The Parable of the Tenants

^33 (A)“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted ^(B)a vineyard ^(C)and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and ^(D)leased it to tenants, and ^(E)went into another country. ³⁴ When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants^[a] to the tenants ^(F)to get his fruit. ^35 (G)And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and ^(H)stoned another. ^36 (I)Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. ³⁷ Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ^(J)‘This is the heir. Come, ^(K)let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ ³⁹ And they took him and ^(L)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ^40 (M)When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

^3 (A)Blessed be ^(B)the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing ^(C)in the heavenly places, ^4 (D)even as he ^(E)chose us in him ^(F)before the foundation of the world, that we should be ^(G)holy and blameless before him. In love ^5 (H)he predestined us^[a] for ^(I)adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, ^(J)according to the purpose of his will, ^6 (K)to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in ^(L)the Beloved. ^7 (M)In him we have ^(N)redemption ^(O)through his blood, ^(P)the forgiveness of our trespasses, ^(Q)according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ^9 (R)making known^[b] to us the mystery of his will, ^(S)according to his purpose, which he ^(T)set forth in Christ ¹⁰ as a plan for ^(U)the fullness of time, ^(V)to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

¹¹ In him we have obtained ^(W)an inheritance, ^(X)having been predestined ^(Y)according to the purpose of him who works all things according to ^(Z)the counsel of his will, ¹² so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be ^(AA)to the praise of his glory. ¹³ In him you also, when you heard ^(AB)the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, ^(AC)were sealed with the ^(AD)promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is ^(AE)the guarantee^[c] of our ^(AF)inheritance until ^(AG)we acquire ^(AH)possession of it,^{[d] (AI)}to the praise of his glory.