Gospel according to Matthew 25

¹ ‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.

² Five of them were foolish and five were sensible:

³ the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil,

⁴ whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps.

⁵ The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.”

⁷ At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps,

⁸ and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out”.

⁹ But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves”.

¹⁰ They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed.

¹¹ The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.”

¹² But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you”.

¹³ So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.

¹⁴ ‘It is like a man on his way abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them.

¹⁵ To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third is one; each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out.

¹⁶ The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more.

¹⁷ The man who had received two made two more in the same way.

¹⁸ But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them.

²⁰ The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.”

²¹ His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness”.

²² Next the man with the two talents came forward. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made.”

²³ His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness”.

²⁴ Last came forward the man who had the one talent. “Sir,” said he “I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered;

²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back.”

²⁶ But his master answered him, “You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered?

²⁷ Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest.

²⁸ So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the five talents.

²⁹ For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

³⁰ As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”

³¹ ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory.

³² All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats.

³³ He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.

³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world.

³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome;

³⁶ naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.”

³⁷ Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink?

³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you;

³⁹ sick or in prison and go to see you?”

⁴⁰ And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me”.

⁴¹ Next he will say to those on his left hand, “Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

⁴² For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink;

⁴³ I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.”

⁴⁴ Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?”

⁴⁵ Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me”.

⁴⁶ And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.’