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.
He said also to His disciples: "There was a rich man who had a steward, about whom a report was brought to him, that he was wasting his property.
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.’
He called him and said, "'What is this I hear about you? Render an account of your stewardship, for I cannot let you hold it any longer.'
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 steward said within himself, "'What am I to do? For my master is taking away the stewardship from me. I am not strong enough for field labour: to beg, I should be ashamed.
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 see what to do, in order that when I am discharged from the stewardship they may give me a home in their own houses.'
5 One by one he called up his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked of the first.
"So he called all his master's debtors, one by one, and asked the first, 'How much are you in debt to 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.’
"'A hundred firkins of oil,' he replied. "'Here is your account,' said the steward: 'sit down quickly and change it into fifty firkins.'
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.’
"To a second he said, "'And how much do you owe?' "'A hundred quarters of wheat,' was the answer. "'Here is your account,' said he: 'change it into eighty quarters.'
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)
"And the master praised the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for, in relation to their own contemporaries, the men of this age are shrewder than the sons of 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)
"But I charge you, so to use the wealth which is ever tempting to dishonesty as to win friends who, when it fails, shall welcome you to the tents that never perish. (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.
The man who is honest in a very small matter is honest in a great one also; and he who is dishonest in a very small matter is dishonest in a great one also.
11 So, if you have proved untrustworthy with the dishonest money, who will trust you with the true?
If therefore you have not proved yourselves faithful in dealing with the wealth that is tainted with fraud, who will entrust to you the true good?
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 dealing with that which is not your own, who will give you that which 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 be in bondage to two masters. For either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will cling fast to one and scorn the other. You cannot be bondservants both of God and of gold."
14 All this was said within hearing of the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, and they began to sneer at Jesus.
To all this the Pharisees listened, bitterly jeering at Him; for they were lovers of money.
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.
"You are they," He said to them, "who boast of their own goodness before men, but God sees your hearts; for that which holds a proud position among men is detestable in God's sight.
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 continued until John came: from that time the Good News of the Kingdom of God has been spreading, and all classes have been forcing their 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 earth and sky to pass away than for one smallest detail of the Law to fall to the ground.
18 Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman is an adulterer, and the man who marries a divorced woman is an adulterer.
Every man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and he who marries her when so 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 splendor.
"There was once a rich man who habitually arrayed himself in purple and fine linen, and enjoyed a splendid banquet every day,
20 Near his gateway there had been laid a beggar named Lazarus, who was covered with sores,
while at his outer door there lay a beggar, Lazarus by name,
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.
covered with sores and longing to make a full meal off the scraps flung on the floor from the rich man's table. Nay, the dogs, too, used to 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.
"But in course of time the beggar died; and he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died, and had a funeral.
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, being in torment, he looked and saw Abraham in the far distance, and Lazarus resting in his arms. (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.’
So he cried aloud, and said, "'Father Abraham, take pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in 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.
"'Remember, my child,' said Abraham, 'that you had all your good things during your lifetime, and that Lazarus in like manner had his bad things. But, now and here, he is receiving consolation and you are in agony.
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, a vast chasm is immovably fixed between us and you, put there in order that those who desire to cross from this side to you may not be able, nor any be able to cross over from your side to us.'
27 ‘Then, Father,’ he said, ‘I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house –
"'I entreat you then, father,' said he, 'to send him to my father's house.
28 For I have five brothers to warn them, so that they may not come to this place of torture also.’
For I have five brothers. Let him earnestly warn 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.’
"'They have Moses and the Prophets,' replied Abraham; 'let them hear them.'
30 ‘But, Father Abraham,’ he urged, ‘if someone from the dead were to go to them, they would repent.’
"'No, father Abraham,' he pleaded; 'but if some one goes to them from the dead, 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.’”
"'If they are deaf to Moses and the Prophets,' replied Abraham, 'they would not be led to believe even if some one should rise from the dead.'"
