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—because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish.”^[a](A)

¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?^{(B) 12} Now go! I will help you speak^[b] and I will teach you what to say.”^(C)

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

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.^(D) I will help both you and him to speak^[d] and will teach you both what to do. ¹⁶ He will speak to the people for you. He will serve as a mouth for you, and you will serve as God to him. ¹⁷ And take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with.”^(E)

The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴ “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey.^(A) He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents,^[a] to another two talents, and to another one talent, depending on each one’s ability. Then he went on a journey.^(B) 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 servants 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. See, I’ve earned five more talents.’

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

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

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

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

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

²⁸ “‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten 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.^{(F) 30} And throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness,^(G) where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’