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Matthew 24:37-25:30
New English Translation

37 For just like the days of Noah[a] were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood, people[b] were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. 39 And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away.[c] It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man.[d] 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left.[e] 41 There will be two women grinding grain with a mill;[f] one will be taken and one left.

42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day[g] your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief[h] was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.[i]

The Faithful and Wise Slave

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise slave,[j] whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves[k] their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work[l] when he comes. 47 I tell you the truth,[m] the master[n] will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if[o] that evil slave should say to himself,[p] ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards, 50 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, 51 and will cut him in two,[q] and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five[r] of the virgins[s] were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When[t] the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take extra[u] olive oil[v] with them. 4 But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps. 5 When[w] the bridegroom was delayed a long time, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The[x] foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 9 ‘No,’ they replied.[y] ‘There won’t be enough for you and for us. Go instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. Then[z] the door was shut. 11 Later,[aa] the other virgins came too, saying, ‘Lord, lord! Let us in!’[ab] 12 But he replied,[ac] ‘I tell you the truth,[ad] I do not know you!’ 13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour.[ae]

The Parable of the Talents

14 “For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves[af] and entrusted his property to them. 15 To[ag] one he gave five talents,[ah] to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work[ai] and gained five more. 17 In the same way, the one who had two gained two more. 18 But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it. 19 After[aj] a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them. 20 The[ak] one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir,[al] you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 His master answered,[am] ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 The[an] one with the two talents also came and said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’ 23 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, 25 so[ao] I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered,[ap] ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter? 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers,[aq] and on my return I would have received my money back with interest![ar] 28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten.[as] 29 For the one who has will be given more,[at] and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.[au] 30 And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness,[av] where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 24:37 sn Like the days of Noah, the time of the flood in Gen 6:5-8:22, the judgment will come as a surprise as people live their day to day lives.
  2. Matthew 24:38 tn Grk “they,” but in an indefinite sense, “people.”
  3. Matthew 24:39 sn Like the flood that came and took them all away, the coming judgment associated with the Son of Man will condemn many.
  4. Matthew 24:39 tn Grk “So also will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
  5. Matthew 24:40 sn There is debate among commentators and scholars over the phrase one will be taken and one left about whether one is taken for judgment or for salvation. If the imagery is patterned after the rescue of Noah from the flood, as some suggest, the ones taken are the saved (as Noah was) and those left behind are judged. The imagery, however, is not directly tied to the identification of the two groups. Its primary purpose in context is to picture the sudden, surprising separation of the righteous and the judged (i.e., condemned) at the return of the Son of Man.
  6. Matthew 24:41 tn According to L&N 46.16, this refers to a hand mill normally operated by two women.
  7. Matthew 24:42 tc Most later mss (L 0281 565 579 700 1241 M lat) have here ὥρᾳ (hōra, “hour”) instead of ἡμέρα (hēmera, “day”). Although the merits of this reading could be argued either way, in light of the overwhelming and diverse early support for ἡμέρᾳ (א B C D W Δ Θ ƒ13 33 892 1424, as well as several versions and fathers), the more general term is surely correct.
  8. Matthew 24:43 sn On Jesus’ return pictured as a thief, see 1 Thess 5:2, 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15.
  9. Matthew 24:44 sn Jesus made clear that his coming could not be timed, and suggested it would take some time—so long, in fact, that some will not be looking for him any longer (at an hour when you do not expect him).
