King James Bible
"But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not."
This introduces the bridegroom's response to the foolish virgins who arrived late to the wedding feast. The formal structure emphasizes the gravity of his forthcoming pronouncement in this parable about readiness for Christ's return. Jesus uses this solemn formula (literally 'Amen, I say to you') to underscore the absolute truth and divine authority of his statement. This phrase appears throughout Matthew's Gospel when Jesus makes particularly weighty declarations. The bridegroom denies any relationship with the unprepared virgins, reflecting the Jewish concept of 'knowing' as intimate covenant relationship rather than mere acquaintance. This devastating rejection illustrates the irreversible consequences of spiritual unpreparedness at the final judgment.