In the meantime the third servant had been digging up his jar containing the one talent, and now resentfully brought it.  “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Here you have what is yours” (RSV Catholic edition, Matthew 25:24,25).

The master could not accept this estimation of his character.  Had he not just generously rewarded the other two?  But he took the servant’s words out of his mouth and used them against him: “Oh, you knew that, did you, you bad and lazy servant?  Well, why did you not bank the money then, so that I could have received the interest on it?”  So the single talent was taken from him and given to the servant with the ten talents, while the unprofitable servant was dismissed from his master’s service.