22 ¹ Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”^(A)

David’s Preparations for the Temple

² So David gave orders to gather the foreigners that were in the land of Israel,^(B) and he appointed stonecutters to cut finished stones for building God’s house.^{(C) 3} David supplied a great deal of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, together with an immeasurable quantity of bronze,^{(D) 4} and innumerable cedar logs because the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.^{(E) 5} David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly great and famous and glorious in all the lands.^(F) Therefore, I must make provision for it.” So David made lavish preparations for it before his death.

⁶ Then he summoned his son Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. ⁷ “My son,” David said to Solomon, “It was in my heart to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God,^{(G) 8} but the word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for My name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me.^{(H) 9} But a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies,^(I) for his name will be Solomon,^[a](J) and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign.^{(K) 10} He is the one who will build a house for My name. He will be My son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’^(L)

¹¹ “Now, my son, may the Lord be with you,^(M) and may you succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as He said about you. ¹² Above all, may the Lord give you insight and understanding when He puts you in charge of Israel so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.^{(N) 13} Then you will succeed if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances the Lord commanded Moses for Israel.^(O) Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.^(P)

¹⁴ “Notice I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the Lord—3,775 tons of gold, 37,750 tons of silver,^[b](Q) and bronze and iron that can’t be weighed because there is so much of it. I have also provided timber and stone, but you will need to add more to them. ¹⁵ You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work ¹⁶ in gold, silver, bronze, and iron—beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you.”^(R)

¹⁷ Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon: ¹⁸ “The Lord your God is with you, isn’t He? And hasn’t He given you rest on every side?^(S) For He has handed the land’s inhabitants over to me, and the land has been subdued before the Lord and His people. ¹⁹ Now determine in your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.^(T) Get started building the Lord God’s sanctuary so that you may bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant and the holy articles of God to the temple that is to be built^(U) for the name of Yahweh.”^(V)

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

20 One^(A) day^[a] as He was teaching^(B) the people in the temple complex and proclaiming the good news,^(C) the chief priests and the scribes, with the elders,^(D) came up ² and said to Him: “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Who is it who gave You this authority?”

³ He answered them, “I will also ask you a question. Tell Me, ⁴ was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

⁵ They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people^(E) will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.”^(F)

⁷ So they answered that they did not know its origin.^[b]

⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Vineyard Owner

⁹ Then^(G) He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard,^(H) leased it to tenant farmers, and went away for a long time. ¹⁰ At harvest time he sent a slave to the farmers so that they might give him some fruit from the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ He sent yet another slave, but they beat that one too, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And he sent yet a third, but they wounded this one too and threw him out.

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved^(I) son. Perhaps^[c] they will respect him.’

¹⁴ “But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so the inheritance will be ours!’^{(J) 15} So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy^(K) those farmers and give the vineyard to others.”

But when they heard this they said, “No—never!”^(L)

¹⁷ But He looked at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of this Scripture:^[d](M)

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and if it falls on anyone, it will grind him to powder!”^(O)

¹⁹ Then the scribes and the chief priests^(P) looked for a way to get their hands on Him^(Q) that very hour, because they knew He had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.^(R)

God and Caesar

²⁰ They^[g](S) watched closely^(T) and sent spies^(U) who pretended to be righteous,^[h] so they could catch Him in what He said,^[i](V) to hand Him^(W) over to the governor’s^(X) rule and authority. ²¹ They questioned Him, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly,^(Y) and You don’t show partiality,^[j](Z) but teach truthfully the way of God.^{(AA) 22} Is it lawful^(AB) for us to pay taxes^(AC) to Caesar^(AD) or not?”

²³ But detecting their craftiness, He said to them,^{[k] 24} “Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”

“Caesar’s,” they said.

²⁵ “Well then,” He told them, “give back to Caesar^(AE) the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

²⁶ They were not able to catch Him in what He said^[l] in public,^[m] and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.^(AF)

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

²⁷ Some^(AG) of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,^(AH) came up and questioned Him: ²⁸ “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother has a wife, and dies childless, his brother should take the wife and produce offspring for his brother.^{(AI)[n] 29} Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children. ³⁰ Also the second^{[o] 31} and the third took her. In the same way, all seven died and left no children. ³² Finally, the woman died too. ³³ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For all seven had married her.”^[p]

³⁴ Jesus told them, “The sons of this age^(AJ) marry and are given in marriage.^{(AK) 35} But those who are counted worthy^(AL) to take part in that age^(AM) and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. ³⁶ For they cannot die anymore,^(AN) because they are like angels and are sons of God,^(AO) since they are sons of the resurrection. ³⁷ Moses even indicated in the passage about the burning bush that the dead are raised, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.^{(AP)[q] 38} He is not God of the dead but of the living, because all are living to^[r] Him.”^(AQ)

³⁹ Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ And they no longer dared to ask Him anything.

The Question about the Messiah

⁴¹ Then^(AR) He said to them, “How can they say that the Messiah is the Son of David?^{(AS) 42} For David himself says in the Book of Psalms:^(AT)

⁴⁴ David calls Him ‘Lord’; how then can the Messiah be his Son?”^(AV)

Warning against the Scribes

⁴⁵ While^(AW) all the people were listening, He said to His disciples, ⁴⁶ “Beware^(AX) of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces, the front seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets.^{(AY) 47} They devour widows’ houses and say long prayers just for show. These will receive greater punishment.”^[t]