Matthew 25
1 “At that time, the Heavenly Reign will be like ten unmarried girls who brought their lamps and went out to meet the groom. 2 Five of them were shortsighted,a and five of them were conscientious.b 3 The five shortsighted ones brought their lamps but did not bring extra fuelc with them. 4 The ones who were conscientious brought flasks of olive oil with their lamps. 5 When the groom took a long time, they all started to nod off and fall asleep. 6 In the middle of the night, a shout rang out, ‘Look, the groom is here! Come out to meet him!’ 7 Then all the unmarried girls woke up and prepared their lamps. 8 The shortsighted ones said to the conscientious ones, ‘Give us some of your olive oil because our lamps are going out.’ 9 ‘No,’ the conscientious ones answered, ‘There’s not enough for you and for us. Instead, go over to the sellers in the marketplace and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 Then the groom arrived while they were gone to the marketplace, and the ones who were ready went with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. 11 Later, the rest of the unmarried girls arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord! Open the door for us!’ 12 But he answered, ‘To tell the truth, I don’t know you!’ 13 Therefore, keep watch because you don’t know the day or the time.
14 “You see, it’sd like someone traveling far away, who assembled the workers who were enslaved to him, and he handed over management of his assets to them. 15 He gave one of them five talents,e one of them two talents, and one of them one talent, based on each one’s ability. Then he traveled far away. 16 The one who received five talents went off right away and invested themf and gained five more. 17 Similarly, the one with two gained two more. 18 But the one who received one went out, dug a hole, and hid his lord’s money. 19 Then, after a lot of time passed, the lord to whom those workers were enslaved came and settled accounts with them. 20 The one who received five talents approached and presented five more and said, ‘Lord, you assigned me to manage five talents, and look, I have gained five more.’ 21 His lord declared to him, ‘Well done, faithful and productive slave! You were faithful in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share in your lord’s joy!’ 22 Then the one with two talents also approached and said, ‘Lord, you assigned me to manage two talents, and see, I gained two more talents.’ 23 His lord declared to him, ‘Well done, faithful and productive slave! You were faithful in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share in your lord’s joy!’ 24 Then the one who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Lord, I knew that you’re a mercilessg person, harvesting where you didn’t plant and gathering where you didn’t scatter seed, 25 and I was scared, and went and hid your talent in the dirt. See, you have what’s yours.’ 26 But his lord responded, ‘You corrupt and lazy slave! You knew that I harvest where I didn’t plant, and I gather where I didn’t scatter seeds? 27 Then the right thing to do would have been to deposit my money with the bankers, and when I arrived, I would have received back what was mine with interest. 28 Therefore, take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. 29 You see, everything will be given to the one who has, and they will have a surplus, but the one who doesn’t have, even what they have will be taken away from them. 30 Also, throw that useless slave into the outer darkness; there’ll be weeping and gnashing teeth in anguish there.
31 “So, when the Son of Humanity arrives in his renownh and all the messengers with him, then he will sit on his throne of renown.i 32 All the people groupsj will be gathered in his presence, and he will sort them from each other like a shepherd sorts out the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are praised by my Father, inherit the Reign that has been prepared for you from the founding of the world. 35 You see, I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was an immigrantk and you welcomed me in, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you cared for me, and I was in prison and you visitedl me.’m
37 Then those who live justly will respond to him and ask, ‘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 as an immigrant and welcome you in or naked and give you clothing? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Honestly, I’m telling you, whatever you did for one of these who are least respected of my family, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to the ones on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who have been denounced,n and into the agelongo fire prepared for the False Accuser and his messengers. 42 You see, I was hungry and you didn’t give me anything to eat, I was thirsty and you didn’t give me anything to drink, 43 I was an immigrant and you didn’t welcome me in, I was naked and you didn’t give me clothing, and I was sick and in prison and you didn’t care for me.’ 44 Then they also will respond to him and ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or an immigrant or naked or sick or in prison and not serve you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Honestly, I’m telling you, as much as you did not do for one of these who are least respected, you did not do for me.’ 46 Then they will depart for agelong consequences,p but those who live justly for agelong life.”q
FOOTNOTES:
a This is the same word translated as ‘thoughtless’ in Matthew 7:26. The Greek word moros, often translated as ‘foolish,’ can also imply ‘thoughtless’ or ‘careless’—a lack of consideration or attentiveness. Rendering it this way highlights a failure to act responsibly, not due to lack of intelligence, but rather a disregard for consequences.
b This is the same word translated as ‘conscientious’ in Matthew 7:24. The Greek word phronimos is frequently translated as "wise" or "prudent," particularly in contexts where it emphasizes discernment or practical wisdom. However, the term also carries connotations of thoughtful awareness and moral attentiveness. By translating it as "conscientious" here, the text underscores not only intellectual wisdom but also an ethical mindfulness—a quality that aligns well with Jesus' emphasis on actions rooted in compassionate integrity.
c Literally, ‘olive oil’
d This is in reference to ‘the Heavenly Reign’ in 25:1.
e One talent is a coin worth the wages of 6000 days of labor. Estimating for a $15/hour wage at 8 hours per day, one talent would be equivalent to $4,320,000 in 2021 United States.
f Literally, ‘traded with them.’
g Or ‘hard’ or ‘harsh’
h Traditionally, ‘glory’
i Traditionally, ‘glory.’ Doxe (glory). ‘Praise’ or ‘praiseworthiness’ could be options for it in this context as well.
j Traditionally, ‘Gentiles.’ The word ethnoi literally means ‘nations’ (like ‘nationalities’ not ‘countries’) or ‘people groups’ and is where the English word ‘ethnicity comes from. It is usually—but not always—used in the Bible to refer to people groups other than the one the speaker belongs to, so typically to people groups other than Jews since most speakers/authors are Jewish.
k Or ‘foreigner’ or ‘stranger’
l Literally, ‘came alongside me’
m Reference to Isaiah 56:1-8; 58:6-14
n The Greek word katēramenoi, here translated as “denounced,” signals a separation due to actions that harm the community and diverge from God’s justice. In this passage, the “age-long fire” mirrors the “unquenchable fire” in Matthew 3:12, which represents a purifying force—not merely punitive but aimed at cleansing the community of harmful elements. Throughout Matthew, fire is a refining agent for the people as a whole, confronting injustice and unfaithfulness in order to restore right relationships and align the community with the values of God’s Reign.
o There are several ways aionion can be translated, and it’s impossible for the translator’s perspective not to influence the choice. Traditionally, it’s rendered “eternal” or “everlasting,” but aionion comes from the word for “eon” or “age.” It can imply “indefinitely long” or “long-lasting,” essentially meaning “lasting a very long time” without specifying the exact length. Compare to footnote on “fire that won’t burn out until the clearing is complete” in Matthew 3:12.
p Reference to Deuteronomy 28:15-68; 30:15-20
q See Exodus 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 8:1-20; 28:1-14; 30:15-20.