Luke 20

English Standard Version

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

20 ^(A)One day, ^(B)as Jesus^[a] was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, ^(C)the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up ²and said to him, “Tell us ^(D)by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” ³He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, ⁴was the baptism of John ^(E)from heaven or from man?” ⁵And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ^(F)‘Why did you not believe him?’ ⁶But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was ^(G)a prophet.” ⁷So they answered that they did not know where it came from. ⁸And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

⁹^(H)And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted ^(I)a vineyard and ^(J)let it out to tenants and ^(K)went into another country for a long while. ¹⁰When the time came, he sent a servant^[b] to the tenants, so that ^(L)they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. ^(M)But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹^(N)And ^(O)he sent another servant. But they also beat and ^(P)treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹²^(Q)And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. ¹³Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my ^(R)beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ ¹⁴But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ^(S)‘This is the heir. ^(T)Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵And they ^(U)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶^(V)He will ^(W)come and destroy those tenants and ^(X)give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” ¹⁷But he ^(Y)looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

^(Z)“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?^[c]

¹⁸^(AA)Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls ^(AB)on anyone, it will crush him.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁹^(AC)The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. ²⁰^(AD)So they ^(AE)watched him and sent spies, who ^(AF)pretended to be sincere, that they might ^(AG)catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of ^(AH)the governor. ²¹So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and ^(AI)show no partiality,^[d] but truly teach ^(AJ)the way of God. ²²Is it lawful for us to give ^(AK)tribute to ^(AL)Caesar, or not?” ²³But he perceived their ^(AM)craftiness, and said to them, ²⁴“Show me ^(AN)a denarius.^[e] Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar's.” ²⁵He said to them, “Then ^(AO)render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” ²⁶And they were not able in the presence of the people ^(AP)to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

²⁷There came to him ^(AQ)some Sadducees, ^(AR)those who deny that there is a resurrection, ²⁸and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us ^(AS)that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man^[f] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰And the second ³¹and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. ³²Afterward the woman also died. ³³In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

³⁴And Jesus said to them, ^(AT)“The sons of this age ^(AU)marry and ^(AV)are given in marriage, ³⁵but those who are ^(AW)considered worthy to attain to ^(AX)that age and to the resurrection from the dead ^(AY)neither marry ^(AZ)nor are given in marriage, ³⁶for ^(BA)they cannot die anymore, because they are ^(BB)equal to angels and ^(BC)are ^(BD)sons of God, being ^(BE)sons^[g] of the resurrection. ³⁷But that the dead are raised, ^(BF)even Moses showed, in ^(BG)the passage about the bush, where he calls ^(BH)the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. ³⁸Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all ^(BI)live to him.” ³⁹Then some of the scribes ^(BJ)answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” ⁴⁰For ^(BK)they no longer dared to ask him any question.

Whose Son Is the Christ?

⁴¹^(BL)But he said to them, “How can they say that ^(BM)the Christ is ^(BN)David's son? ⁴²For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

^(BO)“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
⁴³ until I make your enemies ^(BP)your footstool.”’

⁴⁴David thus calls him Lord, so ^(BQ)how is he his son?”

Beware of the Scribes

⁴⁵^(BR)And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, ⁴⁶“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and ^(BS)the places of honor at feasts, ⁴⁷^(BT)who devour widows' houses and ^(BU)for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Footnotes

Luke 20:1 Greek he
Luke 20:10 Or bondservant; also verse 11
Luke 20:17 Greek the head of the corner
Luke 20:21 Greek and do not receive a face
Luke 20:24 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
Luke 20:28 Greek his brother
Luke 20:36 Greek huioi; see Preface

Isaiah 5

English Standard Version

The Vineyard of the Lord Destroyed

5 Let me sing for my beloved
    my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had ^(A)a vineyard
    on a very fertile hill.
²He dug it and cleared it of stones,
    and planted it with ^(B)choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
    and hewed out a wine vat in it;
and ^(C)he looked for it to yield grapes,
    but it yielded wild grapes.

³And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem
    and men of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
⁴^(D)What more was there to do for my vineyard,
    that I have not done in it?
^(E)When I looked for it to yield grapes,
    why did it yield wild grapes?

