Luke 16:10–13
Whoever is faithful in little is faithful in much
Study it word by word10The one who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is unjust in very little is also unjust in much.
11If then you have not been faithful with the unjust wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
13No household servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold on to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
In its context
8And the master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd than the sons of light in dealing with their own generation.
9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of the unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they may welcome you into the eternal dwellings.
…
14Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were hearing all these things, and they were ridiculing him.
15And he said to them, “You are the ones who declare yourselves righteous before people, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among people is an abomination before God.
Its words in the original
- πιστὸςpistos· faithful, believing
Faithful, trustworthy; also believing, a believer.
- ἐλαχίστῳelachistōi· least, smallest
Least, smallest, the lowest in size or importance.
- πολλῷpollōi· much, many
Much, great; in the plural, many.
- ἐστινestin· be
Be, exist.
- ἄδικοςadikos· unjust, unrighteous
Unjust, unrighteous, wicked.
- μαμωνᾷmamōnai· wealth, mammon
Wealth: an Aramaic word (mammon) for money and possessions, presented as a master.
- ἐγένεσθεegenesthe· become, happen
Become, happen, come about; be born.
- ἀληθινὸνalēthinon· true
True, genuine, real.
- πιστεύσειpisteusei· believe
Believe, trust.
- ἀλλοτρίῳallotriōi· of others, stranger
Belonging to others, foreign, strange.
- ὑμέτερονhymeteron· your, yours
Your, yours (of several people).
- δώσειdōsei· give
Give.
- οἰκέτηςoiketēs· household slave
Household servant, a domestic slave.
- δύναταιdynatai· can, be able
Can, be able.
- δυσὶdysi· two
Two.
- κυρίοιςkyriois· Lord, lord
Lord, master, owner. Said of God, the Lord; in Old Testament quotations it stands for the name YHWH.
- δουλεύεινdouleuein· be a slave
Serve as a slave, be wholly at someone's service.
- ἕναhena· one
One.
- μισήσειmisēsei· hate
Hate.
- ἕτερονheteron· other, another
Other, another, different.
- ἀγαπήσειagapēsei· love
Love: to seek the good of the other, even of someone who does not deserve it.
- ἀνθέξεταιanthexetai· hold to, help
Hold to, be devoted to someone; hold firmly to; take care of, help.
- καταφρονήσειkataphronēsei· despise
Despise, look down on, think little of.
- θεῷtheōi· God, god
God. In the plural or in another sense, "gods".