Psalm 118

Jesus at the Temple^(A)

⁴⁵ When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. ⁴⁶ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’^[a];^(B) but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’^[b]”^(C)

⁴⁷ Every day he was teaching at the temple.^(D) But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.^{(E) 48} Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

The Authority of Jesus Questioned^(F)

20 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts^(G) and proclaiming the good news,^(H) the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. ² “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”^(I)

³ He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: ⁴ John’s baptism^(J)—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

⁵ They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people^(K) will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”^(L)

⁷ So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”

⁸ Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

The Parable of the Tenants^(M)

⁹ He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard,^(N) rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time.^{(O) 10} At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. ¹² He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love;^(P) perhaps they will respect him.’

¹⁴ “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ¹⁵ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and kill those tenants^(Q) and give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”

¹⁷ Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”^(S)

¹⁹ The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him^(T) immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.^(U)