Vineyard Workers

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.^{(A) 2} After agreeing with the workers on one denarius,^[a] he sent them into his vineyard for the day. ³ When he went out about nine in the morning,^[b] 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,^[c] he went out again and did the same thing. ⁶ Then about five^[d] he went and found others standing around^[e] 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.^{[f] 8} When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay,^(B) starting with the last and ending with the first.’

⁹ “When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius. ¹⁰ So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. ¹¹ When 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’s work and the burning heat.’^(C)

¹³ “He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius?^{(D) 14} Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealous^[g] because I’m generous?’^[h](E)

¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first last.”^[i](F)

The Third Prediction of His Death

¹⁷ While going up to Jerusalem,^(G) Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way, ¹⁸ “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death.^{(H) 19} They will hand him over to the Gentiles^(I) to be mocked, flogged,^[j] and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised.”^[k]