New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
1
"God's kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.
2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
2
They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work.
3 When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace;
3
"Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed.
4 and he said to them, "You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went.
4
He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage.
5 When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same.
5
They went.
6 And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, "Why are you standing here idle all day?'
6
At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?
7 They said to him, "Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, "You also go into the vineyard.'
7
' "They said, 'Because no one hired us.' "He told them to go to work in his vineyard.
8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, "Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.'
8
"When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, 'Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.'
9 When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.
9
"Those hired at five o'clock came up and were each given a dollar.
10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.
10
When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar.
11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner,
11
Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager,
12 saying, "These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'
12
'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.'
13 But he replied to one of them, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
13
"He replied to the one speaking for the rest, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we?
14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.
14
So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you.
15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
15
Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?'
16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
16
"Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first."
17 While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way,
17
Jesus, now well on the way up to Jerusalem, took the Twelve off to the side of the road and said,
18 "See, 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;
18
"Listen to me carefully. We are on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death.
19 then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised."
19
They will then hand him over to the Romans for mockery and torture and crucifixion. On the third day he will be raised up alive."
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him.
20
It was about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons and knelt before Jesus with a request.
21 And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom."
21
"What do you want?" Jesus asked. She said, "Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand."
22 But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able."
22
Jesus responded, "You have no idea what you're asking." And he said to James and John, "Are you capable of drinking the cup that I'm about to drink?" They said, "Sure, why not?"
23 He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
23
Jesus said, "Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. My Father is taking care of that."
24 When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers.
24
When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers.
25 But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.
25
So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads.
26 It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant,
26
It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.
27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave;
27
Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave.
28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."
28
That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served - and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage."
29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.
29
As they were leaving Jericho, a huge crowd followed.
30 There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"
30
Suddenly they came upon two blind men sitting alongside the road. When they heard it was Jesus passing, they cried out, "Master, have mercy on us! Mercy, Son of David!"
31 The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, "Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!"
31
The crowd tried to hush them up, but they got all the louder, crying, "Master, have mercy on us! Mercy, Son of David!"
32 Jesus stood still and called them, saying, "What do you want me to do for you?"
32
Jesus stopped and called over, "What do you want from me?"
33 They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened."
33
They said, "Master, we want our eyes opened. We want to see!"
34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.
34
Deeply moved, Jesus touched their eyes. They had their sight back that very instant, and joined the procession.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.