Matthew 25:14-30 AMP, Luke 12:1 AMP, Luke 16:1-8 AMP and Luke 19:11-27 AMP

The Rich Fool — Luke 12:16-21

16 Then He told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man was fertile and yielded plentifully.17 And he considered and debated within himself, What shall I do? I have no place [in which] to gather together my harvest.18 And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my storehouses and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain or produce and my goods.19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up, [enough] for many years. Take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself merrily.20 But God said to him, You fool! This very night they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be? 21 So it is with the one who continues to lay up and hoard possessions for himself and is not rich [in his relation] to God [this is how he fares].

The Shrewd Manager — Luke 16:1-8

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.

The Talents/The Minas — Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:11 -27

14 For it is like a man who was about to take a long journey, and he called his servants together and entrusted them with his property.15 To one he gave five talents [probably about $5,000], to another two, to another one--to each in proportion to his own personal ability. Then he departed and left the country.16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he gained five talents more.17 And likewise he who had received the two talents--he also gained two talents more.18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.19 Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.20 And he who had received the five talents came and brought him five more, saying, Master, you entrusted to me five talents; see, here I have gained five talents more.21 His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys.22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, Master, you entrusted two talents to me; here I have gained two talents more.23 His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys.24 He who had received one talent also came forward, saying, Master, I knew you to be a harsh and hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you had not winnowed [the grain].25 So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is your own.26 But his master answered him, You wicked and lazy and idle servant! Did you indeed know that I reap where I have not sowed and gather [grain] where I have not winnowed?27 Then you should have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received what was my own with interest.28 So take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will be furnished richly so that he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away.30 And throw the good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

11 Now as they were listening to these things, He proceeded to tell a parable, because He was approaching Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdom of God was going to be brought to light and shown forth immediately.12 He therefore said, A certain nobleman went into a distant country to obtain for himself a kingdom and then to return.13 Calling ten of his [own] bond servants, he gave them ten minas [each equal to about one hundred days’ wages or nearly twenty dollars] and said to them, Buy and sell with these while I go and then return.14 But his citizens detested him and sent an embassy after him to say, We do not want this man to become ruler over us.15 When he returned after having received the kingdom, he ordered these bond servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know how much each one had made by buying and selling.16 The first one came before him, and he said, Lord, your mina has made ten [additional] minas.17 And he said to him, Well done, excellent bond servant! Because you have been faithful and trustworthy in a very little [thing], you shall have authority over ten cities.18 The second one also came and said, Lord, your mina has made five more minas.19 And he said also to him, And you will take charge over five cities.20 Then another came and said, Lord, here is your mina, which I have kept laid up in a handkerchief.21 For I was [constantly] afraid of you, because you are a stern (hard, severe) man; you pick up what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow.22 He said to the servant, I will judge and condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked slave! You knew [did you] that I was a stern (hard, severe) man, picking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow?23 Then why did you not put my money in a bank, so that on my return, I might have collected it with interest?24 And he said to the bystanders, Take the mina away from him and give it to him who has the ten minas.25 And they said to him, Lord, he has ten minas [already]!26 And [said Jesus,] I tell you that to everyone who gets and has will more be given, but from the man who does not get and does not have, even what he has will be taken away.27 [The indignant king ended by saying] But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them--bring them here and slaughter them in my presence!