Luke 20
New King James Version
Jesus’ Authority Questioned(A)
20 Now (B)it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him 2 and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, (C)by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?”
3 But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: 4 The (D)baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?”
5 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why [a]then did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, (E)for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it was from.
8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers(F)
9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: (G)“A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to [b]vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. 10 Now at [c]vintage-time he (H)sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.
13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ 14 But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the (I)heir. Come, (J)let us kill him, that the inheritance may be (K)ours.’ 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and (L)killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to (M)others.”
And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”
17 Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
(N)‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone’?
18 Whoever falls on that stone will be (O)broken; but (P)on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
19 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they [d]feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.
The Pharisees: Is It Lawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar?(Q)
20 (R)So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.
21 Then they asked Him, saying, (S)“Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23 But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, [e]“Why do you test Me? 24 Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”
They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”
25 And He said to them, (T)“Render[f] therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
26 But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.
The Sadducees: What About the Resurrection?(U)
27 (V)Then some of the Sadducees, (W)who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 28 saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second [g]took her as wife, and he died childless. 31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven [h]also; and they left no children, and died. 32 Last of all the woman died also. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.”
34 Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are (X)counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die anymore, for (Y)they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, (Z)being sons of the resurrection. 37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord (AA)‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for (AB)all live to Him.”
39 Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 But after that they dared not question Him anymore.
Jesus: How Can David Call His Descendant Lord?(AC)
41 And He said to them, (AD)“How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? 42 Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms:
(AE)‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
43 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’
44 Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; (AF)how is He then his Son?”
Beware of the Scribes(AG)
45 (AH)Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, 46 (AI)“Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, (AJ)love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 47 (AK)who devour widows’ houses, and for a (AL)pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
Footnotes
- Luke 20:5 NU, M omit then
- Luke 20:9 tenant farmers
- Luke 20:10 Lit. the season
- Luke 20:19 M were afraid—for
- Luke 20:23 NU omits Why do you test Me?
- Luke 20:25 Pay
- Luke 20:30 NU omits the rest of v. 30.
- Luke 20:31 NU, M also left no children
Luke 20
New American Standard Bible
Jesus’ Authority Questioned
20 (A)On one of the days while (B)He was teaching the people in the temple and (C)preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders (D)confronted Him, 2 and they declared, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?” 3 But He replied to them, “I will also ask you a [a]question, and you tell Me: 4 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” 5 They discussed among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, since they are convinced that John was a (E)prophet.” 7 And so they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.”
Parable of the Vine-growers
9 (F)But He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to [b]vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. 10 At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he proceeded to send another slave; but they beat him also and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he proceeded to send a third; but this one too they wounded and threw out. 13 Now the [c]owner of the vineyard said, ‘What am I to do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will (G)respect him.’ 14 But when the vine-growers saw him, they discussed with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let’s kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 And so they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the [d]owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and (H)put these vine-growers to death, and will give the vineyard to others.” However, when they heard this, they said, “(I)May it never happen!” 17 But [e]Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what is this statement that has been written:
18 (L)Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”
Paying Taxes to Caesar
19 The scribes and the chief priests (M)tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and yet they feared the people; for they were aware that He had spoken this parable against them. 20 (N)And so they watched Him [g]closely, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order (O)that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could hand Him over to the jurisdiction and authority of (P)the governor. 21 And the spies questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You [h]are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God on the basis of truth. 22 Is it [i]permissible for us (Q)to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 23 But He saw through their trickery and said to them, 24 “Show Me a [j]denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25 And He said to them, “Then (R)pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26 And they were unable to (S)catch Him in a statement in the presence of the people; and they were amazed at His answer, and said nothing.
Is There a Resurrection?
27 (T)Now some of the (U)Sadducees (who maintain that there is no resurrection) came to Him, 28 and they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that (V)if [k]a man’s brother dies, [l]leaving a wife, and he is childless, that his brother is to [m]marry the wife and raise up children [n]for his brother. 29 So then, there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless; 30 and the second 31 and the third [o]married her; and in the same way [p]all seven [q]died, leaving no children. 32 Finally the woman also died. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, [r]which one’s wife does the woman become? For [s]all seven [t]married her.”
34 Jesus said to them, “The sons of (W)this age marry and the women are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to (X)that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 for they cannot even die anymore, for they are like angels, and are (Y)sons of God, being [u]sons of the resurrection. 37 But as for the fact that the dead are raised, even Moses revealed this in (Z)the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord (AA)the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 (AB)Now He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for (AC)all live to Him.” 39 Some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 For (AD)they did not have the courage to question Him any longer about anything.
41 (AE)But He said to them, “How is it that they say the [v]Christ is (AF)David’s son? 42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms,
‘(AG)The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
43 (AH)Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’
44 Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and so how is He his son?”
