¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.^(A)

⁷ Who serves as a soldier^(A) at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard^(B) and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk?

¹⁸ Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar^(A) and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle^(B) and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.^{(C) 20} They were trampled in the winepress^(D) outside the city,^(E) and blood^(F) flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.^[a]

⁴ the people of Israel.^(A) Theirs is the adoption to sonship;^(B) theirs the divine glory,^(C) the covenants,^(D) the receiving of the law,^(E) the temple worship^(F) and the promises.^(G)

¹⁰ At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. ¹² He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love;^(A) perhaps they will respect him.’

¹⁴ “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ¹⁵ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and kill those tenants^(B) and give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”

¹⁷ Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”^(D)

⁶ Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.^{(A) 7} So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down!^(B) Why should it use up the soil?’