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M ATTHEW 25
page 887
it! 27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and
shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of
Man* comes. 28 Just as the gathering of vultures
shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs
indicate that the end is near.*
29 “Immediately after the anguish of those
days,
the sun will be darkened,
the moon will give no light,
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers in the heavens
will be shaken.*
30 And
then at last, the sign that the Son of Man
is coming will appear in the heavens, and there
will be deep mourning among all the peoples of
the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory.* 31 And he will send out his angels with the
mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather
his chosen ones from all over the world*—from
the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When
its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout,
you know that summer is near. 33 In the same
way, when you see all these things, you can
know his return is very near, right at the door.
34 I tell you the truth, this generation* will not
pass from the scene until all these things take
place. 35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but
my words will never disappear.
36 “However, no one knows the day or hour
when these things will happen, not even the
angels in heaven or the Son himself.* Only the
Father knows.
37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be
like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before
the flood, the people were enjoying banquets
and parties and weddings right up to the time
Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize
what was going to happen until the flood came
and swept them all away. That is the way it will
be when the Son of Man comes.
40 “Two men will be working together in the
field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two
women will be grinding flour at the mill; one
will be taken, the other left.
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t
know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when
a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and
not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You
also must be ready all the time, for the Son of
Man will come when least expected.
45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom
24:27 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for himself.
24:28 Greek Wherever the carcass is, the vultures gather.
24:29 See Isa 13:10; 34:4; Joel 2:10. 24:30 See Dan 7:13.
24:31 Greek from the four winds. 24:34 Or this age, or this
nation. 24:36 Some manuscripts do not include or the Son
himself. 25:1 Or virgins; also in 25:7, 11. 25:15 Greek talents;
also throughout the story. A talent is equal to 75 pounds or
34 kilograms.
the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding
them. 46 If the master returns and finds that
the servant has done a good job, there will be
a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will
put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But
what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master
won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting
drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced
and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant
to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids
“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be
like ten bridesmaids* who took their
lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five
of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 The
five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive
oil for their lamps, 4 but the other five were wise
enough to take along extra oil. 5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy
and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight they were roused by the shout,
‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and
meet him!’
7 “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared
their lamps. 8 Then the five foolish ones asked
the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’
9 “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have
enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some
for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were gone to buy oil, the
bridegroom came. Then those who were ready
went in with him to the marriage feast, and the
door was locked. 11 Later, when the other five
bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’
12 “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t
know you!’
13 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do
not know the day or hour of my return.
25
Parable of the Three Servants
14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long
trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone.
15 He gave five bags of silver* to one, two bags
of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the
last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities.
He then left on his trip.
16 “The servant who received the five bags of
silver began to invest the money and earned five
more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also
went to work and earned two more. 18 But the
servant who received the one bag of silver dug a
hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.