Luke 16
1 [Jesus] also said to his disciples, “Once there was a rich man who had a household manager. [One day] he was told {[someone] told him} that [the manager] was managing the rich man’s money badly.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “There was a rich man whose steward was accused of squandering his possessions.
2 So he summoned [his manager] and said to him, ‘(It is terrible what they are saying about you [(sg)]!/Is it true what they are saying about you [(sg)] [RHQ]?) Give me a written account of [the funds] you have been managing, because you can no longer be my [household] manager!’
So he called the steward in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about yoʋ? Give an account of yoʋr stewardship, for yoʋ can no longer be steward.’
3 Then the manager thought to himself, ‘My master is going to fire me, so (I do not know what to do./what shall I do [RHQ]?) I am not strong enough to [work by] digging ditches, and I am ashamed to beg [for money].’
The steward said to himself, ‘What should I do, now that my master is taking my stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
4 [Suddenly he had an idea]. ‘I know what I will do, so that people will take me into their houses [and provide for me] after I am dismissed {after my master dismisses me} from my work!’
I know what I will do so that, when I am removed from my stewardship, people will receive me into their homes.’
5 So [one by one] he summoned the people who owed his master money. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you [(sg)] owe my master?’
So he summoned each one of his master's debtors. He said to the first, ‘How much do yoʋ owe my master?’
6 The man replied, ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill and sit down and quickly change it to 400 [gallons]!’
The man said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ The steward said to him, ‘Take yoʋr bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’
7 He said to another man, ‘How much do you owe?’ The man replied, ‘A thousand bushels of wheat.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill and change it to 800 [bushels]!’ [He did similar things for the others who owed his master money].
Then he said to another, ‘And how much do yoʋ owe?’ The man said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ The steward said to him, ‘Take yoʋr bill and write eighty.’
8 When his master [heard what the manager had done], he admired the dishonest manager for the clever thing he had done. [The truth] is that the ungodly people in this world act more wisely toward other people than godly people [MET] act. (aiōn g165)
So the master commended the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the people of the light. (aiōn g165)
9 [So] I tell you [(pl)] this: Use the money that you have [here] on earth to help others so that they will become your friends. Then when [you die and] you cannot [take] any money with you, [God and his angels] will welcome you into a home [in heaven] that will last forever. (aiōnios g166)
And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when you die, those friends will receive you into eternal dwellings. (aiōnios g166)
10 People who faithfully manage small [matters] will also faithfully manage important [matters]. People who are dishonest in [the way they handle] small [matters] will be dishonest [in the way they handle] important [matters].
“He who is faithful with very little is also faithful with much, and he who is dishonest with very little is also dishonest with much.
11 So if you have not faithfully handled the money that [God has given you here] on earth, (he will certainly not allow you to possess the true [spiritual] riches [in heaven!]/would he allow you to possess the true [spiritual] riches [in heaven]?) [RHQ]
If then you have not been faithful with unrighteous wealth, who will entrust you with true riches?
12 And if you have not faithfully managed things that belong to other people, ([God] will certainly not allow you to receive [treasures in heaven that] would belong to you!/would God allow you to receive [treasures in heaven that] would belong to you?) [RHQ]
And if you have not been faithful with the property of another, who will give you property of your own?
13 No servant is able to serve two [different] bosses [at the same time. If he tried to do that], he would prefer one of them more than the other one; he would be loyal to one of them and despise the other one. [Similarly], you cannot [devote your life] to worshipping God and [worshipping] money and material goods [at the same time].”
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
14 There were some Pharisees [there]. They loved [to acquire] money. When they heard Jesus say that, they ridiculed him.
Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things and began ridiculing Jesus.
15 But he said to them, “You try to make other people think that you are righteous, but God knows your (inner beings/hearts). [So he will reject you. Keep in mind that many] things that people think are important, God thinks are detestable.
