Matthew 20
Christian Standard Bible
The Parable of the Vineyard Workers
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.(A) 2 After agreeing with the workers on one denarius,[a] he sent them into his vineyard for the day. 3 When he went out about nine in the morning,[b] he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He said to them, ‘You also go into my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went. 5 About noon and about three,[c] he went out again and did the same thing. 6 Then about five[d] he went and found others standing around[e] and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him.
“‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he told them.[f] 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay,(B) starting with the last and ending with the first.’
9 “When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius. 10 So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. 11 When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner: 12 ‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day’s work and the burning heat.’(C)
13 “He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius?(D) 14 Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealous[g] because I’m generous?’[h](E)
16 “So the last will be first, and the first last.”[i](F)
The Third Prediction of His Death
17 While going up to Jerusalem,(G) Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death.(H) 19 They will hand him over to the Gentiles(I) to be mocked, flogged,[j] and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised.”[k]
Suffering and Service
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached him with her sons.(J) She knelt down to ask him for something.(K) 21 “What do you want?” he asked her.
“Promise,”[l] she said to him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and the other on your left, in your kingdom.”(L)
22 Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”[m](M)
“We are able,” they said to him.
23 He told them, “You will indeed drink my cup,[n] but to sit at my right and left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”(N)
24 When the ten disciples heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. 26 It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,(O) 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,(P) and to give his life as a ransom for many.”(Q)
Two Blind Men Healed
29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.(R) 30 There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd demanded that they keep quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” (S)
32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33 “Lord,” they said to him, “open our eyes.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed him.
Footnotes
- 20:2 A denarius = one day’s wage, also in vv. 9,10,13
- 20:3 Lit about the third hour
- 20:5 Lit about the sixth hour and the ninth hour
- 20:6 Lit about the eleventh hour, also in v. 9
- 20:6 Other mss add doing nothing
- 20:7 Other mss add ‘and you’ll get whatever is right.’
- 20:15 Lit Is your eye evil; an idiom for jealousy or stinginess
- 20:15 Lit good
- 20:16 Other mss add “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
- 20:19 Or scourged
- 20:19 Other mss read will rise again
- 20:21 Lit Say
- 20:22 Other mss add and (or) to be baptized with the baptism which I am baptized?”
- 20:23 Other mss add and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.
Matthew 20
Young's Literal Translation
20 `For the reign of the heavens is like to a man, a householder, who went forth with the morning to hire workmen for his vineyard,
2 and having agreed with the workmen for a denary a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 `And having gone forth about the third hour, he saw others standing in the market-place idle,
4 and to these he said, Go ye -- also ye -- to the vineyard, and whatever may be righteous I will give you;
5 and they went away. `Again, having gone forth about the sixth and the ninth hour, he did in like manner.
6 And about the eleventh hour, having gone forth, he found others standing idle, and saith to them, Why here have ye stood all the day idle?
7 they say to him, Because no one did hire us; he saith to them, Go ye -- ye also -- to the vineyard, and whatever may be righteous ye shall receive.
8 `And evening having come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward, Call the workmen, and pay them the reward, having begun from the last -- unto the first.
9 And they of about the eleventh hour having come, did receive each a denary.
10 `And the first having come, did suppose that they shall receive more, and they received, they also, each a denary,
11 and having received [it], they were murmuring against the householder, saying,
12 that These, the last, wrought one hour, and thou didst make them equal to us, who were bearing the burden of the day -- and the heat.
13 `And he answering said to one of them, Comrade, I do no unrighteousness to thee; for a denary didst not thou agree with me?
14 take that which is thine, and go; and I will to give to this, the last, also as to thee;
15 is it not lawful to me to do what I will in mine own? is thine eye evil because I am good?
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last, for many are called, and few chosen.'
17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples by themselves in the way, and said to them,
18 `Lo, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be delivered to the chief priests and scribes,
19 and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the nations to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify, and the third day he will rise again.'
20 Then came near to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee, with her sons, bowing and asking something from him,
21 and he said to her, `What wilt thou?' She saith to him, `Say, that they may sit -- these my two sons -- one on thy right hand, and one on the left, in thy reign.'
22 And Jesus answering said, `Ye have not known what ye ask for yourselves; are ye able to drink of the cup that I am about to drink? and with the baptism that I am baptized with, to be baptized?' They say to him, `We are able.'
23 And he saith to them, `Of my cup indeed ye shall drink, and with the baptism that I am baptized with ye shall be baptized; but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but -- to those for whom it hath been prepared by my father.'
24 And the ten having heard, were much displeased with the two brothers,
25 and Jesus having called them near, said, `Ye have known that the rulers of the nations do exercise lordship over them, and those great do exercise authority over them,
26 but not so shall it be among you, but whoever may will among you to become great, let him be your ministrant;
27 and whoever may will among you to be first, let him be your servant;
28 even as the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.'
29 And they going forth from Jericho, there followed him a great multitude,
30 and lo, two blind men sitting by the way, having heard that Jesus doth pass by, cried, saying, `Deal kindly with us, sir -- Son of David.'
31 And the multitude charged them that they might be silent, and they cried out the more, saying, `Deal kindly with us sir -- Son of David.'
32 And having stood, Jesus called them, and said, `What will ye [that] I may do to you?'
33 they say to him, `Sir, that our eyes may be opened;'
34 and having been moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.