Section 16:19–31

Jesus told a parable about a rich man and a poor man

In this section Jesus told a parable that contrasted the lives of a rich man and a poor man before and after they died. On this earth, the rich man had everything he wanted. The poor man lived in misery (16:19–21). After they died, their situations were the opposite. When the poor man died, angels took him to a wonderful place to be with Abraham. When the rich man died, he went to Hades where he suffered greatly (16:22–23). The rich man pleaded with Abraham for relief, but Abraham said that nothing could be done to change his situation (16:24–26). When the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers, Abraham replied that they already had God’s word to warn them. If they did not pay attention to God’s word, they would also not pay attention if a dead person came back and warned them (16:27–31).

Another heading for this section is:

The Rich Man and Lazarus (New Century Version)

Paragraph 16:19–21

This paragraph describes the situation of a rich man and a poor man in their lives here on earth.

16:19a

This is the first verse in a new section, so you may want to make it explicit that Jesus was still speaking. If your section heading does not say that this section is a parable or story, you may also want to make this explicit. For example:

Then Jesus told this story/parable

Now: This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible (like the New American Standard Bible) translates as Now in order to show that it introduces background information. Most English versions do not translate this conjunction Introduce this background information in a natural way in your language.

there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen: Jesus began his story by telling about a rich man who is one of the two main characters in the story. In your translation, make sure you introduce the main characters in a way that is natural in your language.

dressed in purple and fine linen: The phrase dressed in purple and fine linen indicates that the rich man always wore the finest, most expensive clothes. He wore a purple robe as an outer garment, and his inner garment was made of linen. Purple dye was expensive, so only kings and rich people could wear that color.

If it is awkward to describe purple robes and linen undergarments in your language or if these details do not convey the right meaning, you may:

• Make explicit the significance of these clothes. For example:

always wore expensive purple robes and the finest quality linen underclothes

• Use a more general description. For example:

always dressed in the finest clothes (New Century Version)
-or-
wore expensive clothes (Contemporary English Version)

16:19b

who lived each day in joyous splendor: The two Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lived each day in joyous splendor are literally “being-merry/celebrating” and “sumptuously/lavishly.” In this context these words mean that the man was always enjoying himself by feasting on the finest foods. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

feasted sumptuously (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
enjoyed eating the most delicious foods
-or-
gave big feasts and made himself happy

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