Mateus 20

¹ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

² After agreeing with the workers for one denariusa day, he sent them into his vineyard.

³ When he went out about nine o'clock,he saw others standing in the marketplace without work.

⁴ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard, too, and I will pay you whatever is right.’

⁵ So off they went. He went out again about noonand about three o'clockand did the same thing.

⁶ About five o'clockhe went out andfound some others standing around. He said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day long without work?’

⁷ They told him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard as well.’

⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning with the last and ending withthe first.’

⁹ Those who were hired at five o'clockcame, and each received a denarius.

¹⁰ When the first came, they thought they would receive more, but each received a denarius as well.

¹¹ When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner,

¹² saying, ‘These last fellows worked only one hour, yet you have made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’

¹³ But he said to one of them, ‘Friend, I'm not treating you unfairly. You did agree with me for a denarius, didn't you?

¹⁴ Take what is yours and go. I want to give this last man as much as I gave you.

¹⁵ I am allowed to do what I want with my own money,am I not? Or is your eye evilbecause I am good?’

¹⁶ In the same way, the last will be first, and the first will be last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

¹⁷ When Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them on the way,

¹⁸ “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death.

¹⁹ Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, whipped, and crucified, but on the third day he will be raised.”

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor.

²¹ He asked her,“What do you want?”She said to him, “Promise that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your kingdom.”

²² Jesus replied,“You don't realize what you're asking. Can you drink from the cup that I'm going to drink from?”They told him, “We can.”

²³ He said to them,“You will indeed drink from my cup. But it's not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father.”

²⁴ When the ten heard this, they became furious with the two brothers.

²⁵ But Jesus called the disciples and said,“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them.

²⁶ That's not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,

²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave.

²⁸ That's the way it is with the Son of Man. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

²⁹ As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus.

³⁰ When two blind men who were sitting by the roadside heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

³¹ The crowd sternly told them to be silent, but they shouted even louder, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

³² Jesus stopped and called them, saying,“What do you want me to do for you?”

³³ They told him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened!”

³⁴ Then Jesus, deeply moved with compassion, touched their eyes and at once they could see again. So they followed him.