Mark 12
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
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 wine press, and built a watch-tower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 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]
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.
The Question about Paying Taxes
13 Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. 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 the emperor, 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, ‘The emperor’s.’ 17 Jesus said to them, ‘Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were utterly amazed at him.
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. 20 There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children; 21 and the second married her 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[c] whose wife will she be? For the 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 they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 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”? 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?’ 29 Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 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 neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ 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”; 33 and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s neighbour as oneself”,—this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ 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.
The Question about David’s Son
35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, ‘How can the scribes say that the Messiah[d] is the son of David? 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.’”
37 David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?’ And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.
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 market-places, 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour 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. 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. 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.’
Footnotes
- Mark 12:10 Or keystone
- Mark 12:19 Gk his brother
- Mark 12:23 Other ancient authorities add when they rise
- Mark 12:35 Or the Christ
Mark 12
International Standard Version
The Parable about the Tenant Farmers(A)
12 Then Jesus[a] began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went abroad. 2 At the right time, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect from them a share of the produce from the vineyard. 3 But the farmers[b] grabbed the servant,[c] beat him, and sent him back empty-handed. 4 Again, the man[d] sent another servant to them. They beat the servant[e] over the head and treated him shamefully. 5 Then the man[f] sent another, and that one they killed. So it was with many other servants.[g] Some of these they beat, and others they killed. 6 He still had one more person to send,[h] a son whom he loved. Finally, he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those farmers told one another, ‘This is the heir. Come on, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 So they grabbed him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, execute the farmers, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you ever read this Scripture:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.[i]
11 This was the Lord’s[j] doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?”[k]
12 They were trying to arrest him but were afraid of the crowd. Realizing that he had spoken this parable against them, they left him alone and went away.
A Question about Paying Taxes(B)
13 Then they sent some Pharisees and some Herodians[l] to him, intending to trap him in what he said. 14 They came and told him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere. You don’t favor any individual, because you pay no attention to external appearance. Instead, you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or shouldn’t we?”
15 Seeing through their hypocrisy, Jesus[m] replied to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”
16 So they brought one. Then he asked them, “Whose face and name are on this?”
They told him, “Caesar’s.”
17 So Jesus told them, “Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.
A Question about the Resurrection(C)
18 Then some Sadducees, who claim there is no resurrection, came to Jesus[n] and asked him, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no child, he should marry the widow and have children for his brother.[o] 20 There were seven brothers. The first one married and died without having children. 21 Then the second married her and died without having children, and so did the third. 22 None of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died, too. 23 In the resurrection, whose wife will she be, since all seven had married her?”[p]
24 Jesus answered them, “Aren’t you mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power? 25 When people[q] rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven. 26 As for the dead being raised, haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?[r] 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
The Greatest Commandment(D)
28 Then one of the scribes came near and heard the Sadducees[s] arguing with one another. He saw how well Jesus[t] answered them, so he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of them all?”
29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord[u] our God is one Lord,[v] 30 and you must love the Lord[w] your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’[x] 31 The second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’[y] No other commandment is greater than these.”
32 Then the scribe told him, “Well said,[z] Teacher! You have told the truth that ‘God[aa] is one, and there is no other besides him.’[ab] 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw how wisely the man[ac] answered, he told him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one dared to ask him another question.
A Question about David’s Son(E)
35 While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he asked, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah[ad] is David’s son? 36 David himself said by the Holy Spirit,
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ so how can he be his son?” And the large crowd kept listening to him with delight.
Jesus Denounces the Scribes(F)
38 As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes! They like to walk around in long robes, to be greeted in the marketplaces, 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses[ag] and say long prayers to cover it up. They will receive greater condemnation!”
The Widow’s Offering(G)
41 As Jesus[ah] sat facing the offering box, he watched how the crowd was dropping their money into it.[ai] Many rich people were dropping in large amounts. 42 Then a destitute widow came and dropped in two small copper coins,[aj] worth about a cent.[ak] 43 He called his disciples and told them, “I tell all of you[al] with certainty, this destitute widow has dropped in more than everyone who is contributing to the offering box, 44 because all of them contributed out of their surplus, but out of her poverty she has given everything she had to live on.”
