Luke 19:15-19

19:15 When ¹  he returned after receiving the kingdom, he summoned ²  these slaves to whom he had given the money. He wanted ³  to know how much they had earned ⁴  by trading. 19:16 So ⁵  the first one came before him and said, ‘Sir, ⁶  your mina ⁷  has made ten minas more.’ 19:17 And the king ⁸  said to him, ‘Well done, good slave! Because you have been faithful ⁹  in a very small matter, you will have authority ¹⁰  over ten cities.’ 19:18 Then ¹¹  the second one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has made five minas.’ 19:19 So ¹²  the king ¹³  said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

Matthew 24:45-46

The Faithful and Wise Slave

24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise slave, ¹⁴  whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves ¹⁵  their food at the proper time? 24:46 Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work ¹⁶  when he comes.

Matthew 25:20-23

25:20 The ¹⁷  one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir, ¹⁸  you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ 25:21 His master answered, ¹⁹  ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 25:22 The ²⁰  one with the two talents also came and said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’ 25:23 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Matthew 25:1

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25:1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Colossians 4:1-2

4:1 Masters, treat your slaves with justice and fairness, because you know that you also have a master in heaven.

Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission

4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.

Titus 1:7

1:7 For the overseer ²¹  must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, ²²  not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain.

¹ tn Grk “And it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

² tn Grk “he said for these slaves to be called to him.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one and simplified to “he summoned.”

³ tn Grk “in order that he might know” (a continuation of the preceding sentence). Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “he” as subject and the verb “wanted” to convey the idea of purpose.

⁴ sn The Greek verb earned refers to profit from engaging in commerce and trade (L&N 57.195). This is an examination of stewardship.

⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the royal summons.

⁶ tn Or “Lord”; or “Master.” (and so throughout this paragraph).

⁷ tn See the note on the word “minas” in v. 13.

⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the nobleman of v. 12, now a king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹ tn See Luke 16:10.

¹⁰ sn The faithful slave received expanded responsibility (authority over ten cities) as a result of his faithfulness; this in turn is an exhortation to faithfulness for the reader.

¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

¹² tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the second slave’s report.

¹³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the nobleman of v. 12, now a king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁴ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

¹⁵ tn Grk “give them.”

¹⁶ tn That is, doing his job, doing what he is supposed to be doing.

¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

¹⁸ tn Grk Or “Lord; or “Master” (and so throughout this paragraph).

¹⁹ tn Grk “His master said to him.”

²⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

²¹ sn The overseer is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in this passage and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between these verses and 1 Tim 3:1-7.

²² tn Grk “as God’s steward.”