The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

vvv vvv [Jesus] also said to His disciples,[fn]“There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in to ask‘What [is] this I hear about you? Turn in an account of your management, for you cannot be manager any longer.’

3 

The manager said to himself,‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking away my [position]? vvv I am too weak to dig [and] too ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I will do so that after my removal from management, [people] will welcome me into their homes.’

5 

And he called in each one of his master’s debtors.‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first.

6 

‘A hundred [measures] of olive oil,’[fn] he answered.

‘Take your bill,’ said [the manager]‘sit down quickly, [and] write fifty.’

7 

Then he asked another,‘And how much {do} you owe?’

‘A hundred [measures] of wheat,’[fn] he replied.

‘Take your bill and write eighty,’ he told him.

8 

The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than [are] the sons of light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that when you fail,[fn] they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.

10 

Whoever [is] faithful with very little will also {be} faithful with much, and whoever [is] dishonest with very little will also {be} dishonest with much. 11 So if vvv you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you [with] true [riches]? 12 And if vvv you have not been faithful with the [belongings] of another, who will give you belongings of your own?

13 

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. vvv You cannot serve [both] God and money.”

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