Matthew 25
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1 Then the kingdom of the heavens will be likened to ten virgins, who taking their lamps went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 But five of them were foolish and five shrewd. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps they did not take oil with them. 4 But the shrewd took oil in vessels with their lamps. 5 Now when the bridegroom delayed they all became drowsy and were sleeping. 6 So in the middle of the night [a] cry came about: Behold the bridegroom, be going out to meet [him]. 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 So the foolish said to the shrewd: Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. 9 But the shrewd answered saying: Never, there is not enough for us and you. Be going rather to the sellers and buy for yourselves. 10 While they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and the prepared went in with him into the wedding, and the door was shut. 11 Later the rest of the virgins came saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But answering he said: Truly I say to you I know you not. 13 Be staying awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.The Parable of the Talents
14 For likewise [a] man going on a journey called his own slaves and committed to them his possessions. 15 And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, each according to his own ability1, and left. 16 Straightway the [one] receiving five talents went and worked in them and gained another five. 17 Likewise the [one receiving] five gained another two. 18 But when [he] receiving one went forth he dug in [the] ground2 and hid his master's silver. 19 Now after [a] long time the lord of those slaves comes and settles accounts with them. 20 And when [he] receiving the five talents came he brought another five talents saying: Lord, five talents have you given me, Behold I gained another five talents. 21 His lord said to him: Excellent, good and trustworthy slave. Over little were you trustworthy, over much will I appoint you, Enter into the joy of your lord. 22 And when he [receiving] the two talents came he said: Lord, two talents have you given me. Behold I gained another two talents. 23 His Lord said to him: Excellent, good and trustworthy slave, over little were you trustworthy, over much will I appoint you. Enter into the joy of your lord. 24 But when [he] having received one talent also came he said: Lord, having known you, that you are [a] hard3 man, reaping where you did not sow, gathering whence you did not scatter, 25 and being afraid, having gone I hid your talent in the ground2. Behold you have your own. 26 But answering his lord said to him: Wicked4 and troublesome slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather whence I did not scatter? 27 You ought therefore to have given my silver to the bankers5, and when I came I would have received mine own with interest. 28 Take therefore from the talent and give it to him having the ten talents. 29 For to him having all will more be given and it will overflow. But from him not having even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness. There will there be wailing and grinding6 of teeth.The Judgment
31 But when the son of man comes in his glory and all his angels with him, then will he sit on the throne of his glory. 32 And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right: Come you blessed of my father, Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I hungered and you gave me to eat, I thirsted and you gave me to drink, I was [a] stranger and you gathered me, 36 naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, in prison and you came to me. 37 Then the just will answer him saying: Lord, when did we see you hungry and we fed you, or thirsty and we gave you to drink? 38 And when did we see you [a] stranger and we gathered you, or naked and we fed you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and we came to you? 40 And answering the king will say to them: Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you did [it] to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.41 And then will he say to those on his left: Be departing from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I hungered and you did not give me to eat, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, 43 I was [a] stranger and you did not gather me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not look after me. 44 Then they also answered 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 answer them saying: Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, neither did you do it to me. 46 And these will go into eternal punishment, but the just into eternal zoe-life7 .
1or "power"
2GE "GAY" (γη) "earth", "land" (remember that they didn't understand about the Earth being a planet floating in space yet), sometimes "ground" or "dirt".
3or "harsh"
4PONEROS (πoνηρoς ) here. The Greek word KAKOS (κακoς ) is always translated `evil', PONEROS is usually translated as `wicked' although occasionally as `bad'; it can also mean 'diseased', 'sickly' and is thus translated where appropriate. Like KAKOS, PONEROS also means `evil', but the harm that evil does is more in view, where KAKOS is more `evil as evil'.
5or "money-changers"
6or "gnashing," "biting," "snarling"
7from ZOE "ZOH-ay" (ζωη)—Life 'collectively', interdependent, interconnected. Although it means 'life' in the conventional sense (for example: Matt.9:18, Matt.27:63, Luke.2:36, Acts.25:24, Rom.7:2, 2Cor.1:8, 1Thes.4:17, 1Tim.5:10, Rev.19:20), Jesus uses ZOE exclusively of 'life eternal' (with the possible exceptions of Luke.15:13, Luke.16:25). The other N.T. writers use ZOE in both senses—temporal and eternal, generally clear from the context. The Father is the 'zoe-living God' (see Matt.16:16). The Septuagint (LXX) in Gen.2:7 has "...[God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of zoe-life, and the man became a zoe-living psyche-life" (and see 1Cor.15:45); and Gen.3:20 (LXX) "And Adam called his wife's name ZOE, because she was the mother of all zoe-living." Contrast PSYCHE (ψυχη): an individual manifestation of life/consciousness. See John.12:25 where both ZOE and PSYCHE occur. Greek also has the word BIOS (βιoς ) for 'life' in the sense of biological processes.