1 ARST Here is what God’ s heavenly kingdom will be like at that time: Ten young women each took an oil lamp and prepared to escort a bridegroom{ to his wedding celebration}. BSB BSB: “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 ARST As for those young women, five of them were foolish, and the other five of them were wise. BSB BSB: Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3 ARST Here is how five of them were foolish: they each took an oil lamp, but they did not take any extra oil{ for their lamps}. BSB BSB: The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil.
4 ARST In contrast, here is how five of them were wise: they each took an oil lamp and also some extra oil{ for their lamps}. BSB BSB: But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps.
5 ARST Now the bridegroom did not arrive for a long time. So, all the young women became drowsy and then fell asleep. BSB BSB: When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 ARST Later, sometime during the night, someone shouted,‘The bridegroom is almost here! You must escort him{ to his wedding celebration}!’ BSB BSB: At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 ARST When they heard that, all the young women woke up and prepared their oil lamps. BSB BSB: Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8 ARST The foolish young women said to the wise young women,‘Our oil lamps no longer shine brightly. So, please share your oil with us.’ BSB BSB: The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 ARST The wise young women replied,‘{ We will not share our oil, because} there is not enough for all of us. You should find someone from whom to buy oil for yourselves.’ BSB BSB: ‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 ARST So, the foolish young women left to buy oil. While they were gone, the bridegroom arrived. The wise young women, who were ready{ to escort him}, went with him to the wedding hall. Then, people closed its doors. BSB BSB: But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.
11 ARST Later, the other young women also arrived{ at the wedding hall}. They asked{ the bridegroom},‘Sir, please open the door so that we can come in!’ BSB BSB: Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’
12 ARST The bridegroom replied,‘{ I will not open the door, because} I do not recognize you. What I have said is true!’ BSB BSB: But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’
13 ARST So then, you cannot know at what moment{ I will return to this world}. Because of that, you need to be ready{ at all times}. BSB BSB: Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
14 ARST Even further,{ here is what God’ s heavenly kingdom} is like: a man decided to travel to a different country. So, he summoned his servants and put them in charge of what he owned. BSB BSB: For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions.
15 ARST He gave as much money to each servant as each one could manage. He gave five bags of money to one servant. He gave two bags of money to another servant. He gave one bag of money to another servant. As soon as he did that, he traveled to a different country. BSB BSB: To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.
16 ARST Then, the servant who had five bags of money went to invest the money. He made five more bags of money. BSB BSB: The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more.
17 ARST Similarly, the servant who had two bags of money{ invested the money}. He made two more bags of money. BSB BSB: Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more.
18 ARST However, the servant who had one bag of money went to bury it in the ground{ to keep it safe}. BSB BSB: But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
19 ARST Much later, the servants’ master returned. He wanted to know what they had done with the bags of money. BSB BSB: After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
20 ARST So, the servant who had five bags of money went to him. He brought{ them and} the five more bags of money{ that he had made}. He said,‘Master, you gave me five bags of money. I have made five more bags of money!’ BSB BSB: The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21 ARST His master replied,‘I approve of what you have done. You are a trustworthy servant who does what is right! You were trustworthy when I put you in charge of only some money. Now I will put you in charge of many important things. Enjoy what I have with me!’ BSB BSB: His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’
22 ARST Then, the servant who had two bags of money went to him too. He said,‘Master, you gave me two bags of money. I have made two more bags of money!’ BSB BSB: The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’
23 ARST His master replied,‘I approve of what you have done. You are a trustworthy servant who does what is right! You were trustworthy when I put you in charge of only some money. Now I will put you in charge of many important things. Enjoy what I have with me!’ BSB BSB: His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’
24 ARST Then, the servant who had one bag of money went to him too. He said,‘Master, I realized that you are a demanding person. You are like a farmer who harvests crops that he did not plant. BSB BSB: Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25 ARST So, because I feared you, I went to bury your bag of money in the ground{ to keep it safe}. Now I am giving you back your money!’ BSB BSB: So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’
26 ARST His master replied,‘You are an evil servant who refuses to work! You claim that you realized that I am like a farmer who harvests crops that he did not plant. BSB BSB: ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed.
27 ARST If that were true about me, you should have given the bag of money to people who lend money. Then, when I returned, I would have gotten it back plus the interest it earned.’ BSB BSB: Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.
28 ARST So{ the master said to his other servants,}‘Take the bag of money from him! Give it to the servant who has ten bags of money. BSB BSB: Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents.
29 ARST { I command that} because people give more to those who already have something. They will have many things. In contrast, people take everything from those who already have very little. BSB BSB: For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
30 ARST Now{ to punish} this useless servant, cast him out into a dark place, where people will cry and sorrowfully grind their teeth.’ BSB BSB: And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
32 ARST Then all groups of people will assemble in front of me. I will divide them into two groups, as a sheepherder divides his animals into a group of sheep and a group of goats. BSB BSB: All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 ARST I will have some people, who are like sheep, go to the area to my right{ to honor them}. I will have the other people, who are like goats, go to the area to my left{ to shame them}. BSB BSB: He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
34 ARST After that, I, the king, will tell the people in the area to my right,‘You are people whom God my Father has blessed. Come with me! God will enable you to participate in the kingdom that he set up for you when he created everything. BSB BSB: Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 ARST { You will do that} because you fed me when I was hungry. You gave me water when I was thirsty. You welcomed me when I arrived from a different place. BSB BSB: For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,
36 ARST You gave me clothes when I did not have enough to wear. You took care of me when I was ill. You visited me when I was in jail.’ BSB BSB: I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’
37 ARST After that, the people who did what was right will reply,‘Lord, we do not remember feeding you when you were hungry.{ We do not remember} giving you water when you were thirsty. BSB BSB: 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 ARST We do not remember welcoming you even though you were from a different place.{ We do not remember} giving you clothes when you did not have enough to wear. BSB BSB: When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 ARST We do not remember visiting you when you were ill or in jail.’ BSB BSB: When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’
40 ARST I, the king, will respond,‘Whenever you do something to help an insignificant fellow believer, it is as if you did it to help me. What I have said is true.’ BSB BSB: And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
42 ARST { You will go there} because you did not feed me when I was hungry. You did not give me water when I was thirsty. BSB BSB: For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,
43 ARST You did not welcome me when I arrived from a different place. You did not give me clothes when I did not have enough to wear. You did not take care of me when I was ill and in jail.’ BSB BSB: I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’
44 ARST After that, those people will reply,‘Lord, we do not remember failing to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or came from a different place or did not have enough to wear or were ill or in jail.’ BSB BSB: And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
45 ARST He will reply,‘I tell you truly that you did not do for me whatever you did not do for even the least important one among these people of mine.’ BSB BSB: Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’