New Living Translation | International Standard Version |
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 Jesus was saying to the disciples, "A rich man had a servant manager who was accused of wasting his assets. |
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.’ | 2So he called for him and asked him, 'What's this I hear about you? You can't be my manager any longer. Now give me a report about your management!' |
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"Then the servant manager told himself, 'What should I do? My master is taking my position away from me. I'm not strong enough to plow, and I'm 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.’ | 4I know what I'll do so that people will welcome me into their homes when I'm dismissed from my job.' |
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"So he called for each of his master's debtors. He asked 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. ’ | 6The man replied, 'A hundred jars of olive oil.' The manager told him, 'Get your bill. Sit down quickly and write "50."' |
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. ’ | 7Then he asked another debtor, 'How much do you owe?' The man replied, 'A hundred containers of wheat.' The manager told him, 'Get your bill and write "80."' |
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. | 8The master praised the dishonest servant manager for being so clever, because worldly people are more clever than enlightened people in dealing with their own. |
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"I'm telling you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they will welcome you into eternal homes. |
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. | 10Whoever is faithful with very little is also faithful with a lot, and whoever is dishonest with very little is also dishonest with a lot. |
11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? | 11So if you haven't been faithful with unrighteous wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? |
12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? | 12And if you haven't been faithful with what belongs to foreigners, who will give you what 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, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and wealth!" |
14The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. | 14Now the Pharisees, who love money, had been listening to all this and began to ridicule Jesus. |
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. | 15So he told them, "You try to justify yourselves in front of people, but God knows your hearts, because what is highly valued by people is detestable to 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 remained until John. Since then, the good news about the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone entering it is under attack. |
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. | 17However, it is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for one stroke of a letter in the Law to be dropped. |
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 | 18Any man who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a woman divorced from her 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"Once there was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and live in great luxury every day. |
20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. | 20A beggar named Lazarus, who was covered with sores, was brought to his gate. |
21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. | 21He was always trying to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs used to come and lick 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"One day, the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side. 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. | 23In the afterlife, where he was in constant torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus by his side. |
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.’ | 24So he shouted, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue, because I am suffering in this fire.' |
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, 'My child, remember that during your lifetime you received blessings, while Lazarus received hardships. But now he is being comforted here, while you suffer. |
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.’ | 26Besides all this, a wide chasm has been fixed between us, so that those who want to cross from this side to you cannot do so, nor can they cross from your side to us.' |
27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. | 27"The rich man said, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus 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.’ | 28because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they won't end up in this place of torture, too.' |
29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ | 29"Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets. They should listen to 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 the rich man replied, 'No, father Abraham! But if someone from the dead went to them, they would 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"Then Abraham told him, 'If your brothers do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded, even if someone were to rise 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. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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