Matthew 25
25
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like #
Luke 19:13 ten virgins who took their lamps # 25:1 Or torches and went to meet #ch. 9:15; John 3:29; Rev. 19:7; 21:2, 9the bridegroom.#25:1 Some manuscripts add and the bride 2Five of them were foolish, and five were #[See ch. 24:45 above]wise. 3For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom #ch. 24:48; [ver. 19; Heb. 10:37; 2 Pet. 3:4, 9]was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6But #Mark 13:35at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those virgins rose and #[Luke 12:35]trimmed 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, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and #ch. 24:44 those who were ready went in with him to #ch. 22:2 the marriage feast, and #For ver. 10-12, [Luke 13:25-27]the door was shut. 11Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, #[ch. 7:22, 23]‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12#[See ver. 11 above] But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, #ch. 10:33; [2 Tim. 2:19]I do not know you.’ 13#ch. 24:42 Watch therefore, for you #[ch. 24:50]know neither the day nor the hour.
The Parable of the Talents
14 # For ver. 14-30, [Luke 19:12-27] “For # [Mark 13:34] it will be like a man # ch. 21:33 going on a journey, who called his servants # 25:14 Or bondservants ; also verse 19 and entrusted to them his property. 15To one he gave five #ch. 18:24 talents,#25:15 A talent was a monetary unit worth about twenty years’ wages for a laborer to another two, to another one, #[Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:11; Eph. 4:7; 1 Pet. 4:10] to each according to his ability. Then he #[See ver. 14 above]went away. 16He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18But he who had received the one talent went and #[ch. 13:44]dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19Now #[ver. 5] after a long time the master of those servants came and #ch. 18:23; Rom. 14:12; [Luke 16:2]settled accounts with them. 20And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and #ver. 23; ch. 24:45 faithful servant.#25:21 Or bondservant; also verses 23, 26, 30#Luke 16:10; 1 Cor. 4:2; [1 Tim. 3:13] You have been faithful over a little; #ch. 24:47 I will set you over much. Enter into #Heb. 12:2; [John 15:11]the joy of your master.’ 22And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be #1 Sam. 25:3 a hard man, reaping #[2 Cor. 8:12]where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, #ch. 20:14you have what is yours.’ 26But his master answered him, ‘You #ch. 18:32; Prov. 20:4; Rom. 12:11wicked and #ch. 18:32; Prov. 20:4; Rom. 12:11slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29#[Luke 12:48]; See ch. 13:12For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30And #See ch. 8:12 cast #[Luke 17:10]the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place #See ch. 8:12 there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Final Judgment
31 # See ch. 16:27, 28 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, # ch. 19:28 then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32Before him #[ch. 24:31] will be gathered #Joel 3:12; [ch. 24:14; 28:19] all the nations, and #ch. 13:49 he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates #Ezek. 34:17the sheep from the goats. 33And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34Then #ver. 40; Luke 19:38; Rev. 17:14; 19:16; [Isa. 6:5] the King will say to #1 Kgs. 2:19; Ps. 45:9; 110:1 those on his right, ‘Come, you #[Ps. 37:22; Isa. 65:23; Eph. 1:3] who are blessed by my Father, #ch. 19:29; Rev. 21:7 inherit #Luke 12:32; 22:29 the kingdom #ch. 20:23; [1 Cor. 2:9; Heb. 11:16] prepared for you #See ch. 13:35from the foundation of the world. 35For #Isa. 58:7; Ezek. 18:7, 16; [James 2:15, 16] I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you #ch. 10:42 gave me drink, #Job 31:32; Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:1, 2; 3 John 5I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36#[See ver. 35 above] I was naked and you clothed me, #[Luke 10:33, 34] I was sick and you #James 1:27 visited me, #2 Tim. 1:16; [Heb. 10:34; 13:3]I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40And #ver. 34 the King will answer them, #See ch. 10:40, 42 ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these #ch. 28:10; John 20:17; Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:11; [ch. 12:50]my brothers,#25:40 Or brothers and sisters you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, # ch. 7:23 ‘Depart from me, you # [Heb. 6:8] cursed, into # ch. 13:40, 42; 18:8; Mark 9:43, 48; Jude 7; [Luke 16:24]; See 2 Thess. 1:8 the eternal fire prepared for #
2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6; Rev. 12:7 the devil and his angels. 42For #Job 22:7I 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 welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44Then they also will answer, 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, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, #[Luke 10:16; Acts 9:5; 1 Cor. 8:12]you did not do it to me.’ 46And these will go away #Dan. 12:2; [John 5:29; Acts 24:15] into eternal punishment, but the righteous #Dan. 12:2; [John 5:29; Acts 24:15] into #Rom. 2:7; 5:21; 6:23eternal life.”
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Matthew 25: ESV
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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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.