Matthew 25–27

THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS

25“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins^D who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.^{y 2}Five of them were foolish and five were wise.^{z 3}When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take oil with them; ⁴but the wise ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. ⁵When the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶“In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’

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

⁹“The wise ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell oil, and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰“When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.^{aa 11}Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’

¹²“He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’

¹³“Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.^A

THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

¹⁴“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey.^a He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents,^B to another two talents, and to another one talent, depending on each one’s ability. Then he went on a journey.^b Immediately ¹⁶the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. ¹⁷In the same way the man with two earned two more. ¹⁸But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹“After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I’ve earned five more talents.’

²¹“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’^c

²²“The man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I’ve earned two more talents.’

²³“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’

²⁴“The man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed.^{d 25}So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

²⁶“His master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy servant!^e If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, ²⁷then^C you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and I would have received my money^D back with interest when I returned.

²⁸“ ‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. ²⁹For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.^{f 30}And throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness,^g where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS

³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels^Eh with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.^{i 32}All the nations^Fj will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.^{k 33}He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. ³⁴Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom^l prepared for you from the foundation of the world.^m

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 took me in; ³⁶I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’ⁿ

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? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’

⁴⁰“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’^o

⁴¹“Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!^{p 42}For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; ⁴³I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.’

⁴⁴“Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you?’

⁴⁵“Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’^a

⁴⁶“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”^b

THE PLOT TO KILL JESUS

26When Jesus had finished saying all these things,^c he told his disciples, ²“You know^A that the Passover takes place after two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”^d

³Then the chief priests^B and the elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas,^{e 4}and they conspired to arrest Jesus in a treacherous way and kill him.^{f 5}“Not during the festival,” they said, “so there won’t be rioting among the people.”

THE ANOINTING AT BETHANY

⁶While Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon^g the leper, ⁷a woman approached him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. ⁸When the disciples^h saw it, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. ⁹“This might have been sold for a great deal and given to the poor.”

¹⁰Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a noble thing for me. ¹¹You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.^{i 12}By pouring this perfume on my body, she has prepared me for burial. ¹³Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel^j is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

¹⁴Then^k one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests^{l 15}and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him.^{m 16}And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.

BETRAYAL AT THE PASSOVER

¹⁷On the first day of Unleavened Breadⁿ the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹⁸“Go into the city to a certain man,” he said, “and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time is near; I am celebrating the Passover at your place^A with my disciples.’ ”^{o 19}So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. ²⁰When evening came, he was reclining at the table with the Twelve. ²¹While they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”^p

²²Deeply distressed, each one began to say to him, “Surely not I, Lord?”

²³He replied, “The one who dipped his hand with me in the bowl—he will betray me. ²⁴The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him,^q but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”

²⁵Judas, his betrayer, replied, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”^r

“You have said it,” he told him.

THE FIRST LORD’S SUPPER

²⁶As they were eating,^s Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples,^t and said, “Take and eat it; this is my body.”^{u 27}Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸For this is my blood of the covenant,^B which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.^{v 29}But I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”^{w 30}After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.^x

PETER’S DENIAL PREDICTED

³¹Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight all of you will fall away because of me, for it is written:

I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.^Cy

³²But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”^z

³³Peter told him, “Even if everyone falls away because of you, I will never fall away.”

³⁴“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”^aa

³⁵“Even if I have to die with you,” Peter told him, “I will never deny you,” and all the disciples said the same thing.

THE PRAYER IN THE GARDEN

³⁶Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane,^ab and he told the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.^{a 38}He said to them, “I am deeply grieved^D to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.”^{b 39}Going a little farther,^A he fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”^c

⁴⁰Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He asked Peter, “So, couldn’t you stay awake with me one hour? ⁴¹Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴²Again, a second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this^B cannot pass^C unless I drink it, your will be done.”^{d 43}And he came again and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open.

⁴⁴After leaving them, he went away…