Matthew 20:20-28
Lexham English Bible
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[a] kneeling down she asked[b] 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[c] 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[d] to grant, but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
24 And when[e] the ten heard this,[f] they were indignant concerning the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to himself and[g] 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.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 20:20 Here “and” is supplied because the participle (“kneeling down”) has been translated as a finite verb in keeping with English style
- Matthew 20:20 Here the participle (“asked”) is translated as a finite verb because of English style
- Matthew 20:22 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 20:23 Some manuscripts have “this is not mine”
- Matthew 20:24 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 20:24 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 20:25 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“called … to himself”) has been translated as a finite verb
Matthew 20:20-28
Christian Standard Bible
Suffering and Service
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached him with her sons.(A) She knelt down to ask him for something.(B) 21 “What do you want?” he asked her.
“Promise,”[a] 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.”(C)
22 Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”[b](D)
“We are able,” they said to him.
23 He told them, “You will indeed drink my cup,[c] 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.”(E)
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,(F) 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,(G) and to give his life as a ransom for many.”(H)
Read full chapter2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
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.