The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

16 He also said to the disciples: “There was a rich(A) man who received an accusation that his manager(B) was squandering(C) his possessions. 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.’

“Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg. I know what I’ll do so that when I’m removed from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’

“So he summoned each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first one.

“‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he said.

“‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘sit down quickly, and write 50.’

“Next he asked another, ‘How much do you owe?’

“‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he said.

“‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘and write 80.’

“The master praised the unrighteous manager(E) because he had acted astutely. For the sons of this age(F) are more astute than the sons of light(G) in dealing with their own people.[a] And I tell you, make friends(H) for yourselves by means of the unrighteous money(I) so that when it fails,[b] 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 the unrighteous money, 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) household slave can be the slave of 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 can’t be slaves to both God and money.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 16:8 Lit own generation
  2. Luke 16:9 Other mss read when you fail or pass away

16 Then de Jesus also kai said legō to pros his ho disciples mathētēs, “ There was eimi a tis rich plousios man anthrōpos who hos had echō a manager oikonomos, and kai charges were brought diaballō to him autos that hōs this houtos man was wasting diaskorpizō · ho his autos assets hyparchō. So kai he called phōneō him autos in and said legō to him autos, ‘ What tis is this houtos I hear akouō about peri you sy? Hand apodidōmi over the ho account logos of ho your sy stewardship oikonomia, because gar you cannot ou be dynamai my manager oikonomeō any eti longer .’ And de the ho manager oikonomos said legō to en himself heautou, ‘ What tis shall I do poieō, since hoti · ho my egō master kyrios is taking aphaireō the ho management oikonomia away from apo me egō? I am ischuō not ou strong enough ischuō to dig skaptō, and I am ashamed to beg epaiteō. I know ginōskō what tis to do poieō, so hina that when hotan I am removed methistēmi from ek · ho management oikonomia, people will welcome dechomai me egō into eis · ho their autos homes oikos.’ · kai Calling proskaleō each hekastos one heis of ho his heautou master’ s kyrios debtors chreopheiletēs, · ho he said legō to the ho first prōtos, ‘ How posos much do you owe opheilō · ho my egō master kyrios?’ He ho · de said legō, ‘A hundred hekaton measures batos of oil elaion.’ So de he ho told legō him autos, ‘ Take dechomai your sy · ho contract gramma, · kai sit kathizō down quickly tacheōs, and write graphō fifty pentēkonta.’ Then epeita he said legō to another heteros, ‘ And de how much posos do you sy owe opheilō?’ He ho · de answered legō, ‘A hundred hekaton measures koros of wheat sitos.’ He said legō to him autos, ‘ Take dechomai your sy · ho contract gramma, and kai write graphō eighty ogdoēkonta.’ · kai The ho master kyrios commended epaineō the ho dishonest adikia manager oikonomos · ho because hoti he acted poieō shrewdly phronimōs. For hoti the ho sons hyios of ho this houtos world aiōn are eimi more shrewd phronimos in dealing with eis their own heautou generation genea than hyper the ho sons hyios of ho light phōs. · ho · ho And kai I egō say legō to you hymeis, make poieō friends philos for yourselves heautou by ek means of the ho wealth mamōnas of ho unrighteousness adikia, so hina that when hotan it fails ekleipō they may receive dechomai you hymeis into eis the ho eternal aiōnios homes skēnē.

10  The ho one who is faithful pistos in en the smallest elachistos thing is eimi also kai faithful pistos in en something great polys; and kai the ho one who is dishonest adikos in en the smallest elachistos thing is eimi also kai dishonest adikos in en something great polys. 11 Therefore oun if ei in en · ho unrighteous adikos wealth mamōnas you have ginomai not ou been ginomai faithful pistos, who tis will entrust pisteuō to you hymeis that ho which is of true alēthinos value ? 12 And kai if ei you have ginomai not ou been ginomai faithful pistos in en what ho belongs to another allotrios, who tis will give didōmi you hymeis what ho is to be your hymeteros own ?

13  No oudeis servant oiketēs is able dynamai to serve douleuō two dyo masters kyrios. For gar either ē he will hate miseō the ho one heis and kai love agapaō the ho other heteros, or ē he will be devoted to antechō the one heis and kai despise kataphroneō the ho other heteros. You cannot ou serve douleuō God theos and kai money mamōnas.”

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