1 AND he spoke a parable to his dis ciples, There was a rich man, who had a steward; and they accused him that he was wasting his wealth.

2 So his master called him and said to him, What is this that I hear concerning you? Give me an account of your stewardship; for no longer can you be a steward for me.

3 Then the steward said to himself, What will I do? for my lord will take away from me the stewardship? I cannot dig, and I am ashamed to beg.

4 Now I know what I will do, so that when I leave the stewardship, they will receive me in their houses.

5 And he called his lord's debtors, one by one, and said to the first, How much do you owe my lord?

6 He said to him, A hundred pounds of butter. He said to him, Take your note, sit down quickly, and write fifty pounds.

7 And he said to another, And you, what do you owe to my lord? He said to him, One hundred bushels of wheat. He said to him, Take your note, and sit down and write eighty bushels.

8 And the lord praised the unjust steward because he had done wisely; for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.

9 And I also say, use this earthly wealth, however acquired, to make friends so that when it is gone, they will receive you and you will have everlasting habitation.

10 He who is faithful with little, is also faithful with much; and he who is dishonest with little, is also dishonest with much.

11 If therefore, you are not faithful with the wealth of iniquity, who will believe that there is any truth in you?

12 And if you are not found faithful with that which is not your own, who will give you that which is your own?

13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and like the other; or he will honor one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth).

14 When the Pharisees heard all these things, because they loved money, they ridiculed him.

15 But Jesus said to them, You are the ones who make yourselves righteous before men; but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is disgusting in the presence of God.

16 The law and prophets were until John; from that time the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone presses to enter into it.

17 It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one letter of the law to pass away.

18 He who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and he who marries the one who is separated commits adultery.

19 There was a rich man, who used to wear purple and fine linen, and every day he made merry very lavishly.

20 And there was a poor man named Lazarus, who was laid down at that rich man's door, afflicted with boils;

21 He longed to fill his stomach with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's tray; the dogs also came and licked his boils.

22 Now it happened that the poor man died, and the angels carried him into Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.

23 And while he was tormented in Sheol, he lifted up his eyes from a distance, and saw Abraham, with Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he called in a loud voice and said, O my father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and wet my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 Abraham said to him, My son, remember you received your pleasures when you were living, and Lazarus his hardships; and behold now he is comfortable here, and you are suffering.

26 Besides all these things, a great gulf is fixed between us and you; so that those who wish to cross over from here to you cannot, neither from there to cross over to us.

27 He said to him, If that is so, I beseech you, O my father, to send him to my father's house;

28 For I have five brothers; let him go and testify to them, so that they may not also come to this place of torment.

29 Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the prophets; * let them hear them.

30 But he said to him, No, my father Abraham; but if only a man from the dead go to them, they will repent.

31 Abraham said to him, If they will not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe even if a man should rise from the dead.