Matthew 20

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

20“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man—the master of the house—who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ²And after^* coming to an agreement with the workers for a denarius per day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace. ⁴And to those people he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever is right.’ ⁵So they went. Going out^a again about the sixth and ninth hour he did the same thing. ⁶And about the eleventh hour he went out and^* found others standing there and said to them, ‘Why are you standing here the whole day unemployed?’ ⁷They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go also into the vineyard.’ ⁸And when^* evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their^b wages, beginning from the last up to the first.’ ⁹And when the ones hired about the eleventh hour came, they received a denarius apiece. ¹⁰And when^* the first came, they thought that they would receive more, and they also received a denarius apiece. ¹¹And when they^* received it,^* they began to complain^c against the master of the house, ¹²saying, ‘These last people worked one hour and you made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the burning heat!’ ¹³But he answered one of them and^* said, ‘Friend, I am not doing you wrong. Did you not come to an agreement with me for a denarius? ¹⁴Take what is yours and go! But I want to give to this last person the same as I gave^d to you also. ¹⁵Is it not^e permitted for me to do whatever I want with what is mine? Or is your eye evil because I am generous?’ ¹⁶Thus the last will be first and the first last.”

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time

¹⁷And as^* Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples by themselves and said to them on the way, ¹⁸“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, ¹⁹and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock him^* and flog him^* and crucify him,^* and on the third day he will be raised.”

A Request by the Mother of James and John

²⁰Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and^* kneeling down she asked^* something from him. ²¹And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your kingdom.” ²²But Jesus answered and^* said, “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.” ²³He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine^f to grant, but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

²⁴And when^* the ten heard this,^* they were indignant concerning the two brothers. ²⁵But Jesus called them to himself and^* said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions exercise authority over them. ²⁶It will not be like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wants to be most prominent among you must be your slave—²⁸just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Two Blind Men Healed at Jericho

²⁹And as^* they were going out of Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰And behold, there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they^* heard that Jesus was passing by, they called out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us,^g Son of David!” ³¹And the crowd rebuked them so that they would be quiet. But they called out all the more, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us,^h Son of David!” ³²And Jesus stopped,^* called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” ³³They said to him, “Lord, that our eyes be opened!” ³⁴And having compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and immediately they received their sight and followed him.