¹³ While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke^(A) to you again and again,^(B) but you did not listen;^(C) I called^(D) you, but you did not answer.^(E)

The Fall of Jerusalem^(A)(B)

¹⁵ The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers^(C) again and again,^(D) because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. ¹⁶ But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed^(E) at his prophets until the wrath^(F) of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.^(G)

³⁴ When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants^(A) to the tenants to collect his fruit.

³⁵ “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.^{(B) 36} Then he sent other servants^(C) 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.^(D) Come, let’s kill him^(E) and take his inheritance.’^{(F) 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,”^(G) they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,^(H) who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

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

⁴³ “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you^(J) and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

¹¹ “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly^(A) they turned their backs^(B) and covered their ears.^{(C) 12} They made their hearts as hard as flint^(D) and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets.^(E) So the Lord Almighty was very angry.^(F)

¹³ “‘When I called, they did not listen;^(G) so when they called, I would not listen,’^(H) says the Lord Almighty.^(I)

¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.^(A)

⁷ The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers^(A) and burned their city.

³ He sent his servants^(A) to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.