Luke 16
1 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘There was a rich man who had a steward; and this steward was maliciously accused to him of wasting his estate.
Then He said further to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager, who was accused to him of wasting his goods.
2 So the master called him and said “What is this that I hear about you? Give in your accounts, for you cannot act as steward any longer.”
So he called him in and said to him: ‘What is this I hear about you? Render an account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be manager.’
3 “What am I to do,” the steward asked himself, “now that my master is taking the steward’s place away from me? I have not strength to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
Then the manager said within himself: ‘What shall I do? My master is taking the management away from me. I do not have strength to dig; I am ashamed to beg
4 I know what I will do, so that, as soon as I am turned out of my stewardship, people may welcome me into their homes.”
—I know what I will do, so that whenever I am removed from the management they may receive me into their houses.’
5 One by one he called up his master’s debtors. “How much do you owe my master?” he asked of the first.
Summoning each one of his master's debtors, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “Four hundred and forty gallons of oil,” answered the man. “Here is your agreement,” he said; “sit down at once and make it two hundred and twenty.”
And he said, ‘A hundred baths of olive oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill and sit down quickly and write fifty.’
7 And you, the steward said to the next, “how much do you owe?” “Seventy quarters of wheat,” he replied. “Here is your agreement,” the steward said; “make it fifty-six.”
Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.’
8 His master complimented this dishonest steward on the shrewdness of his action. And indeed men of the world are shrewder in dealing with their fellow men than those who have the light. (aiōn g165)
The master even ‘commended’ the dishonest manager, because he had acted shrewdly. The sons of this age are shrewder in their own generation than the sons of the Light. (aiōn g165)
9 And I say to you “Win friends for yourselves with your dishonest money,” so that, when it comes to an end, there may be a welcome for you into the Eternal Home. (aiōnios g166)
“I even say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that whenever you fail, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings! (aiōnios g166)
10 The person who is trustworthy in the smallest matter is trustworthy in a great one also; and the person who is dishonest in the smallest matter is dishonest in a great one also.
He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.
11 So, if you have proved untrustworthy with the dishonest money, who will trust you with the true?
If therefore you have not been faithful with the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the genuine?
12 And, if you have proved untrustworthy with what does not belong to us, who will give you what is really our own?
And if you have not been faithful in what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
13 No servant can serve two masters, for, either they will hate one and love the other, or else they will attach themselves to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.’
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 God and mammon!”
14 All this was said within hearing of the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, and they began to sneer at Jesus.
Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were also listening to all these things, and they were ridiculing Him.
15 ‘You,’ said Jesus, ‘are the ones who justify themselves before the world, but God can read your hearts; and what is highly esteemed among people may be an abomination in the sight of God.
So He said to them: “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. That which is exalted among men is an abomination before God.
16 The Law and the prophets sufficed until the time of John. Since then the good news of the kingdom of God has been told, and everybody has been forcing their way into it.
The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the Kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and every one is trying to force his way into it.
17 It would be easier for the heavens and the earth to disappear than for one stroke of a letter in the Law to be lost.
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tittle of the Law to fail.
18 Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman is an adulterer, and the man who marries a divorced woman is an adulterer.
“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.
19 There was once a rich man, who dressed in purple robes and fine linen, and feasted every day in great splendour.
“Now there was a certain rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day.
20 Near his gateway there had been laid a beggar named Lazarus, who was covered with sores,
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores, who had been placed at his gate,
21 and who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
just wanting to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table—why even the dogs would come and lick his sores!
22 After a time the beggar died, and was taken by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
In due time the beggar died and was carried away to Abraham's bosom by the angels. “The rich man also died and was buried.
23 In Hades he looked up in his torment, and saw Abraham at a distance and Lazarus at his side. (Hadēs g86)
And in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham at a distance, and Lazarus very close to him. And being in torment, (Hadēs g86)
24 So he called out “Pity me, Father Abraham, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering agony in this flame.”
he called out, saying, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; because I am tormented by this flame!’
25 “Child,” answered Abraham, “remember that you in your lifetime received what you thought desirable, just as Lazarus received what was not desirable; but now he has his consolation here, while you are suffering agony.
But Abraham said: ‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus had bad things; but now he is being comforted, and you tormented.
26 And not only that, but between you and us there lies a great chasm, so that those who wish to pass from here to you cannot, nor can they cross from there to us.”
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can anyone from there cross over to us.’
27 “Then, Father,” he said, “I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house
Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house,
28 where I have five brothers, to warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torture.”
because I have five brothers, so that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’
29 “They have the writings of Moses and the prophets,” replied Abraham. “Let them listen to them.”
Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’
30 “But, Father Abraham,” he urged, “if someone from the dead were to go to them, they would repent.”
So he said to him, ‘Oh no, father Abraham—if someone from the dead should go to them, they will repent!’
31 “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets,” answered Abraham, “they will not be persuaded, even if someone were to rise from the dead.”’
He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone should rise from the dead.’”
