THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD WORKERS

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.t 2 After agreeing with the workers on one denarius,* he sent them into his vineyard for the day. 3 When he went out about nine in the morning,F he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He said to them, ‘You also go into my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went. 5 About noon and about three,G he went out again and did the same thing. 6 Then about five* he went and found others standing aroundI and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’

7 “ ‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him.

“ ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he told them.J 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay,a starting with the last and ending with the first.’