Luke 16

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

1 Jesus told His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his stuff.

2 So he called him in and said, ‘What is this I am hearing about you, Turn in your account, you cannot be my manager anymore.’

3 The manager said to himself, ‘What am I am going to do, My boss is taking my job. I am not strong enough to dig, and I am too ashamed to beg.

4 I know what I will do so that when I lose this job, people will welcome me into their homes.’

5 So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quick, and make it fifty.’

7 Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe,’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’

8 The master praised the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly. The people of this world are more street-smart in dealing with their own than the people of the light.

9 I am telling you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal homes.

10 Whoever is faithful in small things is also faithful in big things, and whoever is dishonest in small things is dishonest in big things.

11 So if you have not been trustworthy with worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches,

12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own,

13 No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be loyal to one and look down on the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Additional Teachings

14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were mocking Him.

15 He said to them, “You are the ones who try to make yourselves look right in front of people, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is disgusting in God’s sight.

16 The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since then, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is pushing their way into it.

17 It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of the Law to fail.

18 Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband also commits adultery.”

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “There was a rich man who lived in luxury every day, dressed in purple and fine linen.

20 At his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,

21 longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 The time came when the poor man died, and he was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.

23 In Hades, being in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.

24 He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, I am suffering in this fire.’

25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. Now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.

26 And besides all that, there is a huge gap set between us, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, and no one can cross over from there to us.’

27 He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house,

28 because I have five brothers. Let him warn them so they do not come to this place of torment.’

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

30 He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 Abraham 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.’”