Matthew 20:1-16

Tree of Life Version

Parable of the Day Laborers

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² Now when he had agreed with the workers for a denarius per day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing in the marketplace, idle. ⁴ And to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour and did the same. ⁶ And about the eleventh hour, he went out and found others standing around. And he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle the whole day?’

⁷ “‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him.

“He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard, too.’

⁸ “Now when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’ ⁹ And those who had come about the eleventh hour each received a denarius. ¹⁰ And when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; yet they too received a denarius.

¹¹ “But when they received it, they began to grumble against the master of the house, ¹² saying, ‘These last guys did one hour, and you’ve made them equal to us, who bore the burden and scorching heat of the day!’

¹³ “But answering, he said to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius? ¹⁴ Take what is yours and go. But I want to give this last guy the same as you. ¹⁵ Am I not permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’

¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first last.”