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Matthew 20
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Matthew 20
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
20 1 For the kingdom of the heavens is like a man who is a house-master, who went out together-with early-morning to hire workers into his vineyard. 2 And having made-an-agreement with the workers for a denarius[a] for the day, he sent them out into his vineyard. 3 And having gone out around the third[b] hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace. 4 And to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever may be right’. 5 And the ones went. And again having gone out around the sixth and the ninth hour, he did similarly. 6 And having gone out around the eleventh[c] hour, he found others standing there. And he says to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle the whole day? 7 They say to him, ‘Because no one hired us’. He says to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard’. 8 And having become evening, the master of the vineyard says to his manager[d], ‘Call the workers, and pay them the wages— beginning from the last ones, up to the first ones’. 9 And having come, the ones hired around the eleventh hour received a denarius apiece. 10 And having come, the first ones thought that they would receive more. And they also themselves received the denarius apiece. 11 And having received it, they were grumbling against the house-master, 12 saying, ‘These last ones did one hour, and you made them equal to us— the ones having borne the burden of the day and the burning-heat’. 13 But the one, having responded, said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am not wronging you. Did you not make-an-agreement with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go. But I want to give to this last one as I also gave to you. 15 Or is it not lawful for me to do what I want with my things? Or is your eye[e] evil because I am good?’ 16 Thus the last ones will be first, and the first ones, last”.
Jesus Predicts His Death And Resurrection For The Third Time
17 And while going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took aside the twelve disciples privately and said to them on the road, 18 “Behold— we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be handed-over to the chief priests and scribes. And they will condemn Him to death, 19 and will hand Him over to the Gentiles so that they might mock and whip and crucify Him. And He will be raised on the third day”.
Two Disciples Jockey For Position In The Kingdom. Jesus Says, It Is Not Mine To Give
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons[f], prostrating-herself and asking something from Him. 21 And the One said to her, “What do you want?” She says to Him, “Say that these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right side and one on Your left side in Your kingdom”. 22 But having responded, Jesus said, “You[g] do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup which I am about to drink?” They say to Him, “We are able”. 23 He says to them, “You will drink My cup— but the sitting on My right side and on the left side, this is not Mine to give, but it is for whom it has been prepared by My Father”.
Whoever Wants To Be First Shall Be Your Slave. Even I Came To Serve
24 And having heard-of it, the ten were indignant about the two brothers. 25 But Jesus, having summoned them, said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles are lording-over[h] them, and the great ones are exercising-authority-over[i] them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you shall be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many”.
Two Blind Men Appeal To The Messiah For Their Sight, And Are Healed
29 And while they were proceeding out from Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. 30 And behold— two blind men sitting beside the road, having heard that Jesus was going by, cried-out saying, “Have-mercy-on us, Master, Son of David!” 31 But the crowd rebuked them in order that they might keep-silent. But the ones cried out louder, saying, “Have mercy on us, Master, Son of David!” 32 And having stopped, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They say to Him, “Master— that our eyes might be opened!” 34 And having felt-deep-feelings [of compassion], Jesus touched their eyes. And they immediately saw-again. And they followed Him.
Footnotes
- Matthew 20:2 A Roman silver coin. A day’s wage for a laborer.
- Matthew 20:3 That is, 9 a.m.
- Matthew 20:6 That is, 5 p.m. They worked until 6 p.m.
- Matthew 20:8 Or, foreman.
- Matthew 20:15 That is, are you envious.
- Matthew 20:20 That is, James and John.
- Matthew 20:22 This word is plural. Jesus answers all three.
- Matthew 20:25 Or, domineering over. They reign as masters over their subjects.
- Matthew 20:25 They lead and rule by authority.
Matthew 20
New International Version
Matthew 20
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)
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time(I)
17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem,(J) and the Son of Man(K) will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law.(L) They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged(M) and crucified.(N) On the third day(O) he will be raised to life!”(P)
A Mother’s Request(Q)
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons(R) came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down,(S) asked a favor of him.
21 “What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”(T)
22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup(U) I am going to drink?”
“We can,” they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup,(V) but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant(W) with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,(X) 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man(Y) did not come to be served, but to serve,(Z) and to give his life as a ransom(AA) for many.”
Two Blind Men Receive Sight(AB)
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David,(AC) have mercy on us!”
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
Footnotes
- Matthew 20:2 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.
Disciples’ Literal New Testament (DLNT) 
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
New International Version (NIV) 
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.