Laborers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his ⁱvineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius¹ a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. 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 foreman, ‘Call the laborers and ^jpay 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. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 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.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’² 16 ^kSo the last will be first, and the first last.”

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

17 ^lAnd as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be ^mdelivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the ⁿthird day.”

A Mother’s Request

20 ^oThen the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to ^psit, ^qone at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the ^rcup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at 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 exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. ^sBut whoever would be great among you must be your servant,³ 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,⁴ 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to ^tserve, and to give his life as a ^uransom for many.”

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

29 ^vAnd as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were ^wtwo blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord,⁵ have mercy on us, ^xSon of David!” 31 The crowd ^yrebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

The Triumphal Entry

21 ^zNow when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The ^aLord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place ^bto fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd ^espread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ^f“Hosanna to the ^gSon of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the ^hprophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12 ⁱAnd Jesus entered the temple² and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the ^jmoney-changers and the seats of those who sold ^kpigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ^l‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a ^mden of robbers.”

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

18 ^oIn the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a ^pfig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

20 ^qWhen the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And ^rwhatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

23 ^sAnd when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what ^tauthority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you ^unot believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a ^vprophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the ^wtax collectors and the prostitutes ^xgo into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For ^yJohn came to you in the ^zway of ^arighteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

33 ^b“Hear another parable. ^cThere was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and ^dwent into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants³ to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, ^ekilled another, and stoned another. 36 ^fAgain he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 ^gFinally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the ^hheir. Come, let us ⁱkill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and ^jlet out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be ^mtaken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who ⁿfalls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”⁵

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a ^oprophet.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

22 ^pAnd again Jesus spoke to them in ^qparables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a ^rwedding ^sfeast for his son, 3 and sent his servants¹ to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 ^tAgain he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and ^ukilled them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, ^vbut those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no ^wwedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and ^xcast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but ^yfew are chosen.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

15 ^zThen the Pharisees went and plotted how ^ato entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, ^bwe know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for ^cyou are not swayed by ^dappearances.² 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay ^etaxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you ^fhypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.³ 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore ^grender to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

23 ^hThe same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no ⁱresurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ^j‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ^k‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were ^lastonished at his teaching.

The Great Commandment

34 ^mBut when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, ⁿ“You shall ^olove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ^pYou shall ^qlove your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend ^rall the Law and the Prophets.”

Whose Son Is the Christ?

41 ^sNow while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The ^tson of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

23 ^vThen Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on ^wMoses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,¹ and lay them on people’s shoulders, but ^xthey themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be ^yseen by others. For they make their ^zphylacteries broad and their ^afringes long, 6 and they love the ^bplace of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and ^cgreetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi² by others. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.³ 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have ^done Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 ^eThe greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 ^fWhoever exalts himself will be humbled, and ^gwhoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, ^hhypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither ⁱenter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.⁴ 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell⁵ as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, ^jblind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is ^kbound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar ^lthat makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^mhim who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by ⁿheaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^otithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the ^pweightier matters of the law: ^qjustice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^rgreed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^swhitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all ^tuncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in ^ushedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 ^vFill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you ^wbrood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your ^xsynagogues and ^ypersecute from town to town, 35 so that ^zon you may come all the ^arighteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^bAbel to the blood of ^cZechariah the son of Barachiah,⁶ whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.