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Wednesday, July 9th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Contemporary English Version

Luke 16:13

You cannot be the slave of two masters. You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than to the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Consistency;   Decision;   Hypocrisy;   Jesus, the Christ;   Mammon;   Rich, the;   Servant;   Worldliness;   Scofield Reference Index - Parables;   Thompson Chain Reference - Call, Divine;   Decision;   Divine;   Double-Mindedness;   God;   Invitations, Divine;   Invitations-Warnings;   Moral Agents, Free;   Neutrality, No;   No;   Service;   Steadfastness-Instability;   Undivided Service;   Work-Workers, Religious;   The Topic Concordance - Servants;   Service;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Parables;   Wealth;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Heaven, Heavens, Heavenlies;   Wealth;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Idolatry;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jesus Christ;   Versions;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Double-Minded;   Luke, Gospel of;   Mammon;   Master;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Gospels;   Love, Lover, Lovely, Beloved;   Mammon;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Almsgiving ;   Covetousness;   Despise;   Devotion;   Discourse;   Hating, Hatred;   Lord (2);   Lust (2);   Mammon;   Organization (2);   Parable;   Perplexity;   Science (2);   Self-Control;   Sermon on the Mount;   Slave, Slavery (2);   Steward, Stewardship;   Wealth;   Wealth (2);   Winter ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Mammon ;   Servant;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bible, the;   Lazarus;   Mammon;   Steward;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
No
King James Version (1611)
No seruant can serue two masters, for either he will hate the one, and loue the other: or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other: yee cannot serue God and Mammon.
King James Version
No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
English Standard Version
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."
New American Standard Bible
"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
New Century Version
"No servant can serve two masters. The servant will hate one master and love the other, or will follow one master and refuse to follow the other. You cannot serve both God and worldly riches."
Amplified Bible
"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand devotedly by the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon [that is, your earthly possessions or anything else you trust in and rely on instead of God]."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
Legacy Standard Bible
No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
Berean Standard Bible
No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
Complete Jewish Bible
No servant can be slave to two masters, for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first. You can't be a slave to both God and money."
Darby Translation
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and will love the other, or he will cleave to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Easy-to-Read Version
"You cannot serve two masters at the same time. You will hate one master and love the other. Or you will be loyal to one and not care about the other. You cannot serve God and Money at the same time."
Geneva Bible (1587)
No seruaunt can serue two masters: for either he shal hate the one, and loue the other: or els he shal leane to the one, and despise the other. Yee can not serue God and riches.
George Lamsa Translation
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).
Good News Translation
"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."
Lexham English Bible
No domestic slave is able to serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and will despise the other. You are not able to serve God and money."
Literal Translation
No servant is able to serve two lords; for either he will hate the one, and he will love the other; or he will cling to one, and he will despise the other. You are unable to serve God and mammon.
American Standard Version
No 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.
Bible in Basic English
No man may be a servant to two masters: for he will have hate for the one and love for the other; or he will keep to the one and have no respect for the other. You may not be servants of God and of wealth.
Hebrew Names Version
No 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. You aren't able to serve God and mammon."
International Standard Version
"No servant can serve two masters. For either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!"mammon, an Aram. term meaning wealth">[fn]Matthew 6:24;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
No man can serve two lords; for either the one he will hate, and the other he will love; or the one he will honour, and the other despise. You cannot serve Aloha and wealth.
Murdock Translation
There is no servant, who can serve two lords. For, either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will honor the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
No man can serue two maisters: For either he shall hate the one, and loue the other: or els, he shall leane to the one, and despise the other. Ye can not serue God, and Mammon.
English Revised Version
No 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.
World English Bible
No 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. You aren't able to serve God and mammon."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or he will cleave to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.
Weymouth's New Testament
"No servant can be in bondage to two masters. For either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will cling fast to one and scorn the other. You cannot be bondservants both of God and of gold."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
No seruaunt may serue to twei lordis; for ether he schal hate `the toon, and loue the tothir; ethir he schal drawe to `the toon, and schal dispise the tothir. Ye moun not serue to God and to ritchesse.
Update Bible Version
No household slave can serve as a slave to two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will hold to one, and despise the other. You can't serve as a slave to God and mammon.
Webster's Bible Translation
No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
New English Translation
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."
New King James Version
"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
New Living Translation
"No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money."
New Life Bible
No servant can have two bosses. He will hate the one and love the other. Or, he will be faithful to one and not faithful to the other. You cannot be faithful to God and to riches at the same time."
New Revised Standard
No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
No domestic, can, unto two masters, be in service; for either, the one, he will hate, and, the other, love, or, unto the one, he will hold, and, the other, despise: Ye cannot, unto God, be in service, and unto Riches.
Douay-Rheims Bible
No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other: or he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Revised Standard Version
No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
No servaunt can serve .ii. masters for other he shall hate ye one and love ye other or els he shall lene to the one and despyse the other. Ye can not serve God and mammon.
Young's Literal Translation
`No domestic is able to serve two lords, for either the one he will hate, and the other he will love; or one he will hold to, and of the other he will be heedless; ye are not able to serve God and mammon.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
No seruaunt can serue two masters: for either he shal hate the one, and loue ye other: or els he shal leane to the one, and despyse the other. Ye can not serue God and Mammon.
Mace New Testament (1729)
a servant cannot serve two masters: for either he will neglect the one, and attend the other; or he will be attached to the first, and misbehave to the last. you cannot serve God and mammon.
Simplified Cowboy Version
"No cowboy can ride for two outfits, for he will favor one over the other. He will be loyal to one and learn to hate the other. You cannot ride for God if you are a slave to money."

