Matthew 20:1-16
New International Version
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like(A) a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.(B) 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came,(C) the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble(D) against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat(E) of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend.(F) Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’(G)
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”(H)
Footnotes
- Matthew 20:2 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Bible Gateway Recommends
![NIV, Journal the Word Bible, Double-Column, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Reflect, Take Notes, or Create Art Next to Your Favorite Verses](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0044/1309/6047/products/9780310455264.jpg?v=1644567449)
![NIV, Biblical Theology Study Bible, Comfort Print: Follow God’s Redemptive Plan as It Unfolds throughout Scripture](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0044/1309/6047/products/9780310450405.jpg?v=1660679392)
![NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0044/1309/6047/products/431583.jpg?v=1660758265)
![NIV, Chronological Study Bible, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New International Version](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0044/1309/6047/products/9780785239529.jpg?v=1659449481)
![NIV, The Woman's Study Bible, Full-Color, Red Letter: Receiving God's Truth for Balance, Hope, and Transformation](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0044/1309/6047/products/9780785212379.jpg?v=1645115959)
![NIV, Radiant Virtues Bible: A Beautiful Word Collection, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Explore the virtues of faith, hope, and love](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0044/1309/6047/products/9780310456933.jpg?v=1717082557)