Chapter 16

¹And he said also to his disciples: There was a certain rich man who had a steward: and the same was accused unto him, that he had wasted his goods. ²And he called him, and said to him: How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship: for now thou canst be steward no longer. ³And 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. ⁴I know what I will do, that when I shall be removed from the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. ⁵Therefore calling together every one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first: How much dost thou owe my lord? ⁶But he said: An hundred barrels of oil. And he said to him: Take thy bill and sit down quickly, and write fifty. ⁷Then he said to another: And how much dost thou owe? Who said: An hundred quarters of wheat. He said to him: Take thy bill, and write eighty. ⁸And the lord commended the unjust steward, forasmuch as he had done wisely: for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light. ⁹And I say to you: Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity; that when you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings. ¹⁰He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in that which is greater: and he that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that which is greater. ¹¹If then you have not been faithful in the unjust mammon; who will trust you with that which is the true? ¹²And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's; who will give you that which is your own? ¹³No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. ¹⁴Now the Pharisees, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. ¹⁵And he said to them: You are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is high to men, is an abomination before God. ¹⁶The law and the prophets were until John; from that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every one useth violence towards it. ¹⁷And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fall. ¹⁸Every one that putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her that is put away from her husband, commmitteth adultery. ¹⁹There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen; and feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full of sores, ²¹Desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table, and no one did give him; moreover the dogs came, and licked his sores. ²²And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died: and he was buried in hell. ²³And lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom: ²⁴And he cried, and said: Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue: for I am tormented in this flame. ²⁵And Abraham said to him: Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazareth evil things, but now he is comforted; and thou art tormented. ²⁶And besides all this, between us and you, there is fixed a great chaos: so that they who would pass from hence to you, cannot, nor from thence come hither. ²⁷And he said: Then, father, I beseech thee, that thou wouldst send him to my father's house, for I have five brethren, ²⁸That he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torments. ²⁹And Abraham said to him: They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. ³⁰But he said: No, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they will do penance. ³¹And he said to him: If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, if one rise again from the dead.