| 章 |
| 16:1 |
Then Jesus said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property.
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| 16:2 |
So he summoned him and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.'
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| 16:3 |
Then the manager said to himself, 'What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
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| 16:4 |
I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.'
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| 16:5 |
So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
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| 16:6 |
He answered, 'A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.'
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| 16:7 |
Then he asked another, 'And how much do you owe?' He replied, 'A hundred containers of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill and make it eighty.'
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| 16:8 |
And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.
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| 16:9 |
And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
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| 16:10 |
"Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.
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| 16:11 |
If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
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| 16:12 |
And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
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| 16:13 |
No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
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| 16:14 |
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him.
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| 16:15 |
So he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.
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| 16:16 |
"The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force.
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| 16:17 |
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.
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| 16:18 |
"Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
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| 16:19 |
"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
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| 16:20 |
And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
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| 16:21 |
who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
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| 16:22 |
The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
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| 16:23 |
In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.
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| 16:24 |
He called 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 these flames.'
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| 16:25 |
But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.
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| 16:26 |
Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.'
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| 16:27 |
He said, 'Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house--
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| 16:28 |
for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.'
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| 16:29 |
Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.'
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| 16:30 |
He said, 'No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
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| 16:31 |
He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
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