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Matthew 20
New Matthew Bible
Matthew 20
New Matthew Bible
Christ teaches by a similitude that God is debtor to no man, and how he is always calling people to his work. He teaches his disciples to be lowly, and gives two blind men their sight.
20 For the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a householder who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 2 And he agreed with the labourers for a denarius a day, and sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place, 4 and said to them, Go ye also into my vineyard, and whatever is right, I will give you. And they went their way.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And he went out about the eleventh hour and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why do you stand here idle all the day? 7 They said to him, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, Go ye also into my vineyard, and whatever is right, that you will receive.
8 When evening was come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the labourers and give them their wages, beginning at the last till you come to the first.
9 And those who were hired about the eleventh hour came and received every man a denarius. 10 Then came the first, supposing that they would receive more, but they likewise received every man a denarius. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the master of the house, 12 saying, These last have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13 He answered to one of them, saying, Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take that which is your due, and go your way. I want to give to the last one as much as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do as I please with what belongs to me? Is your eye evil because I am good?
16 In like manner the last may be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.
17 And Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and took the twelve disciples apart along the way and said to them, 18 Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, 19 and will deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked, to be scourged, and to be crucified; and the third day he will rise again.
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s children came to him with her sons, doing reverence to him and desiring a certain thing of him. 21 He said to her, What would you like? She answered him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on your right hand and the other on your left hand, in your kingdom.
22 Jesus answered and said, You know not what you ask. Are you able to drink of the cup that I must drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I must be baptized with?
They answered to him, That we are.
23 And he said to them, You shall drink of my cup, and shall be baptized with the baptism that I will be baptized with. But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give, but is for those for whom it is prepared by my Father.
24 And when the ten heard about this, they were indignant at the two brethren. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, You know that the lords of the Gentiles have dominion over them, and those who are great exercise power over them. 26 It shall not be this way among you, but whosoever would be great among you, let him minister to you, 27 and whoever would be chief, let him be your servant – 28 even as the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life for the redemption of many.
29 And as they departed from Jericho, crowds of people followed Jesus. 30 And two blind men sitting by the wayside, when they heard Jesus pass by, cried out, saying, Lord Son of David, have mercy on us! 31 And the people admonished them to hold their peace. But they cried out all the more, saying, Have mercy on us, Lord Son of David!
32 Then Jesus stood still and called them, and said, What do you want me to do for you? 33 They said to him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened! 34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes received sight. And they followed him.
Matthew 20
New International Version
Matthew 20
New International Version
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like(A) a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.(B) 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came,(C) the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble(D) against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat(E) of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend.(F) Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’(G)
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”(H)
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time(I)
17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem,(J) and the Son of Man(K) will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law.(L) They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged(M) and crucified.(N) On the third day(O) he will be raised to life!”(P)
A Mother’s Request(Q)
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons(R) came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down,(S) 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.”(T)
22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup(U) I am going to drink?”
“We can,” they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup,(V) 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(W) 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,(X) 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man(Y) did not come to be served, but to serve,(Z) and to give his life as a ransom(AA) for many.”
Two Blind Men Receive Sight(AB)
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David,(AC) have mercy on us!”
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
Footnotes
- Matthew 20:2 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.
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Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.
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