A Mother's Request

20 (A)Then (B)the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and (C)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 (D)are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, (E)in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, (F)“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able (G)to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, (H)“You will drink (I)my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, (J)but it is for those for whom it has been (K)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, (L)“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles (M)lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 (N)It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[a] 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,[b] 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but (O)to serve, and (P)to give his life as a ransom for (Q)many.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 20:26 Greek diakonos
  2. Matthew 20:27 Or bondservant, or servant (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface)

A Mother’s Request(A)

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons(B) came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down,(C) asked a favor of him.

21 “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”(D)

22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup(E) I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup,(F) but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant(G) with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,(H) 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man(I) did not come to be served, but to serve,(J) and to give his life as a ransom(K) for many.”

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20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedees children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

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