20 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,

18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,

19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

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.

29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.

30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.

31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.

32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?

33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.

34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man—the master of the house—who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. And after[a] coming to an agreement with the workers for a denarius per day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace. And to those people he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever is right.’ So they went. Going out[b] again about the sixth and ninth hour he did the same thing. And about the eleventh hour he went out and[c] found others standing there and said to them, ‘Why are you standing here the whole day unemployed?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go also into the vineyard.’ And when[d] evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their[e] wages, beginning from the last up to the first.’ And when the ones hired about the eleventh hour came, they received a denarius apiece. 10 And when[f] the first came, they thought that they would receive more, and they also received a denarius apiece. 11 And when they[g] received it,[h] they began to complain[i] against the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last people worked one hour and you made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the burning heat!’ 13 But he answered one of them and[j] said, ‘Friend, I am not doing you wrong. Did you not come to an agreement with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go! But I want to give to this last person the same as I gave[k] to you also. 15 Is it not[l] permitted for me to do whatever I want with what is mine? Or is your eye evil because I am generous?’ 16 Thus the last will be first and the first last.”

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time

17 And as[m] Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples by themselves and said to them on the way, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock him[n] and flog him[o] and crucify him,[p] and on the third day he will be raised.”

A Request by the Mother of James and John

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and[q] kneeling down she asked[r] something from him. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your kingdom.” 22 But Jesus answered and[s] said, “You do not know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine[t] to grant, but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

24 And when[u] the ten heard this,[v] they were indignant concerning the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to himself and[w] said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions exercise authority over them. 26 It will not be like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be most prominent among you must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Two Blind Men Healed at Jericho

29 And as[x] they were going out of Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they[y] heard that Jesus was passing by, they called out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us,[z] Son of David!” 31 And the crowd rebuked them so that they would be quiet. But they called out all the more, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us,[aa] Son of David!” 32 And Jesus stopped,[ab] called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, that our eyes be opened!” 34 And having compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 20:2 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“coming to an agreement”) which is understood as temporal
  2. Matthew 20:5 Some manuscripts have “And going out”
  3. Matthew 20:6 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went out”) has been translated as a finite verb
  4. Matthew 20:8 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“came”)
  5. Matthew 20:8 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  6. Matthew 20:10 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came”) which is understood as temporal
  7. Matthew 20:11 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“received”) which is understood as temporal
  8. Matthew 20:11 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  9. Matthew 20:11 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to complain”)
  10. Matthew 20:13 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
  11. Matthew 20:14 The words “I gave” are an implied repetition from the verb earlier in the verse
  12. Matthew 20:15 Some manuscripts have “Or is it not”
  13. Matthew 20:17 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was going up”) which is understood as temporal
  14. Matthew 20:19 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  15. Matthew 20:19 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  16. Matthew 20:19 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  17. Matthew 20:20 Here “and” is supplied because the participle (“kneeling down”) has been translated as a finite verb in keeping with English style
  18. Matthew 20:20 Here the participle (“asked”) is translated as a finite verb because of English style
  19. Matthew 20:22 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
  20. Matthew 20:23 Some manuscripts have “this is not mine”
  21. Matthew 20:24 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  22. Matthew 20:24 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  23. Matthew 20:25 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“called … to himself”) has been translated as a finite verb
  24. Matthew 20:29 Here “as” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“were going out”)
  25. Matthew 20:30 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  26. Matthew 20:30 Some manuscripts have “Have mercy on us, Lord”
  27. Matthew 20:31 Some manuscripts have “Have mercy on us, Lord”
  28. Matthew 20:32 *Here the participle (“stopped”) is translated as a finite verb because of English style