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Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

19 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.

22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet.[a] The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and he went to the place of the dead.[b] There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’

25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’

27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’

29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’

30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’

31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

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Footnotes

  1. 16:22 Greek to Abraham’s bosom.
  2. 16:23 Greek to Hades.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “Once there was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and live in great luxury every day. 20 A beggar named Lazarus, who was covered with sores, was brought to his gate. 21 He was always trying to satisfy his hunger with what fell[a] from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs used to come and lick his sores.

22 “One day, the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In the afterlife,[b] where he was in constant torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus by his side. 24 So he shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue, because I am suffering in this fire.’

25 “But Abraham said, ‘My child, remember that during your lifetime you received blessings,[c] while Lazarus received hardships.[d] But now he is being comforted here, while you suffer. 26 Besides all this, a wide chasm has been fixed between us, so that those who want to cross from this side to you cannot do so, nor can they cross from your side to us.’

27 “The rich man[e] said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus[f] to my father’s house— 28 because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they won’t end up in this place of torture, too.’

29 “Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. They should listen to them!’

30 “But the rich man[g] replied, ‘No, father Abraham! But if someone from the dead went to them, they would repent.’

31 “Then Abraham[h] told him, ‘If your brothers[i] do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded, even if someone were to rise from the dead.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 16:21 Other mss. read the scraps that fell
  2. Luke 16:23 Lit. Hades, i.e. the realm of the dead
  3. Luke 16:25 Lit. good things
  4. Luke 16:25 Lit. and Lazarus in like manner evil things
  5. Luke 16:27 Lit. He
  6. Luke 16:27 Lit. him
  7. Luke 16:30 Lit. he
  8. Luke 16:31 Lit. he
  9. Luke 16:31 Lit. If they