Matthew 25 - New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like^(A) ten virgins who took their lamps^(B) and went out to meet the bridegroom.^{(C) 2} Five of them were foolish and five were wise.^{(D) 3} The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.^(E)

⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’^(F)

⁹ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet.^(G) And the door was shut.

¹¹ “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

¹² “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’^(H)

¹³ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.^(I)

The Parable of the Bags of Gold^(J)

¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey,^(K) who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,^[a] each according to his ability.^(L) Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.^{(M) 20} The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.^(N) Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.^(O) Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.^{(P) 30} And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’^(Q)

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes^(R) in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.^{(S) 32} All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate^(T) the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.^{(U) 33} He 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; take your inheritance, the kingdom^(V) prepared for you since the creation of the world.^{(W) 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 invited me in,^{(X) 36} I needed clothes and you clothed me,^(Y) I was sick and you looked after me,^(Z) I was in prison and you came to visit me.’^(AA)

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’^(AB)

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me,^(AC) you who are cursed, into the eternal fire^(AD) prepared for the devil and his angels.^{(AE) 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 invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’^(AF)

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.^(AG)”^(AH)

Footnotes

1. Matthew 25:15 Greek five talents … two talents … one talent; also throughout this parable; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wage.

Cross references

1. Matthew 25:1 : S Mt 13:24
2. Matthew 25:1 : Lk 12:35-38; Ac 20:8; Rev 4:5
3. Matthew 25:1 : Rev 19:7; 21:2
4. Matthew 25:2 : Mt 24:45
5. Matthew 25:5 : 1Th 5:6
6. Matthew 25:8 : Lk 12:35
7. Matthew 25:10 : Rev 19:9
8. Matthew 25:12 : ver 41; S Mt 7:23
9. Matthew 25:13 : Mt 24:42, 44; Mk 13:35; Lk 12:40
10. Matthew 25:14 : 25:14-30Ref — Lk 19:12-27
11. Matthew 25:14 : Mt 21:33; Lk 19:12
12. Matthew 25:15 : Mt 18:24, 25
13. Matthew 25:19 : Mt 18:23
14. Matthew 25:21 : ver 23; Mt 24:45, 47; Lk 16:10
15. Matthew 25:23 : ver 21
16. Matthew 25:29 : Mt 13:12; Mk 4:25; Lk 8:18; 19:26
17. Matthew 25:30 : S Mt 8:12
18. Matthew 25:31 : S Lk 17:30
19. Matthew 25:31 : Mt 19:28
20. Matthew 25:32 : Mal 3:18
21. Matthew 25:32 : Eze 34:17, 20
22. Matthew 25:34 : S Mt 3:2; 5:3, 10, 19; 19:14; S Ac 20:32; 1Co 15:50; Gal 5:21; Jas 2:5
23. Matthew 25:34 : Heb 4:3; 9:26; Rev 13:8; 17:8
24. Matthew 25:35 : Job 31:32; Heb 13:2
25. Matthew 25:36 : Isa 58:7; Eze 18:7; Jas 2:15, 16
26. Matthew 25:36 : Jas 1:27
27. Matthew 25:36 : 2Ti 1:16
28. Matthew 25:40 : S Mt 10:40, 42; Heb 13:2
29. Matthew 25:41 : S Mt 7:23
30. Matthew 25:41 : Isa 66:24; Mt 3:12; S 5:22; Mk 9:43, 48; Lk 3:17; Jude 7
31. Matthew 25:41 : 2Pe 2:4
32. Matthew 25:45 : Pr 14:31; 17:5
33. Matthew 25:46 : Mt 19:29; Jn 3:15, 16, 36; 17:2, 3; Ro 2:7; Gal 6:8; 1Jn 1:2; 5:11, 13, 20
34. Matthew 25:46 : Da 12:2; Jn 5:29; Ac 24:15; Ro 2:7, 8; Gal 6:8