And he said also unto the disciples, There was a certain rich man, who had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he was wasting his goods.
And he called him, and said unto him, What is this that I hear of thee? render the account of thy stewardship; for thou canst be no longer steward.
And the steward said within himself, What shall I do, seeing that my lord taketh away the stewardship from me? I have not strength to dig; to beg I am ashamed.
I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
And calling to him each one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
And he said, A hundred {Greek: baths, the bath being a Hebrew measure. See Ezekiel 45:10, 11, 14}measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy {Greek: writings.}bond, and sit down quickly and write fifty.
Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, A hundred {Greek: cors, the cor being a Hebrew measure. See Ezekiel 45:14.}measures of wheat. He saith unto him, Take thy {Greek: writings.}bond, and write fourscore.
And his lord commended {Greek: the stewart of unrightousness.}the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this {Or, age}world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light.
And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends {Greek: out of.}by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles.
He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much.
If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is {Some ancient authorities read your own.}your own?
No {Greek: household-servant.}servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
And the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things; and they scoffed at him.
And he said unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the {Or, good tidings: compare chapter 3:18.}gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man entereth violently into it.
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tittle of the law to fall.
Every one that putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth one that is put away from a husband committeth adultery.
Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, {Or, living in mirth and splendor every day}faring sumptuously every day:
and a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores,
and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; yea, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom: and the rich man also died, and was buried.
And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
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 in anguish in this flame.
But Abraham said, {Greek: Child.}Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things: but now here he is comforted, and thou art in anguish.
And {Or, in all these things}besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that they that would pass from hence to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from thence to us.
And he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house;
for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
But Abraham saith, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one go to them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the dead.
Querverweise zu Lukas 16,9 Lk 16,9
But give for alms those things which {Or, ye can}are within; and behold, all things are clean unto you.
If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
{Or, Wilt thou set thine eyes upon it? it is gone Hebrew: Shall thine eyes fly upon it, and it is not?}Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?For riches certainly make themselves wings,Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
My flesh and my heart faileth;But God is the {Hebrew: rock.}strength of my heart and my portion for ever.
For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;
and thou shalt be blessed; because they have not wherewith to recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just.
No {Greek: household-servant.}servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition.
in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the {Or, grinding women}grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened,
and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;
yea, they shall be afraid {Or, of danger from on high}of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper {Or, shall drag itself along}shall be a burden, and {Or, the caperberry}desire shall {Or, burst}fail; because man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets:
before the silver cord is {Or, snapped asunder}loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,
and the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it.
while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto Jehovah,And his good deed will he pay him again.
For the love of money is a root of all {Or, evils.}kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls that I have made.
For we know that if the earthly house of our {Or, bodily frame Compare Wisd. 9:15}tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.
{Or, Send forth}Cast thy bread {Hebrew: upon the face of the waters}upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.
Charge them that are rich in this present {Or, age.}world, that they be not highminded, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, {Or, ready to sympathize}willing to communicate;
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of Jehovah shall be thy rearward.
Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and {Or, redeem}break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if there may be {Or, as otherwise read, a healing of thine error}a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves {Greek: dig through.}break through and steal:
Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in;
naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink?
And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.
And he, fastening his eyes upon him, and being affrighted, said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are gone up for a memorial before God.
and saith, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
For the ministration of this service not only filleth up the measure of the wants of the saints, but aboundeth also through many thanksgivings unto God;
seeing that through the proving of you by this ministration they glorify God for the obedience of your confession unto the {Greek: good tidings. See marginal note on chapter 2:12.}gospel of Christ, and for the {Greek: singleness. Compare chapter 8:2.}liberality of your contribution unto them and unto all;
while they themselves also, with supplication on your behalf, long after you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you.
Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.
Charge them that are rich in this present {Or, age.}world, that they be not highminded, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, {Or, ready to sympathize}willing to communicate;
laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed.
The Lord grant mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus: for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain;
but, when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently, and found me
(the Lord grant unto him to find mercy of the Lord in that day); and in how many things he ministered at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.