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So 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.’
Luke 16:2 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB He 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.’
  • KJV And 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.
  • NKJV So 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.’
  • NASB And 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.’
  • NLT So 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.’

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The master confronts the manager and demands an accounting, since he can no longer hold his position.

Overview

The reckoning the manager faces mirrors the accounting every person owes to God. Dismissal is certain, prompting decisive action. This impending loss drives the steward to think ahead, a prudence Jesus will commend in spiritual matters even as He condemns the man's dishonesty.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 20

  • 1 Pet 4:5But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
  • 2 Cor 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.
  • Eccl 11:9–10Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
  • 1 Tim 5:24The sins of some men are obvious, going ahead of them to judgment; but the sins of others do not surface until later.
  • Rev 20:12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.
  • 1 Sam 2:23–24“Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people.
  • Eccl 12:14For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
  • Gen 4:9–10And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I do not know!” he answered. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
  • 1 Pet 4:10As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another.
  • Rom 14:12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
  • 1 Cor 4:2Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
  • 1 Cor 1:11My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.
  • Gen 3:9–11But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”
  • Luke 19:21–26For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’
  • 1 Cor 4:5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
  • Luke 12:20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
  • Matt 12:36But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
  • 1 Tim 4:14Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given you through the prophecy spoken over you at the laying on of the hands of the elders.
  • Luke 12:42And 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?
  • Gen 18:20–21Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so grievous,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 16:2YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.

How Luke 16:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.