New International VersionSo he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
New Living TranslationSo the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’
English Standard VersionAnd he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’
Berean Standard BibleSo 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.’
Berean Literal BibleAnd having called him, he said to him, 'What is this I hear concerning you? Give the account of your stewardship, for you are not able to manage any longer.'
King James BibleAnd he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
New King James VersionSo he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’
New American Standard BibleAnd he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’
NASB 1995“And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’
NASB 1977“And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’
Legacy Standard BibleAnd he called for him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’
Amplified BibleSo he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management [of my affairs], for you can no longer be [my] manager.’
Christian Standard BibleSo he called the manager in and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be my manager.’
Holman Christian Standard BibleSo he called the manager in and asked, What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be my manager.’
American Standard VersionAnd he called him, and said unto him, What is this that I hear of thee? render the account of thy stewardship; for thou canst be no longer steward.
Contemporary English VersionSo the rich man called him in and said, "What is this I hear about you? Tell me what you have done! You are no longer going to work for me."
English Revised VersionAnd he called him, and said unto him, What is this that I hear of thee? render the account of thy stewardship; for thou canst be no longer steward.
GOD'S WORD® TranslationSo the rich man called for his manager and said to him, 'What's this I hear about you? Let me examine your books. It's obvious that you can't manage my property any longer.'
Good News Translationso he called him in and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Turn in a complete account of your handling of my property, because you cannot be my manager any longer.'
International Standard VersionSo he called for him and asked him, 'What's this I hear about you? You can't be my manager any longer. Now give me a report about your management!'
NET BibleSo he called the manager in and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Turn in the account of your administration, because you can no longer be my manager.'
New Heart English BibleHe called him, and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.'
Webster's Bible TranslationAnd he called him, and said to him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship: for thou mayest be no longer steward.
Weymouth New TestamentHe called him and said, "'What is this I hear about you? Render an account of your stewardship, for I cannot let you hold it any longer.' Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleSo 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.’
World English BibleHe called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand having called him, he said to him, What [is] this I hear about you? Render the account of your stewardship, for you may not be steward any longer.
Berean Literal BibleAnd having called him, he said to him, 'What is this I hear concerning you? Give the account of your stewardship, for you are not able to manage any longer.'
Young's Literal Translation and having called him, he said to him, What is this I hear about thee? render the account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest not any longer be steward.
Smith's Literal TranslationAnd having called him, he said to him, What is this I hear of thee give back the word of thy stewardship; for thou canst no more be steward. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd 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.
Catholic Public Domain VersionAnd he called him and said to him: ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship. For you can no longer be my steward.’
New American BibleHe summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’
New Revised Standard VersionSo he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleSo his master called him and said to him, What is this that I hear concerning you? Give me an account of your stewardship; for no longer can you be a steward for me.
Aramaic Bible in Plain EnglishAnd his Lord summoned him and said to him, “What is this I have heard about you? Give me an inventory of your stewardship, for you cannot be a steward for me any longer.” NT Translations Anderson New TestamentAnd he called him, and said to him: What is this that I hear of you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer act as steward.
Godbey New TestamentAnd having called him, he said to him, What is this which I hear concerning thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou art not able to be steward any longer.
Haweis New Testament
And calling him, he said to him, What is this report I hear of thee? give up the account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer in that office.
Mace New Testament
upon making him appear, he said to him, what information is this, I hear against thee? give an account of your administration, for you must not be my steward any longer.
Weymouth New Testament
He called him and said, "'What is this I hear about you? Render an account of your stewardship, for I cannot let you hold it any longer.'
Worrell New Testament
And, calling him, he said to him, 'Whatis this I hear of you? Render the account of your stewardship; for you can be no longer steward.'
Worsley New Testament
And he called him, and said unto him, Whatis this I hear of thee? give up the accounts of thy stewardship, for thou canst be no longer steward.
Additional Translations ... Audio Bible
Context The Parable of the Shrewd Manager1Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2Sohe calledhim into ask,‘What isthisI hearaboutyou?Turn inanaccountofyourmanagement,foryou cannotbe managerany longer.’3The 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.…
Cross References Matthew 25:19After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
Romans 14:12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
1 Corinthians 4:2Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
2 Corinthians 5:10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
Hebrews 4:13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
1 Peter 4:5But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
Revelation 20:12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And books were opened, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.
Matthew 12:36But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
Matthew 18:23-24Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. / As he began the settlements, a debtor owing ten thousand talents was brought to him.