  10. Matthew 24:45 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
  11. Matthew 24:45 tn Grk “give them.”
  12. Matthew 24:46 tn That is, doing his job, doing what he is supposed to be doing.
  13. Matthew 24:47 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
  14. Matthew 24:47 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the master) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  15. Matthew 24:48 tn In the Greek text this is a third class condition that for all practical purposes is a hypothetical condition (note the translation of the following verb “should say”).
  16. Matthew 24:48 tn Grk “should say in his heart.”
  17. Matthew 24:51 tn The verb διχοτομέω (dichotomeō) means to cut an object into two parts (L&N 19.19). This is an extremely severe punishment compared to the other two later punishments. To translate it simply as “punish” is too mild. If taken literally this servant is dismembered, although it is possible to view the stated punishment as hyperbole (L&N 38.12).
  18. Matthew 25:2 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  19. Matthew 25:2 tn Grk “Five of them.”
  20. Matthew 25:3 tn Grk “For when.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
  21. Matthew 25:3 tn The word “extra” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The point is that the five foolish virgins had only the oil in their lamps, but took along no extra supply from which to replenish them. This is clear from v. 8, where the lamps of the foolish virgins are going out because they are running out of oil.
  22. Matthew 25:3 tn On the use of olive oil in lamps, see L&N 6.202.
  23. Matthew 25:5 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  24. Matthew 25:8 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  25. Matthew 25:9 tn Grk “The wise answered, saying, ‘No.’”
  26. Matthew 25:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  27. Matthew 25:11 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  28. Matthew 25:11 tn Grk “Open to us.”
  29. Matthew 25:12 tn Grk “But answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
  30. Matthew 25:12 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
  31. Matthew 25:13 tc Most later mss (C3 Γ ƒ13 1241 1424c M) add here “in which the Son of Man is coming” (ἐν ᾗ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεται, en |ē ho huios tou anthrōpou erchetai), reproducing almost verbatim the last line of Matt 24:44. The longer reading thus appears to be an explanatory expansion and should not be considered authentic. The earlier and better witnesses (P35 א A B C* D L W Δ Θ ƒ1 33 565 892 1424* al lat co) lack this phrase.
  32. Matthew 25:14 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
  33. Matthew 25:15 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
  34. Matthew 25:15 sn A talent was equal to 6000 denarii. See the note on this term in 18:24.
  35. Matthew 25:16 tn Grk “traded with them.”
  36. Matthew 25:19 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  37. Matthew 25:20 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
  38. Matthew 25:20 tn Grk Or “Lord; or “Master” (and so throughout this paragraph).
  39. Matthew 25:21 tn Grk “His master said to him.”
  40. Matthew 25:22 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  41. Matthew 25:25 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
  42. Matthew 25:26 tn Grk “But answering, his master said to him.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
  43. Matthew 25:27 tn For the translation “deposited my money with the bankers,” see L&N 57.216.
  44. Matthew 25:27 sn That is, “If you really feared me you should have done a minimum to get what I asked for.”
  45. Matthew 25:28 tn Grk “the ten talents.”
  46. Matthew 25:29 tn Grk “to everyone who has, he will be given more.”sn The one who has will be given more. Faithfulness yields great reward (see Matt 13:12; also Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18; 19:26).
  47. Matthew 25:29 sn The one who has nothing has even what he seems to have taken from him, ending up with no reward at all (see also Luke 8:18). The exact force of this is left ambiguous, but there is no comfort here for those who are pictured by the third slave as being totally unmoved by the master. Though not an outright enemy, there is no relationship to the master either.
  48. Matthew 25:30 tn The Greek term translated “darkness” (σκότος) is associated with Tartarus in Aeschylus, Eumenides 72; other references to the darkness of death and the underworld can be found throughout the classical literature as far back as Homer. BDAG 932 s.v. σκότος 1 states: “Of the darkness of the place of punishment far removed fr. the heavenly kingdom (Philo, Exsecr. 152 βαθὺ σκότος. Cf. Wsd 17:20; PsSol 14:9.—σκ. κ. βόρβορος ‘gloom and muck’ await those who are untrue to the Eleusinian Mysteries, Ael. Aristid. 22, 10 K.=19 p. 421 D. Of the darkness of death and the underworld in Hom. and the Trag. As the domain of evil spirits PGM 36, 138; Theoph. Ant. 2, 7 [p. 110, 5]) τὸ σκ. τὸ ἐξώτερον the darkness outside Mt 8:12; 22:13; 25:30.”
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