Luke 16

Jesus tells the parable of the unjust steward and teaches about faithfulness in that which is least and the impossibility of serving both God and mammon. He tells of the rich man and Lazarus, where the rich man dies and is tormented in hell while Lazarus rests in Abraham's bosom.

v	King James Version	Modern English
1	And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.	Jesus also said to His disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting His possessions.
2	And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.	He called the manager in and said, 'What is this I hear about You? Give an account of Your management, because You can no longer be manager.'
3	Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.	The manager said to himself, 'What will I do? My master is taking away my job. I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
4	I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.	I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from this position, people will welcome me into their homes.'
5	So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?	He called in each of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
6	And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.	'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. The manager said, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write four hundred.'
7	Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.	Then he asked another, 'And how much do you owe?' 'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. He said, 'Take your bill and write eight hundred.'
8	And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.	The master commended the dishonest manager for acting shrewdly. For the people of this world are shrewder in dealing with their own kind than the people of the light.
9	And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.	I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it fails, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.
10	He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.	Whoever is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much. Whoever is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
11	If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?	If then you have not been faithful in the use of worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
12	And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?	And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own?
13	No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.	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."
14	And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.	The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.
15	And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.	He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of men. But God knows Your hearts. What is highly valued among men is an abomination in God's sight.
16	The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.	The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is pressing into it.
17	And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.	It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest part of the Law to fall away.
18	Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.	Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. And everyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
19	There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:	There was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
20	And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,	At his gate lay a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores.
21	And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.	He longed to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22	And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;	The beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
23	And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.	In hell, the rich man was in torment. He looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus at his side.
24	And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.	He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in this fire.'
25	But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.	But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received good things, while Lazarus received evil things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.
26	And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.	Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you. Those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27	Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:	Then he said, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house,
28	For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.	for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
29	Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.	Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.'
30	And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.	'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31	And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.	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.' "