`Then shall the reign of the heavens be likened to ten virgins, who, having taken their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom;

and five of them were prudent, and five foolish;

they who were foolish having taken their lamps, did not take with themselves oil;

and the prudent took oil in their vessels, with their lamps.

`And the bridegroom tarrying, they all nodded and were sleeping,

and in the middle of the night a cry was made, Lo, the bridegroom doth come; go ye forth to meet him.

`Then rose all those virgins, and trimmed their lamps,

and the foolish said to the prudent, Give us of your oil, because our lamps are going out;

and the prudent answered, saying -- Lest there may not be sufficient for us and you, go ye rather unto those selling, and buy for yourselves.

`And while they are going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those ready went in with him to the marriage-feasts, and the door was shut;

and afterwards come also do the rest of the virgins, saying, Sir, sir, open to us;

and he answering said, Verily I say to you, I have not known you.

`Watch therefore, for ye have not known the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man doth come.

`For -- as a man going abroad did call his own servants, and did deliver to them his substance,

and to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his several ability, went abroad immediately.

`And he who did receive the five talents, having gone, wrought with them, and made other five talents;

in like manner also he who `received' the two, he gained, also he, other two;

and he who did receive the one, having gone away, digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

`And after a long time cometh the lord of those servants, and taketh reckoning with them;

and he who did receive the five talents having come, brought other five talents, saying, `Sir, five talents thou didst deliver to me; lo, other five talents did I gain besides them.

`And his lord said to him, Well done, servant, good and faithful, over a few things thou wast faithful, over many things I will set thee; enter into the joy of thy lord.

`And he who also did receive the two talents having come, said, Sir, two talents thou didst deliver to me; lo, other two talents I did gain besides them.

`His lord said to him, Well done, servant, good and faithful, over a few things thou wast faithful, over many things I will set thee; enter into the joy of thy lord.

`And he also who hath received the one talent having come, said, Sir, I knew thee, that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering from whence thou didst not scatter;

and having been afraid, having gone away, I hid thy talent in the earth; lo, thou hast thine own!

`And his lord answering said to him, Evil servant, and slothful, thou hadst known that I reap where I did not sow, and I gather whence I did not scatter!

it behoved thee then to put my money to the money-lenders, and having come I had received mine own with increase.

`Take therefore from him the talent, and give to him having the ten talents,

for to every one having shall be given, and he shall have overabundance, and from him who is not having, even that which he hath shall be taken from him;

and the unprofitable servant cast ye forth to the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.

`And whenever the Son of Man may come in his glory, and all the holy messengers with him, then he shall sit upon a throne of his glory;

and gathered together before him shall be all the nations, and he shall separate them from one another, as the shepherd doth separate the sheep from the goats,

and he shall set the sheep indeed on his right hand, and the goats on the left.

`Then shall the king say to those on his right hand, Come ye, the blessed of my Father, inherit the reign that hath been prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

for I did hunger, and ye gave me to eat; I did thirst, and ye gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and ye received me;

naked, and ye put around me; I was infirm, and ye looked after me; in prison I was, and ye came unto me.

`Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungering, and we nourished? or thirsting, and we gave to drink?

and when did we see thee a stranger, and we received? or naked, and we put around?

and when did we see thee infirm, or in prison, and we came unto thee?

`And the king answering, shall say to them, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye did `it' to one of these my brethren -- the least -- to me ye did `it'.

Then shall he say also to those on the left hand, Go ye from me, the cursed, to the fire, the age-during, that hath been prepared for the Devil and his messengers;

for I did hunger, and ye gave me not to eat; I did thirst, and ye gave me not to drink;

a stranger I was, and ye did not receive me; naked, and ye put not around me; infirm, and in prison, and ye did not look after me.

`Then shall they answer, they also, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungering, or thirsting, or a stranger, or naked, or infirm, or in prison, and we did not minister to thee?

`Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye did `it' not to one of these, the least, ye did `it' not to me.

And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.'