مثل العذارى
1 «ويُشبِهُ مَلكوتُ السّماواتِ عَشرَ عَذارى حمَلْنَ مَصابيحَهُنّ وخرَجْنَ لِلقاءِ العَريسِ. 2 وكانَ خَمسٌ مِنهُنّ جاهِلاتٍ وخَمسٌ عاقِلاتٍ. 3 فحَمَلتِ الجاهِلاتُ مَصابيحَهُنّ، وما أخَذنَ معَهنّ زَيتًا. 4 وأمّا العاقِلاتُ، فأخَذْنَ معَ مَصابيحِهِنّ زَيتًا في وِعاءٍ. 5 وأبطأَ العَريسُ، فنَعِسنَ جميعًا ونِمنَ.
6 وعِندَ نِصفِ اللّيلِ عَلا الصّياحُ: جاءَ العَريسُ، فاَخْرُجْنَ لِلقائِهِ! 7 فقامَتِ العَذارى العَشْرُ وهيّأْنَ مَصابيحَهُنّ.
8 فقالَتِ الجاهِلاتُ لِلعاقِلاتِ: أعطينَنا من زَيْتِكُنّ، لأنّ مَصابيحَنا تَنطفِئُ. 9 فأجابَتِ العاقِلاتُ: رُبّما لا يكفي لنا وَلكُنّ، فاَذهَبْنَ إلى البَيّاعينَ واَشترِينَ حاجَتَكُنّ.
10 وبَينَما هُنّ ذاهباتٌ ليَشترينَ، وصَلَ العَريسُ. فدَخلَتْ معَهُ المُستعِدّاتُ إلى مكانِ العُرسِ وأُغلقَ البابُ.
11 وبَعدَ حينٍ رجَعَتِ العَذارى الأُخَرُ فقُلنَ: يا سيّدُ، يا سيّدُ، اَفتَحْ لنا! 12 فأجابَهُنّ العريسُ: الحقّ أقولُ لكُنّ: أنا لا أعرِفُكُنّ.
13 فاَسهَروا، إذًا، لأنّكُم لا تَعرِفونَ اليومَ ولا السّاعَةَ.
مثل الوزنات
(لوقا 19:11-27)14 «ويُشبِهُ مَلكوتُ السّماواتِ رجُلاً أرادَ السّفَرَ، فدَعا خدَمَهُ وسَلّمَ إلَيهِم أموالَهُ، 15 كُلّ واحدٍ مِنهُم على قَدْرِ طاقَتِهِ. فأعطى الأوّلَ خمسَ وزَناتٍ مِنَ الفِضّةِ، والثّاني وزْنَتَينِ، والثّالثَ وزنَةً واحدةً وسافرَ. 16 فأسرَعَ الّذي أخذَ الوَزَناتِ الخَمسَ إلى المتُاجَرةِ بِها، فربِحَ خَمسَ وزَناتٍ. 17 وكذلِكَ الّذي أخذَ الوَزْنَتينِ، فرَبِحَ وزْنَتينِ. 18 وأمّا الّذي أخذَ الوَزْنَة الواحدَةَ، فذهَبَ وحفَرَ حُفْرةً في الأرضِ ودفَنَ مالَ سيّدِهِ.
19 وبَعدَ مُدّةٍ طويلةٍ، رجَعَ سيّدُ هؤُلاءِ الخَدَمِ وحاسَبَهُم. 20 فجاءَ الّذي أخَذَ الوَزَناتِ الخَمسَ، فدَفَعَ خَمسَ وزَناتٍ مَعَها وقالَ: يا سيّدي، أعطيتَني خَمسَ وَزَناتٍ، فخُذْ خَمسَ وزَناتٍ رَبِحتُها. 21 فقالَ لَه سيّدُهُ: أحسَنتَ، أيّها الخادمُ الصالِحُ الأمينُ! كُنتَ أمينًا على القليلِ، فسَأُقيمُكَ على الكَثيرِ: اَدخُلْ نَعيمَ سيّدِكَ.
