Matthew 25
25
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins
1“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet #(Eph. 5:29, 30; Rev. 19:7; 21:2, 9)the bridegroom. 2#Matt. 13:47; 22:10Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5But while the bridegroom was delayed, #1 Thess. 5:6they all slumbered and slept.
6“And at midnight #(Matt. 24:31; 1 Thess. 4:16)a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7Then all those virgins arose and #Luke 12:35trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and #(Matt. 7:21); Luke 13:25the door was shut.
11“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, #(Matt. 7:21–23; Luke 13:25–30)‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, #(Ps. 5:5; Hab. 1:13; John 9:31)I do not know you.’
13#Mark 13:35; (Luke 21:36); 1 Thess. 5:6“Watch therefore, for you #Matt. 24:36, 42know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
The Parable of the Talents
14#Luke 19:12–27“For the kingdom of heaven is #Matt. 21:33like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, #(Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:7, 11, 29; Eph. 4:11)to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were #(Luke 16:10; 1 Cor. 4:2; 2 Tim. 4:7, 8)faithful over a few things, #(Matt. 24:47; 25:34, 46; Luke 12:44; 22:29, 30; Rev. 3:21; 21:7)I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into #(2 Tim. 2:12; Heb. 12:2; 1 Pet. 1:8)the joy of your lord.’ 22He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23His lord said to him, #Matt. 24:45, 47; 25:21‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into #(Ps. 16:11; John 15:10, 11)the joy of your lord.’
24“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26“But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You #Matt. 18:32; Luke 19:22wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29#Matt. 13:12; Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18; (John 15:2)‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30And cast the unprofitable servant #Matt. 8:12; 22:13; (Luke 13:28)into the outer darkness. #Matt. 7:23; 8:12; 24:51There will be weeping and #Ps. 112:10gnashing of teeth.’
The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations
31#(Zech. 14:5); Matt. 16:27; Mark 8:38; Acts 1:11; (1 Thess. 4:16); 2 Thess. 1:7; (Jude 14); Rev. 1:7“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32#(Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:12)All the nations will be gathered before Him, and #Ezek. 20:38He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33And He will set the #Ps. 79:13; 100:3; (John 10:11, 27, 28)sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, #(Rom. 8:17; 1 Pet. 1:4, 9; Rev. 21:7)inherit the kingdom #Matt. 20:23; Mark 10:40; 1 Cor. 2:9; Heb. 11:16prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35#Is. 58:7; Ezek. 18:7, 16; (James 1:27; 2:15, 16)for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; #Job 31:32; (Heb. 13:2); 3 John 5I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36I was #Is. 58:7; Ezek. 18:7, 16; (James 2:15, 16)naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; #2 Tim. 1:16I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, #Prov. 14:31; Matt. 10:42; Mark 9:41; Heb. 6:10inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, #Ps. 6:8; Matt. 7:23; Luke 13:27‘Depart from Me, you cursed, #Matt. 13:40, 42into the everlasting fire prepared for #(2 Pet. 2:4); Jude 6the devil and his angels: 42for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, #Prov. 14:31; Zech. 2:8; Acts 9:5inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46And #(Dan. 12:2; John 5:29; Acts 24:15; Rom. 2:7)these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
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Matthew 25: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Matthew 25
25
A Story About Ten Bridesmaids
1“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to wait for the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The five foolish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they did not take more oil for the lamps to burn. 4The wise bridesmaids took their lamps and more oil in jars. 5Because the bridegroom was late, they became sleepy and went to sleep.
6“At midnight someone cried out, ‘The bridegroom is coming! Come and meet him!’ 7Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready. 8But the foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 9The wise bridesmaids answered, ‘No, the oil we have might not be enough for all of us. Go to the people who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10“So while the five foolish bridesmaids went to buy oil, the bridegroom came. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with the bridegroom to the wedding feast. Then the door was closed and locked.
11“Later the others came back and said, ‘Sir, sir, open the door to let us in.’ 12But the bridegroom answered, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t want to know you.’
13“So always be ready, because you don’t know the day or the hour the Son of Man will come.
A Story About Three Servants
14“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was going to another place for a visit. Before he left, he called for his servants and told them to take care of his things while he was gone. 15He gave one servant five bags of gold, another servant two bags of gold, and a third servant one bag of gold, to each one as much as he could handle. Then he left. 16The servant who got five bags went quickly to invest the money and earned five more bags. 17In the same way, the servant who had two bags invested them and earned two more. 18But the servant who got one bag went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
19“After a long time the master came home and asked the servants what they did with his money. 20The servant who was given five bags of gold brought five more bags to the master and said, ‘Master, you trusted me to care for five bags of gold, so I used your five bags to earn five more.’ 21The master answered, ‘You did well. You are a good and loyal servant. Because you were loyal with small things, I will let you care for much greater things. Come and share my joy with me.’
22“Then the servant who had been given two bags of gold came to the master and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of gold to care for, so I used your two bags to earn two more.’ 23The master answered, ‘You did well. You are a good and loyal servant. Because you were loyal with small things, I will let you care for much greater things. Come and share my joy with me.’
24“Then the servant who had been given one bag of gold came to the master and said, ‘Master, I knew that you were a hard man. You harvest things you did not plant. You gather crops where you did not sow any seed. 25So I was afraid and went and hid your money in the ground. Here is your bag of gold.’ 26The master answered, ‘You are a wicked and lazy servant! You say you knew that I harvest things I did not plant and that I gather crops where I did not sow any seed. 27So you should have put my gold in the bank. Then, when I came home, I would have received my gold back with interest.’
28“So the master told his other servants, ‘Take the bag of gold from that servant and give it to the servant who has ten bags of gold. 29Those who have much will get more, and they will have much more than they need. But those who do not have much will have everything taken away from them.’ 30Then the master said, ‘Throw that useless servant outside, into the darkness where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.’
The King Will Judge All People
31“The Son of Man will come again in his great glory, with all his angels. He will be King and sit on his great throne. 32All the nations of the world will be gathered before him, and he will separate them into two groups as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33The Son of Man will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34“Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, my Father has given you his blessing. Receive the kingdom God has prepared for you since the world was made. 35I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house. 36I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37“Then the good people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our house? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?’
40“Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.’
41“Then the King will say to those on his left, ‘Go away from me. You will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever that was prepared for the devil and his angels. 42I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. 43I was alone and away from home, and you did not invite me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me nothing to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
44“Then those people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or alone and away from home or without clothes or sick or in prison? When did we see these things and not help you?’
45“Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you refused to do for even the least of my people here, you refused to do for me.’
46“These people will go off to be punished forever, but the good people will go to live forever.”
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.