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The Gospels · New Testament

Matthew 25

Matthew 25: the ten virgins, the talents, and the separation of sheep and goats

General context

Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins who take their lamps to meet the bridegroom: five wise take oil in their vessels, five foolish take none. While the bridegroom tarries they all slumber and sleep, and at midnight a cry announces him. The foolish ask for oil and are told to go and buy; while they are gone the bridegroom comes, those who are ready go in, and the door is shut. When they call, Lord, Lord, open to us, he answers, I know you not, and Jesus says to watch, since they know neither the day nor the hour. He then tells of a man travelling into a far country who gives three servants five talents, two and one, according to their several ability. The first two trade and double what they received, and each is told, Well done, thou good and faithful servant. The third hides his talent in the earth, saying he knew his lord to be an hard man and was afraid; his lord calls him wicked and slothful, says he should have put the money to the exchangers, takes the talent and gives it to the servant with ten, and has him cast into outer darkness. Jesus then describes the Son of man coming in his glory, sitting on the throne of his glory, gathering all nations and separating them as a shepherd divides sheep from goats. The King tells those on his right hand that they fed him, gave him drink, took him in, clothed him and visited him; when they ask when they saw him, he says what was done to one of the least of these my brethren was done to him. Those on the left are told they did none of it and go into everlasting punishment, and the righteous into life eternal.

Cited passages: Matthew 25:1, Matthew 25:2, Matthew 25:4, Matthew 25:5, Matthew 25:6, Matthew 25:9, Matthew 25:10, Matthew 25:11, Matthew 25:12, Matthew 25:13, Matthew 25:14, Matthew 25:15, Matthew 25:17, Matthew 25:18, Matthew 25:21, Matthew 25:24, Matthew 25:25, Matthew 25:26, Matthew 25:27, Matthew 25:28, Matthew 25:30, Matthew 25:31, Matthew 25:32, Matthew 25:35, Matthew 25:37, Matthew 25:40, Matthew 25:46

Matthew 25 (KJV)

1Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

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

8And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

14For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

15And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

16Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

17And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

18But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

19After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

20And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

21His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

22He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.

23His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

24Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

25And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

26His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

27Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

28Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

29For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

30And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

All three sections are speech; the narrator adds nothing between them, and the chapter continues the discourse begun on the mount of Olives in chapter 24. The virgins are numbered, five wise and five foolish, and the bridegroom is not identified with any person. The parable does not say where those that sell were, how long the tarrying lasted, or what became of the foolish after the door was shut beyond the answer I know you not. The talents are distributed according to their several ability and are never converted into any other measure. The third servant's description of his lord, an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, is the servant's own; the lord repeats the words back in his reply, and the text does not say whether the description is true. In the last section the speaker is called the Son of man in verse 31 and the King from verse 34. The same six conditions are listed three times: as done, as not done, and again in the second group's question. No date, ruler or place appears in the chapter.

Cited passages: Matthew 25:1, Matthew 25:2, Matthew 25:9, Matthew 25:12, Matthew 25:15, Matthew 25:24, Matthew 25:26, Matthew 25:31, Matthew 25:34, Matthew 25:36, Matthew 25:43

Literary context

Three pictures follow one another, and each ends with a division: a shut door, an outer darkness, and a right hand and a left. The first two turn on waiting for someone who is late, the bridegroom who tarried and the lord who comes after a long time, and both reward those found ready. The commendation is printed twice in nearly the same words for two servants who were given different sums, so the text measures the servants by faithfulness rather than by the total. The third parable changes the terms: no one is waiting or working, and the question is what was done to the hungry, the stranger, the naked and the prisoner. Both groups answer with the same question, when saw we thee, so the surprise is shared by the blessed and the cursed alike. The chapter ends with two destinations in one sentence, and the discourse that began with a question about a temple ends on what was given to the least.

Cited passages: Matthew 25:10, Matthew 25:30, Matthew 25:33, Matthew 25:5, Matthew 25:19, Matthew 25:21, Matthew 25:23, Matthew 25:37, Matthew 25:44, Matthew 25:45, Matthew 25:46

Key moments

  1. The midnight cry (Matthew 25:6). A cry at midnight announces the bridegroom and all ten virgins rise.
  2. The door was shut (Matthew 25:10). Those who were ready go in to the marriage and the door is shut.
  3. Five, two and one (Matthew 25:15). The man gives his servants talents according to their several ability and leaves.
  4. The buried talent (Matthew 25:25). The third servant says he was afraid and hid the talent in the earth.
  5. Cast into outer darkness (Matthew 25:30). The lord takes the talent away and has the unprofitable servant cast out.
  6. Sheep from goats (Matthew 25:32). The Son of man gathers all nations and separates them as a shepherd separates his flock.
  7. Unto one of the least (Matthew 25:40). The King says what was done to the least of his brethren was done to him.

For reflection

Both the righteous and the cursed ask the same question, when saw we thee, and neither group knew what it had been doing. What does that shared surprise put to a reader who wants to know where they stand?