1Jesus also said to his disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2He called his manager and told him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your stewardship, for you can no longer be [my] steward.’
3The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I do not have strength to dig! I am ashamed to beg! 4I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, people844 may receive me into their houses.’ 5Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’ 6The man replied, ‘A hundred measures845 of oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ That one replied, ‘A hundred cors846 of wheat.’ And the manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
8His master847 praised the dishonest manager because he had acted wisely, for the children of this world are wiser than the children of the light in [dealing with] their own kind. 9I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon848, so that when you fail,849 you may be received into the eternal dwellings. 10Whoever is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much. Whoever is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. 11Therefore, if you have not been faithful with unrighteous mammon, who will entrust you with true riches? 12If you have not been faithful in what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other; or else he will be attached to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
About the Pharisees—About the Law—About divorce
14Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they scoffed at him. 15Jesus told them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of people, but God knows your hearts. Indeed, what is exalted among people is an abomination in the sight of God. 16The law and the prophets were [proclaimed] until John [came]. Since then, the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone enters into it with a struggle.850 17Yet, it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall [out]. 18Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another [woman] commits adultery; and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
The rich man and Lazarus
19Now there was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, feasting in luxury every day. 20A certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21who desired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even dogs came and licked his sores. 22It happened that the beggar died and that he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. 23In hades,851 he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his bosom.852 24He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue! For I am in agony in this flame!’
25But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime, you received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But now, he is comforted here and you are in anguish. 26Besides all this, between us and you a great gulf is fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot [do so], and that no one may cross over from there to us.’
27He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send Lazarus to my father’s house; 28for I have five brothers, that he might bear witness to them, so that they would not also come to this place of torment.’
29Abraham replied to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets! Let them listen to them!’
30But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone rises from the dead.’”
Things that cause sin—About forgiveness
- Greek “they”
- 100 batos is about 395 liters or 104 gallons
- 100 cors = about 3,910 liters or 600 bushels
- Or “lord”
- “Mammon” refers to riches or a false god of wealth
- CT reads “when it fails”
- Or “everyone is forcing his way into it” (NIV), “everyone who enters does so with violence” (NAB)
- See note for 10:15
- Or “in his embrace”
Text: The Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible, New Testament (EOB). Used with permission.
