Luke 20:9-19

World English Bible

⁹ He began to tell the people this parable. “A ^[a] man planted a vineyard, and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time. ¹⁰ At the proper season, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him, and sent him away empty. ¹¹ He sent yet another servant, and they also beat him, and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. ¹² He sent yet a third, and they also wounded him, and threw him out. ¹³ The lord of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be that seeing him, they will respect him.’

¹⁴ “But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵ Then they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.”

When they heard that, they said, “May that never be!”

¹⁷ But he looked at them and said, “Then what is this that is written,

¹⁹ The chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on him that very hour, but they feared the people—for they knew he had spoken this parable against them.