Mark 12:1
New King James Version
The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers(A)
12 Then (B)He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to [a]vinedressers and went into a far country.
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- Mark 12:1 tenant farmers
Mark 13:34
New King James Version
34 (A)It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave (B)authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.
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Isaiah 5:1-4
New King James Version
God’s Disappointing Vineyard
5 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved
A song of my Beloved (A)regarding His vineyard:
My Well-beloved has a vineyard
[a]On a very fruitful hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also [b]made a winepress in it;
(B)So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.
3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
(C)Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
4 What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in (D)it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
Footnotes
- Isaiah 5:1 Lit. In a horn, the son of fatness
- Isaiah 5:2 Lit. hewed out
Mark 4:2
New King James Version
2 Then He taught them many things by parables, (A)and said to them in His teaching:
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Matthew 25:14
New King James Version
The Parable of the Talents(A)
14 (B)“For the kingdom of heaven is (C)like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
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Romans 11:17-24
New King James Version
17 And if (A)some of the branches were broken off, (B)and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and [a]fatness of the olive tree, 18 (C)do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of (D)unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, [b]goodness, (E)if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise (F)you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, (G)if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
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- Romans 11:17 richness
- Romans 11:22 NU adds of God
Mark 4:33-34
New King James Version
Jesus’ Use of Parables
33 (A)And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, (B)He explained all things to His disciples.
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Psalm 80:8-16
New King James Version
8 You have brought (A)a vine out of Egypt;
(B)You have cast out the [a]nations, and planted it.
9 You prepared room for it,
And caused it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.
10 The hills were covered with its shadow,
And the [b]mighty cedars with its (C)boughs.
11 She sent out her boughs to [c]the Sea,
And her branches to [d]the River.
12 Why have You (D)broken down her [e]hedges,
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
13 The boar out of the woods uproots it,
And the wild beast of the field devours it.
14 Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
(E)Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine
15 And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,
And the branch that You made strong (F)for Yourself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
(G)They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
Footnotes
- Psalm 80:8 Gentiles
- Psalm 80:10 Lit. cedars of God
- Psalm 80:11 The Mediterranean
- Psalm 80:11 The Euphrates
- Psalm 80:12 walls or fences
Romans 9:4-5
New King James Version
4 who are Israelites, (A)to whom pertain the adoption, (B)the glory, (C)the covenants, (D)the giving of the law, (E)the service of God, and (F)the promises; 5 (G)of whom are the fathers and from (H)whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, (I)who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
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Romans 3:1-2
New King James Version
God’s Judgment Defended
3 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because (A)to them were committed the [a]oracles of God.
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- Romans 3:2 sayings, Scriptures
Acts 7:46-47
New King James Version
46 (A)who found favor before God and (B)asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. 47 (C)But Solomon built Him a house.
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Luke 20:9-19
New King James Version
The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers(A)
9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: (B)“A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to [a]vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. 10 Now at [b]vintage-time he (C)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 (D)heir. Come, (E)let us kill him, that the inheritance may be (F)ours.’ 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and (G)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 (H)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:
(I)‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone’?
18 Whoever falls on that stone will be (J)broken; but (K)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 [c]feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.
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- Luke 20:9 tenant farmers
- Luke 20:10 Lit. the season
- Luke 20:19 M were afraid—for
John 15:1-8
New King James Version
The True Vine
15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 (A)Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He [a]takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear (B)more fruit. 3 (C)You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 (D)Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much (E)fruit; for without Me you can do (F)nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, (G)he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words (H)abide in you, (I)you[b] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 (J)By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; (K)so you will be My disciples.
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Luke 19:12
New King James Version
12 (A)Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.
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Luke 15:13
New King James Version
13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with [a]prodigal living.
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- Luke 15:13 wasteful
Luke 13:6-9
New King James Version
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 He also spoke this parable: (A)“A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it [a]use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 [b]And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can (B)cut it down.’ ”
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Luke 8:10
New King James Version
10 And He said, “To you it has been given to know the [a]mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that
(A)‘Seeing they may not see,
And hearing they may not understand.’
Footnotes
- Luke 8:10 secret or hidden truths
Mark 12:1-12
New King James Version
The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers(A)
12 Then (B)He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to [a]vinedressers and went into a far country. 2 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent them another servant, [b]and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. 5 And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, (C)beating some and killing some. 6 Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those [c]vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and (D)killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.
9 “Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not even read this Scripture:
(E)‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
11 This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 (F)And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.
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Mark 4:11-13
New King James Version
11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to (A)know the [a]mystery of the kingdom of God; but to (B)those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that
(C)‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”
The Parable of the Sower Explained(D)
13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
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- Mark 4:11 secret or hidden truths
Matthew 21:28-22:14
New King James Version
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my (A)vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to Him, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, (B)“Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For (C)John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; (D)but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward [a]relent and believe him.
The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers(E)
33 “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner (F)who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and (G)went into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 (H)And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. 37 Then last of all he sent his (I)son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, (J)‘This is the heir. (K)Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 (L)So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”
41 (M)They said to Him, (N)“He will destroy those wicked men miserably, (O)and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will [b]render to him the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
(P)‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I say to you, (Q)the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And (R)whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, (S)it will grind him to powder.”
45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they [c]perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they (T)feared the multitudes, because (U)they took Him for a prophet.
The Parable of the Wedding Feast(V)
22 And Jesus answered (W)and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; (X)my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them [d]spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out (Y)his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not (Z)worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 10 So those servants went out into the highways and (AA)gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there (AB)who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was (AC)speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, [e]take him away, and cast him (AD)into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 (AE)“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 21:32 regret it
- Matthew 21:41 give
- Matthew 21:45 knew
- Matthew 22:6 insolently
- Matthew 22:13 NU omits take him away, and
Matthew 13:34-35
New King James Version
Prophecy and the Parables
34 (A)All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
(B)“I will open My mouth in parables;
(C)I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
Matthew 13:10-15
New King James Version
The Purpose of Parables(A)
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11 He answered and said to them, “Because (B)it has been given to you to know the [a]mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 (C)For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
(D)‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not (E)perceive;
15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears (F)are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have (G)closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I [b]should (H)heal them.’
Footnotes
- Matthew 13:11 secret or hidden truths
- Matthew 13:15 NU, M would
Ezekiel 20:49
New King James Version
49 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak (A)parables?’ ”
Read full chapterScripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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