⁵And now I will tell you
    what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove ^(F)its hedge,
    and it shall be devoured;^[a]
^(G)I will break down its wall,
    and it shall be trampled down.
⁶I will make it a waste;
    it shall not be pruned or hoed,
    and ^(H)briers and thorns shall grow up;
^(I)I will also command the clouds
    that they rain no rain upon it.

⁷^(J)For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
    is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah
    are his pleasant planting;
and he looked for justice,
    but behold, bloodshed;^[b]
for righteousness,
    but behold, an outcry!^[c]

Woe to the Wicked

⁸Woe to those who ^(K)join house to house,
    who add field to field,
until there is no more room,
    and you are made to dwell alone
    in the midst of the land.
⁹The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing:
^(L)“Surely many houses shall be desolate,
    large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.
¹⁰^(M)For ten acres^[d] of vineyard shall yield but one bath,
    and a ^(N)homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.”^[e]

¹¹Woe to those who ^(O)rise early in the morning,
    that they may run after strong drink,
who tarry late into the evening
    as wine inflames them!
¹²^(P)They have lyre and harp,
    tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts,
^(Q)but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord,
    or see the work of his hands.

¹³Therefore my people go into exile
    ^(R)for lack of knowledge;^[f]
their ^(S)honored men go hungry,^[g]
    and their multitude is parched with thirst.
¹⁴Therefore Sheol has ^(T)enlarged its appetite
    and opened ^(U)its mouth beyond measure,
and the nobility of Jerusalem^[h] and her multitude will go down,
    her revelers and he who ^(V)exults in her.
¹⁵^(W)Man is humbled, and each one is brought low,
    and the eyes of the haughty^[i] are brought low.
¹⁶^(X)But the Lord of hosts is exalted^[j] in justice,
    and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.
¹⁷Then shall the lambs graze ^(Y)as in their pasture,
    and ^(Z)nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich.

¹⁸Woe to those who draw iniquity with ^(AA)cords of falsehood,
    who draw sin as with cart ropes,
¹⁹who say: ^(AB)“Let him be quick,
    let him speed his work
    that we may see it;
let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near,
    and let it come, that we may know it!”
²⁰Woe to ^(AC)those who call evil good
    and good evil,
^(AD)who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter!
²¹Woe to those who are ^(AE)wise in their own eyes,
    and shrewd in their own sight!
²²Woe to those who are ^(AF)heroes at drinking wine,
    and valiant men in mixing strong drink,
²³who ^(AG)acquit the guilty for a bribe,
    and deprive the innocent of his right!

²⁴Therefore, ^(AH)as the tongue of fire devours the stubble,
    and as dry grass sinks down in the flame,
so ^(AI)their root will be ^(AJ)as rottenness,
    and their blossom go up like dust;
for they have ^(AK)rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
    and have ^(AL)despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
²⁵Therefore ^(AM)the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
    and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them,
    and ^(AN)the mountains quaked;
and their corpses were ^(AO)as refuse
    in the midst of the streets.
^(AP)For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.

²⁶He will ^(AQ)raise a signal for nations far away,
    and ^(AR)whistle for them ^(AS)from the ends of the earth;
and behold, quickly, speedily they come!
²⁷^(AT)None is weary, none stumbles,
    none slumbers or sleeps,
not a waistband is loose,
    not a sandal strap broken;
²⁸^(AU)their arrows are sharp,
    all their bows bent,
their horses' hoofs seem like flint,
    and their wheels ^(AV)like the whirlwind.
²⁹Their roaring is like a lion,
    like young lions they roar;
they growl and ^(AW)seize their prey;
    they carry it off, and none can rescue.
³⁰They will growl over it on that day,
    like the growling of the sea.
And if one looks to the land,
    behold, ^(AX)darkness and distress;
and the light is darkened by its clouds.

