The Parable of the Shrewd Manager 1 DBY And he said also to his disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and he was accused to him as wasting his goods. BSB BSB: Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.
2 DBY And having called him, he said to him, What is this that I hear of thee? give the reckoning of thy stewardship, for thou canst be no longer steward. BSB BSB: So 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.’
3 DBY And the steward said within himself, What shall I do; for my lord is taking the stewardship from me? I am not able to dig; I am ashamed to beg. BSB BSB: The 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.
4 DBY I know what I will do, that when I shall have been removed from the stewardship I may be received into their houses. BSB BSB: I know what I will do so that after my removal from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’
5 DBY And having called to him each one of the debtors of his own lord, he said to the first, How much owest thou to my lord? BSB BSB: And he called in each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first.
6 DBY And he said, A hundred baths of oil. And he said to him, Take thy writing and sit down quickly and write fifty. BSB BSB: ‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he answered. ‘Take your bill,’ said the manager, ‘sit down quickly, and write fifty.’
7 DBY Then he said to another, And thou, how much dost thou owe? And he said, A hundred cors of wheat. And he says to him, Take thy writing and write eighty. BSB BSB: Then 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.
8 DBY And the lord praised the unrighteous steward because he had done prudently. For the sons of this world are, for their own generation, more prudent than the sons of light. BSB BSB: The 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.
9 DBY And I say to you, Make to yourselves friends with the mammon of unrighteousness, that when it fails ye may be received into the eternal tabernacles. BSB BSB: I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.
10 DBY He that is faithful in the least is faithful also in much; and he that is unrighteous in the least is unrighteous also in much. BSB BSB: Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
11 DBY If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who shall entrust to you the true? BSB BSB: So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches?
12 DBY and if ye have not been faithful in that which is another's, who shall give to you your own? BSB BSB: And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?
13 DBY No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and will love the other, or he will cleave to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. BSB BSB: No 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.”
The Law and the Prophets 14 DBY And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things, and mocked him. BSB BSB: The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus.
15 DBY And he said to them, Ye are they who justify themselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what amongst men is highly thought of is an abomination before God. BSB BSB: So 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.
16 DBY The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the glad tidings of the kingdom of God are announced, and every one forces his way into it. BSB BSB: The 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.
17 DBY But it is easier that the heaven and the earth should pass away than that one tittle of the law should fail. BSB BSB: But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
18 DBY Every one who puts away his wife and marries another commits adultery; and every one that marries one put away from a husband commits adultery. BSB BSB: Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus (John 5:39–47)
19 DBY Now there was a rich man and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, making good cheer in splendour every day. BSB BSB: Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor.
20 DBY And there was a poor man, by name Lazarus, who was laid at his gateway full of sores, BSB BSB: And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores
21 DBY and desiring to be filled with the crumbs which fell from the table of the rich man; but the dogs also coming licked his sores. BSB BSB: and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 DBY And it came to pass that the poor man died, and that he was carried away by the angels into the bosom of Abraham. And the rich man also died and was buried. BSB BSB: One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried.
23 DBY And in hades lifting up his eyes, being in torments, he sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. BSB BSB: In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.
24 DBY And he crying out said, Father Abraham, have compassion on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering in this flame. BSB BSB: So 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.’
25 DBY But Abraham said, Child, recollect that thou hast fully received thy good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted here, and thou art in suffering. BSB BSB: But 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.
26 DBY And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm is fixed, so that those who desire to pass hence to you cannot, nor do they who desire to cross from there pass over unto us. BSB BSB: And 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.’
27 DBY And he said, I beseech thee then, father, that thou wouldest send him to the house of my father, BSB BSB: ‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house,
28 DBY for I have five brothers, so that he may earnestly testify to them, that they also may not come to this place of torment. BSB BSB: for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of torment.’
29 DBY But Abraham says to him, They have Moses and the prophets: let them hear them. BSB BSB: But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’
30 DBY But he said, Nay, father Abraham, but if one from the dead should go to them, they will repent. BSB BSB: ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.