Matthew 21:33-41Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. / When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit. / But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. ...
Matthew 24:45-51Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? / Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. / Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ...
Mark 13:34It is like a man going on a journey who left his house, put each servant in charge of his own task, and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch.
Luke 12:42-48And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their portion at the proper time? / Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. / Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ...
Luke 19:12-27So He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return. / Beforehand, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business with this until I return,’ he said. / But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’ ...
Genesis 43:9I will guarantee his safety. You may hold me personally responsible. If I do not bring him back and set him before you, then may I bear the guilt before you all my life.
Treasury of Scripture And he called him, and said to him, How is it that I hear this of you? give an account of your stewardship; for you may be no longer steward. How. Genesis 3:9-11 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Whereart thou? … Genesis 4:9,10 And the LORD said unto Cain, Whereis Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not:Am I my brother's keeper? … Genesis 18:20,21 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; … give. Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whomhis lord shall make ruler over his household, to givethem their portion of meat in due season? Ecclesiastes 11:9,10 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all thesethings God will bring thee into judgment… Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whetherit be good, or whetherit be evil. for. Luke 12:20 But God said unto him,Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? Luke 19:21-26 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow… Jump to Previous AccountAccountingHearHoldLongerManagementManagerMayestPropertyRenderStewardStewardshipTurnWhatJump to Next AccountAccountingHearHoldLongerManagementManagerMayestPropertyRenderStewardStewardshipTurnWhatLuke 16 1.The parable of the unjust steward.14.Jesus reproves the hypocrisy of the covetous Pharisees.19.The parable of the rich man and Lazarus the beggar.So he called him in to askIn this parable, the rich man represents God, and the manager symbolizes those entrusted with responsibilities in God's kingdom. The act of calling in the manager reflects the divine summons for accountability. This mirrors the biblical theme of stewardship, where individuals are called to account for their actions and management of God's resources ( Romans 14:12). ‘What is this I hear about you?
This phrase indicates that the rich man has received reports or accusations about the manager's conduct. In biblical times, reputation and word-of-mouth were crucial, as they often determined one's standing in the community. This reflects the omniscience of God, who is aware of all actions and intentions (Hebrews 4:13). Turn in an account of your management
The demand for an account signifies a time of judgment and evaluation. In the cultural context, stewards were expected to maintain detailed records of their transactions. This parallels the biblical teaching that believers will give an account of their lives and stewardship before God (2 Corinthians 5:10). for you cannot be manager any longer.
The removal of the manager from his position signifies the consequences of mismanagement and unfaithfulness. This serves as a warning about the seriousness of stewardship and the potential loss of privilege and responsibility due to unfaithfulness. It echoes the biblical principle that those who are unfaithful with little will not be entrusted with more (Luke 16:10-12). Persons / Places / Events 1. The Rich ManRepresents God or a figure of authority who holds others accountable for their stewardship. 2. The ManagerSymbolizes believers or individuals entrusted with responsibilities and resources. 3. The AccusationThe manager is accused of wasting the rich man's possessions, prompting an audit of his management. 4. The Call to AccountThe rich man demands an account of the manager's stewardship, signifying a moment of judgment or evaluation. 5. The DismissalThe manager faces the consequence of losing his position, highlighting the seriousness of mismanagement. Teaching Points Accountability Before GodEvery believer is accountable to God for how they manage their time, talents, and resources. Faithful StewardshipGod expects us to be faithful stewards of what He has entrusted to us, using it for His glory and purposes. Consequences of MismanagementMismanagement of God-given resources can lead to loss of opportunities and blessings. Self-ExaminationRegular self-examination and reflection on our stewardship can help us align with God's expectations. Preparation for JudgmentBelievers should live with the awareness that they will one day give an account to God, motivating them to live righteously. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1.What is the meaning of Luke 16:2?
2.How does Luke 16:2 challenge us to be accountable in our stewardship?
3.What lessons on honesty can we learn from Luke 16:2's "give an account"?
4.How does Luke 16:2 relate to the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25?
5.In what ways can we apply Luke 16:2 to our financial responsibilities today?
6.How does Luke 16:2 encourage us to prepare for our spiritual accountability?
7.What does Luke 16:2 reveal about accountability in Christian stewardship?
8.How does Luke 16:2 challenge our understanding of divine judgment?
9.What historical context influences the interpretation of Luke 16:2?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Luke 16?
11.What is the meaning of Biblical stewardship?
12.What does Christmas truly signify?
13.What is the biblical perspective on short-term missions?