So he said to them, “You present yourselves as righteous in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16 The laws that [God gave Moses] and what the prophets [MTY] [wrote] were ([in effect/what you needed to obey]) until John [the Baptizer] came. Since then [I] have been preaching about how God wants to [rule people’s lives in a new way], and many people are [accepting that message and] very eagerly asking God to control [their lives. But that does not mean that God has abolished the laws that he established previously].
“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone tries to force their way into it.
17 [All of God’s] laws, [even those that seem] insignificant, are more permanent than heaven and earth.
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter to be dropped from the law.
18 [For example, because God considers that a marriage lasts until either the husband or the wife dies, he considers that] any man who divorces his wife and marries another woman is committing adultery. He also [considers that] any man who marries a woman who has been divorced by her husband {whose husband has divorced her} is [also] committing adultery.”
“For example, any man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and any man who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
19 [Jesus also said] [MET], “Once there was a rich man who wore [expensive] purple linen [garments]. He ate luxuriously every day.
“Now there was a certain rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, enjoying himself each day as he lived lavishly.
20 And every day a poor man whose name was Lazarus was laid {[some people also] laid a poor man whose name was Lazarus} at the gate of the rich man’s [house]. Lazarus’ body was covered with sores.
There was also a poor man named Lazarus, who was laid at the rich man's gate, covered with sores.
21 He [was so hungry that he] wanted to eat the scraps [of food] that fell from the table where the rich man [ate]. Furthermore, [to make things worse], dogs came and licked his sores.
He longed to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores.
22 [Eventually] the poor man died. Then he was taken by the angels {the angels took him} to [start feasting] next to his [ancestor] Abraham. The rich man also died, and his body was buried {[some people] buried his body}.
Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side, and the rich man also died and was buried.
23 In the place where dead people wait [for God to judge them], he was suffering great pain. He looked up and saw Abraham far away, and he saw Lazarus sitting close to Abraham. (Hadēs g86)
As he was in torment in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his side. (Hadēs g86)
24 So he shouted, ‘Father Abraham, I am suffering very much in this fire! So [please] pity me, and send Lazarus [here] so that he can dip his finger in water [and touch] my tongue to cool it!’
So he called out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’
25 But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that while you [(sg)] were alive [on earth] you enjoyed [many] good things. But Lazarus was miserable. Now [it is fair that] he is happy here, and you are suffering.
But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in yoʋr lifetime yoʋ received yoʋr good things, and in the same way Lazarus received bad things, but now he is here being comforted, while yoʋ are in agony.
26 Besides that, there is a huge ravine between you [(sg)] and us. So those who want to go from here to where you [(sg)] are, are not able to. Furthermore, no one can cross from there to where we [(exc)] are.’
And besides all this, a great chasm has been set in place between you and us, so that those who want to cross over to you from here cannot do so, nor can anyone cross over to us from there.’
27 Then the rich man said, ‘If that is so, father [Abraham], I ask you [(sg)] to send [Lazarus] to my father’s house.
The rich man said, ‘Then I beg yoʋ, father, to send Lazarus to my father's house,
28 I have five brothers [who live there]. Tell him to warn them [to turn away from their sinful behavior so that] they do not also come to this place, where [we(exc)] suffer great pain!’
for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 But Abraham replied, ‘[No, I will not do that, because your brothers] are able to [go to the Jewish meeting places where the priests] read what Moses and the prophets [wrote]. They should listen to what Moses and the prophets [MTY] [wrote]!’
Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; they can listen to them.’
30 But the rich man replied, ‘No, father Abraham, [that will not be enough] But if someone from those who have died goes back to them [and warns them], they will turn from their sinful behavior.’
He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31 [Abraham] said to him, ‘No! If they do not listen to [what] [MTY] Moses and the prophets [MTY] [wrote], even if someone would become alive again [and go and warn them], they would not be convinced {he could not convince them} [that they should turn from their sinful behavior].’”
But Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
