Matthew 25:14-30 (The Talents)
14[The kingdom of heaven] is like a man going on a journey. He calls his slaves and hands his property over to them. 15To one he gives five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each one according to his strength. Then he goes on his journey. As soon 16as he goes, the one who received five talents did business with them and gained another five. 17Likewise the one with two earned another two. 18But the one who received one went out, dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19After a long time the lord of those slaves returned and settled accounts with them. 20The one who had received five talents brought another five talents, saying, “Lord, you handed five talents over to me. Look, here I’ve gained five more. 21His lord said to him,
“Excellent, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little, I will put you in charge of much. Enter into your lord’s joy. 22Then the one who had received two talents said, “Lord, you handed two talents over to me. Look, I have gained another two talents.” 23His lord said to him, “Excellent, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a little, I’m going to put you in charge of much. Enter into your lord’s joy.” 24But the one who had received one talent came and said, “Lord, I knew you, that you are a hard man, harvesting where you didn’t plant, and gathering where you didn’t scatter. 25I was afraid, and went out and his your talent in the ground. Look, you have what is yours!” 26But the lord answered him, “Wicked and lazy servant! You know that I harvest where I haven’t planted, and I gather where I haven’t scattered? 27You should have given my money to the bankers, and when I returned, I could have received my own money with interest. 28So take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. 29For to everyone who has it shall be given, and it will overflow, and from the one who doesn’t have shall be taken away even what he has. 30And throw the useless slave out into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. — Matthew 25:14-30
The boundary between verses 15 and 16 is doubtful. Di he immediately go on a journey, or did the servant go out and immediately begin doing business. It’s not a matter of great theological important, of course, but it is interesting. The very best manuscripts would suggest that “immediately” goes with the servant’s action, but there are a larger number of the immediately next tier of manuscripts that suggests the opposite. For example, the original hand of Sinaiticus goes with the reading I have translated, but the second corrector changes it. Vaticanus supports the text as I have it, but Alexandrinus is on the other side.
For verses 21 and 23, “enter your lord’s joy” CEV has “share in my happiness.” I like that, but I’m not sure it’s correct. I wonder if it may be “welcome to your lord’s pleasure” or something like that. I may update this post later with a note on the matter.
Otherwise, the translation is not the major issue here, but rather the exegesis, which, I suspect, makes some folks uncomfortable.
