LUKAS 16
Die gelykenis van die oneerlike bestuurder
1 Jesus het vir sy dissipels ook gesê: “'n Ryk man het 'n bestuurder in diens gehad, en dié is by hom aangekla omdat hy sy geld verkwis het. 2 Hy ontbied hom toe en sê vir hom: ‘Wat is dit wat ek van jou hoor? Gee verslag van jou bestuur van sake, want jy kan nie langer bestuurder wees nie.’ 3 Die bestuurder dink toe by homself: wat moet ek nou doen, want my werkgewer neem die bestuurderskap van my af weg. Vir handearbeid sien ek nie kans nie; en om te bedel, skaam ek my. 4 Maar wag, nou weet ek wat ek sal doen sodat daar mense sal wees wat my in hulle huise sal ontvang as ek uit die bestuurderskap ontslaan is. 5 Toe roep hy die skuldenaars van sy werkgewer een vir een en vra vir die eerste: ‘Hoeveel skuld jy my werkgewer?’ 6 Hy antwoord: ‘Honderd vate olyfolie.’ Toe sê hy vir hom: ‘Vat jou skuldbewys, gaan sit en skryf gou vyftig.’ 7 Daarna vra hy vir 'n ander een: ‘En jy, hoeveel skuld jy?’ Hy antwoord: ‘Honderd sak koring.’ En hy sê vir hom: ‘Vat jou skuldbewys en skryf tagtig.’
8 “Die werkgewer het die oneerlike bestuurder geprys vir die slim ding wat hy gedoen het. Die mense van hierdie wêreld tree onder mekaar slimmer op as die mense van die lig.
9 “En Ek sê vir julle: Gebruik die oneerlike mammon om vir julle vriende te maak sodat wanneer die geld nie meer kan help nie, hulle julle in die ewige wonings sal ontvang.
10 “Wie in die kleinste dinge betroubaar is, is ook in die groot dinge betroubaar; en wie in die kleinste dinge oneerlik is, is ook in groot dinge oneerlik. 11 As julle dan nie betroubaar is in die hantering van die oneerlike mammon nie, wie sal die ware rykdom aan julle toevertrou? 12 As julle met 'n ander man se goed nie betroubaar is nie, wie sal dan iets aan julle gee om as julle eie te besit?
13 “Geen huisbediende kan vir twee base tegelyk werk nie, want hy sal óf die een minder ag en die ander een hoër, óf vir die een meer oorhê en die ander een afskeep. Julle kan nie God én Mammon dien nie.”
Die wet en die koninkryk van God
(Matt. 11:12-13; 5:31-32; Mark. 10:11-12)
14 Die Fariseërs was baie lief vir geld en toe hulle al hierdie dinge hoor, het hulle Hom beledigend uitgelag. 15 Hy sê toe vir hulle: “Julle is dié wat julle voor die mense as goeie mense voordoen, maar God ken julle harte. Wat deur die mense as belangrik beskou word, is 'n gruwel voor God.
16 “Tot op Johannes was dit net die wet en die profete. Van toe af word die koninkryk van God verkondig, en elkeen probeer so hard as hy kan om daar in te kom. 17 Tog is dit makliker vir die hemel en die aarde om te vergaan as dat een lettertjie van die wet verval.
18 “Elkeen wat van sy vrou skei en met 'n ander een trou, pleeg egbreuk; en iemand wat met 'n geskeide vrou trou, pleeg ook egbreuk.”
Die ryk man en Lasarus
19 “Daar was 'n ryk man wat duur en deftige klere gedra en elke dag feestelik en weelderig geleef het. 20-21 En daar was 'n arm man met die naam Lasarus wat by die deur van die ryk man gelê het in die hoop dat hy van die oorskiet van die ryk man se tafel te ete sou kry. Hy was oortrek van die swere en selfs die honde het daaraan kom lek.
