1. Then His disciples asked Him about the Kingdom of God, and Jesus said to them, "The Kingdom of God is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2. "When he agreed with the workers on a certain daily wage, he sent them into the vineyard, and then he went out about three o'clock and saw others standing idle in the market place.
3. "To those he said, 'You also go into my vineyard, and whatever is right I will pay you.' And so they, too, went into the vineyard.
4. "Again he went out toward the end of the day, and did the same thing. Finding even more, he said to them, 'why have you been standing around all day long?'
5. "They said to him, 'Because no one has put us to work.' So, he said to them, 'You may go work in the vineyard, too.'
6. "When the night came, the owner of the vineyard said to the foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last hired and work toward the first.'
7. "When those hired at the end of the day came, they were paid the day's wage. When those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but instead they were paid the daily wage agreed upon.
8. "When the first hired received their wage they grumbled about the vineyard owner saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour and you have made them equal to us who have suffered the work and the heat all day.'
9. "But the owner answered them saying, 'I have not wronged you; did you not agree on the wages you were paid? Take your wage and leave, but I want to give these last workers the same as you. Is it not within my rights to do with my money what I wish, or are you angry because I am generous?'
10. "So shall the first be last and the last be first."
11. After this, Jesus took his twelve disciples to another place and reminded them, "We are soon to return to Jerusalem where the Son of Man must be delivered to the elders and chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."
12. Later, the mother of two of Jesus' disciples, James and John, came to Him with her sons and said, "Lord, command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and the other on Your left."
13. But Jesus answered her and said, "You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink from the cup that I am about to drink? Can you be baptized with My baptism?"
14. The two said to Him, "We can."
15. Then Jesus said, "Indeed My cup you will drink from, and with My baptism you will be baptized, but to sit at the right hand and the left is not Mine to give you. It is for those whom it has been prepared for by My Father."
16. Hearing this request the ten others became indignant with the two brothers, but Jesus called them all together and said, "You know that the rulers of the people of the world lord it over them, and their rulers lord it over them, but it is not that way with you.
17. "Whoever wishes to become great among you, must be the servant of you, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be like your slave.
18. "Just as the Son of God did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many."
19. After this, He went to another town, and His disciples were going along with Him, and a large crowd followed after them.
20. As He approached the town gate, a dead man was being carried out. The man was the only son of his mother, and she was also a widow, and a large crowd accompanied her in her sorrow.
21. When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her and said, "Do not weep, mother," and He went to the coffin and stopped the bearers and said to the dead young man, "Arise."
22. Immediately the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
23. When they witnessed this, fear gripped the crowd and they said, "A great prophet has arisen among us. God has visited His people!"
24. So it was that this report concerning Him went out over all the surrounding districts.
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