LUKE 16:3 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Then the manager thought to himself, ‘Oh dear, what will I do now that I’m losing this management job? I’m not strong enough to be out digging and I’d be too ashamed to beg.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking away the management from me? I am not strong to dig. I am ashamed to beg.

UST Then the manager said to himself, ‘My master is going to dismiss me from being his manager, so I have to think of what to do. I am not strong enough to work by digging ditches, and I am ashamed to beg for money.

BSB The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking away my [position]? I am too weak to dig [and] too ashamed to beg.

BLB And the manager said within himself, 'What shall I do, for my master is taking away the management from me? I am not able to dig; I am ashamed to beg.

AICNT And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my lord is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.

OEB “What am I to do,” the steward asked himself, “now that my master is taking the steward’s place away from me? I have not strength to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.

WEBBE “The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I don’t have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m too ashamed to beg.

LSV And the steward said in himself, What will I do, because my lord takes away the stewardship from me? I am not able to dig, I am ashamed to beg—

FBV The manager said to himself, ‘Now what will I do since my master is going to fire me from my job? I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg.

TCNT The steward said to himself, ‘What should I do, now that my master is taking my stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.

T4T Then the manager thought to himself, ‘My master is going to fire me, so ◄I do not know what to do./what shall I do [RHQ]?► I am not strong enough to work by digging ditches, and I am ashamed to beg for money.’

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

BBE And the servant said to himself, What am I to do now that my lord takes away my position? I have not enough strength for working in the fields, and I would be shamed if I made requests for money from people in the streets.

Moff The factor said to himself, "What am I to do, now that my master is taking the factorship away from me? I am too weak to dig, I am ashamed to beg.

Wymth "Then the steward said within himself, "`What am I to do? For my master is taking away the stewardship from me. I am not strong enough for field labour: to beg, I should be ashamed.

ASV And the steward said within himself, What shall I do, seeing that my lord taketh away the stewardship from me? I have not strength to dig; to beg I am ashamed.

DRA And the steward said within himself: What shall I do, because my lord taketh away from me the stewardship? To dig I am not able; to beg I am ashamed.

YLT 'And the steward said in himself, What shall I do, because my lord doth take away the stewardship from me? to dig I am not able, to beg I am ashamed: —

Drby And the steward said within himself, What shall I do; for my lord is taking the stewardship from me? I am not able to dig; I am ashamed to beg.

RV And the steward said within himself, What shall I do, seeing that my lord taketh away the stewardship from me? I have not strength to dig; to beg I am ashamed.
(And the steward said within himself, What shall I do, seeing that my lord taketh/takes away the stewardship from me? I have not strength to dig; to beg I am ashamed. )

SLT And the steward said in himself, What shall I do? for my lord takes away the stewardship from me: I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.

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

KJB-1769 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.
( Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh/takes away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. )

KJB-1611 Then the Steward said within himselfe, What shall I doe, for my lord taketh away from mee the Stewardship? I cannot digge, to begge I am ashamed.
(Then the Steward said within himself, What shall I do, for my lord taketh/takes away from me the Stewardship? I cannot digge, to beg I am ashamed.)

Bshps The stewarde sayde within hymselfe: What shall I do, for my maister taketh away from me the stewardshyppe? I can not digge, & to begge I am ashamed.
(The stewarde said within himself: What shall I do, for my master taketh/takes away from me the stewardshyppe? I cannot digge, and to beg I am ashamed.)

Gnva Then the stewarde saide within himselfe, What shall I doe? for my master taketh away from me the stewardship. I cannot digge, and to begge I am ashamed.
(Then the stewarde said within himself, What shall I do? for my master taketh/takes away from me the stewardship. I cannot digge, and to beg I am ashamed. )

Cvdl The stewarde sayde within himself: What shal I do? My lorde wil take awaye the stewardshipe fro me. I ca not dygge, and to begg I am ashamed.
(The stewarde said within himself: What shall I do? My lord will take away the stewardshipe from me. I can not dygge, and to beg I am ashamed.)

