Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The wise and foolish girls

25 “Then,” continued Jesus, “the kingdom of heaven will be like ten girls who each took their own torches and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were silly, and five were sensible. ³ The silly ones took their torches, but didn’t take oil with them. ⁴ The sensible ones took oil, in flasks, along with their torches.

⁵ “The bridegroom took his time coming, and they all nodded off and went to sleep. ⁶ In the middle of the night a shout went up: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come on and meet him!’ ⁷ Then all the girls got up and trimmed the wicks of their torches.

⁸ “The silly ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some of your oil! Our torches are going out!’

⁹ “But the sensible ones answered, ‘No! If we do that, there won’t be enough for all of us together! You’d better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “So off they went to buy oil. But, while they were gone, the bridegroom arrived. The ones who were ready went in with him to the wedding party, and the door was shut.

¹¹ “Later on the other girls came back. ‘Master, Master!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

¹² “ ‘I’m telling you the truth,’ he said, ‘I don’t know you.’

¹³ “So keep awake! You don’t know the day or the hour.”