9. The girls who were wise answered, “There's not enough oil for all of us! Go and buy some for yourselves.”
10. While the foolish girls were on their way to get some oil, the groom arrived. The girls who were ready went into the wedding, and the doors were closed.
11. Later the other girls returned and shouted, “Sir, sir! Open the door for us!”
12. But the groom replied, “I don't even know you!”
13. So, my disciples, always be ready! You don't know the day or the time when all this will happen.
14. The kingdom is also like what happened when a man went away and put his three servants in charge of all he owned.
15. The man knew what each servant could do. So he handed five thousand coins to the first servant, two thousand to the second, and one thousand to the third. Then he left the country.
16. As soon as the man had gone, the servant with the five thousand coins used them to earn five thousand more.
17. The servant who had two thousand coins did the same with his money and earned two thousand more.
18. But the servant with one thousand coins dug a hole and hid his master's money in the ground.
19. Some time later the master of those servants returned. He called them in and asked what they had done with his money.