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.”
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- Matthew 20:1 sn The term landowner here refers to the owner and manager of a household.
- Matthew 20:2 tn Grk “agreeing with the workers for a denarius a day.”sn The standard wage was a denarius a day. The denarius was a silver coin worth about a day’s wage for a laborer in Palestine in the 1st century.
- Matthew 20:3 tn Grk “about the third hour.”
- Matthew 20:3 sn See the note on marketplaces in Matt 11:16.
- Matthew 20:5 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 20:5 tn Grk “he went out again about the sixth and ninth hour.”
- Matthew 20:6 tn Grk “about the eleventh hour.”
- Matthew 20:8 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 20:8 sn That is, six o’clock in the evening, the hour to pay day laborers. See Lev 19:13b.
- Matthew 20:8 tc ‡ Most witnesses, including several key mss (B D N W Γ Δ Θ ƒ1, 13 33vid 565 579 700 1241 1424 M latt sy) have αὐτοῖς (autois, “to them”) after ἀπόδος (apodos, “give the pay”), but this may be a motivated reading, clarifying the indirect object. The support for the omission, however, is not nearly as strong (א C L Z 085 Or). Nevertheless, NA28 includes the pronoun on the basis of the greater external attestation. A decision is difficult, but regardless of what is original, English style is better served with an explicit indirect object.
- Matthew 20:9 tn Grk “each received a denarius.” See the note on the phrase “standard wage” in v. 2.
- Matthew 20:11 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 20:11 tn The imperfect verb ἐγόγγυζον (egonguzon) has been translated ingressively.
- Matthew 20:13 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the landowner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Matthew 20:13 tn Grk “And answering, he said to one of them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.
- Matthew 20:13 tn Grk “for a denarius a day.”
- Matthew 20:14 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 20:14 tn Grk “this last one,” translated as “this last man” because field laborers in 1st century Palestine were men.
- Matthew 20:15 tc ‡ Before οὐκ (ouk, “[am I] not”) a number of significant witnesses read ἤ (ē, “or”; e.g., א C N W Γ Δ 085 ƒ1, 13 33 565 579 1241 1424 M lat co). Although in later Greek the οι in σοι (oi in soi)—the last word of v. 14—would have been pronounced like ἤ, since ἤ is lacking in early mss (B D; among later witnesses, note L Z Θ 700; SBL) and since mss were probably copied predominantly by sight rather than by sound, even into the later centuries, the omission of ἤ cannot be accounted for as easily. Thus the shorter reading most likely belongs to the Ausgangstext. NA28 includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
- Matthew 20:15 tn Grk “Is your eye evil because I am good?”
Matthew 20:1-16
Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament
20 “ For gar the ho kingdom basileia of ho heaven ouranos is eimi like homoios the owner of an estate oikodespotēs who hostis went exerchomai out early in the morning hama to hire misthoō men ergatēs to work in eis · ho his autos vineyard ampelōn. 2 After having agreed symphōneō · de with meta the ho workers ergatēs for ek a denarius dēnarion per ho day hēmera, he sent apostellō them autos into eis · ho his autos vineyard ampelōn. 3 And kai going exerchomai out about peri the third tritos hour hōra, he saw others allos standing histēmi in en the ho marketplace agora with nothing argos to do . 4 And kai to them ekeinos he said legō, “ You hymeis go hypagō into eis the ho vineyard ampelōn as kai well , and kai whatever hos ean is eimi fair dikaios I will pay didōmi you hymeis.’ 5 So de they ho went aperchomai off . When he went out exerchomai again palin about peri the sixth hektos hour and kai the ninth enatos hour hōra, he did poieō the same hōsautōs thing . 6 And de about peri the ho eleventh hendekatos hour, when he had gone exerchomai out and found heuriskō others allos standing histēmi around , · kai he said legō to them autos, ‘ Why tis have you been standing histēmi here hōde idle argos all holos · ho day hēmera long?’ 7 They said legō to him autos, ‘ Because hoti no oudeis one has hired misthoō us hēmeis.’ He said legō to them autos, ‘ You hymeis go hypagō into eis the ho vineyard ampelōn too kai.’ 8 And de when evening opsia came ginomai, the ho owner kyrios of ho the vineyard ampelōn said legō to ho his autos foreman epitropē, ‘ Call kaleō the ho workers ergatēs and kai pay apodidōmi them autos their ho wages misthos, beginning archō with apo the ho last eschatos and going heōs back to the ho first prōtos.’ 9 · kai Those ho hired about peri the ho eleventh hendekatos hour hōra came erchomai and each ana received lambanō a denarius dēnarion. 10 · kai When those ho who were hired first prōtos came erchomai, they thought nomizō they would receive lambanō more polys; but kai they autos also kai each ana received lambanō · ho a denarius dēnarion. 11 And de when they received lambanō it, they began to grumble gongyzō against kata the ho owner oikodespotēs of the estate , 12 saying legō, ‘ These houtos · ho last eschatos worked poieō but one heis hour hōra, and kai you have made poieō them autos equal isos to us hēmeis who ho have borne bastazō the ho burden baros of the ho day hēmera and kai the ho scorching kausōn heat .’ 13 But de he ho answered apokrinomai one heis of them autos, saying legō, ‘ Friend hetairos, I am not ou being unfair adikeō to you sy. Did you symphōneō not ouchi agree with symphōneō me egō to work for a denarius dēnarion? 14 Take airō what ho is yours sos and kai be gone hypagō. I choose thelō · de to give didōmi to this houtos · ho last eschatos man the same kai as hōs I give to you sy. 15 Am I egō not ou allowed to do poieō what hos I choose thelō with en what ho belongs to me emos? Or ē · ho are eimi you sy envious ponēros because hoti I egō am eimi generous agathos?’ 16 So houtōs the ho last eschatos will be eimi first prōtos, and kai the ho first prōtos will be last eschatos.”
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