The Ten Commandments^(A)

20 And God spoke ^(B)all these words, saying:

The People Afraid of God’s Presence

¹⁸ Now ^(J)all the people ^(K)witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain ^(L)smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. ¹⁹ Then they said to Moses, ^(M)“You speak with us, and we will hear; but ^(N)let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

²⁰ And Moses said to the people, ^(O)“Do not fear; ^(P)for God has come to test you, and ^(Q)that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”

God’s Disappointing Vineyard

⁴ though ^(A)I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I ^(B)more so: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, ^(C)of the tribe of Benjamin, ^(D)a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, ^(E)a Pharisee; ⁶ concerning zeal, ^(F)persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

⁷ But ^(G)what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss ^(H)for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having ^(I)my own righteousness, which is from the law, but ^(J)that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the ^(K)power of His resurrection, and ^(L)the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may ^(M)attain^[a] to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing Toward the Goal

¹² Not that I have already ^(N)attained,^[b] or am already ^(O)perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have ^[c]apprehended; but one thing I do, ^(P)forgetting those things which are behind and ^(Q)reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ^14 (R)I press toward the goal for the prize of ^(S)the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers^(A)

³³ “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner ^(B)who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and ^(C)went into a far country. ³⁴ Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. ^35 (D)And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. ³⁶ Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. ³⁷ Then last of all he sent his ^(E)son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸ But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ^(F)‘This is the heir. ^(G)Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ ^39 (H)So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

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

^41 (I)They said to Him, ^(J)“He will destroy those wicked men miserably, ^(K)and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will ^[a]render to him the fruits in their seasons.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

⁴³ “Therefore I say to you, ^(M)the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. ⁴⁴ And ^(N)whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, ^(O)it will grind him to powder.”

⁴⁵ Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they ^[b]perceived that He was speaking of them. ⁴⁶ But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they ^(P)feared the multitudes, because ^(Q)they took Him for a prophet.