Matthew 20
1 “[In order to illustrate how God rewards people], I will compare [the way] God [MTY/EUP] rules his people with what the owner of an estate [did]. Early in the morning the owner of the estate went to [the market] where [people who wanted work gathered]. He went there to hire laborers to work in his vineyard.
For the kingdom of heaven is like a man, the lord of a house, who went out, at dawn of day, to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2 He promised the men whom he hired that he would pay them the standard wage [for working] one day. Then he sent them to his vineyards.
And he contracted with the labors for a denarius a day: and sent them into his vineyard.
3 At nine o’clock [that same morning] he went back [to the market]. There he saw more men who did not have work.
And he went out at the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market-place:
4 He said to them, ‘Go to my vineyard as other men have done, [and work there]. I will pay you whatever is a just [wage].’ [So they also went to his vineyard and began to work].
and he said to them, Go ye also into my vineyard, and what is right I will give you;
5 At noon and at three o’clock he again went [to the market] and found [other laborers whom he promised to pay a fair wage].
and they went. And again he went out at the sixth and ninth hours, and did the same.
6 At five o’clock he went [to the market again] and saw other [men] standing [there who were not working]. He said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day and not working?’
And about the eleventh hour, he went out and found others who were standing and idle; and he said to them: Why stand ye all the day, and are idle?
7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘[I will hire you]. Go to my vineyard as other men have done, [and work there.’ So they went].
They say to him, Because no one hath hired us. He saith to them: Go ye also into the vineyard; and what is right ye shall receive.
8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Tell the men to come so that you can give them their wages. First, pay the men who started working last, and pay the men last who started working first.’
And when it was evening, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward: Call the laborers, and give them their wages; and commence with the last, and proceed to the first.
9 The [manager] paid the standard daily wage to each of the men who did not start working until five o’clock [in the afternoon].
And those of the eleventh hour came, and received each a denarius.
10 When the men who had begun working early [in the morning] went [to get their wages], they thought that they would receive more than the standard wage. But they also received only the standard wage.
And when the first came, they supposed they should receive more; but they also received each a denarius.
11 So they complained to the owner of the vineyard [because they thought their payment was unfair].
And when they received it, they murmured against the lord of the house,
12 They said [to him], ‘[You are not being fair!] The men who started working after [all of the rest of us started] worked for [only] one hour! You have [paid] them the same [wage] as [you paid] us! But we worked hard [all] day [IDM], [including working in the] hottest part of the day!’
and said: These last have labored but one hour, and thou hast made them equal with us who have borne the burden of the day and the heat of it.
13 The owner of the vineyard said to one of those [who complained], ‘Friend, I did not treat you unfairly. You agreed with me [to work the whole day] for the standard wage [RHQ].
But he answered, and said to one of them: My friend, I do thee no injustice: was it not for a denarius that thou didst contract with me?
14 [Stop complaining to me]! Take your wage and go! I desire to give the same wage that I gave you to the men who began working after all of you [had begun working].
Take what belongeth to thee, and go: for I am disposed to give to this last, as to thee.
15 I certainly have a right to [spend my money] as I desire [RHQ], [including paying those laborers what I desire to pay them]. (You should not be envious about my being generous!/Are you angry [MET] because I am generous?) [RHQ]’”
Is it not lawful for me, to do what I please with what belongeth to me; or is thy eye evil, because I am good?
16 [Then Jesus said to us], “Similarly, [God will reward] well [some] people who [seem to be] less important now, and he will not reward [some] people who [seem to be] more important [now].”
Thus the last shall be first, and the first last: for the called are many, but the chosen are few.
17 When Jesus was walking [on the road] up to Jerusalem, [along with us] twelve [disciples], he took us to a place by ourselves [in order that he could talk to us privately]. Then he said to us,
And Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem: and he took his twelve disciples aside, on the way, and said to them:
18 “Listen carefully! We are [now] going up to Jerusalem. [While we are there, someone] will enable the chief priests and the men who teach the [Jewish] laws to seize [me], the one who came from heaven, [and they will put me on trial]. They will condemn me [and say] that I should be killed {the authorities should kill me}.
