Standard Bible
Like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay is the man who makes a fortune unjustly. In the middle of his days his riches will desert him, and in the end he will be the fool.”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
“As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, So is he who gets riches, but not by right; It will leave him in the midst of his days, And at his end he will be a fool.”

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

NASB 1995
“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.”

NASB 1977
“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.”

Legacy 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 wicked fool.”

Amplified Bible
“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.”

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

Holman Christian Standard 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.

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.

Contemporary English Version
You cheated others, but everything you gained will fly away, like birds hatched from stolen eggs. Then you will discover what fools you are.

English Revised Version
As the partridge that gathereth young which she hath not brought forth, 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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A person who gets rich dishonestly is like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay. During his lifetime, he will lose his wealth. In the end, he will be a godless fool."

Good News Translation
The person who gets money dishonestly is like a bird that hatches eggs it didn't lay. In the prime of life he will lose his riches, and in the end he is nothing but 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.

Majority Standard Bible
Like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay is the man who makes a fortune unjustly. In the middle of his days his riches will desert him, and in the end he will be the 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."

Webster's Bible Translation
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 middle of his days, they will leave him. At his end, he will be a fool.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
A partridge hatching, and not bringing forth, "" [Is] one making wealth, and not by right, "" In the midst of his days he forsakes it, "" And in his latter end—he is a fool.”

Young's 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.

Smith's Literal 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.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
As the partridge hath hatched eggs which she did not lay: so is he that hath gathered riches, and not by right: in the midst of his days he shall leave them, and in his latter end he shall be a fool.

Catholic Public Domain Version
A partridge has hatched eggs that she did not lay; a man has gathered riches, but without judgment. In the midst of his days, he will leave it all behind, and he will be foolish concerning his very end.”

New American Bible
A partridge that broods but does not hatch are those who acquire wealth unjustly: In midlife it will desert them; in the end they are only fools.

New Revised Standard Version
Like the partridge hatching what it did not lay, so are all who amass wealth unjustly; in mid-life it will leave them, and at their end they will prove to be fools.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
Like the partridge that calls to the eggs which she has not hatched, so is he who gets riches and not by right; he shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end he shall be in disgrace.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
As a partridge that calls to those that it did not hatch, thus he who gains wealth by injustice shall leave it in the middle of his days, and his end will be shameful

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
As the partridge that broodeth over young which she hath not brought forth, So is he that getteth riches, and not by right; In the midst of his days he shall leave them, And at his end he shall be a fool.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The partridge utters her voice, she gathers eggs which she did not lay; so is a man gaining his wealth unjustly; in the midst of his days his riches shall leave him, and at his latter end he will be a fool.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The Sin and Punishment of Judah
…10I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve. 11Like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay is the man who makes a fortune unjustly. In the middle of his days his riches will desert him, and in the end he will be the fool.”

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Proverbs 13:11
Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.

Proverbs 28:8
He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.

Luke 12:20-21
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ / This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

James 5:1-3
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. / Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. / Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.

Ecclesiastes 5:10-14
He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile. / When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes? / The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep. ...

1 Timothy 6:9-10
Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. / For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. / But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. / For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Psalm 39:6
Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.

Proverbs 23:4-5
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself. / When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.

Luke 16:11-13
So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? / And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own? / No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Job 27:16-17
Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up a wardrobe like clay, / what he lays up, the righteous will wear, and his silver will be divided by the innocent.

1 Timothy 6:17-19
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. / Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, / treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Matthew 19:23-24
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. / Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Psalm 49:16-20
Do not be afraid when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases. / For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down. / Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper— ...

Luke 12:15
And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Treasury of Scripture

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

sitteth.

Jeremiah 5:27,28
As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich…

Jeremiah 22:13,17
Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; …

Proverbs 1:18,19
And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives…

shall leave.

Psalm 55:23
But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

Proverbs 23:5
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Ecclesiastes 5:13-16
There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt…

a fool.

Luke 12:20
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

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Brood Desert Eggs End Ended Fool Foolish Forsake Forth Fortune Gains Gathers Gets Getteth Getting Half Hatcheth Laid Life Makes Making Means Midst Partridge Prove Riches Right Sits Sitteth Together Unjust Unjustly Wealth Young

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Jeremiah 17

1. The captivity of Judah for her sin.
5. Trust in man is cursed;
7. in God is blessed.
9. The deceitful heart cannot deceive God.
12. The salvation of God.
15. The prophet complains of the mockers of his prophecy.
19. He is sent to renew the covenant in hallowing the Sabbath.

