The Shrewd Manager
1 Jesus said to his disciples, “There was once a rich man who had a servant who managed his property. The rich man was told that the manager was wasting his master's money, 2 so he called him in and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in a complete account of your handling of my property, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ 3 The servant said to himself, ‘My master is going to dismiss me from my job. What shall I do? I am not strong enough to dig ditches, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 Now I know what I will do! Then when my job is gone, I shall have friends who will welcome me in their homes.’ 5 So he called in all the people who were in debt to his master. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 ‘One hundred barrels of olive oil,’ he answered. ‘Here is your account,’ the manager told him; ‘sit down and write fifty.’ 7 Then he asked another one, ‘And you—how much do you owe?’ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he answered. ‘Here is your account,’ the manager told him; ‘write eight hundred.’ 8 As a result the master of this dishonest manager praised him for doing such a shrewd thing; because the people of this world are much more shrewd in handling their affairs than the people who belong to the light.”
9 And Jesus went on to say, “And so I tell you: make friends for yourselves with worldly wealth, so that when it gives out, you will be welcomed in the eternal home. 10 Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones; whoever is dishonest in small matters will be dishonest in large ones. 11 If, then, you have not been faithful in handling worldly wealth, how can you be trusted with true wealth? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what belongs to you?
13 “No servant can be the slave of two masters; such a slave will hate one and love the other or will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Some Sayings of Jesus
(Matthew 11.12Matthew 13Matthew 5.31Matthew 32Mark 10.11Mark 12)14 When the Pharisees heard all this, they made fun of Jesus, because they loved money. 15 Jesus said to them, “You are the ones who make yourselves look right in other people's sight, but God knows your hearts. For the things that are considered of great value by people are worth nothing in God's sight.
16 “The Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets were in effect up to the time of John the Baptist; since then the Good News about the Kingdom of God is being told, and everyone forces their way in. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest detail of the Law to be done away with.
18 “Any man 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 once a rich man who dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury every day. 20 There was also a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who used to be brought to the rich man's door, 21 hoping to eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the feast in heaven. The rich man died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, where he was in great pain, he looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side. 24 So he called out, ‘Father Abraham! Take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool off my tongue, because I am in great pain in this fire!’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Remember, my son, that in your lifetime you were given all the good things, while Lazarus got all the bad things. But now he is enjoying himself here, while you are in pain. 26 Besides all that, there is a deep pit lying between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, nor can anyone cross over to us from where you are.’ 27 The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 where I have five brothers. Let him go and warn them so that they, at least, will not come to this place of pain.’ 29 Abraham said, ‘Your brothers have Moses and the prophets to warn them; your brothers should listen to what they say.’ 30 The rich man answered, ‘That is not enough, father Abraham! But if someone were to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins.’ 31 But Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.’”
