Luke 16:5-7 New English Translation

⁵So^[a] he contacted^[b] his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶The man^[c] replied, ‘100 measures^[d] of olive oil.’ The manager^[e] said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’^[f] ⁷Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ The second man^[g] replied, ‘100 measures^[h] of wheat.’ The manager^[i] said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write 80.’^[j]

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Footnotes

Luke 16:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the manager’s decision.
Luke 16:5 tn Grk “summoning.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesamenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Luke 16:6 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the first debtor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 16:6 sn A measure (sometimes translated “bath”) was just over 8 gallons (about 30 liters). This is a large debt—about 875 gallons (3000 liters) of olive oil, worth 1000 denarii, over three year’s pay for a daily worker.
Luke 16:6 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
Luke 16:6 sn The bill was halved (sit down quickly, and write fifty). What was the steward doing? This is debated. 1) Did he simply lower the price? 2) Did he remove interest from the debt? 3) Did he remove his own commission? It is hard to be sure. Either of the latter two options is more likely. The goal was clear: The manager would be seen in a favorable light for bringing a deflationary trend to prices.
Luke 16:7 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the second debtor) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
Luke 16:7 sn The 100 measures here was 100 cors. A cor was a Hebrew dry measure for grain, flour, etc., of between 10-12 bushels (about 390 liters). This was a huge amount of wheat, representing the yield of about 100 acres, a debt of between 2500-3000 denarii.
Luke 16:7 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 16:7 sn The percentage of reduction may not be as great because of the change in material.

New English Translation (NET)