The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ The ten virgins. The talentes delyuered to the seruauntes / and of the generall iudgement.

CAPI. XXV.

T✚Hen the kyngdome of heauen shalbe [ A] lykened vnto ten virgins, whiche toke their lampes, & went to mete the bryde∣grome: fyue of theym were folysshe, and fyue were wyse. The folysshe toke their lampes, but toke none oyle with them. But the wyse toke oyle with them in their vessels togyther with their lampes. Whyle the brydgrome ta∣ryed, all slombred and slepte, at mydnyght, a crye was made: beholde, the brydegrome co∣meth, go mete hym. Then all these virgins a∣rose, and prepared their lampes. And the fo∣lyshe sayde to the wyse: Geue vs of your oyle for our lampes be out. But the wyse answe∣red, sayenge: Not so, lest there be not ynough [ B] for vs and you: but go rather to them that sel and bye for youre selues. And whyle they wēt to bye, the brydegrome came: and they that were redy, went in with hym to the weddyng and the gate was shut vp. Afterwardes came also the other virgins, sayenge: Lorde Lorde open to vs. But he aunswered, and sayde. Verely I tell you: I knowe you not. Watch therfore: for ye knowe neyther the daye, nor yet the houre, when the sonne of man shall come. ⊦

✚ For lyke as a certayne man redy to take his iourney to a straunge countrey, called his seruauntes, and delyuered to them his good∣des.* 1.1 And vnto one he gaue .v. talentes, to an other .ij. and to an other one: to euery mā after his habilyte, and forthwith departed. Then he that hadde receyued the fyue talen∣tes, wente and bestowed them, and made o∣ther fyue talentes. Lykewyse he that receyued two, gayned other two. But he that recey∣ued the one talent, went and dygged a pyt in the earth, and hyd his masters money. After a longe season, the Lorde of those seruauntes came and rekened with them. Then came he that receyued fyue talentes, and brought o∣ther fyue talentes, sayenge: Master, thou de∣lyueredst vnto me fyue talentes: beholde, I haue gayned with them fyue talentes moo. His master sayde vnto hym: Oh good seruant and faythfull. Thou hast bene faythfull in ly∣tell, I wyll make the ruler ouer moche: entre into thy masters ioye. Also he that receyued two talentes, came and sayde: Master thou delyueredst vnto me two talentes: beholde, I haue wonne two other talentes with them. And his master sayde vnto hym, Oh good ser∣uaunt and faythfull. Thou hast bene faythful in lytell, I will make the rular ouer moche entre into thy masters ioye. ⊦

[ C] Then he whiche hadde receyued the one ta∣lente, came and sayde: Master, I consydered that thou arte an harde man, repynge where thou sowedst not, and gatheryng where thou strawedst not, and was therfore afrayde, and wente and hyd thy talent in the earthe: Be∣holde, thou haste thyne owne. His master an∣swered and sayde vnto hym: thou euyll ser∣uaunte, and slowthfull, thou knewest that I repe where I sowed not, and gather where I strawed not: thou oughtest therfore to haue put my money to the exchaungers, and then at my commyng, I shulde haue receyued myne owne, with gaynes. Take therfore the talent frome hym, and geue it vnto hym which hath ten talentes. For vnto euery one that hath it, shalbe gyuen, and he shall haue aboundance, and frome hym that hath not, shall be taken awaye, euen that he hath. And caste that vn∣profytable seruaunte, into vtter derckenesse: There shall be wepynge, and gnasshynge of teeth.

✚ When the sonne of man commeth in his glorye, and all the holy angels with hym, thē shall he syt vpon the seate of his glorye, and before hym shalbe gathered all nacyons. And he shall parte them one frome another, as a shepeherde dyuydeth the shepe frome the goo∣tes. And he shall set the shepe on his ryghte∣hande, and the gootes on the lyft. Then shall the kynge saye to them on his ryghte hande: Come ye blessed children of my father, inheret the kyngdome prepared for you, frome the be∣gynnynge of the worlde. For I hongred, and ye gaue me meate. I thrusted, and ye gaue me drynke. I was a straunger, and ye lodged me. I was naked and ye clothed me. I was sicke and ye vysyted me. I was in pryson, and ye [ D] came vnto me. Then shall the ryghteous an∣swere hym, sayenge: Lorde, when sawe we the an hongred, and fed the? or a thurst, and gaue the drynke? When sawe we the a stran∣ger, and lodged the? Or naked, and clothed the? Or when sawe we the sycke, or in pryson and came vnto the? And the kynge shall aun∣swere and saye vnto them: Verely I saye vn∣to you: in as moche as ye haue done it vnto one of the leaste of these my brethren, ye haue done it to me.

Then shall the kynge saye vnto them on y^e lyfte hande: departe frome me ye cursed, into euerlastynge fyre: whiche is prepared for the deuyll and his aungels. For I hungred, and ye gaue me no meate. I thursted, and ye gaue me no drynke. I was a straunger, and ye lod∣ged me not. I was naked, and ye clothed me not. I was sycke, and in pryson, and ye vysy∣ted me not.

Then shall they also answere him, sayenge: Lorde, When sawe we the an hungred, or a thurst, or a straunger, or naked, or sicke, or in pryson, and dyd not mynister vnto the? Then shall he aunswere them, and saye: Verely I saye vnto you, in as moche as ye dyd it not to one of the least of these, ye dyd it not to me. And these shall go into euerlastynge payne: & the ryghteous into lyfe euerlastynge. ⊦

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mathew xxiiii. d Luke .xii. e Luke .xix. b. Marci .xiii. d.