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Matthew 25
New English Translation

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[a] of the virgins[b] were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When[c] the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take extra[d] olive oil[e] with them. 4 But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps. 5 When[f] 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[g] foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 9 ‘No,’ they replied.[h] ‘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[i] the door was shut. 11 Later,[j] the other virgins came too, saying, ‘Lord, lord! Let us in!’[k] 12 But he replied,[l] ‘I tell you the truth,[m] I do not know you!’ 13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour.[n]

The Parable of the Talents

14 “For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves[o] and entrusted his property to them. 15 To[p] one he gave five talents,[q] 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[r] 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[s] a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them. 20 The[t] one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir,[u] you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 His master answered,[v] ‘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[w] 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[x] I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered,[y] ‘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,[z] and on my return I would have received my money back with interest![aa] 28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten.[ab] 29 For the one who has will be given more,[ac] and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.[ad] 30 And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness,[ae] where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Judgment

31 “When[af] the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All[ag] the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He[ah] will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him,[ai] ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When[aj] did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? 39 When[ak] did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the king will answer them,[al] ‘I tell you the truth,[am] just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters[an] of mine, you did it for me.’

41 “Then he will say[ao] to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. 43 I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they too will answer,[ap] ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’ 45 Then he will answer them,[aq] ‘I tell you the truth,[ar] just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’ 46 And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”[as]

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 25:2 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  2. Matthew 25:2 tn Grk “Five of them.”
  3. Matthew 25:3 tn Grk “For when.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
  4. 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.
  5. Matthew 25:3 tn On the use of olive oil in lamps, see L&N 6.202.
  6. Matthew 25:5 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  7. Matthew 25:8 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  8. Matthew 25:9 tn Grk “The wise answered, saying, ‘No.’”
  9. Matthew 25:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  10. Matthew 25:11 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  11. Matthew 25:11 tn Grk “Open to us.”
  12. Matthew 25:12 tn Grk “But answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
  13. Matthew 25:12 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
  14. 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.
  15. Matthew 25:14 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
  16. Matthew 25:15 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
  17. Matthew 25:15 sn A talent was equal to 6000 denarii. See the note on this term in 18:24.
  18. Matthew 25:16 tn Grk “traded with them.”
  19. Matthew 25:19 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  20. Matthew 25:20 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
  21. Matthew 25:20 tn Grk Or “Lord; or “Master” (and so throughout this paragraph).
  22. Matthew 25:21 tn Grk “His master said to him.”
  23. Matthew 25:22 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  24. Matthew 25:25 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
  25. Matthew 25:26 tn Grk “But answering, his master said to him.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
  26. Matthew 25:27 tn For the translation “deposited my money with the bankers,” see L&N 57.216.
  27. Matthew 25:27 sn That is, “If you really feared me you should have done a minimum to get what I asked for.”
  28. Matthew 25:28 tn Grk “the ten talents.”
  29. 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).
  30. 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.
  31. 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.”
  32. Matthew 25:31 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  33. Matthew 25:32 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
  34. Matthew 25:33 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
  35. Matthew 25:37 tn Grk “answer him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
  36. Matthew 25:38 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  37. Matthew 25:39 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
  38. Matthew 25:40 tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
  39. Matthew 25:40 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
  40. Matthew 25:40 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelphoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). In this context Jesus is ultimately speaking of his “followers” (whether men or women, adults or children), but the familial connotation of “brothers and sisters” is also important to retain here.
  41. Matthew 25:41 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
  42. Matthew 25:44 tn Grk “Then they will answer, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
  43. Matthew 25:45 tn Grk “answer them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
  44. Matthew 25:45 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
  45. Matthew 25:46 sn Here the ultimate destination of the righteous is eternal life. In several places Matthew uses “life” or “eternal life” in proximity with “the kingdom of heaven” or merely “the kingdom,” suggesting a close relationship between the two concepts (compare Matt 25:34 with v. 46; Matt 19:16, 17, 29 with vv. 23, 24). Matthew consistently portrays “eternal life” as something a person enters in the world to come, whereas the Gospel of John sees “eternal life” as beginning in the present and continuing into the future (cf. John 5:24).
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马太福音 25
Chinese New Version (Simplified)