Behold we are going to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered up to the chief priests and to the Scribes, and they will condemn him to death.
19 [Then they] will put me in the hands of non-Jews so that they can make fun of me, whip me, [and kill me by] nailing me to a cross. But on the third day [after that], [God] will cause me to live again.”
And they will deliver him over to the Gentiles: and they will mock him, and will scourge him, and will crucify him; and the third day, he will arise.
20 Then the mother of James and John brought her two sons to Jesus. She bowed down before Jesus and asked him to do her a favor.
Then came, to him the mother of Zebedee's children, she and her sons; and she worshipped him, and asked something from him.
21 Jesus said to her, “What do you want [me to do for you]?” She said to him, “Permit these two sons of mine to sit next to you (OR, Permit these two sons of mine to sit next to you at your right side and at your left side) [and rule with you] [MTY] when you become king.”
And he said to her, What desirest thou? She said to him: Say, that these my two sons shall sit, the one on thy right hand and the other on thy left, in thy kingdom.
22 Jesus said to [her and her sons], “You do not understand what you are asking for. Can you suffer like I am about to suffer [IDM]?” [James and John] answered him, “Yes, we are able [to do that].”
Jesus answered and said: Ye know not what ye ask for. Can ye drink of the cup, of which I am to drink? or be baptized with the baptism, that I am baptized with? They say to him: We can.
23 Then Jesus said to them, “Yes, you will suffer as I will suffer [IDM]. But I am not the one who chooses the ones who [will] sit next to me [and rule with me]. [God], my Father, will give those places [MTY] to the ones whom he appoints.”
He saith to them: Ye will indeed drink of my cup, and will be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but that ye should sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give, except to those for whom it is prepared by my Father.
24 When we ten [other disciples] heard [what James and John had requested], we became angry with them [because we also wanted to rule with Jesus in the highest positions].
And when the ten heard it, they were angry against the two brothers.
25 [So] Jesus called all of us together and said [to us], “You know that those who rule the non-Jews [enjoy] showing them that they are powerful. Their chief rulers [enjoy] commanding the people under them.
And Jesus called them, and said to them: Ye know that the princes of the nations are their lords, and their great men exercise authority over them.
26 You [should] not be like them. On the contrary, everyone among you who wants [God to consider] him great must become [like] a servant for [the rest of] you.
Not so shall it be among you. But whoever among you desireth to be great, let him be to you, a ministerer:
27 And everyone among you who wants [God to consider him] to be the most important must become [like] a slave for [the rest of] you.
and whoever among you desireth to be first, let him be your servant:
28 [You should imitate me]. [Even though I am] the one who came from heaven, I did not come to be served {in order that people would serve me}. On the contrary, I [came in order] to serve [others] and to [IDM] allow myself to be killed {other people to kill me}, so that [my dying would be like] a payment to rescue many [people from being punished for their sins].” [MTY]
even as the Son of man came, not to be served, but to serve; and to give his life a ransom for many.
29 As we were leaving Jericho [city], a large crowd of people followed [us].
And as Jesus passed out of Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
30 [As we walked along, we saw] two blind men sitting alongside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they yelled [to him], “Lord, Descendant of [King] David, [you are the Messiah] Take pity on us!”
And lo, two blind men were sitting by the way side. And when they heard that Jesus was passing, they called out, and said: Have compassion on us, my Lord, thou son of David!
31 [People in] the crowd scolded them [and] told them to be quiet. But the blind men yelled even louder, “Lord, Descendant of [King] David, [you are the Messiah] Have pity on us!”
And the multitudes rebuked them, that they might be silent. But they raised their voice the more, and said: Our Lord, have compassion on us, thou son of David.
32 Jesus stopped and called them [to come to him]. [Then] he said [to them], “What do you want me to do for you?”
And Jesus stopped, and called them, and said: What wish ye, that I should do for you?
33 They said to him, “Lord, heal our eyes [IDM] [so that we can see]!”
They said to him: Our Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
34 Jesus [felt] sorry [for them and] touched their eyes. Immediately they were able to see, and they went with Jesus.
And he had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes were opened, and they followed him.
