Luke 20-21

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

20 One day as Jesus was instructing the people in the temple [^[a]porches] and preaching the good news (the Gospel), the chief priests and the scribes came up with the elders (members of the Sanhedrin)

² And said to Him, Tell us by what [sort of] authority You are doing these things? Or who is it who gave You this authority?

³ He replied to them, I will also ask you a question. Now answer Me:

⁴ Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men?

⁵ And they argued and discussed [it] and reasoned together ^[b]with themselves, saying, If we reply, From heaven, He will say, Why then did you not believe him?

⁶ But if we answer, From men, all the people will stone us ^[c]to death, for they are ^[d]long since firmly convinced that John was a prophet.

⁷ So they replied that they did not know from where it came.

⁸ Then Jesus said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

⁹ Then He began to relate to the people this parable (^[e]this story to figuratively portray what He had to say): A man planted a vineyard and leased it to some vinedressers and went into another country for a long stay.^(A)

¹⁰ When the [right] season came, he sent a bond servant to the tenants, that they might give him [his part] of the fruit of the vineyard; but the tenants beat (^[f]thrashed) him and sent him away empty-handed.

¹¹ And he sent still another servant; him they also beat (^[g]thrashed) and dishonored and insulted him ^[h]disgracefully and sent him away empty-handed.

¹² And he sent yet a third; this one they wounded and threw out [of the vineyard].

¹³ Then the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; it is ^[i]probable that they will respect him.

¹⁴ But when the tenants saw him, they argued among themselves, saying, This is the heir; let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.

¹⁵ So they drove him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

¹⁶ He will come and [^[j]utterly] put an end to those tenants and will give the vineyard to others. When they [the chief priests and the scribes and the elders] heard this, they said, May it never be!

¹⁷ But [Jesus] looked at them and said, What then is [the meaning of] this that is written: The [very] Stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Stone of the corner [Cornerstone]?^(B)

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that Stone will be broken [in pieces]; but upon whomever It falls, It will crush him [winnow him and ^[k]scatter him as dust].^(C)

¹⁹ The scribes and the chief priests desired and tried to find a way to arrest Him at that very hour, but they were afraid of the people; for they discerned that He had related this parable against them.

²⁰ So they watched [for an opportunity to ensnare] Him, and sent spies who pretended to be upright (honest and sincere), that they might lay hold of something He might say, so as to turn Him over to the control and authority of the governor.

²¹ They asked Him, Teacher, we know that You speak and teach what is right, and that You show no partiality to anyone but teach the way of God honestly and in truth.

²² Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar or not?

²³ But He recognized and understood their cunning and ^[l]unscrupulousness and said to them,

²⁴ Show Me a denarius (a coin)! Whose image and inscription does it have? They answered, Caesar’s.

²⁵ He said to them, Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, ^[m]and to God the things that are God’s.

²⁶ So they could not in the presence of the people take hold of anything He said to turn it against Him; but marveling at His reply, they were silent.

²⁷ Also there came to Him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection.

²⁸ And they asked Him a question, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote for us [a law] that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife and no children, the man shall take the woman and raise up offspring for his brother.^(D)

²⁹ Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died without [having any] children.

³⁰ And the second

³¹ And then the third took her, and in like manner all seven, and they died, leaving no children.

³² Last of all, the woman died also.

³³ Now in the resurrection whose wife will the woman be? For the seven married her.

³⁴ And Jesus said to them, The people of this world and present age marry and are given in marriage;

³⁵ But those who are considered worthy to gain that other world and that future age and to attain to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage;

³⁶ For they cannot die again, but they are ^[n]angel-like and ^[o]equal to angels. And being sons of and ^[p]sharers in the resurrection, they are sons of God.

³⁷ But that the dead are raised [^[q]from death]—even Moses made known and showed in the passage concerning the [burning] bush, where he calls the Lord, The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.^(E)

³⁸ Now He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all men are alive [whether in the body or out of it] and they are alive [not dead] unto Him [in definite relationship to Him].

³⁹ And some of the scribes replied, Teacher, you have spoken well and expertly [^[r]so that there is no room for blame].

⁴⁰ For they did not dare to question Him further.

⁴¹ But He asked them, How can people say that the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is David’s Son?

⁴² For David himself says in [the] Book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand

⁴³ Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.^(F)

⁴⁴ So David calls Him Lord; how then is He his Son?

