Study Desk

Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.

And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

"And he summoned him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.'

And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

"And the manager said to himself, 'What am I to do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.

Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

'I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.'

I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

"And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'

So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

"And he said, 'A hundred jugs of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'

And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

"Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred kors of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'

Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

"And his master complimented the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.

And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

"And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it is all gone, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.

And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

"The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much.

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

"Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true wealth to you?

If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

"And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?

And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

"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."

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.