< Luke 16 >

1 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.
And he said also to his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused to him that he had wasted his goods.
2 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.'
And he called him, and said to him, How is it that I hear this of you? give an account of your stewardship; for you may be no longer steward.
3 "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.
Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord takes away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
4 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.'
I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
5 "So he called all his master's debtors, one by one, and asked the first, 'How much are you in debt to my master?'
So he called every one of his lord’s debtors to him, and said to the first, How much owe you to my lord?
6 "'A hundred firkins of oil,' he replied. "'Here is your account,' said the steward: 'sit down quickly and change it into fifty firkins.'
And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
7 "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.'
Then said he to another, And how much owe you? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said to him, Take your bill, and write fourscore.
8 "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)
And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. (aiōn g165)
9 "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)
And I say to you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. (aiōnios g166)
10 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.
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11 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?
If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 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?
And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?
13 "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."
No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
14 To all this the Pharisees listened, bitterly jeering at Him; for they were lovers of money.
And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
15 "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.
And he said to them, You are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
16 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.
The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presses into it.
17 But it is easier for earth and sky to pass away than for one smallest detail of the Law to fall to the ground.
And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one pronunciation mark of the law to fail.
18 Every man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and he who marries her when so divorced from her husband commits adultery.
Whoever puts away his wife, and marries another, commits adultery: and whoever marries her that is put away from her husband commits adultery.
19 "There was once a rich man who habitually arrayed himself in purple and fine linen, and enjoyed a splendid banquet every day,
There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 while at his outer door there lay a beggar, Lazarus by name,
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 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.
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 "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.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in Hades, being in torment, he looked and saw Abraham in the far distance, and Lazarus resting in his arms. (Hadēs g86)
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (Hadēs g86)
24 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.'
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 "'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.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and you are tormented.
26 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.'
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from there.
27 "'I entreat you then, father,' said he, 'to send him to my father's house.
Then he said, I pray you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house:
28 For I have five brothers. Let him earnestly warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'
For I have five brothers; that he may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 "'They have Moses and the Prophets,' replied Abraham; 'let them hear them.'
Abraham says to him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 "'No, father Abraham,' he pleaded; 'but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
And he said, No, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they will repent.
31 "'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.'"
And he said to him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

< Luke 16 >