Footnotes
- Mark 12:1 Lit. he
- Mark 12:3 Lit. they
- Mark 12:3 Lit. him
- Mark 12:4 Lit. he
- Mark 12:4 Lit. him
- Mark 12:5 Lit. he
- Mark 12:5 Lit. with many others
- Mark 12:6 The Gk. lacks more person to send
- Mark 12:10 Or capstone
- Mark 12:11 MT source citation reads Lord’s
- Mark 12:11 Cf. Ps 118:22-23
- Mark 12:13 I.e. Royal party sympathizers
- Mark 12:15 Lit. he
- Mark 12:18 Lit. him
- Mark 12:19 Cf. Deut 25:5-6
- Mark 12:23 Lit. had her as wife
- Mark 12:25 Lit. they
- Mark 12:26 Cf. Exod 3:6
- Mark 12:28 Lit. heard them
- Mark 12:28 Lit. he
- Mark 12:29 MT source citation reads Lord
- Mark 12:29 MT source citation reads Lord
- Mark 12:30 MT source citation reads Lord
- Mark 12:30 Cf. Deut 6:4-5
- Mark 12:31 Cf. Lev 19:18
- Mark 12:32 The Gk. lacks said
- Mark 12:32 Lit. he
- Mark 12:32 Cf. Deut 6:4
- Mark 12:34 Lit. he
- Mark 12:35 Or Christ
- Mark 12:36 MT source citation reads Lord
- Mark 12:36 Cf. Ps 110:1; other mss read until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’
- Mark 12:40 I.e. rob widows by taking their houses
- Mark 12:41 Lit. he
- Mark 12:41 Lit. into the offering box
- Mark 12:42 Lit. two lepta, the smallest coin denominated in their economy
- Mark 12:42 Lit. quadrans, worth ¼ of the Roman assarion coin, or about 1/10 of a day’s wage
- Mark 12:43 The Gk. pronoun you is pl.
Mark 12
King James Version
12 And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.
3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.
5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.'
8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.
10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
11 This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
12 And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.
13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.
14 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
15 Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.
16 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's.
17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.
18 Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,
19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.
21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.
22 And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also.
23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?
25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.
28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
35 And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?
36 For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,
39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:
40 Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.
41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
Mark 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.
The Pharisees: Is It Lawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar?(G)
13 (H)Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. 14 When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and [d]care about no one; for You do not [e]regard the person of men, but teach the (I)way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?”
But He, knowing their (J)hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” 16 So they brought it.
And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
17 And Jesus answered and said to them, [f]“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to (K)God the things that are God’s.”
And they marveled at Him.
The Sadducees: What About the Resurrection?(L)
18 (M)Then some Sadducees, (N)who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: 19 “Teacher, (O)Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. 22 So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. 23 Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore [g]mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but (P)are like angels in heaven. 26 But concerning the dead, that they (Q)rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, (R)‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly [h]mistaken.”
The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?(S)
28 (T)Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, [i]perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the [j]first commandment of all?”
29 Jesus answered him, “The [k]first of all the commandments is: (U)‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall (V)love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ [l]This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: (W)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than (X)these.”
32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, (Y)and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, [m]with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, (Z)is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
(AA)But after that no one dared question Him.
Jesus: How Can David Call His Descendant Lord?(AB)
35 (AC)Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? 36 For David himself said (AD)by the Holy Spirit:
(AE)‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’
37 Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his (AF)Son?”
And the common people heard Him gladly.
Beware of the Scribes(AG)
38 Then (AH)He said to them in His teaching, (AI)“Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, (AJ)love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 the (AK)best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 (AL)who devour widows’ houses, and [n]for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
The Widow’s Two Mites(AM)
41 (AN)Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money (AO)into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two [o]mites, which make a [p]quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that (AP)this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, (AQ)her whole livelihood.”
Footnotes
- Mark 12:1 tenant farmers
- Mark 12:4 NU omits and at him they threw stones
- Mark 12:7 tenant farmers
- Mark 12:14 Court no man’s favor
- Mark 12:14 Lit. look at the face of men
- Mark 12:17 Pay
- Mark 12:24 Or deceived
- Mark 12:27 Or deceived
- Mark 12:28 NU seeing
- Mark 12:28 foremost
- Mark 12:29 foremost
- Mark 12:30 NU omits the rest of v. 30.
- Mark 12:33 NU omits with all the soul
- Mark 12:40 for appearance’ sake
- Mark 12:42 Gr. lepta, very small copper coins
- Mark 12:42 A Roman coin
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
