“ Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said,‘ Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate.

那领一千的也来，说：‘主啊，我知道你是忍心的人，没有种的地方要收割，没有散的地方要聚敛，

那领一千的也进前来，说：‘主啊，我知道你，你是个严厉的人：没有种的地方也要收割，没有播的地方也要收获，

那领一千的也进前来，说：‘主啊，我知道你，你是个严厉的人：没有种的地方也要收割，没有播的地方也要收获，

“得到一千银币的奴仆也上前说，‘主人，我知道你为人苛刻，没有播种的地方也要收割，没有撒种的地方也要收获。

那领了六千的也前来，说：‘主啊，我知道你是个严厉的人，没有撒种的地方，你要收割；没有散播的地方，你要收聚。

“接着，那领了一千两银子的也上前来，说：‘主啊，我知道你是个严厉的人，不是你播种的地方，你收获；不是你投放的地方，你收集。

那領一千的也來，說：『主啊，我知道你是忍心的人，沒有種的地方要收割，沒有散的地方要聚斂，

那領一千的也進前來，說：『主啊，我知道你，你是個嚴厲的人：沒有種的地方也要收割，沒有播的地方也要收穫，

那領一千的也進前來，說：『主啊，我知道你，你是個嚴厲的人：沒有種的地方也要收割，沒有播的地方也要收穫，

「得到一千銀幣的奴僕也上前說，『主人，我知道你為人苛刻，沒有播種的地方也要收割，沒有撒種的地方也要收穫。

那領了六千的也前來，說：‘主啊，我知道你是個嚴厲的人，沒有撒種的地方，你要收割；沒有散播的地方，你要收聚。

那領了六千的也上前來，說：「主啊，我知道你是苛刻的人，沒有撒種的地方你就收割；沒有簸散的地方你就收集，

「接著，那領了一千兩銀子的也上前來，說：『主啊，我知道你是個嚴厲的人，不是你播種的地方，你收穫；不是你投放的地方，你收集。

受一千者亦至、曰、主、我知爾乃忍人、未播之處而穫、未散之處而斂、

受一千者至、曰、主也、我知爾乃忍人、未播之處而穫、未散之處而斂、

受一他連得者、曰、主人、我知爾乃忍人、於未播之處而穫、於未散之處而斂、

受一千者繼至、曰：「素知吾主刻薄寡恩、不播而穫、不散而斂；

“ Then the man who had received one bag of gold came.‘ Master,’ he said,‘ I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

“ Then the man who had received one bag of gold came.‘ Master,’ he said,‘ I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest where you have not planted. You gather crops where you have not scattered seed.

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,

“ The man who had received one talent also approached and said,‘ Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed.

“ Now the one who had received the one talent also came up and said,‘ Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed.

“ Then he who had received the one talent came and said,‘ Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

And he also that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter;

“ Then the man who had received one talent also approached and said,‘ Master, I know you. You’re a difficult man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed.

Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

Then the one who had received the one talent came and said,‘ Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed,

“ He also who had received the one talent came and said,‘ Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow, and gathering where you didn’t scatter.

“ But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said,‘ Master, I hid your money and kept it safe.I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’“‘ You wicked servant!’ the king roared.‘ Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant,

“ O my people, listen to the words of the Lord! Have I been like a desert to Israel? Have I been to them a land of darkness? Why then do my people say,‘ At last we are free from God! We don’t need him anymore!’

but he replied,‘ All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.

“ Not everyone who calls out to me,‘ Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.

No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it,“ Why have you made me like this?”

“ We will not listen to your messages from the Lord!We will do whatever we want. We will burn incense and pour out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven just as much as we like— just as we, and our ancestors, and our kings and officials have always done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For in those days we had plenty to eat, and we were well off and had no troubles!But ever since we quit burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and stopped worshiping her with liquid offerings, we have been in great trouble and have been dying from war and famine.”

For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.

“ But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it’s all right to defile the Lord’s table.You say,‘ It’s too hard to serve the Lord,’ and you turn up your noses at my commands,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.“ Think of it! Animals that are stolen and crippled and sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?” asks the Lord.

‘ We have fasted before you!’ they say.‘ Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’“ I will tell you why!” I respond.“ It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers.

‘ Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

“ Yet you say,‘ The Lord isn’t doing what’s right!’ Listen to me, O people of Israel. Am I the one not doing what’s right, or is it you?When righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things, they will die for it. Yes, they will die because of their sinful deeds.And if wicked people turn from their wickedness, obey the law, and do what is just and right, they will save their lives.They will live because they thought it over and decided to turn from their sins. Such people will not die.And yet the people of Israel keep saying,‘ The Lord isn’t doing what’s right!’ O people of Israel, it is you who are not doing what’s right, not I.

And yet they say to God,‘ Go away. We want no part of you and your ways.Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him? What good will it do us to pray?’

“ So why do you keep calling me‘ Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?

“ You have said,‘ What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins?From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’”