十个童女的比喻

25 “那时，天国好象十个童女，拿着她们的灯出去迎接新郎。 2 她们中间有五个是愚蠢的，五个是聪明的。 3 那些愚蠢的拿着灯，却没有带油； 4 但那些聪明的拿着灯，也把油装在瓶里带来。 5 新郎很晚还没有到，她们都打瞌睡，而且睡着了。 6 半夜，有人喊叫：‘新郎来了，快出来迎接他。’ 7 那些童女都醒过来，整理她们的灯。 8 愚蠢的对聪明的说：‘请把你们的油分一点给我们，我们的灯快要灭了。’ 9 聪明的回答：‘这些恐怕不够我们大家用，不如你们自己到卖油的地方去买吧！’ 10 她们去买油的时候，新郎来了；准备好了的童女就和他一同进去参加婚筵，门就关上了。 11 后来，其余的童女也来到，说：‘主啊，主啊，给我们开门吧！’ 12 新郎却回答：‘我实在告诉你们，我不认识你们。’ 13 所以你们要警醒，因为不知道那日子和那时间。

三个仆人的比喻（参(A)

14 “天国又像一个人要出外远行，就叫自己的仆人来，把产业交给他们。 15 他按照各人的才干，一个给三万个银币，一个给一万二千个银币，一个给六千个银币（原文作“五个，二个，一个他连得”；一个他连得等于六千个银币），然后就远行去了。 16 那领了三万的马上去做生意，另外赚了三万。 17 那领了一万二千的也是这样，另赚了一万二千。 18 但那领了六千的，却去把地挖开，把主人的钱藏起来。 19 过了很久，那些仆人的主人回来了，要和他们算帐。 20 那领了三万个银币的，带着另外的三万前来，说：‘主啊，你交了三万给我，你看，我又赚了三万。’ 21 主人对他说：‘又良善又忠心的仆人哪，你作得好！你既然在不多的事上忠心，我要派你管理许多的事。进来，享受你主人的快乐吧！’ 22 那领了一万二千的也前来，说：‘主啊，你交了一万二千给我，你看，我又赚了一万二千。’ 23 主人对他说：‘又良善又忠心的仆人哪，你作得好！你既然在不多的事上忠心，我要派你管理许多的事。进来，享受你主人的快乐吧！’ 24 那领了六千的也前来，说：‘主啊，我知道你是个严厉的人，没有撒种的地方，你要收割；没有散播的地方，你要收聚。 25 所以，我就害怕起来，去把你的钱藏在地里。你看，你的钱还在这里。’ 26 可是主人对他说：‘你这个又可恶又懒惰的仆人，你既然知道我要在没有撒种的地方收割，在没有散播的地方收聚， 27 那你就应该把我的钱存入银行，到我回来的时候，可以连本带利收回。 28 你们把他的六千银币拿去，交给那个有六万的。 29 因为凡是有的，还要给他，他就充足有余；凡是没有的，就算他有甚么也要拿去。 30 把这没有用的仆人丢在外面的黑暗里，在那里必要哀哭切齿。’

人子必审判万族

31 “当人子在他的荣耀里，带着所有的使者降临的时候，他要坐在荣耀的宝座上。 32 万族要聚集在他面前，他要把他们彼此分开，好象牧羊人把绵羊和山羊分开一样： 33 把绵羊放在右边，山羊放在左边。 34 那时，王要对右边的说：‘蒙我父赐福的，来承受创世以来为你们预备好的国吧。 35 因为我饿了，你们给我吃；我渴了，你们给我喝；我作旅客，你们接待我； 36 我赤身露体，你们给我衣服穿；我病了，你们看顾我；我在监里，你们来看我。’ 37 义人就回答：‘主啊，我们甚么时候见你饿了就给你吃，渴了就给你喝呢？ 38 又甚么时候见你作旅客就接待你，赤身露体就给你衣服穿呢？ 39 或者甚么时候见你病了，或在监里就来看你呢？’ 40 王要回答他们：‘我实在告诉你们，你们所作的，只要是作在我一个最小的弟兄身上，就是作在我的身上了。’