Footnotes

Isaiah 5:5 Or grazed over; compare Exodus 22:5
Isaiah 5:7 The Hebrew words for justice and bloodshed sound alike
Isaiah 5:7 The Hebrew words for righteous and outcry sound alike
Isaiah 5:10 Hebrew ten yoke, the area ten yoke of oxen can plow in a day
Isaiah 5:10 A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters; a homer was about 6 bushels or 220 liters; an ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
Isaiah 5:13 Or without their knowledge
Isaiah 5:13 Or die of hunger
Isaiah 5:14 Hebrew her nobility
Isaiah 5:15 Hebrew high
Isaiah 5:16 Hebrew high

Jeremiah 21

English Standard Version

Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar

21 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him ^(A)Pashhur the son of Malchiah and ^(B)Zephaniah the priest, the son of ^(C)Maaseiah, saying, ²^(D)“Inquire of the Lord for us, ^(E)for Nebuchadnezzar^[a] king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to ^(F)all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”

³Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, ⁴‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ^(G)Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. ^(H)And I will bring them together into the midst of this city. ⁵I myself will fight against you ^(I)with outstretched hand and strong arm, ^(J)in anger and in fury and in great wrath. ⁶And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. ⁷Afterward, declares the Lord, ^(K)I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. ^(L)He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’

⁸“And to this people you shall say: ^(M)‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, ^(N)I set before you the way of life and the way of death. ⁹He who stays in this city shall die ^(O)by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and ^(P)surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live ^(Q)and shall have his life as a prize of war. ¹⁰For ^(R)I have set my face against this city for harm and ^(S)not for good, declares the Lord: ^(T)it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’

Message to the House of David

¹¹“And to the house of the king of Judah say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, ¹²O house of David! Thus says the Lord:

^(U)“‘Execute justice ^(V)in the morning,
    and deliver from the hand of the oppressor
    him who has been robbed,
^(W)lest my wrath go forth like fire,
    and burn with none to quench it,
    because of your evil deeds.’”

¹³^(X)“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,
    O rock of the plain,
declares the Lord;
you who say, ^(Y)‘Who shall come down against us,
    or who shall enter our habitations?’
¹⁴^(Z)I will punish you according to ^(AA)the fruit of your deeds,
declares the Lord;
    ^(AB)I will kindle a fire in her forest,
    ^(AC)and it shall devour all that is around her.”

Footnotes

Jeremiah 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, an alternate spelling of Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) occurring frequently from Jeremiah 21–52; this latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistency

Ezekiel 19

English Standard Version

A Lament for the Princes of Israel

19 And you, ^(A)take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, ²and say:

What was your mother? ^(B)A lioness!
    Among lions she crouched;
in the midst of young lions
    she reared her cubs.
³And she brought up one of her cubs;
    ^(C)he became a young lion,
^(D)and he learned to catch prey;
    he devoured men.
⁴The nations heard about him;
    ^(E)he was caught in their pit,
^(F)and they brought him with hooks
    to the land of Egypt.
⁵When she saw that she waited in vain,
    that her hope was lost,
^(G)she took another of her cubs
    and made him a young lion.
⁶He prowled among the lions;
    he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
    he devoured men,
⁷and seized^[a] their widows.
    He laid waste their cities,
and the land was appalled and all who were in it
    at the sound of his roaring.
⁸^(H)Then the nations set against him
    from provinces on every side;
^(I)they spread their net over him;
    ^(J)he was taken in their pit.
⁹With hooks ^(K)they put him in a cage^[b]
    and ^(L)brought him to the king of Babylon;
    they brought him into custody,
that his voice should no more be heard
    on ^(M)the mountains of Israel.

¹⁰Your mother was ^(N)like a vine in a vineyard^[c]
    planted by the water,
^(O)fruitful and full of branches
    ^(P)by reason of abundant water.
¹¹Its strong stems became
    rulers' scepters;
it towered aloft
    among the thick boughs;^[d]
it was seen in its height
    with the mass of its branches.
¹²But the vine was plucked up in fury,
    cast down to the ground;
^(Q)the east wind dried up its fruit;
    they were stripped off and withered.
As for its strong stem,
    fire consumed it.
¹³^(R)Now it is planted in the wilderness,
    in a dry and thirsty land.
¹⁴^(S)And fire has gone out from the stem of its shoots,
    has consumed its fruit,
^(T)so that there remains in it no strong stem,
    no scepter for ruling.