‘ Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

‘我们整天劳苦受热，那后来的只做了一小时，你竟叫他们和我们一样吗？’

‘我们整天劳苦受热，那些后来的只做了一小时，你竟待他们和我们一样吗？’

‘我们整天劳苦受热，那些后来的只做了一小时，你竟待他们和我们一样吗？’

‘那些最晚来的人只工作了一小时，而我们在烈日之下辛苦了一整天，怎么会领同样的工钱呢？’

‘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。’

说：‘这些最后来的人只工作了一个小时，而我们经受了一天的劳累和炎热，你却把他们和我们同等看待！’

『我們整天勞苦受熱，那後來的只做了一小時，你竟叫他們和我們一樣嗎？』

『我們整天勞苦受熱，那些後來的只做了一小時，你竟待他們和我們一樣嗎？』

『我們整天勞苦受熱，那些後來的只做了一小時，你竟待他們和我們一樣嗎？』

『那些最晚來的人只工作了一小時，而我們在烈日之下辛苦了一整天，怎麼會領同樣的工錢呢？』

‘我們整天在烈日之下勞苦，這些後來的人只工作了一個小時，你卻給他們跟我們一樣的工錢。’

說：「這些末後的作了一個鐘頭的工，你竟讓他們跟我們這擔受一天之重擔和熱氣的平等呀！」

說：『這些最後來的人只工作了一個小時，而我們經受了一天的勞累和炎熱，你卻把他們和我們同等看待！』

我終日任勞當暑、後至者、僅工作片時、乃使之與我等耶、

我當暑、終日任勞、後至者、僅片時工作、乃使之與我等乎、

我儕終日負苦當暑、彼後至者、工作僅半時、爾竟使之與我相等乎、

「我儕辛勞終日、備嘗炎蒸；斯輩後進、工僅半晷、何與我儕一律待遇耶？」

‘ These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said,‘ and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

‘ These people who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said.‘ You have paid them the same as us. We have done most of the work and have been in the hot sun all day.’

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.’

‘ These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day’s work and the burning heat.’

saying,‘ These who were hired last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day’s work and the scorching heat.’

saying,‘ These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’

saying, These last have spent but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.

‘ These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the burning heat!’

Saying, These last have wrought[ but] one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

saying,‘ These last fellows worked one hour, and you have made them equal to us who bore the hardship and burning heat of the day.’

saying,‘ These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’

It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace— his undeserved kindness in choosing them.And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is— free and undeserved.

Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty nine lashes.Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.

When the south wind blows, you say,‘ Today will be a scorcher.’ And it is.

“ Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say,‘ Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

You say,‘ It’s too hard to serve the Lord,’ and you turn up your noses at my commands,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.“ Think of it! Animals that are stolen and crippled and sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?” asks the Lord.

Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.

Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal.For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.

They were to ask this question of the prophets and the priests at the Temple of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies:“ Should we continue to mourn and fast each summer on the anniversary of the Temple’s destruction, as we have done for so many years?”The Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me this message in reply:“ Say to all your people and your priests,‘ During these seventy years of exile, when you fasted and mourned in the summer and in early autumn, was it really for me that you were fasting?

What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place.But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded.Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path.

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer:‘ I thank you, God, that I am not like other people— cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

but he replied,‘ All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me.‘ We have fasted before you!’ they say.‘ Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’“ I will tell you why!” I respond.“ It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers.

The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.

And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.

Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home.

“ You have said,‘ What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins?

And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die.“ Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.