Matthew 20:1–16

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. ⁱ²After agreeing with the workers on one ^•denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³When he went out about nine in the morning, ^jhe saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴To those men he said, ‘You also go to my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went. ⁵About noon and at three, ^khe went out again and did the same thing. ⁶Then about five ^lhe went and found others standing around, ^mand 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 to my vineyard,’ he told them. ⁿ⁸When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay, ^ostarting with the last and ending with the first.’ ^p

⁹“When those who were hired about five ^qcame, they each received one denarius. ¹⁰So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. ¹¹When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner: ¹²‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the burning heat!’ ^r

¹³“He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius? ^s14Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. ¹⁵Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my business? ^tAre you jealous ^ubecause I’m generous?’ ^vw

¹⁶“So the last will be first, and the first last.” ^xy