Luke 19:11-27

Contemporary English Version

A Story about Ten Servants

(Matthew 25.14-30)

^11 (A) The crowd was still listening to Jesus as he was getting close to Jerusalem. Many of them thought that God's kingdom would soon appear, ¹² and Jesus told them this story:

A prince once went to a foreign country to be crowned king and then to return. ¹³ But before leaving, he called in ten servants and gave each of them some money. He told them, “Use this to earn more money until I get back.”

¹⁴ But the people of his country hated him, and they sent messengers to the foreign country to say, “We don't want this man to be our king.”

¹⁵ After the prince had been made king, he returned and called in his servants. He asked them how much they had earned with the money they had been given.

¹⁶ The first servant came and said, “Sir, with the money you gave me I have earned ten times as much.”

¹⁷ “That's fine, my good servant!” the king said. “Since you have shown that you can be trusted with a small amount, you will be given ten cities to rule.”

¹⁸ The second one came and said, “Sir, with the money you gave me, I have earned five times as much.”

¹⁹ The king said, “You will be given five cities.”

²⁰ Another servant came and said, “Sir, here is your money. I kept it safe in a handkerchief. ²¹ You are a hard man, and I was afraid of you. You take what isn't yours, and you harvest crops you didn't plant.”

²² “You worthless servant!” the king told him. “You have condemned yourself by what you have just said. You knew I am a hard man, taking what isn't mine and harvesting what I've not planted. ²³ Why didn't you put my money in the bank? On my return, I could have had the money together with interest.”

²⁴ Then he said to some other servants standing there, “Take the money away from him and give it to the servant who earned ten times as much.”

²⁵ But they said, “Sir, he already has ten times as much!”

^26 (B) The king replied, “Those who have something will be given more. But everything will be taken away from those who don't have anything. ²⁷ Now bring me the enemies who didn't want me to be their king. Kill them while I watch!”