⁴⁵ And with all the people listening, He said to His disciples,

⁴⁶ Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in long robes and love to be saluted [with honor] in places where people congregate and love the front and best seats in the synagogues and places of distinction at feasts,

⁴⁷ Who make away with and devour widows’ houses, and [to cover it up] with pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation (the heavier sentence, the severer punishment).

21 Looking up, [Jesus] saw the rich people putting their gifts into the treasury.

² And He saw also a poor widow putting in two mites (copper coins).

³ And He said, Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them;

⁴ For they all gave out of their abundance (their surplus); but she has contributed out of her lack and her want, putting in all that she had on which to live.

⁵ And as some were saying of the temple that it was decorated with handsome (shapely and magnificent) stones and consecrated offerings [^[s]laid up to be kept], He said,

⁶ As for all this that you [thoughtfully] look at, the time will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.

⁷ And they asked Him, Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when this is about to occur?

⁸ And He said, Be on your guard and be careful that you are not led astray; for many will come in My name [^[t]appropriating to themselves the name Messiah which belongs to Me], saying, I am He! and, The time is at hand! Do not go out after them.

⁹ And when you hear of wars and insurrections (disturbances, disorder, and confusion), do not become alarmed and panic-stricken and terrified; for all this must take place first, but the end will not [come] immediately.

¹⁰ Then He told them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.^(G)

¹¹ There will be mighty and violent earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences (plagues: ^[u]malignant and contagious or infectious epidemic diseases which are deadly and devastating); and there will be sights of terror and great signs from heaven.

¹² But previous to all this, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, turning you over to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be led away before kings and governors for My name’s sake.

¹³ This will be a time (an opportunity) for you to bear testimony.

¹⁴ Resolve and settle it in your minds not to meditate and prepare beforehand how you are to make your defense and how you will answer.

¹⁵ For I [Myself] will give you a mouth and such utterance and wisdom that all of your foes combined will be unable to stand against or refute.

¹⁶ You will be delivered up and betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and [some] of you they will put to death.

¹⁷ And you will be hated (despised) by everyone because [you bear] My name and for its sake.

¹⁸ But not a hair of your head shall perish.^(H)

¹⁹ By your steadfastness and patient endurance you ^[v]shall win the ^[w]true life of your souls.

²⁰ But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know and understand that its desolation has come near.

²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside [the city] get out of it, and let not those who are out in the country come into it;

²² For those are days of vengeance [of rendering full justice or satisfaction], that all things that are written may be fulfilled.

²³ Alas for those who are pregnant and for those who have babies which they are nursing in those days! For great misery and anguish and distress shall be upon the land and indignation and punishment and retribution upon this people.

²⁴ They will fall by ^[x]the mouth and the edge of the sword and will be led away as captives to and among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (completed).^(I)

²⁵ And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth [there will be] distress (trouble and anguish) of nations in bewilderment and perplexity [^[y]without resources, left wanting, embarrassed, in doubt, not knowing which way to turn] at the roaring (^[z]the echo) of the tossing of the sea,^(J)

²⁶ Men swooning away or expiring with fear and dread and apprehension and expectation of the things that are coming on the world; for the [very] powers of the heavens will be shaken and ^[aa]caused to totter.

²⁷ And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great (transcendent and overwhelming) power and [all His kingly] glory (majesty and splendor).^(K)

²⁸ Now when these things begin to occur, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption (deliverance) is drawing near.

²⁹ And He told them a parable: Look at the fig tree and all the trees;

³⁰ When they put forth their buds and come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and perceive and know that summer is already near.

³¹ Even so, when you see these things taking place, understand and know that the kingdom of God is at hand.

³² Truly I tell you, this generation (^[ab]those living at that definite period of time) will not perish and pass away until all has taken place.

³³ The ^[ac]sky and the earth (^[ad]the universe, the world) will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

³⁴ But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down) with the ^[ae]giddiness and headache and ^[af]nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [the ^[ag]business of] this life, and [lest] that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose;

³⁵ For it will come upon all who live upon the face of the entire earth.

³⁶ Keep awake then and watch at all times [be discreet, attentive, and ready], praying that you may have the full strength and ability and be accounted worthy to escape all these things [taken together] that will take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man.

³⁷ Now in the daytime Jesus was teaching in [^[ah]the porches and courts of] the temple, but at night He would go out and stay on the mount called Olivet.

³⁸ And early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple [^[ai]porches or courts] to listen to Him.