Laborers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius^[a] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, ⁴ and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ ⁵ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. ⁶ And ^(A)about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ ⁷ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ ⁸ And ^(B)when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his ^(C)foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ ⁹ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. ¹⁰ Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, ¹² saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and ^(D)the scorching heat.’ ¹³ But he replied to one of them, ^(E)‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take ^(F)what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. ^15 (G)Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or ^(H)do you begrudge my generosity?’^{[b] 16} So ^(I)the last will be first, and the first last.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

^17 (J)And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, ¹⁸ “See, ^(K)we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will ^(L)condemn him to death ¹⁹ and ^(M)deliver him over to the Gentiles ^(N)to be mocked and flogged and ^(O)crucified, and he will be raised on ^(P)the third day.”

A Mother's Request

^20 (Q)Then ^(R)the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and ^(S)kneeling before him she asked him for something. ²¹ And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine ^(T)are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, ^(U)in your kingdom.” ²² Jesus answered, ^(V)“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^(W)to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” ²³ He said to them, ^(X)“You will drink ^(Y)my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, ^(Z)but it is for those for whom it has been ^(AA)prepared by my Father.” ²⁴ And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called them to him and said, ^(AB)“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles ^(AC)lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ^26 (AD)It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,^{[c] 27} and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,^{[d] 28} even as the Son of Man came not to be served but ^(AE)to serve, and ^(AF)to give his life as a ransom for ^(AG)many.”

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

^29 (AH)And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. ³⁰ And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord,^[e] have mercy on us, ^(AI)Son of David!” ³¹ The crowd ^(AJ)rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” ³² And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” ³³ They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” ³⁴ And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

^32 (A)And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and ^(B)Jesus was walking ahead of them. And ^(C)they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, ³³ saying, “See, ^(D)we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will ^(E)condemn him to death and ^(F)deliver him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴ And they will ^(G)mock him and ^(H)spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And ^(I)after three days he will rise.”

The Request of James and John

^35 (J)And James and John, ^(K)the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us ^(L)whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶ And he said to them, ^(M)“What do you want me to do for you?” ³⁷ And they said to him, “Grant us ^(N)to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, ^(O)in your glory.” ³⁸ Jesus said to them, ^(P)“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^(Q)to drink the cup that I drink, or ^(R)to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹ And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, ^(S)“The cup that I drink ^(T)you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, ^(U)you will be baptized, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, ^(V)but it is for those for whom it has been ^(W)prepared.” ⁴¹ And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. ^42 (X)And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles ^(Y)lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³ But ^(Z)it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,^{[a] 44} and whoever would be first among you must be ^(AA)slave^[b] of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but ^(AB)to serve, and ^(AC)to give his life as a ransom for ^(AD)many.”

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

^46 (AE)And they came to Jericho. And ^(AF)as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, ^(AG)a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was ^(AH)Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ And many ^(AI)rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹ And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, ^(AJ)“Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” ⁵⁰ And throwing off his ^(AK)cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ And Jesus said to him, ^(AL)“What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, ^(AM)“Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” ⁵² And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; ^(AN)your faith has ^(AO)made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

^31 (A)And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, ^(B)we are going up to Jerusalem, and ^(C)everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. ³² For he will be ^(D)delivered over to the Gentiles and will be ^(E)mocked and shamefully treated and ^(F)spit upon. ³³ And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on ^(G)the third day he will rise.” ^34 (H)But they understood none of these things. ^(I)This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.