Lucas 16
Dios Habla Hoy
La parábola del mayordomo astuto
16 Jesús contó también esto a sus discípulos: «Había un hombre rico que tenía un mayordomo; y fueron a decirle que éste le estaba malgastando sus bienes. 2 El amo lo llamó y le dijo: “¿Qué es esto que me dicen de ti? Dame cuenta de tu trabajo, porque ya no puedes seguir siendo mi mayordomo.” 3 El mayordomo se puso a pensar: “¿Qué voy a hacer ahora que mi amo me deja sin trabajo? No tengo fuerzas para trabajar la tierra, y me da vergüenza pedir limosna. 4 Ya sé lo que voy a hacer, para tener quienes me reciban en sus casas cuando me quede sin trabajo.” 5 Llamó entonces uno por uno a los que le debían algo a su amo. Al primero le preguntó: “¿Cuánto le debes a mi amo?” 6 Le contestó: “Le debo cien barriles de aceite.” El mayordomo le dijo: “Aquí está tu vale; siéntate en seguida y haz otro por cincuenta solamente.” 7 Después preguntó a otro: “Y tú, ¿cuánto le debes?” Éste le contestó: “Cien medidas de trigo.” Le dijo: “Aquí está tu vale; haz otro por ochenta solamente.” 8 El amo reconoció que el mal mayordomo había sido listo en su manera de hacer las cosas. Y es que cuando se trata de sus propios negocios, los que pertenecen al mundo son más listos que los que pertenecen a la luz.
9 »Les aconsejo que usen las falsas riquezas de este mundo para ganarse amigos, para que cuando las riquezas se acaben, haya quien los reciba a ustedes en las viviendas eternas.
10 »El que se porta honradamente en lo poco, también se porta honradamente en lo mucho; y el que no tiene honradez en lo poco, tampoco la tiene en lo mucho. 11 De manera que, si con las falsas riquezas de este mundo ustedes no se portan honradamente, ¿quién les confiará las verdaderas riquezas? 12 Y si no se portan honradamente con lo ajeno, ¿quién les dará lo que les pertenece?
13 »Ningún sirviente puede servir a dos amos; porque odiará a uno y querrá al otro, o será fiel a uno y despreciará al otro. No se puede servir a Dios y a las riquezas.»
14 Los fariseos, que eran amigos del dinero, oyeron todo esto y se burlaron de Jesús. 15 Jesús les dijo: «Ustedes son los que se hacen pasar por justos delante de la gente, pero Dios conoce sus corazones; pues lo que los hombres tienen por más elevado, Dios lo aborrece.
La ley y el reino de Dios
16 »La ley y los profetas llegan hasta Juan. Desde entonces se anuncia la buena noticia acerca del reino de Dios, y a todos se les hace fuerza para que entren.
17 »Es más fácil que el cielo y la tierra dejen de existir, que deje de cumplirse una sola letra de la ley.
Jesús enseña sobre el divorcio(A)
18 »Si un hombre se divorcia de su esposa y se casa con otra, comete adulterio; y el que se casa con una divorciada, también comete adulterio.
La parábola del rico y el pobre Lázaro
19 »Había un hombre rico, que se vestía con ropa fina y elegante y que todos los días ofrecía espléndidos banquetes. 20 Había también un pobre llamado Lázaro, que estaba lleno de llagas y se sentaba en el suelo a la puerta del rico. 21 Este pobre quería llenarse con lo que caía de la mesa del rico; y hasta los perros se acercaban a lamerle las llagas. 22 Un día el pobre murió, y los ángeles lo llevaron a sentarse a comer al lado de Abraham. El rico también murió, y fue enterrado.
23 »Y mientras el rico sufría en el lugar adonde van los muertos, levantó los ojos y vio de lejos a Abraham, y a Lázaro sentado a su lado. 24 Entonces gritó: “¡Padre Abraham, ten lástima de mí! Manda a Lázaro que moje la punta de su dedo en agua y venga a refrescar mi lengua, porque estoy sufriendo mucho en este fuego.” 25 Pero Abraham le contestó: “Hijo, acuérdate que en vida tú recibiste tu parte de bienes, y Lázaro su parte de males. Ahora él recibe consuelo aquí, y tú sufres. 26 Aparte de esto, hay un gran abismo entre nosotros y ustedes; de modo que los que quieren pasar de aquí allá, no pueden, ni de allá tampoco pueden pasar aquí.”
27 »El rico dijo: “Te suplico entonces, padre Abraham, que mandes a Lázaro a la casa de mi padre, 28 donde tengo cinco hermanos, para que les llame la atención, y así no vengan ellos también a este lugar de tormento.” 29 Abraham dijo: “Ellos ya tienen lo escrito por Moisés y los profetas: ¡que les hagan caso!” 30 El rico contestó: “Padre Abraham, eso no basta; pero si un muerto resucita y se les aparece, ellos se convertirán.” 31 Pero Abraham le dijo: “Si no quieren hacer caso a Moisés y a los profetas, tampoco creerán aunque algún muerto resucite.”»
