1. "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to wait for the bridegroom.
2. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3. The five foolish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they did not take more oil for the lamps to burn.
4. The wise bridesmaids took their lamps and more oil in jars.
5. Because the bridegroom was late, they became sleepy and went to sleep.
6. "At midnight someone cried out, 'The bridegroom is coming! Come and meet him!'
7. Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready.
8. But the foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.'
9. The wise bridesmaids answered, 'No, the oil we have might not be enough for all of us. Go to the people who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
10. "So while the five foolish bridesmaids went to buy oil, the bridegroom came. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with the bridegroom to the wedding feast. Then the door was closed and locked.
11. "Later the others came back and said, 'Sir, sir, open the door to let us in.'
12. But the bridegroom answered, 'I tell you the truth, I don't want to know you.'
13. "So always be ready, because you don't know the day or the hour the Son of Man will come.
14. "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was going to another place for a visit. Before he left, he called for his servants and told them to take care of his things while he was gone.
15. He gave one servant five bags of gold, another servant two bags of gold, and a third servant one bag of gold, to each one as much as he could handle. Then he left.
16. The servant who got five bags went quickly to invest the money and earned five more bags.
17. In the same way, the servant who had two bags invested them and earned two more.
18. But the servant who got one bag went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid the master's money.
19. "After a long time the master came home and asked the servants what they did with his money.
20. The servant who was given five bags of gold brought five more bags to the master and said, 'Master, you trusted me to care for five bags of gold, so I used your five bags to earn five more.'
21. The master answered, 'You did well. You are a good and loyal servant. Because you were loyal with small things, I will let you care for much greater things. Come and share my joy with me.'
22. "Then the servant who had been given two bags of gold came to the master and said, 'Master, you gave me two bags of gold to care for, so I used your two bags to earn two more.'
23. The master answered, 'You did well. You are a good and loyal servant. Because you were loyal with small things, I will let you care for much greater things. Come and share my joy with me.'
24. "Then the servant who had been given one bag of gold came to the master and said, 'Master, I knew that you were a hard man. You harvest things you did not plant. You gather crops where you did not sow any seed.
25. So I was afraid and went and hid your money in the ground. Here is your bag of gold.'
26. The master answered, 'You are a wicked and lazy servant! You say you knew that I harvest things I did not plant and that I gather crops where I did not sow any seed.
27. So you should have put my gold in the bank. Then, when I came home, I would have received my gold back with interest.'
28. "So the master told his other servants, 'Take the bag of gold from that servant and give it to the servant who has ten bags of gold.
29. Those who have much will get more, and they will have much more than they need. But those who do not have much will have everything taken away from them.'
30. Then the master said, 'Throw that useless servant outside, into the darkness where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.'
31. "The Son of Man will come again in his great glory, with all his angels. He will be King and sit on his great throne.
32. All the nations of the world will be gathered before him, and he will separate them into two groups as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33. The Son of Man will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34. "Then the King will say to the people on his right, 'Come, my Father has given you his blessing. Receive the kingdom God has prepared for you since the world was made.
35. I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house.
36. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'
37. "Then the good people will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38. When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our house? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear?
39. When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?'
40. "Then the King will answer, 'I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.'
41. "Then the King will say to those on his left, 'Go away from me. You will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever that was prepared for the devil and his angels.
42. I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink.
43. I was alone and away from home, and you did not invite me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me nothing to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
44. "Then those people will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or alone and away from home or without clothes or sick or in prison? When did we see these things and not help you?'
45. "Then the King will answer, 'I tell you the truth, anything you refused to do for even the least of my people here, you refused to do for me.'
46. "These people will go off to be punished forever, but the good people will go to live forever."