15 He swallows wealth but must vomit it up;
God will force it from his stomach.

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15 He will spit out the riches(A) he swallowed;
    God will make his stomach vomit(B) them up.

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18 He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it;
he doesn’t enjoy the profits from his trading.

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18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;(A)
    he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.(B)

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Wealth and riches are in his house,(A)
and his righteousness endures forever.(B)

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Wealth and riches(A) are in their houses,
    and their righteousness endures(B) forever.

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Idle hands make one poor,
but diligent hands bring riches.(A)

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Lazy hands make for poverty,(A)
    but diligent hands bring wealth.(B)

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20 A faithful person will have many blessings,(A)
but one in a hurry to get rich(B)
will not go unpunished.

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20 A faithful person will be richly blessed,
    but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.(A)

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The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins[a] who took their lamps[b] and went out to meet the groom.(A) Five of them were foolish and five were wise.(B) When the foolish took their lamps, they didn’t take oil with them; but the wise ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. When the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

“In the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’

“Then all the virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’

“The wise ones answered, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go instead to those who sell oil, and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.(C) 11 Later the rest of the virgins also came and said, ‘Master, master, open up for us!’

12 “He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you!’

13 “Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. 25:1 Or bridesmaids
  2. 25:1 Or torches, also in vv. 3,4,7,8
  3. 25:13 Other mss add in which the Son of Man is coming.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like(A) ten virgins who took their lamps(B) and went out to meet the bridegroom.(C) Five of them were foolish and five were wise.(D) The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.(E)

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’(F)

“‘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.(G) 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.’(H)

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.(I)

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