Miraculous Signs for Moses

4 Then Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear^(A) to you’?”

² The Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A staff,” he replied.

³ Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from it, ⁴ but the Lord told him, “Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail.” So he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand. ⁵ “This will take place,” He continued, “so they will believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”^(B)

⁶ In addition the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was diseased, white as snow.^{[a](C) 7} Then He said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” He put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out,^[b] it had again become like the rest of his skin.^{(D) 8} “If they will not believe you and will not respond to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the second sign. ⁹ And if they don’t believe even these two signs or listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”^(E)

¹⁰ But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent—either in the past or recently or since You have been speaking to Your servant^[c]—because I am slow and hesitant in speech.”^[d](F)

¹¹ Yahweh said to him, “Who made the human mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?^{(G) 12} Now go! I will help^[e] you speak and I will teach you what to say.”^(H)

¹³ Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”^[f]

¹⁴ Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses, and He said, “Isn’t Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will rejoice when he sees you. ¹⁵ You will speak with him and tell him what to say.^(I) I will help^[g] both you and him to speak and will teach you both what to do. ¹⁶ He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and you will serve as God to him. ¹⁷ And take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with.”^(J)

Moses’ Return to Egypt

¹⁸ Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt and see if they are still living.”

Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

¹⁹ Now in Midian the Lord told Moses, “Return to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.”^{(K) 20} So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God’s staff^(L) in his hand.

²¹ The Lord instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart^[h](M) so that he won’t let the people go. ²² Then you will say to Pharaoh: This is what Yahweh says: Israel is My firstborn son.^{(N) 23} I told you: Let My son go so that he may worship Me, but you refused to let him go. Now I will kill your firstborn son!”^(O)

²⁴ On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the Lord confronted him and sought to put him to death. ²⁵ So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son’s foreskin, and threw it at Moses’ feet.^[i] Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me!”^{(P) 26} So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” referring to the circumcision.^[j]

Reunion of Moses and Aaron

²⁷ Now the Lord had said to Aaron, “Go and meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.^{(Q) 28} Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and about all the signs He had commanded him to do. ²⁹ Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. ³⁰ Aaron repeated everything the Lord had said to Moses and performed the signs before the people. ³¹ The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention^(R) to them and that He had seen their misery,^(S) they bowed down and worshiped.

The Parable of the 10 Virgins

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins^[a] who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.^{(A) 2} Five of them were foolish and five were sensible.^{(B) 3} When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take olive oil with them. ⁴ But the sensible ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. ⁵ Since the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶ “In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’

⁷ “Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ But the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’

⁹ “The sensible ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell, and buy oil for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived. Then those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.^(C)

¹¹ “Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’

¹² “But he replied, ‘I assure you: I do not know you!’

¹³ “Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.^[b]

The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴ “For it is just like a man going on a journey.^(D) He called his own slaves and turned over his possessions to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents;^[c] to another, two; and to another, one—to each according to his own ability. Then he went on a journey.^(E) Immediately ¹⁶ the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. ¹⁷ In the same way the man with two earned two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. Look, I’ve earned five more talents.’

²¹ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’^(F)

²² “Then the man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. Look, I’ve earned two more talents.’

²³ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’

²⁴ “Then the man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a difficult man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed.^{(G) 25} So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. Look, you have what is yours.’

²⁶ “But his master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy slave!^(H) If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, ²⁷ then^[d] you should have deposited my money with the bankers. And when I returned I would have received my money^[e] back with interest.

²⁸ “‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has 10 talents. ²⁹ For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.^{(I) 30} And throw this good-for-nothing slave into the outer darkness.^(J) In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels^[f](K) with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.^{(L) 32} All the nations^[g](M) will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.^{(N) 33} He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom^(O) prepared for you from the foundation of the world.^(P)

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? ³⁹ When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’

⁴⁰ “And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’^{(R) 41} Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!^(S)

⁴⁴ “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help You?’

⁴⁵ “Then He will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either.’^(T)

⁴⁶ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”^(U)