| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. | 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. |
| 2So he called him in to ask, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in an account of your management, for you cannot be manager any longer.’ | 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.’ |
| 3The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking away my position? I am too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg. | 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. |
| 4I know what I will do, so that after my removal from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’ | 4 Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’ |
| 5And he called in each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first. | 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?’ |
| 6‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he answered. ‘Take your bill,’ said the manager. ‘Sit down quickly, and write fifty.’ | 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. ’ |
| 7Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ ‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he replied. ‘Take your bill and write eighty,’ he told him. | 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. ’ |
| 8The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light. | 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. |
| 9I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings. | 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. |
| 10Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. | 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. |
| 11So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? | 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? |
| 12And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own? | 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? |
| 13No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” | 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.” |
| 14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus. | 14The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. |
| 15So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God. | 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. |
| 16The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the gospel of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. | 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. |
| 17But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. | 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. |
| 18Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. | 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 |
| 19Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. | 19Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. |
| 20And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores | 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. |
| 21and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. | 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. |
| 22One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried. | 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, |
| 23In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side. | 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. |
| 24So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’ | 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.’ |
| 25But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. | 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. |
| 26And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’ | 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.’ |
| 27‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house, | 27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. |
| 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of torment.’ | 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ |
| 29But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’ | 29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ |
| 30‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’ | 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.’ |
| 31Then Abraham 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.’ ” | 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.’” |
|
