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Matthew 20:1-16
Young's Literal Translation
Matthew 20:1-16
Young's Literal Translation
20 `For the reign of the heavens is like to a man, a householder, who went forth with the morning to hire workmen for his vineyard,
2 and having agreed with the workmen for a denary a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 `And having gone forth about the third hour, he saw others standing in the market-place idle,
4 and to these he said, Go ye -- also ye -- to the vineyard, and whatever may be righteous I will give you;
5 and they went away. `Again, having gone forth about the sixth and the ninth hour, he did in like manner.
6 And about the eleventh hour, having gone forth, he found others standing idle, and saith to them, Why here have ye stood all the day idle?
7 they say to him, Because no one did hire us; he saith to them, Go ye -- ye also -- to the vineyard, and whatever may be righteous ye shall receive.
8 `And evening having come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward, Call the workmen, and pay them the reward, having begun from the last -- unto the first.
9 And they of about the eleventh hour having come, did receive each a denary.
10 `And the first having come, did suppose that they shall receive more, and they received, they also, each a denary,
11 and having received [it], they were murmuring against the householder, saying,
12 that These, the last, wrought one hour, and thou didst make them equal to us, who were bearing the burden of the day -- and the heat.
13 `And he answering said to one of them, Comrade, I do no unrighteousness to thee; for a denary didst not thou agree with me?
14 take that which is thine, and go; and I will to give to this, the last, also as to thee;
15 is it not lawful to me to do what I will in mine own? is thine eye evil because I am good?
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last, for many are called, and few chosen.'
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Matthew 20:1-16
New International Version
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.
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