The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “Now a certain man was rich, and dressed in purple cloth and fine linen, feasting sumptuously every day. 20 And a certain poor man ⌊named⌋c Lazarus, covered with sores, lay at his gate, 21 and was longing to be filled with what fell from the table of the rich man. But even the dogs came and* licked his sores. 22 Now it happened that the poor man died, and he was carried away by the angels to ⌊Abraham’s side⌋.d And the rich man also died and was buried. 23 And in Hades he lifted up his eyes as he* was in torment and* saw Abraham from a distance, and Lazarus ⌊at his side⌋.e 24 And he called out and* said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he could dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am suffering pain in this flame!’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you received your good things during your life, and Lazarus likewise bad things. But now he is comforted here, but you are suffering pain. 26 And in addition to all these things, a great chasm has been established between us and you, so that those who want to cross over from here to you are not able to do so,* nor can they cross over from there to us.’ 27 So he said, ‘Then I ask you, father, that you send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, so that he could warn them, in order that they also should not come to this place of torment!’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must listen to them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Sin, Forgiveness, Faith, and Service

17 And he said to his disciples, “It is impossible for causes for stumbling not to come, but woe to him through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if ⌊a millstone⌋a is placed around his neck and he is thrown into the sea than that he causes one of these little ones to sin.

3 “Be concerned about yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times he returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith like a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

7 “And which of you who has a slave plowing or shepherding sheep* who comes in from the field will say to him, ‘Come here at once and* recline at the table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something that I may eat, and dress yourself to serve me while I eat and drink, and after these things you will eat and drink.’ 9 He will not ⌊be grateful⌋b to the slave because he did what was ordered, will he?* 10 Thus you also, when you have done all the ⌊things you were ordered to do⌋,c say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done what we were obligated to do.’ ”