22 وجاءَ الّذي أخَذَ الوَزْنتَينِ، فقالَ: يا سيّدي، أعطَيتَني وزْنَتَينِ، فخُذْ معَهُما وزْنتَينِ رَبِحتُهُما. 23 فَقالَ لَه سيّدُهُ: أحسنتَ، أيّها الخادِمُ الصّالِحُ الأمينُ! كُنتَ أمينًا على القَليلِ، فسأُقيمُكَ على الكَثيرِ: اَدخُلْ نَعيمَ سيّدِكَ.
24 وجاءَ الّذي أخَذَ الوَزْنةَ الواحِدَةَ، فقالَ: يا سيّدُ، عَرَفْتُكَ رجُلاً قاسِيًا، تحصِدُ حيثُ لا تَزرَعُ، وتَجمَعُ حيث لا تَبذُرُ، 25 فخِفتُ. فذَهبتُ ودفَنْتُ مالَكَ في الأرضِ، وها هوَ مالُكَ. 26 فأجابَهُ سيّدُهُ: يا لَكَ من خادِمٍ شِرّيرٍ كَسلانَ! عَرَفتَني أحصِدُ حَيثُ لا أزرَعُ وأجمَعُ حيثُ لا أبذُرُ، 27 فكانَ علَيكَ أنْ تضَعَ مالي عِندَ الصّيارِفَةِ، وكُنتُ في عَودتي أستَرِدّهُ معَ الفائِدَةِ. 28 وقالَ لخَدَمِه: خُذوا مِنهُ الوَزْنَةَ واَدْفَعوها إلى صاحِبِ الوَزَناتِ العَشْرِ، 29 لأنّ مَنْ كانَ لَه شيءٌ، يُزادُ فيَفيضُ. ومَنْ لا شيءَ لَه، يُؤخذُ مِنهُ حتى الّذي لَه. 30 وهذا الخادِمُ الّذي لا نَفْعَ مِنهُ، اَطرَحوهُ خارِجًا في الظّلامِ. فهُناكَ البُكاءُ وصَريفُ الأسنانِ.
يوم الدينونة
31 «ومَتى جاءَ اَبنُ الإنسانِ في مَجدِهِ، ومعَهُ جميعُ ملائِكَتِهِ يَجلِسُ على عرشِهِ المَجيدِ، 32 وتَحتَشِدُ أمامَهُ جميعُ الشّعوبِ، فيُفرِزُ بَعضَهُم عَنْ بَعضٍ، مِثلَما يُفرِزُ الرّاعي الخِرافَ عَنِ الجداءِ، 33 فيَجعَلُ الخِرافَ عَنْ يَمينِهِ والجِداءَ عن شِمالِه. 34 ويقولُ المَلِكُ للّذينَ عن يَمينِهِ: تَعالَوا، يا مَنْ باركهُم أبي، رِثُوا المَلكوتَ الذي هَيّأهُ لكُم مُنذُ إنشاءِ العالَمِ، 35 لأنّي جُعتُ فأطعَمتُموني، وعَطِشتُ فسَقَيْتُموني، وكُنتُ غَريبًا فآوَيْتُموني، 36 وعُريانًا فكَسَوْتُموني، ومَريضًا فَزُرتُموني، وسَجينًا فجِئتُم إليّ. 37 فيُجيبُهُ الصّالِحونَ: يا ربّ، متى رأيناكَ جوعانًا فأطْعَمناكَ؟ أو عَطشانًا فَسَقيْناكَ؟ 38 ومتى رَأيناكَ غَريبًا فآويناكَ؟ أو عُريانًا فكَسوناكَ؟ 39 ومتى رَأيناكَ مَريضًا أو سَجينًا فزُرناكَ؟ 40 فيُجيبُهُمُ المَلِكُ: الحقّ أقولُ لكُم: كُلّ مَرّةٍ عَمِلْتُم هذا لواحدٍ من إخوتي هَؤلاءِ الصّغارِ، فلي عَمِلتُموهُ!
