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.
And another time he said to the disciples, There was a certain man of great wealth who had a servant; and it was said to him that this servant was wasting his goods.
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.’
And he sent for him and said, What is this which is said about you? give me an account of all you have done, for you will no longer be the manager of my property.
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.
And the servant said to himself, What am I to do now that my lord takes away my position? I have not enough strength for working in the fields, and I would be shamed if I made requests for money from people in the streets.
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 have come to a decision what to do, so that when I am put out of my position they will take me into their houses.
5 One by one he called up his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked of the first.
And sending for every one who was in debt to his lord he said to the first, What is the amount of your debt to my lord?
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.’
And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said, Take your account straight away and put down fifty.
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.’
Then he said to another, What is the amount of your debt? And he said, A hundred measures of grain. And he said to him, Take your account and put down eighty.
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 his lord was pleased with the false servant, because he had been wise; for the sons of this world are wiser in relation to their generation 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)
And I say to you, Make friends for yourselves through the wealth of this life, so that when it comes to an end, you may be taken into the eternal resting-places. (aiōnios g166)
10 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.
He who is true in a little, is true in much; he who is false in small things, is false in great.
11 So, if you have proved untrustworthy with the ‘dishonest money,’ who will trust you with the true?
If, then, you have not been true in your use of the wealth of this life, who will give into your care the true wealth?
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 true in your care of the property of other people, who will give you that which is yours?
13 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.”
No man may be a servant to two masters: for he will have hate for the one and love for the other; or he will keep to the one and have no respect for the other. You may not be servants of God and of wealth.
14 All this was said within hearing of the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, and they began to sneer at Jesus.
And the Pharisees, who had a great love of money, hearing these things, were making sport of him.
15 “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.
And he said, You take care to seem right in the eyes of men, but God sees your hearts: and those things which are important in the opinion of men, are evil in the eyes of God.
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 his way into it.
The law and the prophets were till John: but then came the preaching of the kingdom of God, and everyone makes his way into it by force.
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 heaven and earth will come to an end before the smallest letter of the law may be dropped out.
18 Every one who divorces his wife and marries another woman is an adulterer, and the man who marries a divorced woman is an adulterer.
Everyone who puts away his wife and takes another, is a false husband: and he who is married to a woman whose husband has put her away, is no true husband to her.
19 There was once a rich man, who dressed in purple robes and fine linen, and feasted every day in great splendour.
Now there was a certain man of great wealth, who was dressed in fair clothing of purple and delicate linen, and was shining and glad every day.
20 Near his gateway there had been laid a beggar named Lazarus, who was covered with sores,
And a certain poor man, named Lazarus, was stretched out at his door, full of wounds,
21 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.
Desiring the broken bits of food which came from the table of the man of wealth; and even the dogs came and put their tongues on his wounds.
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.
And in time the poor man came to his end, and angels took him to Abraham's breast. And the man of wealth came to his end, and was put in the earth.
23 In the Place of Death he looked up in his torment, and saw Abraham at a distance and Lazarus at his side. (Hadēs g86)
And in hell, being in great pain, lifting up his eyes he saw Abraham, far away, and Lazarus on his breast. (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.’
And he gave a cry and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may put the end of his finger in water and put it on my tongue, for I am cruelly burning 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.
But Abraham said, Keep in mind, my son, that when you were living, you had your good things, while Lazarus had evil things: but now, he is comforted and you are in pain.
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 in addition, there is a deep division fixed between us and you, so that those who might go from here to you are not able to do so, and no one may come from you to us.
27 ‘Then, Father,’ he said, ‘I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house —
And he said, Father, it is my request that you will 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; and let him give them an account of these things, so that they may not come to this place of pain.
29 ‘They have the writings of Moses and the Prophets,’ replied Abraham; ‘let them listen to them.’
But Abraham said, They have Moses and the prophets; let them give ear to what they say.
30 ‘But, Father Abraham,’ he urged, ‘if some one from the dead were to go to them, they would repent.’
And he said, No, father Abraham, but if someone went to them from the dead, their hearts would be changed.
31 ‘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.’”
And he said to him, If they will not give attention to Moses and the prophets, they will not be moved even if someone comes back from the dead.
