8.11-The Master gives different talents to different people. He wants us to use reasonable risk and hard work. We should not be afraid or lazy.

8.11-
Matthew 25.

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. ³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴ but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. ⁵ Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. ⁶ But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. ¹¹ Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ ¹² But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ ¹³ Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

Parable of the Talents

¹⁴ “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five ^[a]talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. ¹⁶ Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. ¹⁷ In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸ But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his ^[b]master’s money.
¹⁹ “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your ^[c]master.’
²² “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
²⁴ “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
²⁶ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. ²⁷ Then you ought to have put my money ^[d]in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. ²⁸ Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
²⁹ “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. ³⁰ Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Judgment

³¹ “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; ³³ and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For 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; ³⁶ naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to 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? ³⁸ And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ³⁹ When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴² for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not ^[e]take care of You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Psalm 69

69 Save me, O God,
For the waters have ^[b]threatened my life.
² I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and a ^[c]flood overflows me.
³ I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
⁴ Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would ^[d]destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;
What I did not steal, I then have to restore.

⁵ O God, it is You who knows my folly,
And my wrongs are not hidden from You.
⁶ May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord ^[e]God of hosts;
May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,
⁷ Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Dishonor has covered my face.
⁸ I have become estranged ^[f]from my brothers
And an alien to my mother’s sons.
⁹ For zeal for Your house has consumed me,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
¹⁰ When I wept in my soul with fasting,
It became my reproach.
¹¹ When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.
¹² Those who sit in the gate talk about me,
And I am the ^[g]song of the drunkards.

¹³ But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, at an acceptable time;
O God, in the greatness of Your lovingkindness,
Answer me with ^[h]Your saving truth.
¹⁴ Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink;
May I be delivered from ^[i]my foes and from the ^[j]deep waters.
¹⁵ May the ^[k]flood of water not overflow me
Nor the deep swallow me up,
Nor the pit shut its mouth on me.

¹⁶ Answer me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me,
¹⁷ And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in distress; answer me quickly.
¹⁸ Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it;
Ransom me because of my enemies!
¹⁹ You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor;
All my adversaries are ^[l]before You.

²⁰ Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick.
And I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
And for comforters, but I found none.
²¹ They also gave me ^[m]gall ^[n]for my food
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

²² May their table before them become a snare;
And ^[o]when they are in peace, may it become a trap.
²³ May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see,
And make their loins shake continually.
²⁴ Pour out Your indignation on them,
And may Your burning anger overtake them.
²⁵ May their ^[p]camp be desolate;
May none dwell in their tents.
²⁶ For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten,
And they tell of the pain of those whom You have ^[q]wounded.
²⁷ Add iniquity to their iniquity,
And may they not come into Your righteousness.
²⁸ May they be blotted out of the book of life
And may they not be ^[r]recorded with the righteous.

²⁹ But I am afflicted and in pain;
^[s]May Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high.
³⁰ I will praise the name of God with song
And magnify Him with thanksgiving.
³¹ And it will please the Lord better than an ox
Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.
³² The humble ^[t]have seen it and are glad;
You who seek God, let your heart ^[u]revive.
³³ For the Lord hears the needy
And does not despise His who are prisoners.

³⁴ Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas and everything that moves in them.
³⁵ For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and possess it.
³⁶ The ^[v]descendants of His servants will inherit it,
And those who love His name will dwell in it.