Matthew 25:14-46

Parable of the Talents

14 "¹For it is just like a man ²about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.

15 "To one he gave five ³talents, to another *, two, and to another *, one, each according to his own ability; and he ⁴went on his journey.

16 "Immediately the one who had received the five ⁵talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.

17 "In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.

18 "But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

19 "Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and ⁶settled accounts with them.

20 "The one who had received the five ⁷talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, 'Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.'

21 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and ⁸faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will ⁹put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

22 "Also the one who had received the two ¹⁰talents came up and said, 'Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.'

23 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and ¹¹faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

24 "And the one also who had received the one ¹²talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.

25 'And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.'

26 "But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.

27 'Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.

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

29 "¹³For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

30 "Throw out the worthless slave into ¹⁴the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Judgment

31 "But when ¹⁵the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then ¹⁶He will sit on His glorious throne.

32 "All the nations will be ¹⁷gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, ¹⁸as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;

33 and He will put the sheep ¹⁹on His right, and the goats ²⁰on the left.

34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, ²¹inherit the kingdom prepared for you ²²from the foundation of the world.

35 'For ²³I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; ²⁴I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;

36 ²⁵naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you ²⁶visited Me; ²⁷I was in prison, and you came to Me.'

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 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?

39 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'

40 "²⁸The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, ²⁹to the extent * that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

41 "Then He will also say to those on His left, '³⁰Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the ³¹eternal fire which has been prepared for ³²the devil and his angels;

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; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'

44 "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'

45 "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent * that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'

46 "These will go away into ³³eternal punishment, but the righteous into ³⁴eternal life."

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27
• 2. Matthew 21:33
• 3. Matthew 18:24; Luke 19:13
• 4. Matthew 21:33
• 5. Matthew 18:24; Luke 19:13
• 6. Matthew 18:23
• 7. Matthew 18:24; Luke 19:13
• 8. Matthew 24:45, 47; Matthew 25:23
• 9. Luke 12:44; Luke 22:29; Revelation 3:21; Revelation 21:7
• 10. Matthew 18:24; Luke 19:13
• 11. Matthew 24:45, 47; Matthew 25:21
• 12. Matthew 18:24; Luke 19:13
• 13. Matthew 13:12; Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18; John 15:2
• 14. Matthew 8:12; Matthew 22:13; Luke 13:28
• 15. Matthew 16:27; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Hebrews 9:28; Jude 14; Revelation 1:7
• 16. Matthew 19:28
• 17. Matthew 13:49; 2 Corinthians 5:10
• 18. Ezekiel 34:17, 20
• 19. 1 Kings 2:19; Psalms 45:9
• 20. Ecclesiastes 10:2
• 21. Matthew 5:3; Matthew 19:29; Luke 12:32; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Corinthians 15:50; Galatians 5:21; James 2:5
• 22. Matthew 13:35; Luke 11:50; John 17:24; Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 4:3; Hebrews 9:26; 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 17:8
• 23. Isaiah 58:7; Ezekiel 18:7, 16; James 2:15, 16
• 24. Job 31:32; Hebrews 13:2
• 25. Isaiah 58:7; Ezekiel 18:7, 16; James 2:15, 16
• 26. James 1:27
• 27. 2 Timothy 1:16
• 28. Matthew 25:34; Luke 19:38; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16
• 29. Proverbs 19:17; Matthew 10:42; Hebrews 6:10
• 30. Matthew 7:23
• 31. Mark 9:48; Luke 16:24; Jude 7
• 32. Matthew 4:10; Revelation 12:9
• 33. Daniel 12:2; John 5:29; Acts 24:15
• 34. Matthew 19:29; John 3:15f, 36; John 5:24; John 6:27, 40, 47, 54; John 17:2; Acts 13:46, 48; Romans 2:7; Romans 5:21; Romans 6:23; Galatians 6:8; 1 John 5:11

Footnotes

• [a]. A talent was worth about fifteen years' wages of a laborer
• [b]. Or "lord's"
• [c]. Or "lord"
• [d]. Lit "to the bankers"
• [e]. Or "serve"