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 girls
Jesus said:
1The kingdom of heaven is like what happened one night when ten girls took their oil lamps and went to a wedding to meet the groom.#25.1 to meet the groom: Some manuscripts add “and the bride”. It was the custom for the groom to go to the home of the bride's parents to get his bride. Young girls and other guests would then go with them to the home of the groom's parents, where the wedding feast would take place.#Lk 12.35. 2Five of the girls were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps, but no extra oil. 4The ones who were wise took along extra oil for their lamps.
5The groom was late arriving, and the girls became drowsy and fell asleep. 6Then in the middle of the night someone shouted, “Here's the groom! Come to meet him!”
7When the girls got up and started getting their lamps ready, 8the foolish ones said to the others, “Let us have some of your oil! Our lamps are going out.”
9The girls who were wise answered, “There's not enough oil for all of us! Go and buy some for yourselves.”
10While the foolish girls were on their way to get some oil, the groom arrived. The girls who were ready went into the wedding, and the doors were closed. 11Later the other girls returned and shouted, “Sir, sir! Open the door for us!”#Lk 13.25.
12But the groom replied, “I don't even know you!”
13So, my disciples, always be ready! You don't know the day or the time when all this will happen.
A story about three servants
(Luke 19.11-27)
Jesus continued:
14The kingdom is also like what happened when a man went away and put his three servants in charge of all he owned.#Lk 19.11-27. 15The man knew what each servant could do. So he handed five thousand coins to the first servant, two thousand to the second, and one thousand to the third. Then he left the country.
16As soon as the man had gone, the servant with the five thousand coins used them to earn five thousand more. 17The servant who had two thousand coins did the same with his money and earned two thousand more. 18But the servant with one thousand coins dug a hole and hid his master's money in the ground.
19Some time later the master of those servants returned. He called them in and asked what they had done with his money. 20The servant who had been given five thousand coins brought them in with the five thousand that he had earned. He said, “Sir, you gave me five thousand coins, and I have earned five thousand more.”
21“Wonderful!” his master replied. “You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!”
22Next, the servant who had been given two thousand coins came in and said, “Sir, you gave me two thousand coins, and I have earned two thousand more.”
23“Wonderful!” his master replied. “You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!”
24The servant who had been given one thousand coins then came in and said, “Sir, I know that you are hard to get along with. You harvest what you don't plant and gather crops where you haven't scattered seed. 25I was frightened and went out and hid your money in the ground. Here is every single coin!”
26The master of the servant told him, “You are lazy and good-for-nothing! You know that I harvest what I don't plant and gather crops where I haven't scattered seed. 27You could have at least put my money in the bank, so that I could have earned interest on it.”
28Then the master said, “Now your money will be taken away and given to the servant with ten thousand coins! 29Everyone who has something will be given more, and they will have more than enough. But everything will be taken from those who don't have anything.#Mt 13.12; Mk 4.25; Lk 8.18. 30You are a worthless servant, and you will be thrown out into the dark where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain.”#Mt 8.12; 22.13; Lk 13.28.
The final judgment
Jesus continued:
31When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on his royal throne.#Mt 16.27; Mt 19.28. 32The people of all nations will be brought before him, and he will separate them, as shepherds separate their sheep from their goats.
33He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34Then the king will say to those on his right, “My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. 35When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, 36and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.”
37Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, “When did we give you something to eat or drink? 38When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear 39or visit you while you were sick or in jail?”
40The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.”
41Then the king will say to those on his left, “Get away from me! You are under God's curse. Go into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels! 42I was hungry, but you did not give me anything to eat, and I was thirsty, but you did not give me anything to drink. 43I was a stranger, but you did not welcome me, and I was naked, but you did not give me any clothes to wear. I was sick and in jail, but you did not take care of me.”
44Then the people will ask, “Lord, when did we fail to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail?”
45The king will say to them, “Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me.”
46Then Jesus said, “Those people will be punished for ever. But the ones who pleased God will have eternal life.”#Dn 12.2.
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