Laborers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius[a] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And (A)about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And (B)when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his (C)foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and (D)the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, (E)‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take (F)what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 (G)Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or (H)do you begrudge my generosity?’[b] 16 So (I)the last will be first, and the first last.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

17 (J)And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, (K)we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will (L)condemn him to death 19 and (M)deliver him over to the Gentiles (N)to be mocked and flogged and (O)crucified, and he will be raised on (P)the third day.”

A Mother's Request

20 (Q)Then (R)the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and (S)kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine (T)are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, (U)in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, (V)“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able (W)to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, (X)“You will drink (Y)my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, (Z)but it is for those for whom it has been (AA)prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, (AB)“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles (AC)lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 (AD)It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[c] 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,[d] 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but (AE)to serve, and (AF)to give his life as a ransom for (AG)many.”

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

29 (AH)And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord,[e] have mercy on us, (AI)Son of David!” 31 The crowd (AJ)rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

The Triumphal Entry

21 (AK)Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to (AL)the Mount of Olives, then Jesus (AM)sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place (AN)to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

(AO)“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
    (AP)humble, and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt,[f] the foal of a beast of burden.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd (AQ)spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, (AR)“Hosanna to (AS)the Son of David! (AT)Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna (AU)in the highest!” 10 And (AV)when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is (AW)the prophet Jesus, (AX)from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12 (AY)And Jesus entered the temple[g] and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of (AZ)the money-changers and the seats of those who sold (BA)pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, (BB)‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but (BC)you make it a den of robbers.”

14 (BD)And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 (BE)But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, (BF)“Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; (BG)have you never read,

(BH)“‘Out of the mouth of (BI)infants and nursing babies
    you have prepared praise’?”

17 And (BJ)leaving them, he (BK)went out of the city to (BL)Bethany and lodged there.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

18 (BM)In the morning, as he was returning to the city, (BN)he became hungry. 19 (BO)And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, (BP)“Truly, I say to you, (BQ)if you have faith and (BR)do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, (BS)‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And (BT)whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, (BU)if you have faith.”

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

23 (BV)And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him (BW)as he was teaching, and said, (BX)“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, (BY)from where did it come? (BZ)From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, (CA)‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ (CB)we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was (CC)a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 (CD)“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in (CE)the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he (CF)changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, (CG)the tax collectors and (CH)the prostitutes go into (CI)the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you (CJ)in the way of righteousness, and (CK)you did not believe him, but (CL)the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward (CM)change your minds and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

33 (CN)“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted (CO)a vineyard (CP)and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and (CQ)leased it to tenants, and (CR)went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants[h] to the tenants (CS)to get his fruit. 35 (CT)And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and (CU)stoned another. 36 (CV)Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, (CW)‘This is the heir. Come, (CX)let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and (CY)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 (CZ)When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, (DA)“He will put those wretches to a miserable death and (DB)let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

42 Jesus said to them, (DC)“Have you never read in the Scriptures:

(DD)“‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;[i]
this was the Lord's doing,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God (DE)will be taken away from you and given to a people (DF)producing its fruits. 44 And (DG)the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and (DH)when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”[j]

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And (DI)although they were seeking to arrest him, (DJ)they feared the crowds, because they held him to be (DK)a prophet.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

22 And again Jesus (DL)spoke to them in parables, saying, (DM)“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave (DN)a wedding feast for his son, and (DO)sent his servants[k] to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. (DP)Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my (DQ)dinner, (DR)my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But (DS)they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, (DT)treated them shamefully, and (DU)killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and (DV)destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not (DW)worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and (DX)gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there (DY)a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, (DZ)‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and (EA)cast him into the outer darkness. In that place (EB)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are (EC)called, but few are (ED)chosen.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

15 (EE)Then the Pharisees went and plotted how (EF)to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent (EG)their disciples to him, along with (EH)the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, (EI)we know that you are true and teach (EJ)the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for (EK)you are not swayed by appearances.[l] 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay (EL)taxes to (EM)Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why (EN)put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.[m] 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, (EO)“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they (EP)left him and went away.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

23 The same day (EQ)Sadducees came to him, (ER)who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, (ES)‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, (ET)because you know neither the Scriptures nor (EU)the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither (EV)marry nor (EW)are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, (EX)have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 (EY)‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, (EZ)they were astonished at his teaching.

The Great Commandment

34 (FA)But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced (FB)the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 (FC)And one of them, (FD)a lawyer, asked him a question (FE)to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, (FF)“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And (FG)a second is like it: (FH)You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 (FI)On these two commandments depend (FJ)all the Law and the Prophets.”

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41 (FK)Now while the Pharisees (FL)were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about (FM)the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, (FN)“The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, (FO)in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44 (FP)“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
    until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

45 If then David calls him Lord, (FQ)how is he his son?” 46 (FR)And no one was able to answer him a word, (FS)nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 20:2 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
  2. Matthew 20:15 Or is your eye bad because I am good?
  3. Matthew 20:26 Greek diakonos
  4. Matthew 20:27 Or bondservant, or servant (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface)
  5. Matthew 20:30 Some manuscripts omit Lord
  6. Matthew 21:5 Or donkey, and on a colt
  7. Matthew 21:12 Some manuscripts add of God
  8. Matthew 21:34 Or bondservants; also verses 35, 36
  9. Matthew 21:42 Greek the head of the corner
  10. Matthew 21:44 Some manuscripts omit verse 44
  11. Matthew 22:3 Or bondservants; also verses 4, 6, 8, 10
  12. Matthew 22:16 Greek for you do not look at people's faces
  13. Matthew 22:19 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer

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