The Parable of the
Shrewd
Manager
1 Jesus told his disciples:
“There was
a rich man
whose
manager
was
accused of
wasting
his
possessions.
2 So he
called him
in and
asked him,
‘What is
this I
hear about
you? Give
an account
of your
management,
because
you cannot
be manager
any
longer.’
3 “The manager said to
himself,
‘What
shall I do
now? My
master is
taking
away my
job. I’m
not strong
enough to
dig, and
I’m
ashamed to
beg—
4 I
know what
I’ll do so
that, when
I lose my
job here,
people
will
welcome me
into their
houses.’
5 “So he called in each
one of his
master’s
debtors.
He asked
the first,
‘How much
do you owe
my
master?’
6 “‘Nine hundred gallons
of olive
oil,’ he
replied.
“The manager told him,
‘Take your
bill, sit
down
quickly,
and make
it four
hundred
and
fifty.’
7 “Then he asked the
second,
‘And how
much do
you owe?’
“‘A thousand bushels
of wheat,’
he
replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your
bill and
make it
eight
hundred.’
8 “The master commended
the
dishonest
manager
because he
had acted
shrewdly.
For the
people of
this world
are more
shrewd in
dealing
with their
own kind
than are
the people
of the
light.
9 I
tell you,
use
worldly
wealth to
gain
friends
for
yourselves,
so that
when it is
gone, you
will be
welcomed
into
eternal
dwellings.
10 “Whoever can be trusted
with very
little can
also be
trusted
with much,
and
whoever is
dishonest
with very
little
will also
be
dishonest
with much.
11 So if
you have
not been
trustworthy
in
handling
worldly
wealth,
who will
trust you
with true
riches?
12 And if
you have
not been
trustworthy
with
someone
else’s
property,
who will
give you
property
of your
own?
13 “No one can serve two
masters.
Either you
will hate
the one
and love
the other,
or you
will be
devoted to
the one
and
despise
the other.
You cannot
serve both
God and
money.”
14 The Pharisees, who
loved
money,
heard all
this and
were
sneering
at Jesus.
15 He said
to them,
“You are
the ones
who
justify
yourselves
in the
eyes of
others,
but God
knows your
hearts.
What
people
value
highly is
detestable
in God’s
sight.
Additional
Teachings
16 “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 forcing
their way
into it.
17 It is
easier for
heaven and
earth to
disappear
than for
the least
stroke of
a pen to
drop out
of the
Law.
18 “Anyone who divorces
his wife
and
marries
another
woman
commits
adultery,
and the
man who
marries a
divorced
woman
commits
adultery.
The Rich Man and
Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man
who was
dressed in
purple and
fine linen
and lived
in luxury
every day.
20 At his
gate was
laid a
beggar
named
Lazarus,
covered
with sores
21 and
longing to
eat what
fell from
the rich
man’s
table.
Even the
dogs came
and licked
his sores.
22 “The time came when the
beggar
died and
the angels
carried
him to
Abraham’s
side. The
rich man
also died
and was
buried.
23 In
Hades,
where he
was in
torment,
he looked
up and saw
Abraham
far away,
with
Lazarus by
his side.
24 So he
called to
him,
‘Father
Abraham,
have pity
on me and
send
Lazarus to
dip the
tip of his
finger in
water and
cool my
tongue,
because I
am in
agony in
this
fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied,
‘Son,
remember
that in
your
lifetime
you
received
your good
things,
while
Lazarus
received
bad
things,
but now he
is
comforted
here and
you are in
agony.
26 And
besides
all this,
between us
and you a
great
chasm has
been set
in place,
so that
those who
want to go
from here
to you
cannot,
nor can
anyone
cross over
from there
to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I
beg you,
father,
send
Lazarus to
my family,
28 for I
have five
brothers.
Let him
warn them,
so that
they will
not also
come to
this place
of
torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They
have Moses
and the
Prophets;
let them
listen to
them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’
he said,
‘but if
someone
from the
dead goes
to them,
they will
repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If
they do
not listen
to Moses
and the
Prophets,
they will
not be
convinced
even if
someone
rises from
the
dead.’”