3. “Then the steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, for my master is taking away the stewardship from me? I cannot dig. I am ashamed to beg.
4. I know what to do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, others may receive me into their houses.’
5. “So he called each of his master’s debtors, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6. “He said, ‘Eight hundred gallons of oil.’“He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write four hundred.’
7. “Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’“He said, ‘One thousand bushels of wheat.’“He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eight hundred.’
8. “The master commended the dishonest steward, because he had acted prudently. For the sons of this world are wiser in their own generation than the sons of light.
9. I say to you, make friends for yourself by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when you fall short, they may receive you into eternal dwellings.
10. “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much. And he who is dishonest in the least is dishonest also in much.
11. So if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12. And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who will give you that which is your own?
13. “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
14. The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things and derided Him.
15. He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed before men is an abomination before God.
16. “The Law and the Prophets were preached until John. Since then the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.