Luke 16
Christian Standard Bible
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
16 Now he said to the disciples, “There was a rich(A) man who received an accusation that his manager(B) was squandering(C) his possessions. 2 So he called the manager in and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management,(D) because you can no longer be my manager.’
3 “Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do since my master is taking the management away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I’ll do so that when I’m removed from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’
5 “So he summoned each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first one.
6 “‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he said.
“‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘sit down quickly, and write fifty.’
7 “Next he asked another, ‘How much do you owe?’
“‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he said.
“‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘and write eighty.’
8 “The master praised the unrighteous manager(E) because he had acted shrewdly. For the children of this age(F) are more shrewd than the children of light(G) in dealing with their own people.[a] 9 And I tell you, make friends(H) for yourselves by means of worldly wealth[b](I) so that when it fails, they may welcome you into eternal dwellings. 10 Whoever is faithful(J) in very little(K) is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. 11 So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will trust you with what is genuine? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? 13 No(L) servant can serve two masters, since either he will hate(M) one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Kingdom Values
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money,(N) were listening to all these things and scoffing(O) at him. 15 And he told them, “You are the ones who justify(P) yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts.(Q) For what is highly admired by people is revolting(R) in God’s sight.
16 “The(S) Law and the Prophets(T) were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God(U) has been proclaimed, and everyone is urgently invited to enter it.[c] 17 But it is easier(V) for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out.
18 “Everyone(W) who divorces(X) his wife and marries another woman commits adultery,(Y) and everyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen,(Z) feasting lavishly every day. 20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was lying at his gate.(AA) 21 He longed to be filled(AB) with what fell from the rich man’s table,(AC) but instead the dogs(AD) would come and lick his sores. 22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side.[d](AE) The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torment(AF) in Hades,(AG) he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 24 ‘Father Abraham!’(AH) he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony(AI) in this flame!’
25 “‘Son,’[e] Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things,(AJ) just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here,(AK) while you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’
27 “‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 because I have five brothers—to warn(AL) them, so that they won’t also come to this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets;(AM) they should listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”(AN)
Luke 16
1599 Geneva Bible
16 1 The parable of the steward accused to his master. 13 To serve two masters. 16 The law and the Prophets. 19 Of Dives and Lazarus.
1 And he said also unto his disciples, [a]There was a certain rich man, which had a steward, and he was accused unto him, that he wasted his goods.
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 within himself, What shall I do? for my master taketh away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig, and to beg I am ashamed.
4 I know what I will do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
5 Then called he unto him everyone of his master’s debtors, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my master?
6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said to him, Take thy writing, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
7 Then said he to another, How much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. Then he said to him, Take thy writing and write fourscore.
8 And the Lord commended [b]the unjust steward, because he had done wisely. Wherefore the [c]children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
9 And I say unto you, Make you friends with the riches [d]of iniquity, that when ye shall want, they may receive you into everlasting [e]habitations.
10 [f]He that is faithful in the least, he is also faithful in much: and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much.
11 If then ye have not been faithful in the wicked riches, who will trust you in the [g]true treasure?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in [h]another man’s goods, who shall give you that which is yours?
13 (A)[i]No servant can serve two masters: for either he shall hate the one, and love the other: or else he shall lean to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and riches.
14 All these things heard the Pharisees also which were covetous, and they scoffed at him.
15 [j]Then 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 (B)[k]The Law and the Prophets endured until John: and since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
17 (C)Now it is more easy that heaven and earth should pass away, than that one tittle of the Law should fall.
18 ¶ (D)Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, commiteth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her [l]that is put away from her husband, commiteth adultery.
19 ¶ [m]There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in [n]purple and fine linen, and fared well and delicately every day.
20 Also there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores,
21 And desired to be refreshed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table: yea, and the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it was so 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, [o]he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 Then 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 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy pleasures, and likewise Lazarus pains: now therefore is he comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 Besides all this, between you and us there is a great gulf set, so that they which would go from hence to you, cannot: neither can they come from thence to us.
27 [p]Then he said, I pray thee therefore father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house,
28 (For I have five brethren) that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and the Prophets: let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one came unto them from the dead, they will amend their lives.
31 Then he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead again.
Footnotes
- Luke 16:1 Seeing that men oftentimes purchase friendship to themselves, by other men’s costs, it is a shame for us, if with a free and liberal bestowing of the goods which the Lord hath given us to that purpose, we do not please him, nor procure the good will of our neighbors, seeing that by this only means, riches, which are oftentimes occasions of sin, are turned to another end and purpose.
- Luke 16:8 This parable doth not approve the steward’s naughty dealing, for it was every theft: but parables are set forth, to show a thing covertly, and as it were under a figure to represent the truth, though it agree not thoroughly with the matter itself: so that Christ meaneth by this parable to teach us, that worldly men are more heady in the affairs of this world, than the children of God are careful for everlasting life.
- Luke 16:8 Men that are given to this present life, contrary to whom the children of light are set: St. Paul calls those spiritual, and the other carnal.
- Luke 16:9 This is not spoken of goods that are evil gotten, for God will have our bountifulness to the poor, proceed and come from a good fountain: but he calleth those riches of iniquity, which men use naughtily.
- Luke 16:9 To wit, the poor Christians: for they are the inheritors of these Tabernacles, Theophylact.
- Luke 16:10 We ought to take heed that for abusing our earthly function and duty, we be not deprived of heavenly gifts: for how can they use spiritual gifts aright, who abuse worldly things?
- Luke 16:11 That is, heavenly and true riches: which are contrary to worldly and flitting substance.
- Luke 16:12 In worldly goods, which are called other men’s, because they are committed to our credit.
- Luke 16:13 No man can love God and riches together.
- Luke 16:15 Our sins are not hidden to God, although they be hidden to men, yea although they be hidden to them whose sins they are.
- Luke 16:16 The Pharisees despised the excellency of the new Covenant, in respect of the old, being ignorant of the perfect righteousness of the Law, and how false expounders they were of the Law, Christ declareth by the seventh Commandment.
- Luke 16:18 They that gather by this place, that a man cannot be married again after that he hath put away his wife for adultery, while she liveth, reason fondly: for Christ speaketh of those divorces which the Jews used, of which sort we cannot take the divorcement for adultery, for adulterers were put to death by the law.
- Luke 16:19 The end of the poverty and misery of the godly, shall be everlasting joy: as the end of riotousness and cruel pride of the rich shall be everlasting misery, without all hope of mercy.
- Luke 16:19 Very gorgeously and sumptuously, for purple garments were costly, and this fine linen which was a kind of linen that came out of Achaia, was as dear as gold.
- Luke 16:23 Heavenly and spiritual things are expressed, and set forth under colors and resemblances fit for our senses.
- Luke 16:27 Seeing that we have a most sure rule to live by, laid forth unto us in the word of God, rashly and vainly do men seek for other revelation.
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