Matthew 25
25
The Story of Ten Bridesmaids
1“Here is what the kingdom of heaven will be like at that time. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. 2Five of them were foolish. Five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t take any olive oil with them. 4The wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The groom did not come for a long time. So the bridesmaids all grew tired and fell asleep.
6“At midnight someone cried out, ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him!’
7“Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready. 8The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.’
9“ ‘No,’ they replied. ‘There may not be enough for all of us. Instead, go to those who sell oil. Buy some for yourselves.’
10“So they went to buy the oil. But while they were on their way, the groom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with him to the wedding dinner. Then the door was shut.
11“Later, the other bridesmaids also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’
12“But he replied, ‘What I’m about to tell you is true. I don’t know you.’
13“So keep watch. You do not know the day or the hour that the groom will come.
The Story of Three Slaves
14“Again, here is what the kingdom of heaven will be like. A man was going on a journey. He sent for his slaves and put them in charge of his money. 15He gave five bags of gold to one. He gave two bags to another. And he gave one bag to the third. The man gave each slave the amount of money he knew the slave could take care of. Then he went on his journey. 16The slave who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work. He earned five bags more. 17The one with the two bags of gold earned two more. 18But the man who had received one bag went and dug a hole in the ground. He hid his master’s money in it.
19“After a long time the master of those slaves returned. He wanted to collect all the money they had earned. 20The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you trusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have earned five more.’
21“His master replied, ‘You have done well, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you trusted me with two bags of gold. See, I have earned two more.’
23“His master replied, ‘You have done well, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest where you have not planted. You gather crops where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid. I went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26“His master replied, ‘You evil, lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I have not planted? You knew that I gather crops where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money in the bank. When I returned, I would have received it back with interest.’
28“Then his master commanded the other slaves, ‘Take the bag of gold from him. Give it to the one who has ten bags. 29Everyone who has will be given more. They will have more than enough. And what about anyone who doesn’t have? Even what they have will be taken away from them. 30Throw that worthless slave outside. There in the darkness, people will weep and grind their teeth.’
The Sheep and the Goats
31“The Son of Man will come in all his glory. All the angels will come with him. Then he will sit in glory on his throne. 32All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate the people into two groups. He will be like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep to his right and the goats to his left.
34“Then the King will speak to those on his right. He will say, ‘My Father has blessed you. Come and take what is yours. It is the kingdom prepared for you since the world was created. 35I 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. 36I needed clothes. And you gave them to me. I was sick. And you took care of me. I was in prison. And you came to visit me.’
37“Then the people who have done what is right will answer him. ‘Lord,’ they will ask, ‘when did we see you hungry and feed you? When did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you as a stranger and invite you in? When did we see you needing clothes and give them to you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40“The King will reply, ‘What I’m about to tell you is true. Anything you did for one of the least important of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘You are cursed! Go away from me into the fire that burns forever. It has been prepared for the devil and his angels. 42I was hungry. But you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty. But you gave me nothing to drink. 43I was a stranger. But you did not invite me in. I needed clothes. But you did not give me any. I was sick and in prison. But you did not take care of me.’
44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty and not help you? When did we see you as a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison and not help you?’
45“He will reply, ‘What I’m about to tell you is true. Anything you didn’t do for one of the least important of these, you didn’t do for me.’
46“Then they will go away to be punished forever. But those who have done what is right will receive eternal life.”
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Matthew 25: NIrV
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Matthew 25
25
1‘Then shall the reign of the heavens be likened to ten virgins, who, having taken their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom;
2and five of them were prudent, and five foolish;
3they who were foolish having taken their lamps, did not take with themselves oil;
4and the prudent took oil in their vessels, with their lamps.
5‘And the bridegroom tarrying, they all nodded and were sleeping,
6and in the middle of the night a cry was made, Lo, the bridegroom doth come; go ye forth to meet him.
7‘Then rose all those virgins, and trimmed their lamps,
8and the foolish said to the prudent, Give us of your oil, because our lamps are going out;
9and the prudent answered, saying — Lest there may not be sufficient for us and you, go ye rather unto those selling, and buy for yourselves.
10‘And while they are going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those ready went in with him to the marriage-feasts, and the door was shut;
11and afterwards come also do the rest of the virgins, saying, Sir, sir, open to us;
12and he answering said, Verily I say to you, I have not known you.
13‘Watch therefore, for ye have not known the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man doth come.
14‘For — as a man going abroad did call his own servants, and did deliver to them his substance,
15and to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his several ability, went abroad immediately.
16‘And he who did receive the five talents, having gone, wrought with them, and made other five talents;
17in like manner also he who [received] the two, he gained, also he, other two;
18and he who did receive the one, having gone away, digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19‘And after a long time cometh the lord of those servants, and taketh reckoning with them;
20and he who did receive the five talents having come, brought other five talents, saying, ‘Sir, five talents thou didst deliver to me; lo, other five talents did I gain besides them.
21‘And his lord said to him, Well done, servant, good and faithful, over a few things thou wast faithful, over many things I will set thee; enter into the joy of thy lord.
22‘And he who also did receive the two talents having come, said, Sir, two talents thou didst deliver to me; lo, other two talents I did gain besides them.
23‘His lord said to him, Well done, servant, good and faithful, over a few things thou wast faithful, over many things I will set thee; enter into the joy of thy lord.
24‘And he also who hath received the one talent having come, said, Sir, I knew thee, that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering from whence thou didst not scatter;
25and having been afraid, having gone away, I hid thy talent in the earth; lo, thou hast thine own!
26‘And his lord answering said to him, Evil servant, and slothful, thou hadst known that I reap where I did not sow, and I gather whence I did not scatter!
27it behoved thee then to put my money to the money-lenders, and having come I had received mine own with increase.
28‘Take therefore from him the talent, and give to him having the ten talents,
29for to every one having shall be given, and he shall have overabundance, and from him who is not having, even that which he hath shall be taken from him;
30and the unprofitable servant cast ye forth to the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.
31‘And whenever the Son of Man may come in his glory, and all the holy messengers with him, then he shall sit upon a throne of his glory;
32and gathered together before him shall be all the nations, and he shall separate them from one another, as the shepherd doth separate the sheep from the goats,
33and he shall set the sheep indeed on his right hand, and the goats on the left.
34‘Then shall the king say to those on his right hand, Come ye, the blessed of my Father, inherit the reign that hath been prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
35for I did hunger, and ye gave me to eat; I did thirst, and ye gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and ye received me;
36naked, and ye put around me; I was infirm, and ye looked after me; in prison I was, and ye came unto me.
37‘Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungering, and we nourished? or thirsting, and we gave to drink?
38and when did we see thee a stranger, and we received? or naked, and we put around?
39and when did we see thee infirm, or in prison, and we came unto thee?
40‘And the king answering, shall say to them, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] to one of these my brethren — the least — to me ye did [it].
41Then shall he say also to those on the left hand, Go ye from me, the cursed, to the fire, the age-during, that hath been prepared for the Devil and his messengers;
42for I did hunger, and ye gave me not to eat; I did thirst, and ye gave me not to drink;
43a stranger I was, and ye did not receive me; naked, and ye put not around me; infirm, and in prison, and ye did not look after me.
44‘Then shall they answer, they also, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungering, or thirsting, or a stranger, or naked, or infirm, or in prison, and we did not minister to thee?
45‘Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of these, the least, ye did [it] not to me.
46And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life ageduring.’
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