Matthew 21:33-42
New Living Translation
Parable of the Evil Farmers
33 “Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. 34 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. 35 But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.
37 “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’
38 “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 39 So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.
40 “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?”
41 The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.”
42 Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.’[a]
Footnotes
Matthew 21:33-42
English Standard Version
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?” 41 They said to him, (N)“He will put those wretches to a miserable death and (O)let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus said to them, (P)“Have you never read in the Scriptures:
(Q)“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;[b]
this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Footnotes
- Matthew 21:34 Or bondservants; also verses 35, 36
- Matthew 21:42 Greek the head of the corner
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
