New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible 1995

1Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money.

1Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.

2 So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’

2"And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.'

3 “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg.

3"The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.

4 Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’

4'I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.'

5 “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’

5"And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'

6 The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons. ’

6"And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'

7 “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels. ’

7"Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'

8 “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light.

8"And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.

9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

9"And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.

10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.

10"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?

11"Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?

12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?

12"And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?

13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

13"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

14The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him.

14Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him.

15Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.

15And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

16 “Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in.

16"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

17 But that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned.

17"But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.

18 “For example, a man who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery. And anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.” Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

18"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.

19Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.

19"Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.

20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores.

20"And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, 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.

21and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.

22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried,

22"Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.

23 and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

23"In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.

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.’

24"And he cried out 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 off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.'

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.

25"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.

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.’

26And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.'

27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home.

27"And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house--

28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’

28for I have five brothers-- in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

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

29"But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.'

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.’

30"But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!'

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.’”

31"But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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