Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume IX/The Diatessaron of Tatian/The Diatessaron/Section XLIII

Section XLIII.

[1] Simon Cephas said unto him, Our Lord, is it to us that thou hast spoken this [2] parable, or also to every man?&#160; Jesus said unto him, Who, thinkest thou, is the servant, the master of the house, trusted with control, whom his lord set over his [3] household, to give them their food in its season?&#160; Blessed is that servant, whom his [4] lord shall come and find having done so.&#160; Verily I say unto you, He will set him [5] over all that he hath.&#160; But if that evil servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his [6] coming; and shall begin to beat his servants and the maidservants of his lord, and [7] shall begin to eat and to drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come [8] in the day that he thinketh not, and in the hour that he knoweth not, and shall [Arabic, p. 163] judge him, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites, and with those that are not faithful:&#160; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

[9] Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like unto ten virgins, those that took their [10] lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom and the bride.&#160; Five of them were [11] wise, and five foolish.&#160; And those foolish ones took their lamps, and took not with [12, 13] them oil:&#160; but those wise ones took oil in vessels along with their lamps.&#160; When then [14] the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept.&#160; But in the middle of the night there occurred a cry, Behold, the bridegroom cometh!&#160; Go forth therefore to [15, 16] meet him.&#160; Then all those virgins arose, and made ready their lamps.&#160; The foolish [17] said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.&#160; But those wise answered and said, Perhaps there will not be enough for us and you:&#160; but go ye to [18] the sellers, and buy for yourselves.&#160; And when they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and those that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast:&#160; and [19] the door was shut.&#160; And at last those other virgins also came and said, Our Lord, [20] our Lord, open unto us.&#160; He answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, [21] I know you not.&#160; Watch then, for ye know not that day nor that hour.

[22] It is as a man, who went on a journey, and called his servants, and delivered unto [23] them his possessions.&#160; And unto one he gave five talents, and another two, and another [24] one; every one according to his strength; and went on his journey forthwith.&#160; He [Arabic, p. 164] then that received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained [26] other five.&#160; And so also he of the two gained other two.&#160; But he that received [27] the one went and digged in the earth, and hid the money of his lord.&#160; And after a long time the lord of those servants came, and took from them the account.&#160; [28] And he that received five talents came near and brought other five, and said, My lord, thou gavest me five talents:&#160; lo, I have gained other five in addition to them.&#160; [29] His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant:&#160; over a little hast [30] thou been faithful, over much will I set thee:&#160; enter into the joy of thy lord.&#160; And he that had the two came near and said, My lord, thou gavest me two talents:&#160; lo, [31] other two have I gained in addition to them.&#160; His lord said unto him, Good, thou faithful servant:&#160; over a little hast thou been faithful, over much will I set thee:&#160; enter [32] into the joy of thy lord.&#160; And he also that received the one talent came forward and said, My lord, I knew thee that thou art a severe man, who reapest where thou [33] sowest not, and gatherest where thou didst not scatter:&#160; and so I was afraid, and [34] went away and hid thy talent in the earth:&#160; lo, thou hast what is thine.&#160; His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest me [35] that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter; it was incumbent on thee to put my money to the bank, and then I should come and seek it with its [36] gains.&#160; Take now from him the talent, and give it to him that hath ten talents.&#160; [37] Whosoever hath shall be given, and he shall have more:&#160; but he that hath not, even [38] [Arabic, p. 165] what he hath shall be taken from him.&#160; And the unprofitable servant, put him forth into the outer darkness:&#160; there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth.

[39, 40] Your loins shall be girded, and your lamps lit; and ye shall be like the people that are looking for their lord, when he shall return from the feast; so that, when [41] he cometh and knocketh, they may at once open unto him.&#160; Blessed are those servants, whom their lord shall come and find attentive:&#160; verily I say unto you, that he will gird his waist, and make them sit down, and pass through them and serve [42] them.&#160; And if he come in the second watch, or the third, and find thus, blessed are those servants.

[43] But when the Son of man cometh in his glory, and all his pure angels with him, [44] then shall he sit on the throne of his glory:&#160; and he will gather before him all the nations, and separate them the one from the other, like the shepherd who separateth [45] the sheep from the goats; and will set the sheep on his right, and the goats on his [46] left.&#160; Then shall the King say to those that are at his right, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world:&#160; [47] I hungered, and ye gave me to eat; and I thirsted, and ye gave me to drink; and I [48] was a stranger, and ye took me in; and I was naked, and ye clothed me; and I [49] was sick, and ye visited me; and I was in prison, and ye cared for me.&#160; Then shall those righteous say unto him, Our Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? [50] or thirsty, and gave thee to drink?&#160; And when saw we thee a stranger, and took [51] thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?&#160; And when saw we thee sick, or imprisoned, and [52] cared for thee?&#160; The King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, What [53] [Arabic, p. 166] ye did to one of these my brethren, the little ones, ye did unto me.&#160; Then shall he say unto those that are on his left also, Depart from me, ye cursed, [54] into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his hosts:&#160; I hungered, and ye fed me [55] not; and I thirsted, and ye did not give me to drink; and I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; and I was naked, and ye clothed me not; and I was sick, and imprisoned, [56] and ye visited me not.&#160; Then shall those also answer and say, Our Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or naked, or a stranger, or sick, or imprisoned, [57] and did not minister unto thee?&#160; Then shall he answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, When ye did it not unto one of these little ones, ye did it not [58] unto me also.&#160; And these shall go away into eternal punishment:&#160; but the righteous into eternal life.