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. He also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting 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 to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be 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. And the steward said to himself, `What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.

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 have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.'

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, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, `How much do you owe my master?'

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

6. He said, `A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, `Take your 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 he said to another, `And how much do you owe?' He said, `A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill, and write eighty.'

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. The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons 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 tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal 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 who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.

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

11. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you 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 you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will 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 he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

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

14. The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they scoffed at 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. But he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an 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 then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and every one enters it violently.

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

17. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one dot of the law to become void.

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. "Every one who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits 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 rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

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

20. And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz'arus, 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. who desired to be fed with what 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. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to 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 Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz'arus 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 called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Laz'arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish 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 you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz'arus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

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 besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.'

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

27. And he said, `Then I beg you, father, to 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 brothers, so that he may warn 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. But Abraham said, `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, `No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to 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. He said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'"