Revised Standard Version RSV
Good News Translation GNT
1 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
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"At that time the Kingdom of heaven will be like this. Once there were ten young women who took their oil lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
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Five of them were foolish, and the other five were wise.
3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;
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The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any extra oil with them,
4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
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while the wise ones took containers full of oil for their lamps.
5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
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The bridegroom was late in coming, so they began to nod and fall asleep.
6 But at midnight there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'
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"It was already midnight when the cry rang out, "Here is the bridegroom! Come and meet him!'
7 Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps.
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The ten young women woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
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Then the foolish ones said to the wise ones, "Let us have some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.'
9 But the wise replied, 'Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.'
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"No, indeed,' the wise ones answered, "there is not enough for you and for us. Go to the store and buy some for yourselves.'
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut.
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So the foolish ones went off to buy some oil; and while they were gone, the bridegroom arrived. The five who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was closed.
11 Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.'
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"Later the others arrived. "Sir, sir! Let us in!' they cried out.
12 But he replied, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.'
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"Certainly not! I don't know you,' the bridegroom answered."
13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
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And Jesus concluded, "Watch out, then, because you do not know the day or the hour.
14 "For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property;
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"At that time the Kingdom of heaven will be like this. Once there was a man who was about to leave home on a trip; he called his servants and put them in charge of his property.
15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
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He gave to each one according to his ability: to one he gave five thousand gold coins, to another he gave two thousand, and to another he gave one thousand. Then he left on his trip.
16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more.
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The servant who had received five thousand coins went at once and invested his money and earned another five thousand.
17 So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more.
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In the same way the servant who had received two thousand coins earned another two thousand.
18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.
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But the servant who had received one thousand coins went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money.
19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
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"After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.'
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The servant who had received five thousand coins came in and handed over the other five thousand. "You gave me five thousand coins, sir,' he said. "Look! Here are another five thousand that I have earned.'
21 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.'
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"Well done, you good and faithful servant!' said his master. "You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!'
22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.'
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Then the servant who had been given two thousand coins came in and said, "You gave me two thousand coins, sir. Look! Here are another two thousand that I have earned.'
23 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.'
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"Well done, you good and faithful servant!' said his master. "You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!'
24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow;
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Then the servant who had received one thousand coins came in and said, "Sir, I know you are a hard man; you reap harvests where you did not plant, and you gather crops where you did not scatter seed.
25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'
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I was afraid, so I went off and hid your money in the ground. Look! Here is what belongs to you.'
26 But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed?
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"You bad and lazy servant!' his master said. "You knew, did you, that I reap harvests where I did not plant, and gather crops where I did not scatter seed?
27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.
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Well, then, you should have deposited my money in the bank, and I would have received it all back with interest when I returned.
28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents.
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Now, take the money away from him and give it to the one who has ten thousand coins.
29 For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
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For to every person who has something, even more will be given, and he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing, even the little that he has will be taken away from him.
30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.'
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As for this useless servant - throw him outside in the darkness; there he will cry and gnash his teeth.'
31 "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
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"When the Son of Man comes as King and all the angels with him, he will sit on his royal throne,
32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
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and the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left.
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He will put the righteous people at his right and the others at his left.
34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
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Then the King will say to the people on his right, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world.
35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
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I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes,
36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
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naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?
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The righteous will then answer him, "When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink?
38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?
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When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you?
39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?'
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When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?'
40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'
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The King will reply, "I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!'
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;
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"Then he will say to those on his left, "Away from me, you that are under God's curse! Away to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels!
42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
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I was hungry but you would not feed me, thirsty but you would not give me a drink;
43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
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I was a stranger but you would not welcome me in your homes, naked but you would not clothe me; I was sick and in prison but you would not take care of me.'
44 Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?'
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Then they will answer him, "When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and we would not help you?'
45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.'
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The King will reply, "I tell you, whenever you refused to help one of these least important ones, you refused to help me.'
46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
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These, then, will be sent off to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life."
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.