41 “王也要对左边的说：‘你们这被咒诅的，离开我，到为魔鬼和他的使者所预备的永火里去吧！ 42 因为我饿了，你们没有给我吃；我渴了，你们没有给我喝； 43 我作旅客，你们没有接待我；我赤身露体，你们没有给我衣服穿；我病了，我在监里，你们没有看顾我。’ 44 他们就回答：‘主啊，我们甚么时候见你饿了、渴了、作旅客、赤身露体、病了，或在监里，却没有服事你呢？’ 45 王要回答他们：‘我实在告诉你们，这些事你们既然没有作在一个最小的身上，就是没有作在我的身上了。’ 46 他们要进入永远的刑罚，义人却要进入永生。”

Close EASY

Matthew 25
EasyEnglish Bible

Jesus tells a story about ten young women

25 Jesus said, ‘I will tell you another story to show what the kingdom of heaven is like. There were ten young women who were going to a marriage party. They took their lamps with them and they went to meet the man who was marrying a wife. 2 Five of these young women were silly. The other five young women were wise. 3 The silly women took their lamps with them, but they did not take any extra oil with them. 4 The five wise women took jars of oil with their lamps. 5 The man who was marrying a wife did not come for a long time. So all the young women became tired, and they went to sleep.

6 In the middle of the night, someone shouted out, “The man is coming! Come out to meet him!”

7 The ten young women woke up. Then they prepared their lamps to make them work well. 8 The five silly young women said to the other five young women, “Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are not giving much light.” 9 The wise women replied, “If we did that, then there would not be enough oil for all of us. You must go instead to the people who sell oil. You must buy some oil for yourselves.”

10 So these five women went to buy some oil. While they were away, the man arrived for the marriage party. The five wise women were ready. They went with him into the house for the party. Then the servants shut the door.

11 Later, the five silly women also came to the house. They said, “Sir, Sir, please open the door for us.” 12 But he replied, “I tell you, I do not know you.” ’

13 Then Jesus said to the people, ‘So you must watch carefully. You do not know on what day or at what time I will return.’[a]

Jesus tells a story about three servants

14 Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of heaven is also like a man who began a journey. Before the master went away, he told his servants to come to him. He said to them, “Take care of all my money and all my things for me.” 15 The master gave one servant 5,000 gold coins. He gave another servant 2,000 gold coins, and to another servant he gave 1,000 gold coins. The master gave to each servant what he would be able to use well.[b] Then he went away on his journey.

16 The servant who had received 5,000 gold coins went out immediately. He bought and sold things with the money. When he did this, he got 5,000 more gold coins. 17 The servant who had received 2,000 gold coins did the same thing. This servant got 2,000 more gold coins. 18 But the servant who had received only 1,000 gold coins did something different. He went outside and he dug a hole in the ground. He buried the money that his master had given him.

19 After a long time, the master came home.[c] He asked the servants to come to him. He wanted to know how much money they had now. 20 The servant who had received 5,000 gold coins came to his master. The servant said, “Master, you gave me 5,000 gold coins. Now I have an extra 5,000 gold coins.”

21 The master said to this servant, “You are a good servant and you have done really well. You were careful with a small amount of money. Now I will give you authority over many more things. I am really happy about this and I want you to be happy with me.”

22 The servant who had received 2,000 gold coins also came to his master. The servant said, “Master, you gave me 2,000 gold coins. Now I have an extra 2,000 gold coins.”

23 The master said to this servant, “You are a good servant and you have done really well. You were careful with a small amount of money. Now I will give you authority over many more things. I am really happy about this and I want you to be happy with me.”

