1 For the kingdom of the heavens is like a householder who went out with the early morn to hire workmen for his vineyard.

2 And having agreed with the workmen for a denarius the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3 And having gone out about {the} third hour, he saw others standing in the market-place idle;

4 and to them he said, Go also ye into the vineyard, and whatsoever may be just I will give you. And they went their way.

5 Again, having gone out about the sixth and ninth hour, he did likewise.

6 But about the eleventh {hour}, having gone out, he found others standing, and says to them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

7 They say to him, Because no man has hired us. He says to them, Go also ye into the vineyard {and whatsoever may be just ye shall receive}.

8 But when the evening was come, the lord of the vineyard says to his steward, Call the workmen and pay {them} their wages, beginning from the last even to the first.

9 And when they {who came to work} about the eleventh hour came, they received each a denarius.

10 And when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more, and they received also themselves each a denarius.

11 And on receiving it they murmured against the master of the house,

12 saying, These last have worked one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the heat.

13 But he answering said to one of them, {My} friend, I do not wrong thee. Didst thou not agree with me for a denarius?

14 Take what is thine and go. But it is my will to give to this last even as to thee:

15 is it not lawful for me to do what I will in my own affairs? Is thine eye evil because *I* am good?

16 Thus shall the last be first, and the first last; for many are called ones, but few chosen ones.

1 "天国好像一个家主， 清早出去雇请工人到他的葡萄园工作。

2 他和工人讲定了一天的工钱是一个银币， 然后派他们到葡萄园去。

3 大约九点钟， 他又出去， 看见还有人闲站在街市上，

4 就对他们说： ‘你们也到葡萄园来吧， 我会给你们合理的工钱。’

5 他们就去了。约在正午和下午三点钟， 他又出去， 也是这样作。

6 下午五点钟左右， 他再出去， 看见还有人站着， 就问他们： ‘你们为什么整天站在这里不去作工？’

7 他们回答： ‘没有人用我们。’他说： ‘你们也到葡萄园来吧。’

8 到了黄昏， 园主对管工说： ‘把工人叫来， 给他们工钱， 从最后的开始， 到最先来的。’

9 那些下午五点钟才开始作工的人来了， 每个人都领到一个银币。

10 最先作工的人也来了， 以为会多得一点， 但每个人也是领到一个银币。

11 他们领到之后， 就埋怨家主， 说：

12 ‘我们整天在烈日之下劳苦， 这些后来的人只工作了一个小时， 你却给他们跟我们一样的工钱。’

13 家主回答他们当中的一个， 说： ‘朋友， 我并没有亏待你。你我不是讲定了一个银币吗？

14 拿你的工钱走吧！ 我给那后来的和给你的一样， 是我的主意。

15 难道我不可以照自己的主意用我的财物吗？还是因为我仁慈你就嫉妒呢？’

16 因此， 在后的将要在前， 在前的将要在后。"