Mark 12
Legacy Standard Bible
Parable of the Vine-Growers
12 (A)And He began to speak to them in parables: “(B)A man (C)planted a vineyard and put a [a]wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and rented it out to [b]vine-growers and went on a journey. 2 And at the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vine-growers. 3 And they took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 And again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others. 6 He had one more, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 And they took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the [c]owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not even read this Scripture:
‘(D)The stone which the builders rejected,
This has become the chief corner stone;
11 (E)This came about from the [d]Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 (F)And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the crowd, for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so (G)they left Him and went away.
Taxes to Caesar
13 (H)Then they *sent some of the Pharisees and (I)Herodians to Him in order to (J)trap Him in a statement. 14 And they *came and *said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and [e]defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it [f]lawful to pay a tax to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we pay or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a [g]denarius to look at.” 16 And they brought one. And He *said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus said to them, “(K)Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they [h]were amazed at Him.
The Sadducees and the Resurrection
18 (L)Then some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) *came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that (M)if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and leaves no child, his brother should [i]marry the wife and raise up a seed for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; and the first [j]married a wife, and died leaving no [k]seed. 21 And the second one [l]married her, and died leaving behind no seed; and the third likewise; 22 and so [m]all seven left no seed. Last of all the woman died also. 23 In the resurrection, [n]when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For [o]all seven [p]had married her.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not [q]understand the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 But [r]regarding the fact that the dead are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, (N)in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘(O)I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 (P)He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”
The Foremost Commandment
28 (Q)And when one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, he (R)recognized that He had answered them well and asked Him, “What commandment is the [s]foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘(S)Hear, O Israel! The [t]Lord our God is one [u]Lord; 30 (T)and you shall love the [v]Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘(U)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that (V)He is One, and there is no one else besides Him; 33 (W)and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, (X)is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Y)After that, no one would dare to ask Him any more questions.
35 (Z)And Jesus began to say, as He (AA)taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the [w]Christ is the (AB)son of David? 36 David himself said [x]in the Holy Spirit,
‘(AC)The [y]Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet.”’
37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And (AD)the large crowd [z]enjoyed listening to Him.
38 (AE)And in His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who want to walk around in long robes, and want (AF)respectful greetings in the marketplaces, 39 and best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 40 (AG)who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”
The Widow’s Offering
41 (AH)And He sat down opposite (AI)the treasury, and began observing how the crowd was (AJ)putting [aa]money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two [ab]lepta, which amount to a [ac]quadrans. 43 And calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those putting money into the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their [ad]surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, [ae]all she had (AK)to live on.”
Footnotes
- Mark 12:1 Or fence
- Mark 12:1 Or tenant farmers, so in vv 2, 7, 9
- Mark 12:9 Lit lord
- Mark 12:11 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Ps 118:23
- Mark 12:14 You do not seek anyone’s favor; lit it is not a concern to You about anyone
- Mark 12:14 Or permissible
- Mark 12:15 A Roman silver coin, approx. a laborer’s daily wage
- Mark 12:17 Or were greatly marveling
- Mark 12:19 Lit take
- Mark 12:20 Lit took
- Mark 12:20 Or offspring
- Mark 12:21 Lit took
- Mark 12:22 Lit the seven
- Mark 12:23 Early mss omit when they rise again
- Mark 12:23 Lit the seven
- Mark 12:23 Lit had her as a wife
- Mark 12:24 Or know
- Mark 12:26 Lit concerning the dead, that they rise
- Mark 12:28 Or first
- Mark 12:29 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Deut 6:4
- Mark 12:29 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Deut 6:4
- Mark 12:30 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Deut 6:5
- Mark 12:35 Messiah
- Mark 12:36 Or by
- Mark 12:36 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Ps 110:1
- Mark 12:37 Lit was gladly hearing Him
- Mark 12:41 Copper coins
- Mark 12:42 Smallest Greek copper coin, approx. 1/128 of a laborer’s daily wage
- Mark 12:42 A Roman copper coin, approx. 1/64 of a laborer’s daily wage
- Mark 12:44 Or abundance
- Mark 12:44 Lit her whole livelihood
Mark 12
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
12 Then he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went away.(A) 2 When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. 5 Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;[a](B)
11 this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?”
12 When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away.(C)
The Question about Paying Taxes
13 Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said.(D) 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere and show deference to no one, for you do not regard people with partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay them, or should we not?” But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.” 16 And they brought one. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this and whose title?” They answered, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.(E)
The Question about the Resurrection
18 Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man[b] shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.(F) 20 There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children, 21 and the second married the widow[c] and died, leaving no children, and the third likewise; 22 none of the seven left children. Last of all the woman herself died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise,[d] whose wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”
24 Jesus said to them, “Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when people rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.(G) 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?(H) 27 He is God not of the dead but of the living; you are quite wrong.”
The First Commandment
28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”(I) 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one;(J) 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”(K) 32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’;(L) 33 and ‘to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”(M) 34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.(N)
The Question about David’s Son
35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah[e] is the son of David?(O) 36 David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’(P)
37 “David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.(Q)
Jesus Denounces the Scribes
38 As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces(R) 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
The Widow’s Offering
41 He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.(S) 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.(T) 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.