Chapter 16

The Parable of the Dishonest Steward.^{[a] 1} Then he also said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. ² He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ ³ The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. ⁴ I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ ⁵ He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ^6 [b]He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ ⁷ Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors^[c] of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ ⁸ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.

Application of the Parable.^[d] “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.^{[e](A) 9} I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,^[f] so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.^{(B) 10 [g]}The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.^{(C) 11} If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? ¹² If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? ¹³ No servant can serve two masters.^[h] He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”^(D)

A Saying Against the Pharisees. ^14 [i]The Pharisees, who loved money,^[j] heard all these things and sneered at him. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.^(E)

Sayings About the Law. ¹⁶ “The law and the prophets lasted until John;^[k] but from then on the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone who enters does so with violence.^{(F) 17} It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for the smallest part of a letter of the law to become invalid.^(G)

Sayings About Divorce. ¹⁸ “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.^(H)

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.^{[l] 19} “There was a rich man^[m] who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. ²⁰ And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,^{(I) 21} who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. ²² When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and from the netherworld,^[n] where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’ ²⁵ Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.^{(J) 26} Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ ²⁷ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ ^30 [o]He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ ³¹ Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’”^(K)