Matthew 25:14

³⁴“It is like a man traveling to another country, having left his house and given authority to his servants, and to each one his work, and also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch.

¹²He said therefore, “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. ¹³He called ten servants of his and gave them ten mina coins, ^[+] and told them, ‘Conduct business until I come.’ ¹⁴But his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us.’

¹⁵“When he had come back again, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by conducting business. ¹⁶The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.’

¹⁷“He said to him, ‘Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

¹⁸“The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, Lord, has made five minas.’

¹⁹“So he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

²⁰Another came, saying, ‘Lord, behold, your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief, ²¹for I feared you, because you are an exacting man. You take up that which you didn’t lay down, and reap that which you didn’t sow.’

²²“He said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant! You knew that I am an exacting man, taking up that which I didn’t lay down and reaping that which I didn’t sow. ²³Then why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank, and at my coming, I might have earned interest on it?’ ²⁴He said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to him who has the ten minas.’

²⁵“They said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ²⁶‘For I tell you that to everyone who has, will more be given; but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him. ²⁷But bring those enemies of mine who didn’t want me to reign over them here, and kill them before me.’”

⁹Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms. ¹¹If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

⁶having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us: if prophecy, let’s prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; ⁷or service, let’s give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching; ⁸or he who exhorts, to his exhorting; he who gives, let him do it with generosity; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

¹⁴“For it is like a man going into another country, who called his own servants and entrusted his goods to them. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents,^[+] to another two, to another one, to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. ¹⁷In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two. ¹⁸But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the earth and hid his lord’s money.

¹⁹“Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and settled accounts with them. ²⁰He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents in addition to them.’

²¹“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

²²“He also who got the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents in addition to them.’

²³“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

²⁴“He also who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow, and gathering where you didn’t scatter. ²⁵I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’

²⁶“But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter. ²⁷You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. ²⁸Take away therefore the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. ²⁹For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away. ³⁰Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

¹So let a man think of us as Christ’s servants and stewards of God’s mysteries. ²Here, moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

¹¹He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds^[+] and teachers;

⁴Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

⁷But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all. ⁸For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, ¹⁰and to another workings of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of languages, and to another the interpretation of languages. ¹¹But the one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires.

¹²For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. ¹³For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.

¹⁴For the body is not one member, but many. ¹⁵If the foot would say, “Because I’m not the hand, I’m not part of the body,” it is not therefore not part of the body. ¹⁶If the ear would say, “Because I’m not the eye, I’m not part of the body,” it’s not therefore not part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be? ¹⁸But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired. ¹⁹If they were all one member, where would the body be? ²⁰But now they are many members, but one body. ²¹The eye can’t tell the hand, “I have no need for you,” or again the head to the feet, “I have no need for you.” ²²No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. ²³Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant modesty, ²⁴while our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part, ²⁵that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. ²⁶When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. When one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. ²⁸God has set some in the assembly: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and various kinds of languages. ²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all miracle workers?

¹He also said to his disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made to him that this man was wasting his possessions. ²He called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’

³“The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I don’t have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg. ⁴I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, they may receive me into their houses.’ ⁵Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’ ⁶He said, ‘A hundred batos^[+] of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ ⁷Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred cors^[+] of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

⁸“His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light. ⁹I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents. ¹⁰He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? ¹²If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?