TNT The stewarde sayd with in him selfe: what shall I do? for my master will take awaye from me the stewarde shippe. I cannot digge and to begge I am ashamed.
(The stewarde said with in himself: what shall I do? for my master will take away from me the stewarde ship. I cannot dig and to beg I am ashamed. )

Wycl And the baili seide with ynne him silf, What schal Y do, for my lord takith awei fro me the baili? delfe mai Y not, I schame to begge.
(And the baili said within himself, What shall I do, for my lord taketh/takes away from me the baili? delfe may I not, I shame to begge.)

Luth Der Haushalter sprach bei sich selbst: Was soll ich tun? Mein Herr nimmt das Amt von mir; graben mag ich nicht, so schäme ich mich zu betteln.
(The household spoke at/in itself/yourself/themselves himself/itself: What should I do/put? My Lord takes the office/authority from to_me; dig likes I not, so shame I me to/for beg.)

ClVg Ait autem villicus intra se: Quid faciam, quia dominus meus aufert a me villicationem? Fodere non valeo, mendicare erubesco.
(He_said however villicus inside himself: What I_will_do, because master mine takes_away from me villicationem? Fodere not/no valeo, mendicare erubesco. )

UGNT εἶπεν δὲ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὁ οἰκονόμος, τί ποιήσω, ὅτι ὁ κύριός μου ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ? σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω; ἐπαιτεῖν αἰσχύνομαι.
(eipen de en heautōi ho oikonomos, ti poiaʸsō, hoti ho kurios mou afaireitai taʸn oikonomian ap’ emou? skaptein ouk isⱪuō; epaitein aisⱪunomai.)

SBL-GNT εἶπεν δὲ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὁ οἰκονόμος· Τί ποιήσω ὅτι ὁ κύριός μου ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ; σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω, ἐπαιτεῖν αἰσχύνομαι·
(eipen de en heautōi ho oikonomos; Ti poiaʸsō hoti ho kurios mou afaireitai taʸn oikonomian apʼ emou; skaptein ouk isⱪuō, epaitein aisⱪunomai;)

RP-GNT Εἶπεν δὲ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὁ οἰκονόμος, Τί ποιήσω, ὅτι ὁ κύριός μου ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ; Σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω, ἐπαιτεῖν αἰσχύνομαι.
(Eipen de en heautōi ho oikonomos, Ti poiaʸsō, hoti ho kurios mou afaireitai taʸn oikonomian ap' emou; Skaptein ouk isⱪuō, epaitein aisⱪunomai.)

TC-GNT Εἶπε δὲ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὁ οἰκονόμος, Τί ποιήσω, ὅτι ὁ κύριός μου ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ; Σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω, ἐπαιτεῖν αἰσχύνομαι.
(Eipe de en heautōi ho oikonomos, Ti poiaʸsō, hoti ho kurios mou afaireitai taʸn oikonomian ap emou; Skaptein ouk isⱪuō, epaitein aisⱪunomai. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translation Notes:

Section 16:1–13: Jesus told a parable about a dishonest manager who acted wisely

In the main part of this section, 16:1–8b, Jesus told a parable that appears only in Luke. In this parable a rich man had hired a man to manage his money and possessions for him. The manager was dishonest in his work, so the rich man said that he could not continue to be his manager. But before the manager left this work, he used his position and money to cause other people to like him. He did this so that they would help him when he no longer had an income.

The main point of this parable is that the manager knew how to use money to make things better for his own future. In this way he was a good example for Jesus’ disciples. The parable does not mean that Jesus approved of the manager’s dishonesty.

In 16:8c–16:9 Jesus commented on the parable and applied it to his disciples. In 16:10–13 he gave other teachings about the proper use of wealth.

Other possible headings for this section are:

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (NIV)

The dishonest man who was in charge of a rich man’s wealth

16:3a

The manager said to himself,

¶ “The manager asked himself,
¶ “Then/Later that employee thought,

In Greek, this verse begins with a conjunction that many versions translate as “and.” It probably introduces an action that occurred after some time had passed, after the manager had been able to think about his situation. For that reason, versions such as the NET and NRSV translate it as “Then.” The BSB and several other versions do not translate this conjunction. Introduce this verse in a way that is natural in your language.

The manager said to himself: The phrase The manager said to himself introduces something that the manager thought. It represents a conversation that he carried on with himself in his own mind. A similar idea occurs in 15:17.

