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
Lukas 16
Orthodox Jewish Bible
16 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was saying also to the talmidim, A certain oisher (rich man) had a sochen (steward, estate manager or agent), and the charge brought against him was that he was squandering the property of the oisher (rich man).
2 And having called him, the oisher said to the sochen, What is this I hear about you? Submit to a bikoret beshbonot (audit) for that which is under your pekuddat (stewardship care), for you are no longer able to be sochen.
3 And the sochen said to himself, What may I do, because Adoni takes away the pekuddat from me? I am not strong enough to dig, I am ashamed to beg.
4 Oh! I have daas of what I may do, that when I am removed from the work of the sochen, they may receive me into their batim.
5 And having summoned his Adon’s debtors one by one, he was saying to the first, How much do you owe Adoni?
6 And he said, One hundred jugs of olive oil. And the sochen said to him, Take your bill, sit down, quickly write fifty.
7 Then to another he said, And you, how much do you owe? And he said, One hundred containers of wheat. He says to him, Take your bill and write eighty.
8 And the Baal Bayit praised the unrighteous sochen because he acted with chochmah. Because the Bnei HaOlam HaZeh have more seichel in dealing with their own generation than the Bnei HaOhr. [Psa 17:14; 18:26]
9 And I say to you, use the mammon (the wealth of the Olam HaZeh) to make for yourselves yedidim (friends, chaverim), so that when unrighteous mammon fails, they may welcome you into the mishkenot olam (eternal dwellings of the Olam HaBah).
10 The one oisgehalten in little, also is neeman in much, and the one who is unrighteous in little, also in much is unrighteous.
11 If, then, you were not ne’eman with unrighteous mammon, who will entrust you with hon emes ?
12 And if you were not neeman with that which belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
13 No eved is able to serve two adonim; for either he will have sinah (hatred) toward the one and he will have ahavah (love) toward the other, or one he will be devoted to and the other he will despise. Your avodas service cannot be for both Hashem and Mammon.
14 And the Perushim, who were ohavei kesef (lovers of money), heard all this and they made leitzonus (fun) of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.
15 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, You are the ones who in the sight of Bnei Adam credit yourself as being yitzdak im Hashem (justified with G-d, IYOV 25:4), but Hashem has daas (knowledge) of your levavot. Because the thing highly esteemed among Bnei Adam is a to’eva (abomination) before Hashem.
16 The Torah and the Neviim were proclaimed until Yochanan; since then it is the Malchut Hashem that is being preached as Besuras HaGeulah, and anyone entering it must strive to do so.
17 But it is easier for HaShomayim and HaAretz to pass away than for one tag (ornamental flourish) of the Torah to fail.
18 Anyone giving the get to his isha and taking another wife commits ni’uf (adultery), and the one marrying a gerusha (divorcee) commits ni’uf (adultery).
19 Now there was a certain oisher (rich man). He was dressed in purple and fine linen, and yom yom (daily) he feasted sumptuosly and every day for him was to make a simcha. [YECHEZKEL 16:49]
20 And there was a certain ish oni (poor man) covered with sores, Elazar by name, who had been laid at the oisher’s sha’ar (gate).
21 And the ish oni Elazar longed to fill his mogen (stomach) with what fell from the oisher’s tish. But even the kelevim (dogs) were coming and licking the sores of the ish oni (poor man).
22 And it came to pass that Elazar died, and he was carried away by the malachim to the tish at the kheyk (bosom) of Avraham Avinu. And then the oisher (rich man) died also, and he was buried.
23 And lifting up his eynayim in Sheol, where he was in the torments of agony, he sees Avraham Avinu off in the distance and Elazar at tish at his kheyk (bosom).
24 And he called, Avraham Avinu! Chaneni na and send Elazar that he may dip the tip of his finger into the mayim and cool my tongue, because I am in torment in this moked (fire). [YESHAYAH 66:24]
25 But Avraham Avinu said, Beni, have zikaron (recollection) that you received your tov in the span of your days, and Elazar likewise received the ra’ah. But now he is given nechamah (comfort) here, but you, yisurim (sufferings, torments). [TEHILLIM 17:14]
26 And, in addition to all these things, there has been fixed between us and you a tehom gedolah (a great abyss, chasm), so that the ones wishing to come over from here to you are not able, neither from there to us may they cross over.
27 And the oisher said, I ask you then, Avraham Avinu, that you may send Elazar to the bais of Avi,
28 for I have chamesh achim (five brothers) that he may warn them, lest also they may come to this place of yisurim (torments).
29 But Avraham Avinu says, They have Moshe Rabbeinu and the Neviim. Let them listen to them.
30 But the oisher said, Lo (no), Avraham Avinu, but if someone from the Mesim should go to them, they will make teshuva.
31 But Avraham said to him, If Moshe Rabbeinu and the Neviim they do not listen to, neither if someone should make his Techiyah from the Mesim should they be persuaded.
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