1 Now He was saying to the disciples: "Once there was a rich man who had a household manager, and he was accused to his master of squandering the latter's property.
2 So he called the manager to him and said, 'What is this that I am hearing about you? Balance your accounts and show how you are conducting my affairs, for you cannot be manager any longer.'
3 Then the manager said to himself, What shall I do, because my master is going to take my position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.
4 I know what I will do -- I will ask them to take me into their homes when I am removed from my position.
5 So he called in each of his master's debtors, and asked the first one, 'How much do you owe my master?'
6 He answered, 'Nine hundred gallons of oil.' Then he said to him, 'Take your bill and sit right down and write four hundred and fifty.'
7 Then he asked another, 'And how much do you owe?' He answered, 'Twelve hundred bushels of wheat:' He said to him, 'Take your bill and write nine hundred and sixty.'
8 And his master praised the dishonest manager, because he acted with shrewd business sense, for the men of the world act with more business sense toward their fellows than the men who enjoy spiritual light.
9 So I tell you, make friends by the right use of your money, which so easily tends to wrongdoing, so that when it fails, your friends may welcome you to the eternal dwellings.
10 The man who is dependable in a very small matter is dependable also in a large deal, the man who is dishonest in a very small matter is dishonest also in a large deal.
11 So if you have not proved dependable in handling your ill-gotten riches, who will trust you with the true riches?
12 And if you have not proved dependable in what belongs to someone else, who will trust you with what belongs to you?
13 No house-servant can be a slave to two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
14 Now the Pharisees who were lovers of money had been listening to all this, and they began to ridicule Him.
15 Then He said to them, "You are the men who exhibit your uprightness before the public, but God knows your hearts. For what stands high in the sight of men is detestable in the sight of God.
16 It was the law and the prophets until John, but ever since that time the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everybody has been taking it by storm.
17 It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dotting of an 'i' in the law to fail.
18 Any man who divorces his wife to marry another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries the woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
19 "Once there was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and live in dazzling luxury every day.
20 And a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been laid at his gate,
21 and he was always craving to get a square meal from the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Yes, the very dogs used to come and lick his sores.
22 One day the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to be Abraham's bosom companion, and the rich man too died and was buried.
23 And in Hades he looked up, in constant tortures as he was, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus his bosom companion.
24 So he called and said, 'Father Abraham, take pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue, because I am ceaselessly tortured in this flame.'
25 But Abraham said, 'My child, remember that you received in full your blessings in your lifetime, and Lazarus his hardships in his, but now he is continuously comforted here, while you are continuously tortured there.
26 Besides all this, between you and us there stands fixed a great chasm, so that those who want to cross from this side to you cannot, nor can they cross from your side to us.'
27 Then he said, 'For this reason, I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house
28 (for I have five brothers) to warn them, that they too may not come to this place of torture.'
30 But he pleaded, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone went to them from the dead, they would repent.'