41 ثُمّ يَقولُ لِلّذينَ عَنْ شِمالِهِ: اَبتَعِدوا عنّي، يا ملاعينُ، إلى النّارِ الأبدِيّةِ المُهيّأةِ لإبليسَ وأعوانِهِ: 42 لأنّي جُعتُ فما أطعَمْتُموني، وعَطِشتُ فما سَقَيْتُموني، 43 وكُنتُ غَريبًا فما آوَيْتموني، وعُريانًا فما كَسَوْتُموني، ومريضًا وسَجينًا فما زُرْتُموني. 44 فيُجيبُهُ هؤُلاءِ: يا ربّ، متى رأيناكَ جوعانًا أو عَطشانًا، غريبًا أو عُريانًا، مريضًا أو سَجينًا، وما أسْعَفْناكَ؟ 45 فيُجيبُهُم المَلِكُ: الحقّ أقولُ لكُم: كُلّ مرّةٍ ما عَمِلتُم هذا لِواحدٍ مِنْ إخوتي هؤلاءِ الصّغارِ، فلي ما عمِلتُموهُ. 46 فيذهَبُ هؤُلاءِ إلى العَذابِ الأبديّ، والصّالِحونَ إلى الحياةِ الأبدِيّةِ».
A Story about Ten Young Women
1 The kingdom of heaven is like what happened one night when ten young women took their oil lamps and went to a wedding to meet the groom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps, but no extra oil. 4 The ones who were wise took along extra oil for their lamps.
5 The groom was late arriving, and the young women became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 Then in the middle of the night someone shouted, “Here's the groom! Come to meet him!”
7 When the women got up and started getting their lamps ready, 8 the foolish ones said to the others, “Let us have some of your oil! Our lamps are going out.”
9 Those who were wise answered, “There's not enough oil for all of us! Go and buy some for yourselves.”
10 While the foolish ones were on their way to get some oil, the groom arrived. The five who were ready went into the wedding, and the doors were closed. 11 Later the others returned and shouted, “Sir, sir! Open the door for us!”
12 But the groom replied, “I don't even know you!”
13 So, my disciples, always be ready! You don't know the day or the time when all this will happen.
A Story about Three Servants
(Luke 19.11-27)14 The kingdom is also like what happened when a man went away and put his three servants in charge of all he owned. 15 The man knew what each servant could do. So he handed 5,000 coins to the first servant, 2,000 to the second, and 1,000 to the third. Then he left the country.
16 As soon as the man had gone, the servant with the 5,000 coins used them to earn 5,000 more. 17 The servant who had 2,000 coins did the same with his money and earned 2,000 more. 18 But the servant with 1,000 coins dug a hole and hid his master's money in the ground.
19 Some time later the master of those servants returned. He called them in and asked what they had done with his money. 20 The servant who had been given 5,000 coins brought them in with the 5,000 that he had earned. He said, “Sir, you gave me 5,000 coins, and I have earned 5,000 more.”
21 “Wonderful!” his master replied. “You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!”
22 Next, the servant who had been given 2,000 coins came in and said, “Sir, you gave me 2,000 coins, and I have earned 2,000 more.”
23 “Wonderful!” his master replied. “You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!”
24 The servant who had been given 1,000 coins then came in and said, “Sir, I know that you are hard to work for. You harvest what you don't plant and gather crops where you haven't scattered seed. 25 I was frightened and went out and hid your money in the ground. Here is every single coin!”
26 The master of the servant told him, “You are lazy and good-for-nothing! You know I harvest what I don't plant and gather crops where I haven't scattered seed. 27 You could have at least put my money in the bank, so I could have earned interest on it.”
28 Then the master said, “Now your money will be taken away and given to the servant with 10,000 coins! 29 Everyone who has something will be given more, and they will have more than enough. But everything will be taken from those who don't have anything. 30 You are a worthless servant, and you will be thrown out into the dark where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain.”
The Final Judgment
31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on his royal throne. 32 The people of all nations will be brought before him, and he will separate them, as shepherds separate their sheep from their goats.
33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, “My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. 35 When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, 36 and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.”
37 Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, “When did we give you something to eat or drink? 38 When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear 39 or visit you while you were sick or in jail?”
40 The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.”
41 Then the king will say to those on his left, “Get away from me! You are under God's curse. Go into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 I was hungry, but you did not give me anything to eat, and I was thirsty, but you did not give me anything to drink. 43 I was a stranger, but you did not welcome me, and I was naked, but you did not give me any clothes to wear. I was sick and in jail, but you did not take care of me.”
44 Then the people will ask, “Lord, when did we fail to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail?”
45 The king will say to them, “Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me.”
46 Then Jesus said, “Those people will be punished forever. But the ones who pleased God will have eternal life.”