¹Then the kingdom of the heavens will be likened to ten virgins who took their own lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

²Now five of them were foolish, and the other five were wise;

³for those who were foolish took their lamps but did not take oil with them,

⁴but the wise took oil in their vessels with their own lamps.

⁵Then as the bridegroom was tarrying, they all became drowsy and were sleeping.

⁶But at the middle of the night there was a cry: Behold, the bridegroom comes; go forth to meet him!

⁷Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their own lamps.

⁸And the foolish said to the wise: give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out.

⁹But the wise answered, saying: otherwise it may certainly not suffice for us and you; rather go now to those selling and buy for yourselves.

¹⁰But while they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.

¹¹Then afterward came also the other virgins, saying: lord, lord, open to us!

¹²But answering, he said: Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.

¹³Therefore watch, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man comes.

¹⁴For it is like a man going on a journey, who called his own slaves and delivered to them his possessions.

¹⁵And to one indeed he gave five talents, to one two, to one one, to each according to their own ability; and immediately he left the region.

¹⁶Now the one who had received the five talents, having gone, traded with them and gained five more talents;

¹⁷likewise also the one with the two gained two more.

¹⁸But the one who had received the one, having gone away, dug in the ground and hid the money of his master.

¹⁹Then after much time the master of those slaves comes and takes account with them.

²⁰And the one who had received the five talents, when he had come, brought to him five other talents, saying: Master, you delivered five talents to me; behold, I gained five more talents upon them.

²¹Now his master was saying to him: Well done, good and faithful slave! Over a few things you were faithful; over many things I will set you. Enter into the joy of your master!

²²Then the one who had taken the two talents, when he had come also, said: Master, you delivered two talents to me; behold, I gained two more talents upon them.

²³His master was saying to him: Well done, good and faithful slave! Over a few things you were faithful; over many things I will set you. Enter into the joy of your master!

²⁴Then the one who had received the one talent, when he had come also, said: Master, I knew you, that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering from where you did not scatter;

²⁵and having been afraid, when I had gone away, I hid your talent in the ground; behold, you have what is yours.

²⁶But answering, his master said to him: Wicked and lazy slave! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather from where I did not scatter?

²⁷Therefore it was necessary for you to put my coins to the bankers, and having come, I myself would then have received my own with interest.

²⁸Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.

²⁹For to everyone having, it will be given, and he will have in abundance; but from the one not having, even that which he has will be taken away from him.

³⁰And cast the worthless slave out into the outer darkness; there will be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.

³¹When then the Son of Man may come in his glory, and all the holy messengers with him, then he will sit upon the throne of his glory,

³²and 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,

³³and he will set the sheep indeed on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

³⁴Then the King will say to those on his right hand: Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

³⁵For I hungered and you gave me to eat, I thirsted and you gave me to drink, I was a stranger and you took me in,

³⁶naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.

³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see you hungering and fed you, or thirsting and gave you to drink?

³⁸Now when did we see you a stranger and took you in, or naked and clothed you?

³⁹Now when did we see you ailing or in prison and came to you?

⁴⁰And answering, the King will say to them: Amen, I say to you, to the extent as much as you did it to one of these my brothers of the least, you did it to me.

⁴¹Then he will say also to those on the left: depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the accuser and his messengers.

⁴²For I hungered and you gave me nothing to eat, and I thirsted and you gave me nothing to drink,

⁴³I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.

⁴⁴Then they themselves will answer him also, saying: Lord, when did we see you hungering or thirsting or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?

⁴⁵Then he will answer them, saying: Amen, I say to you, to the extent as much as you did not do it to one of these the least, neither did you do it to me.

⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.