Matthew 25
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Wise Bridesmaids Will Keep Watch And Stay Prepared For The Coming of The Groom
25 “At-that-time[a], the kingdom of the heavens will be-like ten virgins, who, having taken their lamps[b], went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For the foolish ones, having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them. 4 But the wise ones took oil in jars with their lamps. 5 And while the bridegroom was delaying, they all became drowsy and were sleeping. 6 And in the middle of the night, a shout has come— ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and put their lamps in-order. 8 And the foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us from your oil, because our lamps are going-out[c]’. 9 But the wise ones responded, saying, ‘There will not by any means ever[d] be enough for us and for you. Go instead to the ones selling and buy for yourselves’. 10 And while they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came. And the prepared ones entered with him into the wedding-celebrations. And the door was shut. 11 And later, the other virgins also come, saying, ‘Sir, sir, open for us’. 12 But the one, having responded, said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know[e] you’. 13 Therefore, keep-watching, because you do not know the day nor the hour.
Wise Servants Will Put Their Talents To Work For The Master While He Is Gone
14 “For it [f] is just like a man going-on-a-journey— he called his own slaves and handed over his possessions to them. 15 And he gave five talents[g] to one, and two to another, and one to another— to each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey. 16 Immediately[h] having gone, the one having received the five talents worked with them and gained another five. 17 Similarly, the one having received the two talents gained another two. 18 But the one having received the one talent, having gone, dug [a hole in] the ground and hid his master’s silver talent. 19 Now after much time, the master of those slaves comes and settles the account with them. 20 And having come to him, the one having received the five talents brought another five talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed-over five talents to me. Look, I gained another five talents’. 21 His master said to him, ‘Well[i] done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things. I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master’. 22 And also having come to him, the one having received the two talents said, ‘Master, you handed over two talents to me. Look, I gained another two 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 over many things. Enter into the joy of your master’. 24 And also having come to him, the one having received[j] the one talent said, ‘Master, I knew you— that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering from where you did not scatter[k] [threshings]. 25 And having become afraid, having gone, I hid your talent in the ground. Look, you have what is yours’. 26 But having responded, his master said to him, ‘Evil and lazy slave! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather from where I did not scatter[l]! 27 Therefore you should-have put my money with the bankers. And having come, I would have received-back what was mine with interest. 28 Therefore take the talent away from him, and give it to the one having the ten talents. 29 For to everyone having, it will be given, and he will be caused-to-abound. But from the one not having, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30 And throw-out the unprofitable[m] slave into the outer darkness’. In that place, there will be the weeping and the grinding of teeth.
When The King Comes In Glory, Mankind Will Be Sent To Their Eternal Destinies
31 “Now when[n] the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, at-that-time He will sit on the throne[o] of His glory, 32 and all the nations will be gathered in front of Him. And He will separate them[p] from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And He will make the sheep stand[q] on His right side, and the goats on the left side. 34 Then the King will say to the ones on His right side, ‘Come, the ones having been blessed of [r] My Father— inherit the kingdom having been prepared for you since the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat. I thirsted, and you gave-a-drink-to Me. I was a stranger, and you brought[s] Me in; 36 naked[t], and you clothed Me. I was sick, and you looked-after Me. I was in prison, and you came to Me’. 37 Then the righteous ones will respond to Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungering and we fed You, or thirsting and we gave-a-drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger and we brought You in, or naked and we clothed You? 39 And when did we see You being sick or in prison and we came to You?’ 40 And having responded, the King will say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, in-as-much-as[u] you did it to one of the least of these My brothers[v], you did it to Me’. 41 Then He will also say to the ones on the left side, ‘Depart from Me, the ones having been cursed, into the eternal fire having been prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry, and you did not give Me something to eat. I thirsted, and you did not give-a-drink-to Me. 43 I was a stranger, and you did not bring Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not look after Me’. 44 Then they also will respond, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungering, or thirsting, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and we did not serve You?’ 45 Then He will respond to them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, in as much as you did not do it to one of the least of these, neither did you do it to Me’. 46 And these will go to eternal punishment, but the righteous ones to eternal life”.
Footnotes
- Matthew 25:1 That is, when Jesus comes unexpectedly.
- Matthew 25:1 Or, torches.
- Matthew 25:8 Or, being quenched.
- Matthew 25:9 There will not by any means ever be enough. Or, No! There will by no means be enough.
- Matthew 25:12 Thus they were also foolish because they thought of themselves as friends of the bridegroom, yet he did not even know them.
- Matthew 25:14 That is, the kingdom of the heavens, v 1. Or, For He, the Son of Man.
