The Gospel According to St. Luke

⭑ Literal Standard Version :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 16 -

And He also said to His disciples, “A certain man was rich, who had a steward, and he was accused to him as scattering his goods;

and having called him, he said to him, What [is] this I hear about you? Render the account of your stewardship, for you may not be steward any longer.

And the steward said in himself, What will I do, because my lord takes away the stewardship from me? I am not able to dig, I am ashamed to beg—

I have known what I will do, that, when I may be removed from the stewardship, they may receive me to their houses.

And having called near each one of his lord’s debtors, he said to the first, How much do you owe to my lord?

And he said, One hundred baths of oil; and he said to him, Take your bill, and having sat down write fifty.

Afterward to another he said, And you, how much do you owe? And he said, One hundred cors of wheat; and he says to him, Take your bill, and write eighty.

And the lord commended the unrighteous steward that he did prudently, because the sons of this age are more prudent than the sons of the light in respect to their generation.

And I say to you, make to yourselves friends out of the wealth of unrighteousness, that when you may fail, they may receive you into the continuous dwelling places.

He who is faithful in the least, [is] also faithful in much; and he who in the least [is] unrighteous, is also unrighteous in much;

if, then, in the unrighteous wealth you did not become faithful—who will entrust to you the true?

And if in the other’s you did not become faithful—who will give to you your own?

No servant is able to serve two lords, for either he will hate the one, and he will love the other; or one he will hold to, and of the other he will be heedless; you are not able to serve God and wealth.”

The Law and the Prophets

And also the Pharisees, being lovers of money, were hearing all these things, and were deriding Him,

and He said to them, “You are those declaring yourselves righteous before men, but God knows your hearts; because that which is high among men [is] abomination before God;

the Law and the Prophets [are] until John; since then the good news of the Kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone presses into it;

and it is easier for the heaven and the earth to pass away, than one tittle to fall of the Law.

Everyone who is sending his wife away, and marrying another, commits adultery; and everyone who is marrying her sent away from a husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

(John 5:39–47)

And—a certain man was rich, and was clothed in purple and fine linen, making merry sumptuously every day,

and there was a certain poor man, by name Lazarus, who was laid at his porch, full of sores,

and desiring to be filled from the crumbs that are falling from the table of the rich man; indeed, also the dogs, coming, were licking his sores.

And it came to pass, that the poor man died, and that he was carried away by the messengers into the bosom of Abraham—and the rich man also died, and was buried;

and having lifted up his eyes in Hades, being in torments, he sees Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his bosom,

and having cried, he said, Father Abraham, deal kindly with me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and may cool my tongue, because I am distressed in this flame.

And Abraham said, Child, remember that you received your good things in your life, and Lazarus in like manner the evil things, and now he is comforted, and you are distressed;

and besides all these things, between us and you a great chasm is fixed, so that they who are willing to go over from here to you are not able, nor do they pass through from there to us.

And he said, I ask, then, father, that you may send him to the house of my father,

for I have five brothers, so that he may thoroughly testify to them, that they also may not come to this place of torment.

Abraham says to him, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them;

and he said, No, father Abraham, but if anyone from the dead may go to them, they will convert.

And he said to him, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one may rise out of the dead.”

He 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.

He called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’

“The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I don’t have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg.

I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, they may receive me into their houses.’

Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’

He said, ‘A hundred batos (a) of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’

Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred cors (b) of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

“His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light.

I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents.

He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to one and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve God and Mammon.” (c)

The Law and the Prophets

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they scoffed at him.

He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

“The law and the prophets were until John. From that time the Good News of God’s Kingdom is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall.

“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. He who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

(John 5:39–47)

“Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day.

A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was taken to his gate, full of sores,

and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores.

The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

In Hades, (d) he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.

He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’

“But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted and you are in anguish.

Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’

“He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house—

for I have five brothers—that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’

“But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’

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

“He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”

Footnotes

(a)16:6 100 batos is about 395 liters or 104 U. S. gallons.

(b)16:7 100 cors = about 2,110 liters or 600 bushels.

(d)16:23 or, Hell