33 [a]Hear another parable, There was a certain householder, (A)which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and made a winepress therein, and [b]built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a strange country.

34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen to receive the fruits thereof.

35 And the husbandmen took his servants and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first: and they did the like unto them.

37 But last of all he sent unto them his own son, saying, They will reverence my son.

38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, (B)This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and let us [c]take his inheritance.

39 So they took him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

40 When therefore the Lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those husbandmen?

41 They said unto him, He will [d]cruelly destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall deliver him the fruits in their seasons.

42 Jesus said unto them, Read ye never in the Scriptures, (C)The stone which the [e]builders refused, the same is [f]made the [g]head of the corner? [h]This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation, which shall bring forth the [i]fruits thereof.

44 (D)And whosoever shall fall on this stone, he shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will [j]dash him in pieces.

45 And when the chief Priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

46 [k]And they seeking to lay hands on him, feared the people, because they took him as a Prophet.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 21:33 Those men oftentimes are the cruelest enemies of the Church, to whose fidelity it is committed: But the vocation of God, is neither tied to time, place, nor person.
  2. Matthew 21:33 Made the place strong: For a tower is the strongest place of a wall.
  3. Matthew 21:38 Word for word, let us hold it fast.
  4. Matthew 21:41 A kind of proverb, showing what end the wicked are worthy of.
  5. Matthew 21:42 Master builders, which are chief builders of the house, that is, of the Church.
  6. Matthew 21:42 Began to be.
  7. Matthew 21:42 The chiefest stone in the corner is called the head of the corner, which beareth up the couplings or joints of the whole building.
  8. Matthew 21:42 That matter (in that the stone which was cast away, is made the head) is the Lord’s doing, which we behold and greatly marvel at.
  9. Matthew 21:43 They bring forth the fruits of the kingdom of God, which bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, and not of the flesh, Gal. 5.
  10. Matthew 21:44 As chaff used to be scattered with the wind, for he useth a word which signifieth properly, to separate the chaff from the corn with winnowing, to scatter it abroad.
  11. Matthew 21:46 The wicked can do nothing, but what God will.

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