¹³ Until I come,^(A) devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture,^(B) to preaching and to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy^(C) when the body of elders^(D) laid their hands on you.^(E)

¹⁵ Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.

The Parable of the Bags of Gold^(A)

¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey,^(B) who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,^[a] each according to his ability.^(C) Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.^{(D) 20} The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.^(E) Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.^(F) 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, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.^{(G) 30} And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’^(H)

⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,^{(A) 5} so in Christ we, though many, form one body,^(B) and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts,^(C) according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying,^(D) then prophesy in accordance with your^[a] faith;^{(E) 7} if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;^{(F) 8} if it is to encourage, then give encouragement;^(G) if it is giving, then give generously;^(H) if it is to lead,^[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

⁸ This is why it^[a] says:

⁹ (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions^[c]? ¹⁰ He who descended is the very one who ascended^(C) higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)^{(D) 11} So Christ himself gave^(E) the apostles,^(F) the prophets,^(G) the evangelists,^(H) the pastors and teachers,^{(I) 12} to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ^(J) may be built up^{(K) 13} until we all reach unity^(L) in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God^(M) and become mature,^(N) attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.^(O)