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.”

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Notas al pie

  1. Matthew 20:20 Here “and” is supplied because the participle (“kneeling down”) has been translated as a finite verb in keeping with English style
  2. Matthew 20:20 Here the participle (“asked”) is translated as a finite verb because of English style
  3. Matthew 20:22 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
  4. Matthew 20:23 Some manuscripts have “this is not mine”
  5. Matthew 20:24 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  6. Matthew 20:24 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  7. Matthew 20:25 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“called … to himself”) has been translated as a finite verb

A Mother’s Request(A)

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons(B) came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down,(C) asked a favor of him.

21 “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”(D)

22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup(E) I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup,(F) but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant(G) with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,(H) 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man(I) did not come to be served, but to serve,(J) and to give his life as a ransom(K) for many.”

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Jesus Teaches about Serving Others

20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. 21 “What is your request?” he asked.

She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

22 But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?”

“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

23 Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”

24 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

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