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The parable of the wicked mammon. Not one tittle of God’s word shall perish. Of the rich man and poor Lazarus.

16 And he said also to his disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward that was accused of wasting his goods. And he summoned him and said to him, How is it that I hear this of you? Give accounts of your stewardship, for you may no longer be steward.

The steward said within himself, What can I do? For my master will take away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig, and to beg I am ashamed. I know what to do, so that when I am put out of the stewardship, people may receive me into their houses.

Then he called all his master’s debtors, and said to the first, How much do you owe to my master? And he said, A hundred tons of oil. And the steward said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty. Then he said to another, What do you owe? And he said, A hundred quarters of wheat. The steward said to him, Take your bill and write eighty.

And the lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely. For among their own, the children of this world are wiser than the children of light. And I say also to you, make friends for yourselves with the wicked mammon, so that when you depart this world, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

10 He who is faithful in that which is least, the same is faithful in much. And he who is unfaithful in the least is unfaithful also in much. 11 So then, if you have not been faithful in the wicked mammon, who will believe you in that which is true? 12 And if you have not been faithful in another man’s business, who will give you your own?

13 No servant can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will lean to the one and neglect the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.

14 All these things the Pharisees also heard, who were covetous; and they mocked him. 15 And he said to them, You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among men, is abominable in the sight of God.

16 The law and the prophets reigned until the time of John; and since that time, the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone strives to go in.

17 Sooner can heaven and earth perish, than one tittle of the law can pass away. 18 Whosoever forsakes his wife and marries another, breaks matrimony, and every man who marries her that is divorced from her husband, commits adultery also.

19 There was a certain rich man that was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared deliciously every day. 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus who lay at his gate, full of sores, 21 longing to be relieved of hunger with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Nevertheless, the 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; 23 and being in hell, in torments, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue! For I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said to him, Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your pleasure, and contrariwise Lazarus pain. Now therefore he is comforted, and you are punished. 26 Beyond all this, between all you and us there is a great space set, so that those who would desire to go from here to you cannot, and none may come from there to us.

27 Then he said, I pray you therefore, Father, send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brethren, to warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29 Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, Father Abraham, but if one came to them from the dead, they would repent.

31 He said to him, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe though one rose from death again.

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

16 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.(A) So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

“‘Nine hundred gallons[a] of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels[b] of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world(B) are more shrewd(C) in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.(D) I tell you, use worldly wealth(E) to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.(F)

10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,(G) and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth,(H) who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”(I)

14 The Pharisees, who loved money,(J) heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.(K) 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves(L) in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts.(M) What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

Additional Teachings

16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John.(N) Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached,(O) and everyone is forcing their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.(P)

18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.(Q)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.(R) 20 At his gate was laid a beggar(S) named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.(T) Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,(U) have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’(V)

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,(W) but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.(X) 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them,(Y) so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses(Z) and the Prophets;(AA) let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham,’(AB) he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Footnotes

  1. Luke 16:6 Or about 3,000 liters
  2. Luke 16:7 Or about 30 tons