Contextual Overview

1 Jesus said to his disciples: A rich man once had a manager to take care of his business. But he was told that his manager was wasting money. 2 So the rich man called him in and said, "What is this I hear about you? Tell me what you have done! You are no longer going to work for me." 3 The manager said to himself, "What shall I do now that my master is going to fire me? I can't dig ditches, and I'm ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I'll do, so that people will welcome me into their homes after I've lost my job." 5 Then one by one he called in the people who were in debt to his master. He asked the first one, "How much do you owe my master?" 6 "A hundred barrels of olive oil," the man answered. So the manager said, "Take your bill and sit down and quickly write ‘fifty'." 7 The manager asked someone else who was in debt to his master, "How much do you owe?" "A thousand bushels of wheat," the man replied. The manager said, "Take your bill and write ‘eight hundred'." 8 The master praised his dishonest manager for looking out for himself so well. That's how it is! The people of this world look out for themselves better than the people who belong to the light. 9 My disciples, I tell you to use wicked wealth to make friends for yourselves. Then when it is gone, you will be welcomed into an eternal home. 10 Anyone who can be trusted in little matters can also be trusted in important matters. But anyone who is dishonest in little matters will be dishonest in important matters.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

servant: Luke 9:50, Luke 11:23, Joshua 24:15, Matthew 4:10, Matthew 6:24, Romans 6:16-22, Romans 8:5-8, James 4:4, 1 John 2:15, 1 John 2:16

hate: Luke 14:26

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 17:33 - They feared Proverbs 28:11 - rich Jeremiah 22:17 - covetousness Hosea 10:2 - Their heart is divided Hosea 12:8 - Yet Matthew 19:23 - That Luke 8:14 - and are Luke 16:9 - of the 2 Timothy 4:10 - having Hebrews 13:5 - conversation

Cross-References

Genesis 16:1
Abram's wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar,
Genesis 16:5
Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's all your fault! I gave you my slave woman, but she has been hateful to me ever since she found out she was pregnant. You have done me wrong, and you will have to answer to the Lord for this."
Genesis 16:7
Hagar stopped to rest at a spring in the desert on the road to Shur. While she was there, the angel of the Lord came to her
Genesis 16:9
The angel said, "Go back to Sarai and be her slave.
Genesis 16:10
I will give you a son, who will be called Ishmael, because I have heard your cry for help. And later I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them all.
Genesis 16:12
But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him."
Genesis 22:14
Abraham named that place "The Lord Will Provide." And even now people say, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."
Genesis 28:17
Then Jacob became frightened and said, "This is a fearsome place! It must be the house of God and the ladder to heaven."
Genesis 31:42
If the fearsome God worshiped by Abraham and my father Isaac had not been on my side, you would have sent me away without a thing. But God saw my hard work, and he knew the trouble I was in, so he helped me. Then last night he told you how wrong you were.
Judges 6:24
Gideon built an altar for worshiping the Lord and called it "The Lord Calms Our Fears." It still stands there in Ophrah, a town in the territory of the Abiezer clan.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

No servant can serve two masters,....

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 6:24.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 16:13. No servant can serve two masters — The heart will be either wholly taken up with God, or wholly engrossed with the world. Matthew 6:24; Matthew 6:24.


 
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