Chapter 16

And he said also to his disciples, "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, who was reported to him as squandering his possessions.

And he called him and said to him, 'What is this that I hear of thee? Make an accounting of thy stewardship, for thou canst be steward no longer. '

"And the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do, seeing that my master is taking away the stewardship from me? To dig I am not able; to beg I am ashamed.

I know what I shall do, that when I am removed from my stewardship they may receive me into their houses. '

And he summoned each of his master's debtors and said to the first, 'How much dost thou owe my master? '

And he said, 'A hundred jars of oil. ' He said to him, 'Take thy bond and sit down at once and write fifty. '

Then he said to another, 'How much dost thou owe? ' He said, 'A hundred kors of wheat. ' He said to him, 'Take thy bond and write eighty. '

"And the master commended the unjust steward, in that he had acted prudently; for the children of this world, in relation to their own generation, are more prudent than the children of the light.

And I say to you, make friends for yourselves with the mammon of wickedness, so that when you fail they may receive you into the everlasting dwellings.

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in a very little thing is unjust also in much.

Therefore, if in the case of the wicked mammon you have not proved faithful, who will entrust to you what is true?

And if in the case of what belongs to another you have not proved faithful, who will give you what is your own?

No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will stand by the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Pretenses of the Pharisees

Now the Pharisees, who were fond of money, were listening to all these things, and they began to sneer at him.

And he said to them, "You are they who declare yourselves just in the sight of men, but God knows your heart; for that which is exalted in the sight of men is an abomination before God.

Until John came, there were the Law and the Prophets; since then the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

Yet it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the Law to fail.

"Everyone who puts away his wife and marries another commits adultery; and he who marries a woman who has been put away from her husband commits adultery. The Rich Man and Lazarus

"There was a certain rich man who used to clothe himself in purple and fine linen, and who feasted every day in splendid fashion.

And there was a certain poor man, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, covered with sores,

and longing to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.

And it came to pass that the poor man died and was borne away by the angels into Abraham's bosom; but the rich man also died and was buried in hell.

And lifting up his eyes, being in torments, he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.

And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. '

"But Abraham said to him, 'Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime hast received good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now here he is comforted whereas thou art tormented.

And besides all that, between us and you a great gulf is fixed, so that they who wish to pass over from this side to you cannot, and they cannot cross from your side to us. '

"And he said, 'Then, father, I beseech thee to send him to my father's house,

for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they too come into this place of torments. '

And Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hearken to them. '

But he answered, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent. '

But he said to him, 'If they do not hearken to Moses and the Prophets, they will not believe even if someone rises from the dead. '"