MAT 25:31-46

The Sheep and the Goats

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

33And he will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

36I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to me.'

37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

39And when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?'

40And the King will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

41Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

42For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,

43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not serve you?'

45Then he will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'

46And these will go away into eternal corrective punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

In the world it was spoken into

In the first-century Mediterranean world, hospitality was a deeply ingrained cultural virtue, especially in Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts. The term (stranger/foreigner) carried significant weight, as travelers relied on the goodwill of locals for survival. The separation of sheep and goats reflects a pastoral reality familiar to agrarian societies, where sheep were valued for their docility and goats for their independence. The phrase 'the least of these brothers of mine' would resonate with Jewish listeners, who were accustomed to caring for the marginalized as a reflection of divine justice. The inclusion of (nations) underscores a universal scope, challenging exclusivist Jewish expectations. The term (punishment) aligns with Hellenistic ideas of corrective justice, contrasting with purely retributive models. The imagery of a king on a throne evokes both Jewish messianic expectations and Roman imperial authority, subverting the latter by redefining greatness through service to the vulnerable.

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How other translations render this

MAT 25:31

KJV: When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
BSB: When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.
Koinōnos: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

MAT 25:32

KJV: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
BSB: All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Koinōnos: All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

MAT 25:33

KJV: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
BSB: He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
Koinōnos: And he will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

MAT 25:34

KJV: Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
BSB: Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Koinōnos: Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

MAT 25:35

KJV: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
BSB: For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,
Koinōnos: For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

MAT 25:36

KJV: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
BSB: I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’
Koinōnos: I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to me.

MAT 25:37

KJV: Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
BSB: Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?
Koinōnos: Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

MAT 25:38

KJV: When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
BSB: When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
Koinōnos: And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

MAT 25:39

KJV: Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
BSB: When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’
Koinōnos: And when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?

MAT 25:40

KJV: And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
BSB: And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
Koinōnos: And the King will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.

MAT 25:41

KJV: Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
BSB: Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Koinōnos: Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

MAT 25:42

KJV: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
BSB: For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,
Koinōnos: For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,

MAT 25:43

KJV: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
BSB: I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’
Koinōnos: I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not look after me.

MAT 25:44

KJV: Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
BSB: And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
Koinōnos: Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not serve you?

MAT 25:45

KJV: Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
BSB: Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’
Koinōnos: Then he will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.

MAT 25:46

KJV: And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
BSB: And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Koinōnos: And these will go away into eternal corrective punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

MAT 25:32

nations,:The word translated 'nations' here often referred specifically to non-Jewish peoples, sometimes called 'Gentiles,' highlighting a distinction between Israel and the rest of the world.

MAT 25:35

a stranger:The term used here for 'a stranger' implies someone who is not only unknown but also foreign, an outsider without local connections or support.

MAT 25:40

least,:The word translated 'least' emphasizes the absolute smallest or most insignificant, suggesting someone utterly without status or power.

MAT 25:46

punishment:The word translated 'punishment' in this context carried the sense of corrective discipline or chastisement, aiming to check or restrain, rather than merely retribution.