King James Version · Under Rome
Matthew 25
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Then shall of be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the . And five of them were , and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto , Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, , , open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein cometh. For of is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five , to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five went and traded with the same, and made them other five . And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his ’s money. After a long time of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five came and brought other five , saying, , thou deliveredst unto me five : behold, I have gained beside them five more. His said unto him, Well done, thou good and servant: thou hast been over things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy . He also that had received two came and said, , thou deliveredst unto me two : behold, I have gained two other beside them. His said unto him, Well done, good and servant; thou hast been over things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy . Then he which had received the one came and said, , I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His answered and said unto him, Thou and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the from him, and give it unto him which hath ten . For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. When shall come in his , and all the with him, then shall he sit upon of his : And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them hand, Come, ye of , prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a , and ye took me in: , and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall answer him, saying, , when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a , and took thee in? or , and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye , into , prepared for the devil and his : For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a , and ye took me not in: , and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, , when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a , or , or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into punishment: but into life .
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- What happens to those who are finally lost? · Matthew 25:31-46
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.