The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

Luke 16

1 ALSO [Jesus] said to the disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a 1 manager of his estate, and accusations [against this man] were brought to him, that he was squandering his [master's] possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management [of my affairs], for you can be [my] manager no longer. 3 And the manager of the estate said to himself, What shall I do, seeing that my master is taking the management away from me? I am not able to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have come to know what I will do, so that they [my master's debtors] may accept and welcome me into their houses when I am put out of the management. 5 So he summoned his master's debtors one by one, and he said to the first, How much do you owe my master? 6 He said, A hundred measures [about 900 gallons] of oil. And he said to him, Take back your written acknowledgement of 2 obligation, and sit down quickly and write fifty [about 450 gallons]. 7 After that he said to another, And how much do you owe? He said, A hundred measures [about 900 bushels] of wheat. He said to him, Take back your written acknowledgement of 3 obligation, and write eighty [about 700 bushels]. 8 And [his] master praised the dishonest (unjust) manager for acting 4 shrewdly and 4 relation to] their own generation [to their own age and 7 kind] than are the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon ( 8 deceitful riches, money, possessions), so that when it fails, they [those you have favored] may receive and welcome you into the everlasting habitations (dwellings).

10 He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the [case of] unrighteous mammon ( 9 deceitful riches, money, possessions), who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not proved faithful in that which belongs to another [whether God or man], who will give you that which is your own [that is, 10 the true riches]? 13 No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches, or 11 anything in which you trust and on which you rely).

Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
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