45 (AI)And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, (AJ)who like to walk around in long robes, and love personal greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 47 who [w]devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”
Footnotes
- Luke 20:3 Lit word
- Luke 20:9 Or tenant farmers, also vv 10, 14, 16
- Luke 20:13 Lit lord
- Luke 20:15 Lit lord
- Luke 20:17 Lit He
- Luke 20:17 Lit head of the corner
- Luke 20:20 Or maliciously
- Luke 20:21 Lit do not receive a face
- Luke 20:22 I.e., by Jewish law and tradition
- Luke 20:24 The denarius was a day’s wages for a laborer
- Luke 20:28 Lit someone’s brother
- Luke 20:28 Lit having
- Luke 20:28 Lit take
- Luke 20:28 I.e., as his brother’s heir
- Luke 20:31 Lit took
- Luke 20:31 Lit the seven also
- Luke 20:31 Lit left no children, and died
- Luke 20:33 Lit of which of them
- Luke 20:33 Lit the seven
- Luke 20:33 Lit had her as wife
- Luke 20:36 I.e., participants in
- Luke 20:41 I.e., Messiah
- Luke 20:47 I.e., misappropriate their property
Luke 20
Good News Translation
The Question about Jesus' Authority(A)
20 One day when Jesus was in the Temple teaching the people and preaching the Good News, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, together with the elders, came 2 and said to him, “Tell us, what right do you have to do these things? Who gave you such right?”
3 Jesus answered them, “Now let me ask you a question. Tell me, 4 did John's right to baptize come from God or from human beings?”
5 They started to argue among themselves, “What shall we say? If we say, ‘From God,’ he will say, ‘Why, then, did you not believe John?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From human beings,’ this whole crowd here will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered, “We don't know where it came from.”
8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.”
The Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard(B)
9 (C)Then Jesus told the people this parable: “There was once a man who planted a vineyard, rented it out to tenants, and then left home for a long time. 10 When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest. But the tenants beat the slave and sent him back without a thing. 11 So he sent another slave; but the tenants beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him back without a thing. 12 Then he sent a third slave; the tenants wounded him, too, and threw him out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my own dear son; surely they will respect him!’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the owner's son. Let's kill him, and his property 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 the tenants?” Jesus asked. 16 “He will come and kill those men, and turn the vineyard over to other tenants.”
When the people heard this, they said, “Surely not!”
17 (D)Jesus looked at them and asked, “What, then, does this scripture mean?
‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless
turned out to be the most important of all.’
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be cut to pieces; and if that stone falls on someone, that person will be crushed to dust.”
The Question about Paying Taxes(E)
19 The teachers of the Law and the chief priests tried to arrest Jesus on the spot, because they knew that he had told this parable against them; but they were afraid of the people. 20 So they looked for an opportunity. They bribed some men to pretend they were sincere, and they sent them to trap Jesus with questions, so that they could hand him over to the authority and power of the Roman Governor. 21 These spies said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is right. We know that you pay no attention to anyone's status, but teach the truth about God's will for people. 22 Tell us, is it against our Law for us to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, or not?”
23 But Jesus saw through their trick and said to them, 24 “Show me a silver coin. Whose face and name are these on it?”
“The Emperor's,” they answered.
25 So Jesus said, “Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God.”
26 There before the people they could not catch him in a thing, so they kept quiet, amazed at his answer.
The Question about Rising from Death(F)
27 (G)Then some Sadducees, who say that people will not rise from death, came to Jesus and said, 28 (H)“Teacher, Moses wrote this law for us: ‘If a man dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man's brother must marry the widow so that they can have children who will be considered the dead man's children.’ 29 Once there were seven brothers; the oldest got married and died without having children. 30 Then the second one married the woman, 31 and then the third. The same thing happened to all seven—they died without having children. 32 Last of all, the woman died. 33 Now, on the day when the dead rise to life, whose wife will she be? All seven of them had married her.”
34 Jesus answered them, “The men and women of this age marry, 35 but the men and women who are worthy to rise from death and live in the age to come will not then marry. 36 They will be like angels and cannot die. They are the children of God, because they have risen from death. 37 (I)And Moses clearly proves that the dead are raised to life. In the passage about the burning bush he speaks of the Lord as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 He is the God of the living, not of the dead, for to him all are alive.”
39 Some of the teachers of the Law spoke up, “A good answer, Teacher!” 40 For they did not dare ask him any more questions.
The Question about the Messiah(J)
41 Jesus asked them, “How can it be said that the Messiah will be the descendant of David? 42 (K)For David himself says in the book of Psalms,
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit here at my right side
43 until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet.’
44 David called him ‘Lord’; how, then, can the Messiah be David's descendant?”
Jesus Warns against the Teachers of the Law(L)
45 As all the people listened to him, Jesus said to his disciples, 46 “Be on your guard against the teachers of the Law, who like to walk around in their long robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplace; who choose the reserved seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts; 47 who take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers! Their punishment will be all the worse!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
