善用钱财

16 耶稣又对门徒说:“某财主有个管家,有人控告这管家浪费主人的财物。 财主便把管家召来,对他说,‘听说你浪费我的财物,到底是怎么回事?把帐目交代清楚,你不能再当管家了。’

“管家私下盘算,‘主人要辞退我了,怎么办呢?锄地我没有力气,讨饭我又感到羞耻。 我知道该怎么办了!就算被辞退了,也会有人照应我。’ 于是,他把欠他主人债的一个一个召来,问第一个,‘你欠了我主人多少?’

“他回答说,‘一百桶油。’

“管家说,‘这是你的帐,快坐下,改成五十吧!’

“管家又问另一个,‘你欠多少?’

“他回答说,‘一百石麦子。’

“管家说,‘这是你的帐,改成八十石吧。’

“主人夸奖这个不义的管家精明。因为今世的儿女在处理世事方面比光明的儿女更精明。

“我告诉你们,要善用今世[a]的钱财,广结朋友。这样,当钱财不管用时,他们会接你们到永远的居所。

见微知著

10 “一个人在小事上忠心,在大事上也会忠心;在小事上靠不住,在大事上更靠不住。 11 如果你们不能忠心地处理今世的财富,谁会把真正的财富交托给你们呢? 12 如果你们不能忠心地处理别人的产业,谁会把你们名下的产业交给你们呢? 13 一个仆人不能服侍两位主人,因为他不是恨这位、爱那位,就是重这位、轻那位。你们不能又事奉上帝,又崇拜金钱。”

警戒贪财的法利赛人

14 法利赛人向来贪财,他们一面听一面嗤笑耶稣。 15 耶稣对他们说:“你们在人面前自以为义,但上帝能看透你们的心。因为世人所看重的东西在上帝看来却是可憎的。 16 约翰还没有来以前,律法书和先知书是你们的准则。他出来后,上帝国的福音开始广传,人人都在努力进上帝的国。 17 不过,就是天地都消失,律法的一点一划也不会失效。 18 任何人休妻另娶,就是犯通奸罪,娶被休的女子也是犯通奸罪。”

财主和乞丐

19 耶稣又说:“有个财主天天衣着华丽,生活奢侈。 20 又有一个名叫拉撒路的乞丐身上长满了脓疮,被人放在财主家门口。 21 他渴望吃到财主桌上掉下来的食物残渣,却只有狗来舔他的疮。

22 “后来,乞丐死了,天使带他到亚伯拉罕身边。财主也死了,被人埋葬了。 23 他在阴间受折磨,抬头远远地看见亚伯拉罕和他身边的拉撒路, 24 就喊着说,‘我的先祖亚伯拉罕啊!求你可怜我,派拉撒路用指尖蘸点水来润润我的舌头吧!我在这火中实在痛苦不堪。’

25 “亚伯拉罕说,‘孩子啊!你要想想,你生前享福,而拉撒路受苦;如今他在这里得到安慰,而你受折磨。 26 况且,在你我中间隔着一道深渊,这边的人不能到你那边去,你那边的人也不能到这里来。’

27 “财主说,‘我的先祖啊,那么求你派拉撒路去我父亲家里, 28 因为我有五个弟兄。让拉撒路去警告他们,以免他们也来到这痛苦的地方。’

29 “但是亚伯拉罕却说,‘他们可以听从摩西和众先知的话呀!’

30 “财主回答说,‘我的先祖亚伯拉罕啊!他们不会听的。但如果有一个死而复活的人去警告他们,他们肯定会悔改!’

31 “亚伯拉罕说,‘如果他们不听从摩西和众先知的话,即使一个人从死里复活,他们也不会信服。’”

Footnotes

  1. 16:9 今世”希腊文是“不义”。

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

16 And he said also unto his disciples, `A certain man was rich, who had a steward, and he was accused to him as scattering his goods;

and having called him, he said to him, What [is] this I hear about thee? render the account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest not any longer be steward.

`And the steward said in himself, What shall I do, because my lord doth take away the stewardship from me? to dig I am not able, to beg I am ashamed: --

I have known what I shall do, that, when I may be removed from the stewardship, they may receive me to their houses.

`And having called near each one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first, How much dost thou owe to my lord?

and he said, A hundred baths of oil; and he said to him, Take thy bill, and having sat down write fifty.

`Afterward to another he said, And thou, how much dost thou owe? and he said, A hundred cors of wheat; and he saith to him, Take thy bill, and write eighty.

`And the lord commended the unrighteous steward that he did prudently, because the sons of this age are more prudent than the sons of the light, in respect to their generation.

and I say to you, Make to yourselves friends out of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye may fail, they may receive you to the age-during tabernacles.

10 `He who is faithful in the least, [is] also faithful in much; and he who in the least [is] unrighteous, is also unrighteous in much;

11 if, then, in the unrighteous mammon ye became not faithful -- the true who will entrust to you?

12 and if in the other's ye became not faithful -- your own, who shall give to you?

13 `No domestic is able to serve two lords, for either the one he will hate, and the other he will love; or one he will hold to, and of the other he will be heedless; ye are not able to serve God and mammon.'

14 And also the Pharisees, being lovers of money, were hearing all these things, and were deriding him,

15 and he said to them, `Ye are those declaring yourselves righteous before men, but God doth know your hearts; because that which among men is high, [is] abomination before God;

16 the law and the prophets [are] till John; since then the reign of God is proclaimed good news, and every one doth press into it;

17 and it is easier to the heaven and the earth to pass away, than of the law one tittle to fall.

18 `Every one who is sending away his wife, and marrying another, doth commit adultery; and every one who is marrying her sent away from a husband doth commit adultery.

19 `And -- a certain man was rich, and was clothed in purple and fine linen, making merry sumptuously every day,

20 and there was a certain poor man, by name Lazarus, who was laid at his porch, full of sores,

21 and desiring to be filled from the crumbs that are falling from the table of the rich man; yea, also the dogs, coming, were licking his sores.

22 `And it came to pass, that the poor man died, and that he was carried away by the messengers to the bosom of Abraham -- and the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 and in the hades having lifted up his eyes, being in torments, he doth see Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom,

24 and having cried, he said, Father Abraham, deal kindly with me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and may cool my tongue, because I am distressed in this flame.

25 `And Abraham said, Child, remember that thou did receive -- thou -- thy good things in thy life, and Lazarus in like manner the evil things, and now he is comforted, and thou art distressed;

26 and besides all these things, between us and you a great chasm is fixed, so that they who are willing to go over from hence unto you are not able, nor do they from thence to us pass through.

27 `And he said, I pray thee, then, father, that thou mayest send him to the house of my father,

28 for I have five brothers, so that he may thoroughly testify to them, that they also may not come to this place of torment.

29 `Abraham saith to him, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them;

30 and he said, No, father Abraham, but if any one from the dead may go unto them, they will reform.

31 And he said to him, If Moses and the prophets they do not hear, neither if one may rise out of the dead will they be persuaded.'