Luke 16
1 And he said also to his disciples, There was a certain rich man, who had a steward; and the same was accused to him that he had wasted his goods.
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.
2 And he called him, and said to him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
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.’
3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.
‘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.
4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
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.’
5 So he called every one of his lord’s debtors, and said to the first, How much owest thou to my lord?
One by one he called up his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked of the first.
6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said to him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
‘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.’
7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said to him, Take thy bill, and write eighty.
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.’
8 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)
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)
9 And I say to you, Make to yourselves friends by the riches of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. (aiōnios g166)
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)
10 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.
He who is trustworthy in the smallest matter is trustworthy in a great one also; and he who is dishonest in the smallest matter is dishonest in a great one also.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous riches, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
So, if you have proved untrustworthy with the ‘dishonest money,’ who will trust you with the true?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?
And, if you have proved untrustworthy with what does not belong to us, who will give you what is really our own?
13 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. Ye cannot serve God and riches.
No servant can serve two masters, for, either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will attach himself to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they mocked him.
All this was said within hearing of the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, and they began to sneer at Jesus.
15 And he said to them, Ye are they who justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
“You,” said Jesus, “are the men who justify themselves before the world, but God can read your hearts; and what is highly esteemed among men may be an abomination in the sight of God.
16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
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 his way into it.
17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than one tittle of the law to fail.
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.
18 Whoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
Every one who divorces his wife and marries another woman is an adulterer, and the man who marries a divorced woman is an adulterer.
19 There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
There was once a rich man, who dressed in purple robes and fine linen, and feasted every day in great splendour.
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores,
Near his gateway there had been laid a beggar named Lazarus, who was covered with sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
and who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the very dogs came and licked his sores.
22 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;
After a time the beggar died, and was taken by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
23 And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (Hadēs g86)
In the Place of Death he looked up in his torment, and saw Abraham at a distance and Lazarus at his side. (Hadēs g86)
24 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.
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.’
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime didst receive thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
‘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.
26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they who would pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from there.
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.’
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
‘Then, Father,’ he said, ‘I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house —
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
For I have five brothers to warn them, so that they may not come to this place of torture also.’
29 Abraham saith to him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
‘They have the writings of Moses and the Prophets,’ replied Abraham; ‘let them listen to them.’
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they will repent.
‘But, Father Abraham,’ he urged, ‘if some one from the dead were to go to them, they would repent.’
31 And he said to him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets,’ answered Abraham, ‘they will not be persuaded, even if some one were to rise from the dead.’”
