Paragraph 16:5–7

16:5a

And: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And introduces what the manager did as a result of his decision in 16:4b. The Contemporary English Version translates it as “Then.” The manager began to do what he had planned in 16:4. In some languages it may be helpful to make this more explicit. For example:

So ⌊he began to do what he had planned.⌋

he called in each one of his master’s debtors: The clause he called in each one of his master’s debtors implies that he sent a message to each person who owed something to the rich man. The manager arranged for these men to come and talk with him about their debts, one at a time. Other ways to translate this clause are:

Then one by one he called in the people who were in debt to his master. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. (New Living Translation (2004))

See how you translated the similar phrase “called him in” in 16:2a.

debtors: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as debtors can refer to people who owe debts of any kind. The debtors mentioned here may have been tenants who paid their rent with produce rather than money. They may also have been traders who bought goods from the rich man on credit. There were probably other debtors not mentioned here who owed money. If possible, use a term that could refer to any kind of debtor.

16:5b

How much do you owe my master?: The manager already knew how much each man owed his employer. He wanted the man to say the amount. He knew that he was about to offer to greatly reduce the man’s debt, and he wanted the man to appreciate it.

he asked the first: For natural English style, the Berean Standard Bible has placed this phrase after the quotation. In Greek, it comes before the quotation. Place it where it would be natural in your language.

the first: The phrase the first refers to the first man who came to see the manager about his debt.

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