14
But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, âWe do not want him to be our king.â
15
âAfter he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were.
16
The first servant reported, âMaster, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!â
17
ââWell done!â the king exclaimed. âYou are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.â
18
âThe next servant reported, âMaster, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.â
19
ââWell done!â the king said. âYou will be governor over five cities.â
20
âBut the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, âMaster, I hid your money and kept it safe.
21
I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isnât yours and harvesting crops you didnât plant.â
22
ââYou wicked servant!â the king roared. âYour own words condemn you. If you knew that Iâm a hard man who takes what isnât mine and harvests crops I didnât plant,
23
why didnât you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.â
24
âThen, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, âTake the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.â