Luke 16
English Standard Version
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
16 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had (A)a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your (B)management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures[a] of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures[b] of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his (C)shrewdness. For (D)the sons of this world[c] are (E)more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than (F)the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, (G)make friends for yourselves by means of (H)unrighteous wealth,[d] so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10 (I)“One who is (J)faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in (K)that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 (L)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 money.”
The Law and the Kingdom of God
14 (M)The Pharisees, who were (N)lovers of money, heard all these things, and they (O)ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who (P)justify yourselves before men, but (Q)God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men (R)is an abomination in the sight of God.
16 (S)“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then (T)the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and (U)everyone forces his way into it.[e] 17 But (V)it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
Divorce and Remarriage
18 (W)“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in (X)purple and fine linen and (Y)who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate (Z)was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with (AA)what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by (AB)the angels (AC)to Abraham's side.[f] The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in (AD)Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and (AE)saw Abraham far off and Lazarus (AF)at his side. 24 And he called out, (AG)‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and (AH)cool my tongue, for (AI)I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that (AJ)you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 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 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have (AK)Moses and the Prophets; (AL)let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, (AM)father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear (AN)Moses and the Prophets, (AO)neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
Footnotes
- Luke 16:6 About 875 gallons or 3,200 liters
- Luke 16:7 Between 1,000 and 1,200 bushels or 37,000 to 45,000 liters
- Luke 16:8 Greek age
- Luke 16:9 Greek mammon, a Semitic word for money or possessions; also verse 11; rendered money in verse 13
- Luke 16:16 Or everyone is forcefully urged into it
- Luke 16:22 Greek bosom; also verse 23
Luke 16
New International Reader's Version
The Story of the Clever Manager
16 Jesus told his disciples another story. He said, “There was a rich man who had a manager. Some said that the manager was wasting what the rich man owned. 2 So the rich man told him to come in. He asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Tell me exactly how you have handled what I own. You can’t be my manager any longer.’
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What will I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig. And I’m too ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I’m going to do. I’ll do something so that when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
5 “So he called in each person who owed his master something. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “ ‘I owe 900 gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill. Sit down quickly and change it to 450 gallons.’
7 “Then he asked the second one, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“ ‘I owe 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill and change it to 800 bushels.’
8 “The manager had not been honest. But the master praised him for being clever. The people of this world are clever in dealing with those who are like themselves. They are more clever than God’s people. 9 I tell you, use the riches of this world to help others. In that way, you will make friends for yourselves. Then when your riches are gone, you will be welcomed into your eternal home in heaven.
10 “Suppose you can be trusted with something very little. Then you can also be trusted with something very large. But suppose you are not honest with something very little. Then you will also not be honest with something very large. 11 Suppose you have not been worthy of trust in handling worldly wealth. Then who will trust you with true riches? 12 Suppose you have not been worthy of trust in handling someone else’s property. Then who will give you property of your own?
13 “No one can serve two masters at the same time. Either you will hate one of them and love the other. Or you will be faithful to one and dislike the other. You can’t serve God and money at the same time.”
14 The Pharisees loved money. They heard all that Jesus said and made fun of him. 15 Jesus said to them, “You try to make yourselves look good in the eyes of other people. But God knows your hearts. What people think is worth a lot is hated by God.
More Teachings
16 “The teachings of the Law and the Prophets were preached until John the Baptist came. Since then, the good news of God’s kingdom is being preached. And everyone is trying very hard to enter it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest part of a letter to drop out of the Law.
18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery. Also, the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “Once there was a rich man. He was dressed in purple cloth and fine linen. He lived an easy life every day. 20 A man named Lazarus was placed at his gate. Lazarus was a beggar. His body was covered with sores. 21 Even dogs came and licked his sores. All he wanted was to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.
22 “The time came when the beggar died. The angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In the place of the dead, the rich man was suffering terribly. He looked up and saw Abraham far away. Lazarus was by his side. 24 So the rich man called out, ‘Father Abraham! Have pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water. Then he can cool my tongue with it. I am in terrible pain in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember what happened in your lifetime. You received your good things. Lazarus received bad things. Now he is comforted here, and you are in terrible pain. 26 Besides, a wide space has been placed between us and you. So those who want to go from here to you can’t go. And no one can cross over from there to us.’
27 “The rich man answered, ‘Then I beg you, father Abraham. Send Lazarus to my family. 28 I have five brothers. Let Lazarus warn them. Then they will not come to this place of terrible suffering.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have the teachings of Moses and the Prophets. Let your brothers listen to them.’
30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will turn away from their sins.’
31 “Abraham said to him, ‘They do not listen to Moses and the Prophets. So they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
Dios habla hoy ®, © Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas, 1966, 1970, 1979, 1983, 1996.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