16:3b

‘What shall I do, now

‘What should I do now?
‘I wonder what to do now to support myself.

What shall I do…?: This is probably a rhetorical question. The manager was thinking to himself. He was expressing uncertainty about what he could do now that he no longer had his job. He was wondering how to get money to buy the food and other things that he needed. Some ways to translate this question are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
What should I do? (GW)
As a statement. For example:
I wonder what I should do now.
I am uncertain what to do now. I need to find another way to support myself.

Translate the manager’s uncertainty in a way that is natural in your language.

16:3c

that my master is taking away my position?

My master has told me that I cannot work for him any more.
My employer will remove me from my work.
My boss has fired/dismissed me.

now that my master is taking away my position: In Greek and in the BSB, the verb is taking away is in the present tense. It indicates that the action was still happening. The rich man had told him that he could not continue to be his manager. However, the manager’s work would not actually be finished until he had turned in the financial accounts. Consider what verb tense you would use to express this situation in your language.

In some languages a position is not something that can be “taken away” from someone. Use an expression that is natural in your language. Another way to translate it in English is:

My master is not going to employ me any longer.

my master: The words my master refer here to the manager’s employer. The manager was a hired servant rather than a slave. Use an expression that is natural for a hired man to use to refer to his employer.

General Comment on 16:3b–c

In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of 16:3b and 16:3c. For example:

^16cMy master is taking away my job. ^16bWhat shall I do now?

16:3d

I am too weak to dig

I lack the strength to do heavy work like digging/shoveling/hoeing,
I am too weak to work in the fields for pay,

I am too weak to dig: The expression I am too weak to dig may refer to work such as digging ditches or digging in the fields with a shovel or hoe. It was also used to refer to any kind of hard physical labor. In this context it also implies that it was a type of work that people were paid to do.

If the literal expression does not have the right meaning in your language, here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Make explicit a specific kind of digging that is known to be hard. For example:
I don’t have the strength to dig ditches (NLT)
I am not strong enough to use a shovel/hoe
Use an expression that refers more generally to hard physical labor. For example:
I am too weak to work in the fields
I am not able to do manual labor

16:3e

and too ashamed to beg.

and I would feel ashamed/embarrassed to beg for money.
and begging would be too humiliating/shameful.
and as for becoming a beggar, I am too proud to do that.

and too ashamed to beg: This clause indicates that the manager would feel shame or embarrassment if he needed to become a beggar and ask people for money. Another way to express this idea is:

I am too proud to become a beggar

General Comment on 16:3d–e

The two clauses in 16:3d and 16:3e give two options that the manager considered in order to support himself. In some languages it may be good style to express these two alternatives by using a question or by changing the order of the phrases within each verse part. For example:

Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I should be too ashamed. (NJB)

As for digging ditches, I am not strong enough, and as for begging, it would be shameful.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes

εἶπεν & ἐν ἑαυτῷ & τί ποιήσω, ὅτι ὁ κύριός μου ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ? σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω; ἐπαιτεῖν αἰσχύνομαι

said & by himself & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὁ οἰκονόμος Τί ποιήσω ὅτι ὁ κύριος μού ἀφαιρεῖται τήν οἰκονομίαν ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ Σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω ἐπαιτεῖν αἰσχύνομαι)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: [asked himself what he should do, since his master was taking the management job away from him. He realized that he was not strong enough to dig ditches, and that he would be ashamed to beg for money]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ὁ κύριός μου

the the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὁ οἰκονόμος Τί ποιήσω ὅτι ὁ κύριος μού ἀφαιρεῖται τήν οἰκονομίαν ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ Σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω ἐπαιτεῖν αἰσχύνομαι)

The expression my master refers to the rich man. The manager was not a slave, although he was financially dependent on the rich man for his housing, food, etc. Alternate translation: [my employer]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὁ οἰκονόμος Τί ποιήσω ὅτι ὁ κύριος μού ἀφαιρεῖται τήν οἰκονομίαν ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ Σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω ἐπαιτεῖν αἰσχύνομαι)

The manager is saying that he is not strong enough to work all day digging ditches in the ground. He is likely using this one kind of manual work to represent all work that would require sustained physical exertion. Alternate translation: [I am not strong enough to do manual labor]

Parallel LUKE 16:3