Service in Several Languages

This morning we Matthew 25:34-40, was read in three of the different languages spoken among the missionaries I serve with.  Elder Meza, one of the missionaries I serve alongside, brought up the discussion with the version from his Spanish scriptures.  Not many of us understood.

Spanish

34 Entonces el Rey dirá a los que estén a su derecha: Venid, benditos de mi Padre, heredad el reino preparado para vosotros desde la fundación del mundo.  35 Porque tuve hambre, y me disteis de comer; tuve sed, y me disteis de beber; fui forastero, y me recogisteis;  36 estuve desnudo, y me cubristeis; enfermo, y me visitasteis; estuve en la cárcel, y vinisteis a mí.  37 Entonces los justos le responderán, diciendo: Señor, ¿cuándo te vimos hambriento y te sustentamos?, ¿o sediento y te dimos de beber?  38 ¿Y cuándo te vimos forastero y te recogimos?, ¿o desnudo y te cubrimos?  39 ¿O cuándo te vimos enfermo o en la cárcel, y fuimos a verte?  40 Y respondiendo el Rey, les dirá: De cierto os digo que en cuanto lo hicisteis a uno de éstos, mis hermanos más pequeños, a mí lo hicisteis.

Slovenian

››34Tedaj bo kralj rekel tistim, ki bodo na desnici: ›Pridite, blagoslovljeni mojega Očeta! Prejmite v posest kraljestvo, ki vam je pripravljeno od začetka sveta! 35 Kajti lačen sem bil in ste mi dali jesti, žejen sem bil in ste mi dali piti, tujec sem bil in ste me sprejeli, 36 nag sem bil in ste me oblekli, bolan sem bil in ste me obiskali, v ječi sem bil in ste prišli k meni.‹ 37 Tedaj mu bodo pravični odgovorili: ›Gospod, kdaj smo te videli lačnega in te nasitili ali žejnega in ti dali piti? 38 Kdaj smo te videli tujca in te sprejeli ali nagega in te oblekli? 39 Kdaj smo te videli bolnega ali v ječi in smo prišli k tebi?‹ 40 Kralj jim bo odgovoril: ›Resnično, povem vam: Kar koli ste storili enemu od teh mojih najmanjših bratov, ste meni storili.‹‹ © 1996, 2003 Društvo Svetopisemska družba Slovenije 

English

34 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:  35 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:  36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.  37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?  38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?  39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  40 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.

Even reading these in a language besides my own, when I don't fully understand the words, I can seen the beautiful imagery of these  expressions of service.  The principle is the same in any language, that when we serve others, we are serving our heavenly King, Jesus Christ.  That's just what he wants of us, to serve others.