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.