Matthew 20:1-16
Legacy Standard Bible
Laborers in the Vineyard
20 “For (A)the kingdom of heaven is like [a]a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his (B)vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a [b]denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the [c]third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. 5 Again he went out about the [d]sixth and the ninth hour, and did [e]the same thing. 6 And about the [f]eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ 7 They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
8 “Now when (C)evening came, the [g]owner of the vineyard *said to his [h](D)foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a [i]denarius. 10 And when those hired first came, they supposed that they would receive more; [j]but each of them also received a denarius. 11 Now when they received it, they were grumbling at the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the (E)scorching heat.’ 13 But he answered and said to one of them, ‘(F)Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your (G)eye [k]envious because I am [l]generous?’ 16 So (H)the last shall be first, and the first last.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 20:1 Lit a man, a landowner
- Matthew 20:2 A Roman silver coin, approx. a laborer’s daily wage
- Matthew 20:3 9 a.m.
- Matthew 20:5 Noon and 3 p.m.
- Matthew 20:5 Lit similarly
- Matthew 20:6 5 p.m.
- Matthew 20:8 Or lord
- Matthew 20:8 Or manager, cf. Matt 27:32
- Matthew 20:9 A Roman silver coin, approx. a laborer’s daily wage
- Matthew 20:10 Lit each one a denarius
- Matthew 20:15 Lit evil
- Matthew 20:15 Lit good
Matthew 20:1-16
New American Standard Bible 1995
Laborers in the Vineyard
20 “For (A)the kingdom of heaven is like [a]a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his (B)vineyard. 2 When he had agreed with the laborers for a [b]denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the [c]third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. 5 Again he went out about the [d]sixth and the ninth hour, and did [e]the same thing. 6 And about the [f]eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ 7 They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
8 “When (C)evening came, the [g]owner of the vineyard *said to his (D)foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ 9 When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a [h]denarius. 10 When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; [i]but each of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the (E)scorching heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered and said to one of them, ‘(F)Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your (G)eye [j]envious because I am [k]generous?’ 16 So (H)the last shall be first, and the first last.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 20:1 Lit a man, a landowner
- Matthew 20:2 The denarius was a day’s wages
- Matthew 20:3 I.e. 9 a.m.
- Matthew 20:5 I.e. noon and 3 p.m.
- Matthew 20:5 Lit similarly
- Matthew 20:6 I.e. 5 p.m.
- Matthew 20:8 Or lord
- Matthew 20:9 The denarius was a day’s wages
- Matthew 20:10 Lit each one a denarius
- Matthew 20:15 Lit evil
- Matthew 20:15 Lit good
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