Matthew 20:1-12 ▼

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

2 After agreeing with the workers on one denarius, he sent them into his vineyard for the day.

3 When he went out about nine in the morning, he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.

4 He said to them, ‘You also go into my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went.

5 About noon and about three, he went out again and did the same thing.

6 Then about five he went and found others standing around and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing? ’

7 “ ‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him. “ ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he told them.

8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay, starting with the last and ending with the first.’

9 “When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius.

10 So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each.

11 When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner:

12 ‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day’s work and the burning heat.’