Chapter
Verse

Matthew 20:4

ESV and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’
NIV He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’
NASB and to those he said, ‘You go into the vineyard also, and whatever is right, I will give you.’ And so they went.
CSB He said to them, ‘You also go into my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went.
NLT So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day.
KJV And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
NKJV and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went.

What does Matthew 20:4 mean?

Peter has asked Jesus what reward they will get for leaving everything behind to follow Him (Matthew 19:27–30). To illustrate the answer, Jesus is telling a parable about the kingdom of heaven. He compares the kingdom to the master of house hiring day laborers to work in a vineyard. He hires the first group early in the morning, likely around 6 a.m. They agree to work the day for one denarius each. Then he goes out again at the third hour, around 9 a.m., and hires another group. He now tells them to go work in the vineyard for whatever he decides is right at the end of the day.

It's possible that the second group does not expect to be paid a full denarius since they won't be working a full day in the vineyard. They apparently need the work and are willing to trust the master of the house to pay them something reasonable when the time comes, whatever that is.
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