As Jesus came close to entering Jerusalem, He told them this parable,
“A nobleman went to a far country but promised that he would return.
Before he went on his journey, he called three of his servants and gave them his portion of his riches according to each man’s ability.
One of the servants was given five talents, to another servant he gave two talents and to the third servant he gave one talent.
After a long journey the nobleman returned to his kingdom and commanded that the three servants he had given the talents, come and give account of how they had invested the talents he had entrusted them with.
The first servant came and reported that he had entered into trade with the five talents and had made another five talents for a total of ten talents.
And the nobleman said,
‘Well done, you are a good and faithful servant! Because you were found faithful with little, you will now have authority over ten cities.’
The second came and said,
‘I took the two talents and gained another two talents.’
And the nobleman said,
‘You have been faithful with very little, and I will now make you a ruler over many things.’
The third servant came and said,
‘Lord, I feared you because you are a very austere man. You take up what you have not laid down, and you reap where you have not sown. I took the one talent, and I buried it.’
The unfaithful servant then returned the one talent he had been given to invest.
The nobleman said to him,
‘Out of your own mouth you judge yourself. You knew that I was an austere man, taking up things that I had not laid down and reaping where I did not sow.
Why didn’t you lend out the one talent so that at the very least it would increase with interest?’
And he told his other servants to take away the one talent from the unfaithful servant and give it to servant who had ten talents.
And then he sent the unprofitable servant into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Everyone who makes use of what they have will be been given more.
But those who do nothing with what they have been given, even the little they have been given will be taken away.
Then the nobleman told his servants to bring before him the men that had said they would not have the noble king to rule over them and slay them in his sight.’
And after Jesus had told this parable, He began leading the crowd up to Jerusalem.
