The Parable of the Vineyard Owner

⁹ Now^(A) he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard,^(B) leased it to tenant farmers, and went away for a long time. ¹⁰ At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers so that they might give him some fruit from the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ He sent yet another servant, but they beat that one too, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And he sent yet a third, but they wounded this one too and threw him out.

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved^(C) son. Perhaps^[a] they will respect him.’

¹⁴ “But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’^{(D) 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^(E) those farmers and give the vineyard to others.”

But when they heard this they said, “That must never happen!” ^(F)

¹⁷ But he looked at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of this Scripture:^[b](G)

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.”^(I)

¹⁹ Then the scribes and the chief priests^(J) looked for a way to get their hands on him^(K) that very hour, because they knew he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.^(L)