Luke, 16

1. He also said to his disciples, 'There was a rich man and he had a steward who was denounced to him for being wasteful with his property.

1. And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

2. He called for the man and said, "What is this I hear about you? Draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my steward any longer."

2. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

3. Then the steward said to himself, "Now that my master is taking the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I should be too ashamed.

3. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

4. Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes."

4. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

5. 'Then he called his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, "How much do you owe my master?"

5. So he called every one of his lord's debtors [unto him], and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

6. "One hundred measures of oil," he said. The steward said, "Here, take your bond; sit down and quickly write fifty."

6. And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

7. To another he said, "And you, sir, how much do you owe?" "One hundred measures of wheat," he said. The steward said, "Here, take your bond and write eighty."

7. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

8. 'The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.'

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.

9. 'And so I tell you this: use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.

9. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

10. Anyone who is trustworthy in little things is trustworthy in great; anyone who is dishonest in little things is dishonest in great.

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.

11. If then you are not trustworthy with money, that tainted thing, who will trust you with genuine riches?

11. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true [riches]?

12. And if you are not trustworthy with what is not yours, who will give you what is your very own?

12. And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

13. 'No servant can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or be attached to the first and despise the second. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.'

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 mammon.

14. The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and jeered at him.

14. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

15. He said to them, 'You are the very ones who pass yourselves off as upright in people's sight, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed in human eyes is loathsome in the sight of God.

15. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

16. 'Up to the time of John it was the Law and the Prophets; from then onwards, the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it.

16. The law and the prophets [were] until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

17. 'It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for one little stroke to drop out of the Law.

17. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

18. 'Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery, and the man who marries a woman divorced by her husband commits adultery.

18. Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from [her] husband committeth adultery.

19. 'There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day.

19. There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20. And at his gate there used to lie a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores,

20. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21. who longed to fill himself with what fell from the rich man's table. Even dogs came and licked his 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.

22. Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels into Abraham's embrace. The rich man also died and was buried.

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. 'In his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off with Lazarus in his embrace.

23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24. So he cried out, "Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames."

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.

25. Abraham said, "My son, remember that during your life you had your fill of good things, just as Lazarus his fill of bad. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony.

25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26. But that is not all: between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to prevent those who want to cross from our side to yours or from your side to ours."

26. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would come] from thence.

27. 'So he said, "Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father's house,

27. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

28. since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to this place of torment too."

28. For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29. Abraham said, "They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them."

29. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30. The rich man replied, "Ah no, father Abraham, but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent."

30. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31. Then Abraham said to him, "If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead."

31. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.