Matthew 25
Oil in the Lamps, and a Separation at the End
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Five Foolish and Five Prudent
25:1Then the kingdom of the heavens will be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
25:2Five of them were foolish and five prudent.
25:3For the foolish took their lamps but did not take oil with them.
25:4The prudent took oil in containers along with their lamps.
25:5As the bridegroom delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
25:6At midnight a cry arose: ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
25:7Then all those virgins arose and put their lamps in order.
25:8The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’
25:9The prudent answered, ‘There may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to those selling and buy for yourselves.’
25:10While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready entered with him into the wedding feast, and the door was shut.
25:11Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
25:12He answered, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’
25:13Therefore keep watch, because you know neither the day nor the hour.
The Parable of the Talents
25:14For it is like a man traveling abroad, who called his own slaves and handed over his belongings to them.
25:15To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, each according to his own ability, and traveled abroad. Immediately
25:16the one who received the five talents went and traded with them and gained another five.
25:17Likewise the one with two gained another two.
25:18But the one who received one went away, dug in the ground, and hid his master’s silver.
25:19After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.
25:20The one who received five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over five talents to me. Look, I gained another five talents.’
25:21His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will appoint you over many. Enter into your master’s joy.’
25:22The one with two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you handed over two talents to me. Look, I gained another two talents.’
25:23His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will appoint you over many. Enter into your master’s joy.’
25:24The one who received one talent also came and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering from where you did not scatter.
25:25I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. Look, you have what is yours.’
25:26His master answered him, ‘Evil and idle slave! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather from where I did not scatter?
25:27Then you ought to have deposited my silver with the bankers, and when I came I would have recovered what is mine with interest.
25:28So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.
25:29For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will have abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken.
25:30Cast the useless slave into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’
The Son of Man Judges the Nations
25:31When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit upon the throne of His glory.
25:32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
25:33He will stand the sheep at His right and the young goats at His left.
Those at His Right
25:34Then the King will say to those at His right, ‘Come, you blessed by My Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
25:35For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me,
25:36naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’
25:37Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
25:38When did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You?
25:39When did we see You sick or in prison and come to You?’
25:40The King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, insofar as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.’
Those at His Left
25:41Then He will also say to those at His left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
25:42For I was hungry and you did not give Me food, I was thirsty and you did not give Me drink,
25:43I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
25:44Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not serve You?’
25:45Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, insofar as you did not do it to one of the least of these, neither did you do it to Me.’
25:46And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.