Lucas 16

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

1 Now he said to the disciples, "There was a rich* 16:1 Lk 16:19man who received an accusation that his manager* 16:1 Lk 12:42was squandering* 16:1 Lk 15:13his possessions.2 So he called the manager in and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management,* 16:2 1Tm 1:4because you can no longer be my manager.’

3 "Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do since my master is taking the management away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg.4 I know what I’ll do so that when I’m removed from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’

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

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

" ‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘sit down quickly, and write fifty.’

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

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

" ‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘and write eighty.’

8 "The master praised the unrighteous manager* 16:8 Lk 18:6because he had acted shrewdly. For the children of this age* 16:8 Mt 12:32; Lk 20:34are more shrewd than the children of light* 16:8 Jn 12:46; Eph 5:8; 1Th 5:5in dealing with their own people.* 16:8 Lit own generation9 And I tell you, make friends* 16:9 Lk 11:41for yourselves by means of worldly wealth* 16:9 Lit unrighteous money, also in v. 11,* 16:9 Mt 6:24; 1Tm 6:10so that when it fails, they may welcome you into eternal dwellings.10 Whoever is faithful* 16:10 Mt 25:21–23in very little* 16:10 Lk 19:17is 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 worldly wealth, 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* 16:13 Mt 6:24servant can serve two masters, since either he will hate* 16:13 Lk 14:26one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

Kingdom Values

14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money,  * 16:14 2Tm 3:2 were listening to all these things and scoffing  * 16:14 Lk 23:35 at him. 15 And he told them, "You are the ones who justify* 16:15 Lk 10:29; 18:9yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts.* 16:15 1Sm 16:7; Ps 17:3; Pr 21:2; Rm 8:27For what is highly admired by people is revolting* 16:15 Dt 24:4in God’s sight.

16 "The* 16:16–17 Mt 5:18; 11:12–13; 24:35; Mk 13:31Law and the Prophets* 16:16 Mt 7:12; 22:40; Ac 13:15; Rm 3:21were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God* 16:16 Mt 4:23has been proclaimed, and everyone is urgently invited to enter it.* 16:16 Or everyone is forcing his way into it17 But it is easier* 16:17 Mt 5:18for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out.

18 "Everyone* 16:18 Mt 5:32; 19:9; Mk 10:11–12who divorces* 16:18 Mt 1:19; 19:9his wife and marries another woman commits adultery,* 16:18 Ex 20:14; Lv 20:10; Pr 6:32; 2Pt 2:14and everyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 "There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen,* 16:19 Ex 28:6; 35:35; Est 8:15; Pr 31:22; Ezk 27:16; Rv 18:16feasting lavishly every day.20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was lying at his gate.* 16:20 Ac 3:221 He longed to be filled* 16:21 Lk 15:16with what fell from the rich man’s table,* 16:21 Mt 15:27but instead the dogs* 16:21 1Kg 21:19would come and lick his sores.22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side.* 16:22 Or to Abraham’s bosom; lit to the fold of Abraham’s robe; Jn 13:23,* 16:22 Jn 13:23The rich man also died and was buried.23 And being in torment* 16:23 Is 50:11in Hades,* 16:23 Mt 11:23he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side.24 ‘Father Abraham! ’* 16:24 Lk 3:8; 16:30; 19:9; Jn 8:33,39,53he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony* 16:24 Is 66:24; Mt 25:41in this flame! ’

25 " ‘Son,’* 16:25 Lit ChildAbraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things,* 16:25 Lk 6:24just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here,* 16:25 Mt 11:28while you are in agony.26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’

27 " ‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house —  28 because I have five brothers — to warn* 16:28 Ac 2:40; 8:25them, so that they won’t also come to this place of torment.’

29 "But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets;* 16:29 Lk 24:27,44; Jn 1:45; Ac 26:22; 28:23they should listen to them.’

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

31 "But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’ "* 16:31 Mt 28:11–15; Jn 12:10–11