³⁴ When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants^[a] to the tenants ^(A)to get his fruit.

¹⁰ When the time came, he sent a servant^[a] to the tenants, so that ^(A)they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. ^(B)But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ^11 (C)And ^(D)he sent another servant. But they also beat and ^(E)treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ^12 (F)And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. ¹³ Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my ^(G)beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ ¹⁴ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ^(H)‘This is the heir. ^(I)Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵ And they ^(J)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ^16 (K)He will ^(L)come and destroy those tenants and ^(M)give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” ¹⁷ But he ^(N)looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

^18 (P)Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls ^(Q)on anyone, it will crush him.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

^19 (R)The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

³ Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: ^(A)Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and ^(B)I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. ^4 (C)Do not be like your fathers, ^(D)to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^(E)Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But ^(F)they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. ⁵ Your fathers, where are they? And ^(G)the prophets, do they live forever? ^6 (H)But my words and my statutes, which I commanded ^(I)my servants the prophets, did they not ^(J)overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, ^(K)‘As the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us for ^(L)our ways and ^(M)deeds, so has he dealt with us.’”

² When the season came, he sent a servant^[a] to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. ^3 (A)And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ^4 (B)Again ^(C)he sent to them another servant, and ^(D)they struck him on the head and ^(E)treated him shamefully. ^5 (F)And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.

³ and ^(A)sent his servants^[a] to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.

⁹ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^(A)Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, ^10 (B)do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, ^(C)or the poor, and ^(D)let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” ¹¹ But ^(E)they refused to pay attention ^(F)and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.^{[a] 12 (G)}They made their hearts diamond-hard ^(H)lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent ^(I)by his Spirit through ^(J)the former prophets. ^(K)Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. ^13 (L)“As I^[b] called, and they would not hear, ^(M)so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts,

¹⁵ I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them ^(A)persistently, saying, ^(B)‘Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and ^(C)do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers.’ ^(D)But you did not incline your ear or listen to me.

³ “For twenty-three years, ^(A)from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken ^(B)persistently to you, ^(C)but you have not listened. ^4 (D)You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord ^(E)persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, ⁵ saying, ^(F)‘Turn now, every one of you, ^(G)from his evil way and evil deeds, and ^(H)dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. ^6 (I)Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, ^(J)or provoke me to anger ^(K)with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’ ^7 (L)Yet you have not listened to me, declares the Lord, ^(M)that you might provoke me to anger ^(N)with the work of your hands to your own harm.