Luke 16
1 He seide also to hise disciplis, Ther was a riche man, that hadde a baili; and this was defamed to him, as he hadde wastid his goodis.
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 clepide hym, and seide to hym, What here Y this thing of thee? yelde reckynyng of thi baili, for thou miyte not now be baili.
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 And the baili seide with ynne him silf, What schal Y do, for my lord takith awei fro me the baili? delfe mai Y not, I schame to begge.
‘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 Y woot what Y schal do, that whanne Y am remeued fro the baili, thei resseyue me in to her hous.
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 Therfor whanne alle the dettours of his lord weren clepid togider, he seide to the firste, Hou myche owist 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 seide, An hundrid barelis of oyle. And he seide to hym, Take thi caucioun, and sitte soone, and write fifti.
‘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 Aftirward he seide to another, And hou myche owist thou? Which answerde, An hundrid coris of whete. And he seide to hym, Take thi lettris, and write foure scoore.
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 preiside the baili of wickydnesse, for he hadde do prudentli; for the sones of this world ben more prudent in her generacioun than the sones of liyt. (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 Y seie to you, make ye to you freendis of the ritchesse of wickidnesse, that whanne ye schulen fayle, thei resseyue you in to euerlastynge tabernaclis. (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 trewe in the leeste thing, is trewe also in the more; and he that is wickid in a litil thing, is wickid also in the more.
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 Therfor if ye weren not trewe in the wickid thing of ritchesse, who schal bitake to you that that is verry?
So, if you have proved untrustworthy with the ‘dishonest money,’ who will trust you with the true?
12 And if ye weren not trewe in othere mennus thing, who schal yyue to you that that is youre?
And, if you have proved untrustworthy with what does not belong to us, who will give you what is really our own?
13 No seruaunt may serue to twei lordis; for ether he schal hate `the toon, and loue the tothir; ethir he schal drawe to `the toon, and schal dispise the tothir. Ye moun not serue to God and to ritchesse.
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 But the Farisees, that weren coueytous, herden alle these thingis, and thei scorneden hym.
All this was said within hearing of the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, and they began to sneer at Jesus.
15 And he seide to hem, Ye it ben, that iustifien you bifor men; but God hath knowun youre hertis, for that that is hiy to men, is abhomynacioun bifor 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 lawe and prophetis til to Joon; fro that tyme the rewme of God is euangelisid, and ech man doith violence in to 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 Forsothe it is liyter heuene and erthe to passe, than that o titil falle fro the lawe.
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 Euery man that forsakith his wijf, and weddith an other, doith letcherie; and he that weddith the wijf forsakun of the hosebonde, doith auowtrie.
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 riche man, and was clothid in purpur, and whit silk, and eete euery dai schynyngli.
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 begger, Lazarus bi name, that lai at his yate ful of bilis,
Near his gateway there had been laid a beggar named Lazarus, who was covered with sores,
21 and coueitide to be fulfillid of the crummes, that fellen doun fro the riche mannus boord, and no man yaf to hym; but houndis camen, and lickiden hise bilis.
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 was don, that the begger diede, and was borun of aungels in to Abrahams bosum. And the riche man was deed also,
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 was biried in helle. And he reiside hise iyen, whanne he was in turmentis, and say Abraham afer, and Lazarus in his bosum. (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 criede, and seide, Fadir Abraham, haue merci on me, and sende Lazarus, that he dippe the ende of his fyngur in watir, to kele my tunge; for Y am turmentid in this flawme.
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 And Abraham seide to hym, Sone, haue mynde, for thou hast resseyued good thingis in thi lijf, and Lazarus also yuel thingis; but he is now coumfortid, and thou art turmentid.
‘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 in alle these thingis a greet derk place is stablischid betwixe vs and you; that thei that wolen fro hennus passe to you, moun not, nethir fro thennus passe ouer hidur.
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 And he seide, Thanne Y preie thee, fadir, that thou sende hym in to the hous of my fadir.
‘Then, Father,’ he said, ‘I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house —
28 For Y haue fyue britheren, that he witnesse to hem, lest also thei come in to this place of turmentis.
For I have five brothers to warn them, so that they may not come to this place of torture also.’
29 And Abraham seide to him, Thei han Moyses and the prophetis; here thei hem.
‘They have the writings of Moses and the Prophets,’ replied Abraham; ‘let them listen to them.’
30 And he seide, Nay, fadir Abraham, but if ony of deed men go to hem, thei schulen do penaunce.
‘But, Father Abraham,’ he urged, ‘if some one from the dead were to go to them, they would repent.’
31 And he seide to hym, If thei heren not Moises and prophetis, nethir if ony of deed men rise ayen, thei schulen bileue to hym.
‘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.’”
