Matthew 20:1-16 - The Parable Of The Workers In The Vineyard

¹ For the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a house, who went out early in the morning to get workers into his vine-garden. ² And when he had made an agreement with the workmen for a penny a day, he sent them into his vine-garden. ³ And he went out about the third hour, and saw others in the market-place doing nothing; ⁴ And he said to them, Go into the vine-garden with the others, and whatever is right I will give you. And they went to work. ⁵ Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same. ⁶ And about the eleventh hour he went out and saw others doing nothing; and he says to them, Why are you here all the day doing nothing?

⁷ They say to him, Because no man has given us work. He says to them, Go in with the rest, into the vine-garden. ⁸ And when evening came, the lord of the vine-garden said to his manager, Let the workers come, and give them their payment, from the last to the first.

⁹ And when those men came who had gone to work at the eleventh hour, they were given every man a penny. ¹⁰ Then those who came first had the idea that they would get more; and they, like the rest, were given a penny. ¹¹ And when they got it, they made a protest against the master of the house, ¹² Saying, These last have done only one hour's work, and you have made them equal to us, who have undergone the hard work of the day and the burning heat.

¹³ But he in answer said to one of them, Friend, I do you no wrong: did you not make an agreement with me for a penny? ¹⁴ Take what is yours, and go away; it is my pleasure to give to this last, even as to you. ¹⁵ Have I not the right to do as seems good to me in my house? or is your eye evil, because I am good?

¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first last.