1
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2
After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3
And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place;
4
and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went.
5
Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.
6
And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
7
They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.'
8
And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.'
9
And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the 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.