- Matthew 25:15 One silver talent was equivalent to 6000 denarii, 6000 days wages for a laborer. This large sum of money represents our individual gifts and abilities, spiritual and natural.
- Matthew 25:16 journey. Immediately having gone. Or, journey immediately. Having gone.
- Matthew 25:21 Or, It is good; or, Excellent!
- Matthew 25:24 This is a different tense of this word, implying here ‘having received and still having’.
- Matthew 25:24 Or, winnow. Or, scatter [seed], repeating the previous statement. This one did nothing with what he was given, and seeks to excuse himself by blaming it on the master— Because you are the way you are, I did not invest what you gave me.
- Matthew 25:26 scatter! Therefore. Or, scatter? Then.
- Matthew 25:30 Or, worthless, useless, good-for-nothing. He brought no gain to the master.
- Matthew 25:31 Jesus returns to where He left off in 24:31.
- Matthew 25:31 Or, His throne of glory; or, His glorious throne.
- Matthew 25:32 Grammatically this does not refer to ‘nations’, but to the people in the nations, who are referred to next as sheep and goats.
- Matthew 25:33 Or, put the sheep, set the sheep.
- Matthew 25:34 That is, by.
- Matthew 25:35 Or, took Me with you; that is, into your house or with you on your way. Or, gathered Me in with yourself; that is, to help Me.
- Matthew 25:36 That is, without adequate clothing.
- Matthew 25:40 Or, to the extent that, in so far as.
- Matthew 25:40 That is, family-members.
Matthew 25
King James Version
25 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Matthew 25
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 25
The Parable of the Ten Virgins.[a] 1 “Then[b] the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 When the foolish ones took their lamps, they neglected to take any oil with them, 4 whereas those who were wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 Since the bridegroom was delayed in coming, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight, a shout was raised: ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 Then all the virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 The wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for both us and you. You had better go to the merchants and buy some.’
10 “While they went off to purchase it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. Then the door was locked. 11 Afterward, the other virgins returned, and they cried out, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ 12 But he replied,‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
14 The Parable of the Talents.[c]“Again, the kingdom of heaven will be like a man going on a journey who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents,[d] to another two talents, to a third one talent—to each according to his ability. Then he set forth on his journey.
16 “The servant who had received the five talents promptly went to invest them and gained five more. 17 In the same manner, the servant who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But the servant who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long period of time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing an additional five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you gave me five talents. Behold, I have gained five more.’ 21 His master said to him,‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Since you have been faithful in small matters, I will give you much greater responsibilities. Come and share your master’s joy.’
22 “Next, the one who had received the two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. Behold, I have gained two more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Since you have been faithful in small matters, I will give you much greater responsibilities. Come and share your master’s joy.’
24 “Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew that you were a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. 25 Therefore, out of fear I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Behold, I give it back to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant. So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered! 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have gotten back my money with interest.
28 “ ‘Therefore, take the talent from him and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he does have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless servant, cast him outside into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
31 The Solemn Judgment at the End of Time.[e]“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place 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 something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was ill and you took care of me; I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will say to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you something to eat, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison and come to visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brethren of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat; I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me; I was naked and you did not give me any clothing; I was ill and in prison and you did not visit me.’
44 “Then they will ask him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison and not minister to you?’ 45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you failed to do for one of the least of these brethren of mine, you failed to do for me.’ 46 And they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous will enter eternal life.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 25:1 The parable of the ten virgins illustrates a fundamental thought: we must wait with watchful perseverance for the coming of Christ glorified, likened to the arrival of a bridegroom. In the dazzling nuptial ceremony of Palestine, the bride awaited the bridegroom while merrymaking with friends. Around midnight the bridegroom would come accompanied by lamps. After an initial explosion of joy, the cortège would return to the house of the bridegroom, where the banquet would be celebrated.
- Matthew 25:1 Then: at the time of the Second Coming.
- Matthew 25:14 The parable of the talents completes the preceding one. The Christian religion is not a simple passive expectation. It demands a complete commitment. One must make fruitful the gifts given by God while awaiting the Lord’s glorious return.
- Matthew 25:15 Talents: a talent was equivalent to 6000 denarii, that is, to the salary for 6000 days of work.
- Matthew 25:31 This passage constitutes the conclusion of the eschatological discourse with the description of the Last Judgment. In the second part of the great discourse (Mt 24:37), the individual judgment was repeatedly indicated. Now there comes before us the supreme Judge, Jesus Christ in glory, who at the end of time will judge all peoples, without distinction between Jew and Gentile, and will separate the good from the wicked in accord with everyone’s works.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
