Matthew 21:33-46

New Testament for Everyone

The parable of the tenants

³³ “Listen to another parable,” Jesus went on. “Once upon a time there was a householder who planted a vineyard, built a wall for it, dug out a wine-press in it, and built a tower. Then he let it out to tenant farmers and went away on a journey.

³⁴ “When harvest time arrived, he sent his slaves to the farmers to collect his produce. ³⁵ The farmers seized his slaves; they beat one, killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶ Again he sent other slaves, more than before, and they treated them in the same way. ³⁷ Finally he sent his son to them.

“ ‘They’ll respect my son,’ he said.

³⁸ “But the farmers saw the son.

“ ‘This fellow’s the heir!’ they said among themselves. ‘Come on, let’s kill him, and then we can take over the property!’

³⁹ “So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

⁴⁰ “Now then: when the vineyard-owner returns, what will he do to those farmers?”

⁴¹ “He’ll kill them brutally, the wretches!” they said. “And he’ll lease the vineyard to other farmers who’ll give him the produce at the right time.”

⁴² “Did you never read what the Bible says?” said Jesus to them:

⁴³ “So then let me tell you this: God’s kingdom is going to be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the goods. ⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be smashed to pieces, and anyone it falls on will be crushed.”

⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew he was talking about them. ⁴⁶ They tried to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who regarded him as a prophet.