A parábola das dez jovens
1“O reino dos céus pode ser também explicado pela situação daquelas dez jovens que pegaram nas suas lâmpadas e foram ao encontro do noivo. 2-4Contudo, só cinco delas tiveram prudência bastante para encher as lâmpadas de azeite, enquanto as outras cinco, que eram pouco ajuizadas, se esqueceram de o fazer. 5Como o noivo se demorasse, deitaram-se para descansar. 6À meia-noite foram despertadas por alguém que gritou: ‘Vem aí o noivo! Saiam a recebê-lo!’
7Todas se levantaram logo e prepararam as lâmpadas. 8Então, as cinco que não tinham azeite, pediram às outras que lhes dessem algum, porque as suas lâmpadas estavam a apagar-se. 9Mas as outras responderam: ‘Não, porque depois não chega para todas. Vão comprá-lo.’
10Enquanto foram, o noivo chegou; as que estavam prontas entraram com ele para a festa de casamento e a porta foi trancada. 11Mais tarde, quando as outras cinco voltaram, ficaram na rua, chamando: ‘Senhor, senhor, abre-nos a porta!’ 12Mas ele respondeu: ‘É realmente como vos digo: não vos conheço.’
13Portanto, conservem-se despertos e estejam preparados, pois não sabem a data nem o momento do meu regresso.
A parábola do dinheiro investido
(Lc 19.12-27)
14O reino dos céus pode também ser comparado ao caso de um homem que ia para outro país e que, reunindo os servos, lhes entregou os seus bens. 15Entregou cinco talentos25.15 Um talento de ouro grego pesava cerca de 34 kg. Está-se a falar de um elevado montante. a um, dois a outro e um ao último, conforme as capacidades de cada um, e depois partiu.
16O homem que recebeu cinco talentos começou logo a comprar e a vender com eles, e depressa ganhou outros cinco. 17O que tinha dois talentos deitou-se também ao trabalho e ganhou outros dois. 18Mas o que recebera um cavou um buraco no chão e escondeu-o ali.
19Passado muito tempo, o patrão voltou da viagem e chamou-os, para que dessem contas do dinheiro. 20Aquele a quem tinha confiado cinco talentos trouxe-lhe dez, dizendo: ‘Senhor, confiaste-me cinco talentos e dobrei a quantia.’ 21O homem gabou-o pelo seu bom trabalho: ‘Óptimo, servo bom e fiel! Foste fiel com o pouco que te confiei, vou entregar-te mais responsabilidades. Entretanto, poderás participar da satisfação do teu senhor.’ 22Depois veio o que tinha recebido dois talentos, e disse: ‘Senhor, confiaste-me dois talentos. Olha, dobrei a quantia.’ 23‘Bom trabalho’, observou o senhor. ‘És um servo capaz e de confiança. Foste fiel com essa pequena soma, por isso agora dou-te muito mais.’
24Então veio o homem que recebera um talento e disse: ‘Senhor, eu sabia que és um homem duro, ceifando onde não semeaste e colhendo onde não cultivaste. 25Tive medo de perder o teu dinheiro, portanto escondi-o na terra; aqui o tens.’
26Mas o patrão respondeu: ‘Foste um servo mau e preguiçoso! Sabias que ceifo onde não semeio e colho onde não cultivo, 27devias ao menos ter depositado o meu dinheiro no banco para que eu recuperasse o que é meu acrescido de juros. 28Tirem o dinheiro a este homem e deem-no ao dos dez talentos! 29Porque quem tiver receberá e terá em abundância; mas a quem não tem até o que tiver lhe será tirado. 30E mandem esse servo inútil lá para fora, para a escuridão, onde há choro e ranger de dentes.’
As ovelhas e as cabras
31Quando eu, o Filho do Homem, vier na minha glória com todos os anjos, então sentar-me-ei no meu trono glorioso, 32e todas as nações serão reunidas diante de mim. Separarei o povo como um pastor aparta as ovelhas das cabras, 33e porei as ovelhas à minha direita e as cabras à minha esquerda.
34Então eu, o rei, direi aos que estiverem à minha direita: ‘Venham, filhos felizes do meu Pai, para o reino que vos foi preparado desde o princípio do mundo. 35Porque tive fome e deram-me de comer; tive sede e deram-me água; era estranho e convidaram-me para vossas casas; 36andava nu e vestiram-me; estive doente e cuidaram de mim; estive na prisão e visitaram-me.’
37Esses homens justos perguntarão: ‘Senhor, quando foi que alguma vez te vimos com fome e te demos de comer ou com sede e te demos de beber? 38Ou, sendo um estranho, te hospedámos ou, estando nu, te vestimos? 39Quando te vimos alguma vez doente ou na prisão e te visitámos?’ 40E eu, o rei, lhes direi: ‘É realmente como vos digo: quando fizeram isso a um destes meus mais insignificantes irmãos, a mim o fizeram!’
41Voltar-me-ei para os que estiverem à minha esquerda e lhes direi: ‘Saiam daqui, malditos, para o fogo eterno preparado para o Diabo e seus demónios; 42porque tive fome e não me deram de comer, tive sede e não me deram de beber; 43fui um estranho e não me deram hospedagem, andava nu e não quiseram vestir-me; estive doente e na prisão e não me visitaram.’
44Então responderão: ‘Senhor, quando foi que alguma vez te vimos com fome ou com sede, ou sendo tu estranho ou andando nu, ou estando doente ou na prisão e não te socorremos?’
45E responderei: ‘É realmente como vos digo: quando não quiseram socorrer o mais insignificante destes meus irmãos, foi a mim que recusavam ajuda.’ 46Estes irão para o castigo eterno, mas os justos irão para a vida eterna.”
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9“ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
The Parable of the Bags of Gold
14“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,25:15 Greek five talents… two talents… one talent; also throughout this parable; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wage. each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28“ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Sheep and the Goats
31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
