Luke 16:7-9

Living Bible

⁷“‘And how much do you owe him?’ he asked the next man. ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the accountant said, ‘take your note and replace it with one for only 800 bushels!’

⁸“The rich man had to admire the rascal for being so shrewd.^[a] And it is true that the citizens of this world are more clever in dishonesty than the godly are. ⁹But shall I tell you to act that way, to buy friendship through cheating? Will this ensure your entry into an everlasting home in heaven?^[b]

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Footnotes

Luke 16:8 The rich man had to admire the rascal for being so shrewd, or “Do you think the rich man commended the scoundrel for being so shrewd?” in dishonesty, implied. godly, literally, “sons of the light.”
Luke 16:9 Will this ensure your entry into an everlasting home in heaven? literally, and probably ironically, “Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it shall fail you, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles.” Some commentators would interpret this to mean: “Use your money for good, so that it will be waiting to befriend you when you get to heaven.” But this would imply the end justifies the means, an unbiblical idea.