14.How should we live in anticipation of Christ's return?What Does Luke 16:2 Mean So he called him in to ask- The master initiates the meeting; the steward does not set the agenda. • This mirrors God’s sovereign right to summon every person (Job 1:6;Hebrews 9:27). • As inGenesis 3:9—“Then the LORD God called to the man”—accountability begins with God’s call, not human initiative. - The summons is personal and immediate, showing that stewardship is never anonymous (2 Corinthians 5:10).
“What is this I hear about you?”- The question exposes that rumors had reached the master; nothing stays hidden (Ecclesiastes 12:14;Luke 12:2–3). - The steward’s reputation is on trial. Our witness matters, because a believer’s conduct reflects on the Lord (1 Peter 2:12). - God’s inquiries are not for His information but for our conviction (Genesis 4:9–10;John 4:16–18).
“Turn in an account of your management,”- A day of reckoning is certain. •Romans 14:12: “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” •1 Corinthians 4:2: “Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” - Record-keeping implies measurable responsibility; talents, time, and truth entrusted to us will be reviewed (Matthew 25:14-30). - For believers, this points to the judgment seat of Christ where rewards are given (2 Corinthians 5:10).
“for you cannot be manager any longer.”- Continued stewardship is conditional on faithfulness; privilege can be removed (Luke 19:26;Revelation 3:11). - The loss here is position, not personhood—illustrating that unfaithful believers may forfeit reward and influence though still saved (1 Corinthians 3:15). - God’s holiness demands decisive action; mercy does not cancel accountability (Psalm 101:6-7).
summaryLuke 16:2 portrays a steward abruptly called to account, illustrating divine sovereignty, inevitable judgment, and the conditional nature of earthly and eternal stewardship. The master’s summons, probing question, demand for records, and final dismissal remind us that God hears, sees, and will evaluate every charge. Faithfulness today secures continued trust and future reward; neglect invites loss. (2) How is it that I hear this of thee?--(1) The opening words of the steward's master imply wonder as well as indignation. They remind us so far of the words of the lord of the vineyard in another parable, "Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?" ( Isaiah 5:4). Speaking after the manner of men, it was a marvel and a mystery that men with so high a calling as the scribes and teachers of Israel should have proved so unfaithful to their trust. (2) The words that follow, "Give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward," while they admit legitimately enough a personal application to each individual at the close of any period of trust and probation, and therefore at the close of life, are yet far from being limited to that application, and in their primary significance, do not even admit it. The close of a stewardship, for a party like the Pharisees--for a school like that of the scribes--for any Church or section of a Church--is when its day of judgment comes, when its work in the Kingdom is done, when history, and God in history, pass their sentence upon it. And that day of judgment was coming fast upon those who then heard the parable.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek Soκαὶ(kai)Conjunction
Strong's 2532:And, even, also, namely.he calledφωνήσας(phōnēsas)Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5455:From phone; to emit a sound; by implication, to address in words or by name, also in imitation.him inαὐτὸν(auton)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846:He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.to ask,εἶπεν(eipen)Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036:Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.‘What [is]Τί(Ti)Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101:Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.thisτοῦτο(touto)Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3778:This; he, she, it.I hearἀκούω(akouō)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 191:To hear, listen, comprehend by hearing; pass: is heard, reported. A primary verb; to hear.aboutπερὶ(peri)Preposition
Strong's 4012:From the base of peran; properly, through, i.e. Around; figuratively with respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time.you?σοῦ(sou)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771:You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.Turn inἀπόδος(apodos)Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 591:From apo and didomi; to give away, i.e. Up, over, back, etc.anτὸν(ton)Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.accountλόγον(logon)Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3056:From lego; something said; by implication, a topic, also reasoning or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, the Divine Expression.ofτῆς(tēs)Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.yourσου(sou)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771:You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.management,οἰκονομίας(oikonomias)Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3622:Management of household affairs, stewardship, administration. From oikonomos; administration; specially, a 'economy'.forγὰρ(gar)Conjunction
Strong's 1063:For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.you cannotδύνῃ(dynē)Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 1410:(a) I am powerful, have (the) power, (b) I am able, I can. Of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible.be managerοἰκονομεῖν(oikonomein)Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 3621:To be a steward, manage a household. From oikonomos; to manage.any longer.’ἔτι(eti)Adverb
Strong's 2089:(a) of time: still, yet, even now, (b) of degree: even, further, more, in addition. Perhaps akin to etos; 'yet, ' still.
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NT Gospels: Luke 16:2 He called him and said to him (Luke Lu Lk) |
