Matthew 20

Worldwide English (New Testament)

20 The kingdom of heaven is like this. A man owned a farm. Early in the morning he went out to look for men to work on his farm.

² He agreed to pay them a day's wages and sent them out to his farm.

³ `About nine o'clock he went out again. He saw some men standing around at the market. They were not working.

⁴ He said to them, "You go out to work on the farm too. I will pay you what is right." And they went to work.

⁵ `The man went out again at twelve o'clock and at three o'clock. He did the same as he had done before.

⁶ `About five o'clock he went out again and found other men standing around. He said to them, "Why have you been standing here all day? Why are you not working?"

⁷ They said, "No man has asked us to work." So he said to them, "You go out to work on the farm too."

⁸ `When evening came, the man who owned the farm said to his manager, "Call the workmen and pay them. Begin with those who came last and end with those who came first."

⁹ Each of the men who started work at five o'clock was paid a day's wages.

¹⁰ Those who started work first thought they would get more than that. But they also were paid a day's wages.

¹¹ They took it, but they were angry and talked against the man who owned the farm.

¹² `They said, "These men came last, and worked only one hour. Yet you paid them the same as you paid us. We worked all day, when the sun was hot."

¹³ `But he said to one of them, "My friend, I am not doing any wrong to you. You agreed that I should pay you a day's wages. Did you not?

¹⁴ Take your money and go. I want to give the last man the same pay as I gave you.

¹⁵ It is my own money. Can I not do with it as I like? Do you think it is a wrong thing for me to be kind?"

¹⁶ `In the same way, people who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last.'

¹⁷ On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples with him, away from the people.

¹⁸ He said to them, `We are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and scribes. They will judge him and say he must die.

¹⁹ They will give him over to rulers who are not Jews. They will make fun of him. They will beat him and nail him to a cross. On the third day, he will be raised.'

²⁰ Then Zebedee's wife came with her sons to Jesus. She bowed down in front of him and asked him to do something for her.

²¹ Jesus asked, `What do you want me to do for you?' The woman said, `These are my two sons. Promise that in your kingdom one may sit at your right and the other at your left.'

²² But Jesus said, `You do not know what you are asking for. Can you drink from the cup that I will drink?' `Yes,' they said. `We can.'

²³ Then Jesus said to them, `You will drink what I drink. But I cannot choose who will sit at my right or at my left. My Father has planned who will sit there.'

²⁴ When the other ten disciples heard about it, they were angry with the two brothers.

²⁵ But Jesus called them to him and said, `You know that those who rule over countries make their people obey them. The great men will tell the others what to do.

²⁶ But that is not the way it is among you. Anyone among you who wants to be great will help the others.

²⁷ Anyone among you who wants to be first will be a servant to the others.

²⁸ The Son of Man did not come to have others help him. But he came to help others. He came to give his life to make many people free.'

²⁹ As Jesus and the disciples left the city of Jericho, many people followed him.

³⁰ Two blind men were sitting by the road. They heard that Jesus was passing that way. So they shouted, `Sir, you are the Son of David. Help us!'

³¹ The people said to them, `Be quiet!' But they shouted louder, `Sir, Son of David! Help us!'

³² Jesus stopped and called the men to him. He asked, `What do you want me to do for you?'

³³ They said, `Sir, we want to see.'

³⁴ Jesus was very sorry for them as he shared in their suffering. He touched their eyes, and right then they were able to see. They went with him.