በመክሊታቸው የሠሩ

ወደ ሌላ አገር የሚሄድ ሰው ባሮቹን ጠርቶ ያለውን ገንዘብ እንደ ሰጣቸው እንዲሁ ይሆናልና፤ ለእያንዳንዱ እንደ ዓቅሙ፥ ለአንዱ አምስት መክሊት ለአንዱ ሁለት ለአንዱም አንድ ሰጠና ወደ ሌላ አገር ወዲያው ሄደ። አምስት መክሊትም የተቀበለው ሄዶ ነገደበት ሌላም አምስት አተረፈ፤ እንዲሁም ሁለት የተቀበለው ሌላ ሁለት አተረፈ። አንድ የተቀበለው ግን ሄዶ ምድርን ቈፈረና የጌታውን ገንዘብ ቀበረ። ከብዙ ዘመንም በኋላ የእነዚያ ባሮች ጌታ መጣና ተቆጣጠራቸው። አምስት መክሊት የተቀበለውም ቀረበና ሌላ አምስት መክሊት አስረክቦ። ጌታ ሆይ፥ አምስት መክሊት ሰጥተኸኝ ነበር፤ እነሆ፥ ሌላ አምስት መክሊት አተረፍሁበት አለ። ጌታውም። መልካም፥ አንተ በጎ ታማኝም ባሪያ፤ በጥቂቱ ታምነሃል፥ በብዙ እሾምሃለሁ፤ ወደ ጌታህ ደስታ ግባ አለው። ሁለት መክሊትም የተቀበለው ደግሞ ቀርቦ። ጌታ ሆይ፥ ሁለት መክሊት ሰጥተኸኝ ነበር፤ እነሆ፥ ሌላ ሁለት መክሊት አተረፍሁበት አለ። ጌታውም። መልካም፥ አንተ በጎ፥ ታማኝም ባሪያ፤ በጥቂቱ ታምነሃል፥ በብዙ እሾምሃለሁ፥ ወደ ጌታህ ደስታ ግባ አለው። አንድ መክሊትም የተቀበለው ደግሞ ቀርቦ። ጌታ ሆይ፥ ካልዘራህባት የምታጭድ ካልበተንህባትም የምትሰበስብ ጨካኝ ሰው መሆንህን አውቃለሁ፤ ፈራሁም ሄጄም መክሊትህን በምድር ቀበርሁት፤ እነሆ፥ መክሊትህ አለህ አለ። ጌታውም መልሶ እንዲህ አለው። አንተ ክፉና ሃኬተኛ ባሪያ፥ ካልዘራሁባት እንዳጭድ ካልበተንሁባትም እንድሰበስብ ታውቃለህን? ስለዚህ ገንዘቤን ለለዋጮች አደራ ልትሰጠው በተገባህ ነበር፥ እኔም መጥቼ ያለኝን ከትርፉ ጋር እወስደው ነበር። ስለዚህ መክሊቱን ውሰዱበት አሥር መክሊትም ላለው ስጡት፤ ላለው ሁሉ ይሰጠዋልና ይበዛለትማል፤ ከሌለው ግን ያው ያለው እንኳ ይወሰድበታል። የማይጠቅመውንም ባሪያ በውጭ ወዳለው ጨለማ አውጡት፤ በዚያ ልቅሶና ጥርስ ማፋጨት ይሆናል።

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’