1 Bet Viņš runāja arī uz mācekļiem: "Bija bagāts cilvēks, tam bija mājas pārvaldnieks. Par to viņam pienesa ziņas, ka tas izšķērdējot viņa mantu. 2 Tad viņš to aicināja pie sevis un tam sacīja: ko es dzirdu par tevi? Dod norēķinu par savu namturību, jo tu nevari ilgāk būt par pārvaldnieku. 3 Tad nama pārvaldnieks nodomāja sevī: "Ko es tagad darīšu, jo mans kungs man atņem nama valdīšanu? Rakt es nespēju un diedelēt kaunos. 4 Es zinu, ko darīšu, lai tie mani uzņem savās mājās, kad es būšu atstādināts no pārvaldnieka amata!" 5 Un, ataicinājis pa vienam visus sava kunga parādniekus, viņš sacīja pirmajam: cik tu manam kungam esi parādā? 6 Tas sacīja: simts mucu eļļas.- Bet viņš teica: še, ņem savu zīmi, sēdies un raksti tūliņ piecdesmit! 7 Pēc tam viņš kādam citam jautāja: bet tu, cik tu esi parādā? - Tas sacīja: simts mēru kviešu.- Viņš teica: še, ņem savu zīmi un raksti astoņdesmit! 8 Un kungs uzteica netaisno nama pārvaldnieku, ka tas gudri bija darījis, jo šīs pasaules bērni savās lietās ir gudrāki par gaismas bērniem. 9 Un Es jums saku: darait sev draugus ar netaisnā mamona līdzekļiem, lai, kad viņa vairs nav, tie jūs uzņem mūžīgajos mājokļos. 10 Kas vismazākā lietā ir uzticams, tas arī lielās lietās ir uzticams, un, kas vismazākā lietā ir netaisns, tas arī lielās lietās ir netaisns. 11 Ja jūs neesat bijuši uzticami netaisnās mantas lietās, kas jums uzticēs patieso? 12 Un, ja jūs svešās lietās neesat bijuši uzticami, kas jums dos jūsu pašu? 13 Neviens pie mājas piederīgs kalps nevar kalpot diviem kungiem: vai viņš vienu ienīdīs un otru mīlēs, vai vienam pieķersies un otru atmetīs. Jūs nevarat kalpot Dievam un mantai." 14 Visu to dzirdēja farizeji, kas bija mantkārīgi, un tie Viņu izsmēja. 15 Bet Viņš tiem teica: "Jūs paši nostājaties par taisniem cilvēku priekšā, bet Dievs pazīst jūsu sirdis; jo, kas pie cilvēkiem ir augsts, Dieva acīs ir negantība. 16 Bauslība un pravieši valda līdz Jānim. Kopš viņa laika tiek pausta Dieva valstība, un ikviens ar sparu laužas tajā iekšā. 17 Bet drīzāk debesij un zemei zust, nekā krist vienai bauslības rakstu zīmei. 18 Katrs, kas atlaiž savu sievu un apprecē citu, pārkāpj laulību, un tas, kas precē tādu, ko vīrs atlaidis, arī pārkāpj laulību. 19 Bija kāds bagāts vīrs; tas ģērbās purpurā un smalkā audeklā un dzīvoja ik dienas kārumā un līksmībā. 20 Bet viņa durvju priekšā gulēja kāds nabags, vārdā Lācars, tas bija apklāts ar vātīm, 21 un priecājās, ja varēja ēst druskas, kas krīt no bagātnieka galda. Un suņi nāca un laizīja viņa vātis. 22 Bet gadījās, ka nabagais nomira, un eņģeļi viņu aiznesa Ābrahāma klēpī. Arī bagātnieks nomira un tika apglabāts. 23 Un no elles, kur viņš cieta mokas, viņš pacēla savas acis un ieraudzīja Ābrahāmu no tālienes un Lācaru viņa klēpī. 24 Tad viņš sauca stiprā balsī: Ābrahāma tēv, apžēlojies par mani un sūti Lācaru, lai tas iemērc pirksta galu ūdenī un dzesē manu mēli, jo es ciešu mokas šai liesmā! 25 Bet Ābrahāms teica: piemini, dēls, ka tu savu labumu esi dabūjis, dzīvs būdams, turpretim Lācars - ļaunu. Tagad viņš tiek iepriecināts, bet tev jācieš mokas. 26 Un turklāt starp mums un jums atrodas liels bezdibenis, ka tie, kas no šejienes vēlētos noiet pie jums, to nespētu, tāpat arī no jums pie mums. 27 Bet tas teica: tad es tevi lūdzu, tēvs, sūti to uz mana tēva namu! 28 Jo man ir pieci brāļi; lai viņš tos brīdina, ka arī tie nenonāk šinī moku vietā. 29 Bet Ābrahāms atbildēja: tiem ir Mozus un pravieši, lai tie tos klausa. 30 Bet tas sacīja: nē, Ābrahāma tēv, bet, ja kāds no mirušiem pie viņiem ietu, tad tie atgrieztos. 31 Bet Ābrahāms viņam sacīja: ja tie neklausa Mozu un praviešus, tie neticēs arī tad, ja kāds no miroņiem celtos augšām."
