20:1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. |
20:2 "When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. |
20:3 "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; |
20:4 and to those he said, `You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' And {so} they went. |
20:5 "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. |
20:6 "And about the 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?' |
20:7 "They *said to him, `Because no one hired us.' He *said to them, `You go into the vineyard too.' |
20:8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard *said to his foreman, `Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last {group} to the first.' |
20:9 "When those {hired} about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. |
20:10 "When those {hired} first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. |
20:11 "When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, |
20:12 saying, `These last men have worked {only} one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.' |
20:13 "But he answered and said to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? |
20:14 `Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. |
20:15 `Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?' |
20:16 "So the last shall be first, and the first last." |
20:17 As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve {disciples} aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, |
20:18 "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, |
20:19 and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify {Him,} and on the third day He will be raised up." |
20:20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. |
20:21 And He said to her, "What do you wish? She *said to Him, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left."" |
20:22 But Jesus answered, "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."" |
20:23 He *said to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on {My} left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father." |
20:24 And hearing {this,} the ten became indignant with the two brothers. |
20:25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and {their} great men exercise authority over them. |
20:26 "It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, |
20:27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; |
20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." |
20:29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. |
20:30 And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" |
20:31 The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" |
20:32 And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" |
20:33 They *said to Him, "Lord, {we want} our eyes to be opened." |
20:34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him. |