THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins, who taking their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2But five of them were provident, and five foolish. 3Those who were taking their lamps, took no oil with them: 4but the provident took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5But as the bridegroom stayed long, they all slumbered and slept. 6Then at midnight the cry came, Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go forth to meet him. 7Then all these virgins arose, and set about trimming their lamps. 8And the foolish said to the provident, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9But the provident replied, saying, No; lest there be not a sufficiency for us and you: but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves. 10But while they were gone away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they who were prepared went in with him to the marriage-feast: and the door was shut. 11Then came afterwards the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us. 12But he answering said, Verily, I know you not. 13Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour in which the Son of man cometh.
14For the case is like that of a man, who travelling abroad, called his own servants, and delivered to them his goods. 15And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his several capacity; and immediately went abroad. 16He then who had received the five talents, went and traded with them, and acquired five other talents. 17In the same manner also he that had the two, gained also himself two others. 18But he that had received the one talent, went and digged a hole in the ground, and hid the silver of his master. 19Then after a long absence the master of these servants cometh, and maketh a reckoning with them. 20And he who had received the five talents, coming to him, brought five other talents, saying, Sir, thou deliveredst to me five talents: I have gained to them five other talents. 21His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many: enter into the joy of thy master. 22Then came also he that had received the two talents: and said, Sir, thou deliveredst to me two talents: lo! I have gained to them two other talents. 23His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many: enter thou into thy master’s joy. 24Then came also he that had received the one talent, and said, Sir, knowing thee, that thou art a severe man, reaping where thou hast not sowed, and gathering from whence thou hast not scattered: 25and being afraid, I went and hid thy talent in the ground: see here, thou hast thine own. 26Then his master answering said to him, Thou wicked and idle slave, thou knewest that I reap whence I had not sown, and gather where I had not scattered: 27thou oughtest then to have placed my money with the bankers, so when I came I should have received my own with interest. 28Take therefore from him the talent, and give it to him that hath the ten talents. 29For to every one that hath shall be given, and he shall abound: but from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. 30And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
31But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: 32and before him shall all the nations be gathered together; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats: 33and he shall place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34Then shall the King say to those on his right-hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me to drink: I was a stranger, and ye received me hospitably: 36naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye took care of me: I was in prison, and ye came to me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When indeed saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39When indeed saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the king answering shall say to them, Verily I tell you, for as much as ye have done it to one of these my brethren, the very least of them, ye have done it unto me.
41Then shall he say also to those on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42for I was hungry, and ye gave me nothing to eat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me nothing to drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye did not clothe me: sick, and in prison, and ye took no care of me. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he reply to them, saying, For as much as ye have not done it to one of the least of these, neither have ye done it to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
[CHAP. XXVI.]
AND it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2Ye know that after two days is the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. 3Then were the chief priests and scribes, and the elders of the people gathered together in the palace of the high-priest, called Caiaphas. 4And they consulted together, how they might seize Jesus by guile, and put him to death. 5But they said, Not on the feast-day, lest there be a tumult among the people.
6Now when Jesus was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7there came to him a woman having an alabaster-box of very precious aromatic ointment, and poured it upon his head as he sat at table. 8But when the disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, For what end is this waste? 9For this ointment might have been sold for a considerable sum, and given to the poor. 10Then Jesus knowing it, said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath performed a good act upon me: 11for the poor ye have always with you, but me ye have not always: 12for in pouring this odoriferous ointment on my body, she hath done it for my burial. 13Verily I say unto you, Wherever this Gospel is preached through the whole world, what she hath done shall be also spoken of for a memorial of her.
14Then went one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, to the chief priests, 15and said, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? Then they placed before him thirty pieces of silver. 16And from that time he sought an opportunity to deliver him up to them.
17Then on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? 18And he said, Go into the city, unto such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand: I will keep the passover with my disciples at thy house. 19And his disciples did as Jesus commanded them; and they made ready the passover. 20And when the evening was come, he sat down at table with the twelve. 21And as they were eating, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22And exceedingly grieved, they began to say to him every one of them, Lord, am I the person? 23But he answering said, He that dippeth his hand with me into the dish, that man shall betray me. 24The Son of man indeed is departing, as it is written of him: but wo to that man, by whom the Son of man is betrayed! well had it been for that man if he had never had a being. 25Then Judas, who betrayed him, addressing him said, Master, is it I? He saith to him, Thou hast named the person.
26Then as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessing, brake, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 27And taking the cup, and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of this: 28for this is my blood, that blood of the new testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins. 29And I tell you, That I will no more henceforth drink of this produce of the vine, until that day when I drink it with you, new, in the kingdom of my Father. 30And when they had sung an hymn, they went out to the mount of Olives.