Matthew 20:1-16  New English Translation

Workers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner^[a] who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² And after agreeing with the workers for the standard wage,^[b] he sent them into his vineyard. ³ When it was about nine o’clock in the morning,^[c] he went out again and saw others standing around in the marketplace^[d] without work. ⁴ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and I will give you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went. When^[e] he went out again about noon and three o’clock that afternoon,^[f] he did the same thing. ⁶ And about five o’clock that afternoon^[g] he went out and found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day without work?’ ⁷ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go and work in the vineyard too.’ ⁸ When^[h] it was evening^[i] the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages^[j] starting with the last hired until the first.’ ⁹ When those hired about five o’clock came, each received a full day’s pay.^{[k] 10} And when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But each one also received the standard wage. ¹¹ When^[l] they received it, they began to complain^[m] against the landowner, ¹² saying, ‘These last fellows worked one hour, and you have made them equal to us who bore the hardship and burning heat of the day.’ ¹³ And the landowner^[n] replied to one of them,^[o] ‘Friend, I am not treating you unfairly. Didn’t you agree with me to work for the standard wage?^{[p] 14} Take what is yours and go. I^[q] want to give to this last man^[r] the same as I gave to you. ¹⁵ Am I not^[s] permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’^{[t] 16} So the last will be first, and the first last.”