The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 ^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.

The Parable of the Talents

14 ^h“For it will be like a man ⁱgoing on a journey, who called his servants³ and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five ^jtalents,⁴ to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and ^ksettled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.⁵ You have been ^lfaithful over a little; I will ^mset you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and ⁿslothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For ^oto everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And ^pcast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Final Judgment

31 ^q“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered ^rall the nations, and he will ^sseparate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the ^tsheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, ^uinherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For ^vI was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you ^wgave me drink, I was a ^xstranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the ^yrighteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, ^zas you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,⁶ you did it to me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ^a‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 ^bAnd these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 ^cWhen Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the ^dPassover is coming, and the Son of Man will be ^edelivered up to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and ^fkill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6 ^gNow when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,¹ 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For ^hyou always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it ⁱto prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

14 ^jThen one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him ^kthirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

17 ^lNow on the ^mfirst day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, ⁿ“Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, ^oMy time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

20 ^pWhen it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.² 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, ^qone of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes ^ras it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is ^sbetrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

26 ^tNow as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; ^uthis is my body.” 27 And he took a ^vcup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for ^wthis is my ^xblood of the³ covenant, which is poured out for ^ymany for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

30 ^zAnd when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ^a‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, I will ^bgo before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, ^cbefore the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

36 ^dThen Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, ^e“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch⁴ with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. ^fThe spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.⁵ See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is ^gbetrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 ^hRise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 ⁱWhile he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, ^jdo what you came to do.”⁶ Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the ^kservant⁷ of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. ^lFor all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve ^mlegions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place ⁿthat the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then ^oall the disciples ^pleft him and fled.

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

57 ^qThen those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council⁸ were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to ^rdestroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in ^sthree days.’” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”⁹ 63 But Jesus remained ^tsilent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, ^utell us ^vif you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see ^wthe Son of Man ^xseated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He ^ydeserves death.” 67 Then they ^zspit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”

Peter Denies Jesus

69 ^aNow Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter ^bremembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

27 ^cWhen morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor.

Judas Hangs Himself

3 ^dThen when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus¹ was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the ^ethirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not ^flawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was ^gfulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, ^h“And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for ⁱthe potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”

Jesus Before Pilate

11 ^jNow Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, ^k“You have said so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, ^lhe gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

15 ^mNow at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is ⁿcalled Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that ^orighteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a ^pdream.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” ^qAnd they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and ^rwashed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood;² see to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, ^s“His blood be on us and ^ton our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having ^uscourged³ Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

27 ^vThen the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters,⁴ and they gathered the whole battalion⁵ before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, ^wKing of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

32 ^xAs they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they ^yoffered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they ^zdivided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified ^awith him, ^bone on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who ^cpassed by derided him, ^dwagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would ^edestroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 ^fHe trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.