22 “Toe die arm man te sterwe kom, is hy deur die engele weggedra na die ereplek langs Abraham. Die ryk man het ook gesterwe en is begrawe. 23 Toe hy in die doderyk in pyn verkeer, kyk hy op en sien vir Abraham daar in die verte en vir Lasarus langs hom en hy roep: 24 ‘Vader Abraham, ontferm u oor my. Stuur tog vir Lasarus dat hy net die punt van sy vinger in water steek en my tong afkoel, want ek ly verskriklik in hierdie vuur.’ 25 Maar Abraham sê: ‘My kind, onthou dat jy in jou leeftyd altyd die goeie gekry het en Lasarus die slegte. Nou gaan dit hier goed met hom, maar jy word gepynig. 26 En buitendien is daar 'n groot kloof tussen ons en julle, sodat dié wat hiervandaan wil oorgaan na julle toe, nie kan nie, en dié wat dáár is, ook nie na ons toe kan oorkom nie.’ 27 Toe sê hy: ‘Ek smeek u dan, vader, stuur hom tog na my pa se huis toe. 28 Ek het nog vyf broers. Laat hy hulle dringend gaan waarsku sodat hulle nie ook in hierdie plek van pyniging beland nie.’ 29 Maar Abraham sê: ‘Hulle het die woorde van Moses en die profete. Laat hulle daarna luister.’ 30 Hy antwoord egter: ‘Nee, vader Abraham, maar as iemand uit die dood na hulle toe gaan, sal hulle hulle bekeer.’ 31 Maar hy sê vir hom: ‘As hulle na Moses en die profete nie luister nie, sal hulle nie oortuig word nie al sou iemand uit die dood opstaan.’ ”
Luke 16
1 ALSO [Jesus] said to the disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a manager of his estate, and accusations [against this man] were brought to him, that he was squandering his [master’s] possessions.2 And he called him and said to him, What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management [of my affairs], for you can be [my] manager no longer.3 And the manager of the estate said to himself, What shall I do, seeing that my master is taking the management away from me? I am not able to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.4 I have come to know what I will do, so that they [my master’s debtors] may accept and welcome me into their houses when I am put out of the management.5 So he summoned his master’s debtors one by one, and he said to the first, How much do you owe my master?6 He said, A hundred measures [about 900 gallons] of oil. And he said to him, Take back your written acknowledgement of obligation, and sit down quickly and write fifty [about 450 gallons].7 After that he said to another, And how much do you owe? He said, A hundred measures [about 900 bushels] of wheat. He said to him, Take back your written acknowledgement of obligation, and write eighty [about 700 bushels].8 And [his] master praised the dishonest (unjust) manager for acting shrewdly and prudently; for the sons of this age are shrewder and more prudent and wiser in [relation to] their own generation [to their own age and kind] than are the sons of light.9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions), so that when it fails, they [those you have favored] may receive and welcome you into the everlasting habitations (dwellings).10 He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much.11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the [case of] unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions), who will entrust to you the true riches?12 And if you have not proved faithful in that which belongs to another [whether God or man], who will give you that which is your own [that is, the true riches]?13 No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches, or anything in which you trust and on which you rely).14 Now the Pharisees, who were covetous and lovers of money, heard all these things [taken together], and they began to sneer at and ridicule and scoff at Him.15 But He said to them, You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted and highly thought of among men is detestable and abhorrent (an abomination) in the sight of God. [I Sam. 16:7; Prov. 21:2.]16 Until John came, there were the Law and the Prophets; since then the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone strives violently to go in [would force his own way rather than God’s way into it].17 Yet it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to fail and become void.18 Whoever divorces (dismisses and repudiates) his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.19 There was a certain rich man who [habitually] clothed himself in purple and fine linen and reveled and feasted and made merry in splendor every day.20 And at his gate there was [carelessly] dropped down and left a certain utterly destitute man named Lazarus, [reduced to begging alms and] covered with [ulcerated] sores.21 He [eagerly] desired to be satisfied with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs even came and licked his sores.22 And it occurred that the man [reduced to] begging died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.23 And in Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.24 And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.25 But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime fully received [what is due you in] comforts and delights, and Lazarus in like manner the discomforts and distresses; but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish.26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who want to pass from this [place] to you may not be able, and no one may pass from there to us.27 And [the man] said, Then, father, I beseech you to send him to my father’s house--28 For I have five brothers--so that he may give [solemn] testimony and warn them, lest they too come into this place of torment.29 But Abraham said, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear and listen to them.30 But he answered, No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent (change their minds for the better and heartily amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins).31 He said to him, If they do not hear and listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded and convinced and believe [even] if someone should rise from the dead.