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33 `Listen to another story. A man planted a farm of vines for growing fruit called grapes. He put a fence of small trees around it. He dug a place to press the juice from the fruit. He built a high house from which men could watch over the farm. He let some men pay to use it. Then he went to a country far away.

34 `When it was near the time to cut the fruit, he sent his servants to those men. He wanted to have some of the fruit.

35 The men caught the servants. They beat one of them and killed another one of them. They threw stones at another one.

36 Then the man sent other servants. There were more than the first time. The men did the same to them.

37 `Last of all he sent his son to them. He said, "They will respect my son."

38 When the men saw the son, they said to each other, "This is the one who will have everything when his father dies. Let us kill him and we will have it all."

39 They caught him, dragged him off the farm, and killed him.

40 When the owner of the farm comes, what will he do to those men?'

41 They answered, `He will kill those bad men, and will give the farm to other men who will give him the fruit when it is time.'

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The Parable of the Tenants(A)

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted(B) a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower.(C) Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.(D) 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants(E) to the tenants to collect his fruit.

35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.(F) 36 Then he sent other servants(G) to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir.(H) Come, let’s kill him(I) and take his inheritance.’(J) 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,”(K) they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,(L) who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

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