Matthew25

¹“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.

²Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent.

³For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take extra oil with them;

⁴but the prudent ones took oil in flasks with their lamps.

⁵Now while the groom was delaying, they all became drowsy and began to sleep.

⁶But at midnight there finally was a shout: ‘Behold, the groom! Come out to meet him.’

⁷Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.

⁸But the foolish virgins said to the prudent ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’

⁹However, the prudent ones answered, ‘No, there most certainly would not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the groom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.

¹¹Yet later, the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’

¹²But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’

¹³Be on the alert then, because you do not know the day nor the hour.

¹⁴“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.

¹⁵To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.

¹⁶The one who had received the five talents immediately went and did business with them, and earned five more talents.

¹⁷In the same way the one who had received the two talents earned two more.

¹⁸But he who received the one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹“Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

²⁰The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have earned five more talents.’

²¹His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

²²“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have earned two more talents.’

²³His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

²⁴“Now the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed.

²⁵And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’

²⁶“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed?

²⁷Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.

²⁸Therefore: take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

²⁹“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

³⁰And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

³¹“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.

³²And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;

³³and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.

³⁴“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

³⁵For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;

³⁶naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’

³⁷Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?

³⁸And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?

³⁹And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

⁴⁰And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’

⁴¹“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

⁴²for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;

⁴³I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’

⁴⁴Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’

⁴⁵Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’

⁴⁶These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”