Matthew 25:19–33

¹⁹After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰The 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.’

²¹His 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!’

²²The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’

²³His 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!’

²⁴Finally, 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. ²⁵So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’

²⁶‘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. ²⁷Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.

²⁸Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. ²⁹For 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. ³⁰And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

³¹When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. ³²All 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. ³³He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.