Berean Study Bible

Like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay
The imagery of a partridge is significant in the ancient Near Eastern context. The Hebrew word for partridge, "קֹרֵא" (qore'), refers to a bird known for its habit of brooding over eggs that are not its own. This metaphor illustrates the futility and deception of acquiring wealth through unjust means. The partridge, believing it is nurturing its own offspring, is ultimately left with nothing. This serves as a powerful reminder that ill-gotten gains are temporary and ultimately unfulfilling.

is the man who makes a fortune unjustly
The phrase underscores the moral and ethical implications of wealth acquisition. The Hebrew root for "unjustly" is "עָשַׁק" (ashaq), which conveys oppression or exploitation. This highlights the biblical principle that wealth obtained through dishonest or oppressive means is contrary to God's justice. The Bible consistently teaches that true prosperity is rooted in righteousness and integrity, not in deceit or exploitation.

in the middle of his days his riches will desert him
This phrase speaks to the transient nature of wealth gained through unjust means. The Hebrew word for "desert" is "עָזַב" (azab), meaning to forsake or abandon. The imagery suggests that such wealth is unreliable and will inevitably leave the possessor at a critical time. This serves as a cautionary tale that emphasizes the importance of building one's life on a foundation of godly principles rather than on the shifting sands of ill-gotten wealth.

and in the end he will be a fool
The conclusion of the verse is a stark warning about the ultimate outcome of pursuing wealth through unjust means. The Hebrew word for "fool" is "נָבָל" (nabal), which implies moral and spiritual folly. In biblical terms, a fool is someone who rejects God's wisdom and guidance. This phrase serves as a sobering reminder that true wisdom and lasting success are found in obedience to God's commands and in living a life of integrity and righteousness.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11) As the partridge sitteth on eggs . . .--Better, following the LXX. and Vulg., and the marginal reading of the Authorised Version, heaps up eggs and hath not laid them. The words point to a popular belief among the Jews that the partridge steals the eggs of other birds and adds them to her own, with the result that when the eggs are hatched the broods desert her (see Bibl. Educ. iii. p. 73). It thus became a parable of the covetous man, whose avarice leads him to pile up riches which are not rightly his, and which after a while "make to themselves wings" and are seen no more. Modern naturalists have not observed this habit, but it is probable that the belief originated in the practice of the cuckoo laying its eggs in the nest of the partridge, as in that of other birds. The cuckoo (Leviticus 11:16; Deuteronomy 14:15) was and is a common bird in Palestine (Bibl. Educ. 2 p. 363).

Shall leave them in the midst of his days.--If we retain the rendering of the Authorised Version the words may refer to the practice of hunting the partridge by driving it from its nest and then striking it with a club (see Bibl. Educ. iii. p. 73). Many commentators, however, adopt the rendering, they (the riches) shall leave him. As covetousness was the besetting sin of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 22:17), the prediction may have pointed specially to him.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 11. - As the partridge... hatcheth them not; rather, as the partridge sitteth on eggs which it hath not laid; a proverbial illustration of the Divine retributive justice. The prophet assumes the truth of a popular belief respecting the partridge (still a common bird in Judaea), that it brooded upon eggs which it had not laid. As the young birds soon leave the false mother, so unjustly acquired riches soon forsake their possessors. [Canon Tristram rejects this explanation, on the ground that the statement is not true to natural history; the partridge neither steals the broods of others nor needs to do so, as it lays a very large number of eggs. But grammar requires us to translate as suggested above, and consequently excludes any other explanation-May not the unusually large number of the eggs laid by the partridge have led to the fancy that they could not be all its own?]

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Like a partridge
קֹרֵ֤א (qō·rê)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7124: A caller, partridge

hatching eggs
דָגַר֙ (ḏā·ḡar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1716: To gather together as a brood

it did not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

lay
יָלָ֔ד (yā·lāḏ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

is the man who makes
עֹ֥שֶׂה (‘ō·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

a fortune
עֹ֖שֶׁר (‘ō·šer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6239: Wealth

unjustly.
בְמִשְׁפָּ֑ט (ḇə·miš·pāṭ)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style

In the middle
בַּחֲצִ֤י (ba·ḥă·ṣî)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2677: The half, middle

of his days
יָמָיו֙ (yā·māw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

his riches will desert him,
יַעַזְבֶ֔נּוּ (ya·‘az·ḇen·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit

and in the end
וּבְאַחֲרִית֖וֹ (ū·ḇə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯōw)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 319: The last, end, the future, posterity

he will be
יִהְיֶ֥ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

the fool.
נָבָֽל׃ (nā·ḇāl)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 5036: Foolish, senseless

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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 17:11 As the partridge that sits on eggs (Jer.)