24 The servant who had received 1,000 gold coins then came to his master. The servant said, “Master, I know what you are like. You tell people what they should do all the time. You take food from fields where you did not put any seed in the ground. You get fruit from trees that you did not plant. 25 So I was afraid of you. I went and I buried your gold coins in the ground. Look! Here they are. You can have your money back again.”

26 The master said to him, “You are a bad and lazy servant. You know what I am like, do you? I get food from fields where I did not put any seeds. I get fruit from trees that I did not plant. You knew all that. 27 So you should have put the money into a bank. Then, when I came home, I could have received my money back from the bank, with extra money.”

28 Then the master said to his other servants, “Take the 1,000 gold coins from this bad servant. Give them to the man who now has 10,000 coins. 29 Some people have received good things. They will all receive even more and have lots of good things. Some other people have nothing. Those people will lose even the little bit that they do have. 30 This servant cannot work for me any longer. Take him outside and throw him into a dark place. There, people will cry and they will bite their teeth together.” ’[d]

God judges everybody

31 Jesus said, ‘I, the Son of Man, will return one day. Then people will see that I am great and powerful. All God's angels will come with me. I will sit on my great seat as king. 32 People from all the countries in the world will come together in front of me. I will put them into two groups. I will do it in the same way that a shepherd puts his sheep and goats into two groups. 33 He puts the sheep on his right side and the goats on his left side.[e]

34 The king will say to those people who are on his right side, “Come here. My Father has been good to you. He has prepared a place for you in his kingdom. That kingdom has been ready for you since the time that God made the world. 35 I was hungry and you gave me some food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me some water to drink. I was visiting your town and you asked me to stay in your home. 36 I did not have enough clothes and you gave me some clothes to wear. I was ill and you took care of me. I was in prison and you came to visit me there.”

37 Then the people on the right side will say to the king, “Master, when did we see that you were hungry and give you some food? When did we see that you were thirsty and we gave you some water to drink? 38 When did we ask you to stay in our home because you were alone? When did we give you some clothes to wear? 39 When did we take care of you because you were ill? When did we come to visit you in prison?”

40 The king will answer them, “I tell you this: You did all these things to help other people. They were not important people, but they were my friends. When you helped them, then you also helped me.”

41 Then the king will say to those people who are at his left side, “Go away from me. God has decided to punish you. He has prepared a fire that will burn for ever. He has prepared it for Satan and his servants. You will also go into that fire. 42 I was hungry but you did not give me any food to eat. I was thirsty but you did not give me anything to drink. 43 I visited your town but you did not ask me to stay in your home. I did not have enough clothes but you did not give me anything to wear. I was ill but you did not take care of me. I was in prison but you did not come to visit me.”

44 Then these other people will say, “Master, when did we see you and you were hungry, or you were thirsty? When did we see you alone or without clothes? When did we see you and you were ill, or in prison? When did you need our help and we did not help you?”

45 Then the king will reply, “I tell you this: You did not help people who are my friends. They were not important people. But when you did not help them, you also did not help me.”

46 Then those people on the king's left side will go away to the place where God will punish them for ever. But the good people on the king's right side will live for ever with God.’

Footnotes

  1. 25:13 In this story Jesus is the man who will marry the woman. We must be ready for him when he comes.
  2. 25:15 It was a lot of money that the master gave to his servants. The money was not a gift. The master wanted the servants to use the money. He wanted them to buy and sell things. He wanted them to use the money to get more money.
  3. 25:19 In the story, Jesus tells the people that he is going away. And he tells them that he will return. Some people do not want Jesus to rule over them. They do not use what he has given them. One day, they will meet him. Jesus told them that he would punish them then.
  4. 25:30 In the story, Jesus was telling people that God gives us gifts. So we must be careful how we use them. One day, he will ask us how we used those gifts.
  5. 25:33 The shepherd is the person who takes care of the sheep and goats. In the day, sheep and goats eat grass in the fields together. At night, the shepherd puts the goats inside so that they are warm. But he leaves the sheep in the fields. Jesus is using the sheep and goats picture story to explain about the kingdom of God. The sheep are like those people who obey God. And the goats are like those people who do not obey him.
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