The Parable of the Wedding Feast

1 ^pAnd again Jesus spoke to them in ^qparables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a ^rwedding ^sfeast for his son, 3 and sent his servants¹ to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 ^tAgain he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and ^ukilled them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, ^vbut those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no ^wwedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and ^xcast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but ^yfew are chosen.”

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

1 ^z“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ^aten virgins who took their lamps¹ and went to meet the ^bbridegroom.² 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the ^cmarriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ^d‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, ^eI do not know you.’ 13 ^fWatch therefore, for you know neither the ^gday nor the hour.