Book of Common Prayer
The oath and the plot
12 The next morning, the Jews made a plot together. They swore an oath, binding themselves not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty of them who made this solemn vow with one another. 14 They went to the high priest and the elders.
“We have sworn a solemn and binding oath,” they said, “not to taste anything until we have killed Paul. 15 What you need to do is this: tell the tribune, with the Sanhedrin, to bring him down to you, as if you wanted to make a more careful examination of his case. And then, before he arrives, we’ll be ready to dispatch him.”
16 Paul’s nephew (his sister’s son) heard of the plot. He went off, entered the barracks, and told Paul about it. 17 Paul called one of the centurions.
“Take this young man to the tribune,” he said. “He’s got something to tell him.”
18 So he took him off and brought him to the tribune.
“Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you,” he said. “Apparently he’s got something to tell you.”
19 So the tribune took the young man by the hand, and led him off into a private room.
“What is it you have to tell me?” he asked.
20 “The Judaeans have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow,” he said. “It will look as if they’re wanting to make a more thorough investigation about him. 21 But don’t do what they want! There are more than forty men who are setting an ambush for him, and they’ve sworn a solemn oath not to eat or drink until they’ve killed him. They are ready right now, waiting for the word from you!”
22 So the tribune dismissed the lad.
“Don’t tell anyone at all that you’ve told me about this,” he said.
We have ways of keeping you safe
23 So the tribune summoned two of the centurions.
“Get ready a squad of two hundred,” he said. “They’re going to Caesarea. Also take seventy horsemen and two hundred light-armed guards. They leave at nine o’clock tonight. 24 Get horses ready for Paul to ride, and take him safely to Felix the governor.”
The authority of Jesus is questioned
27 Once more they went into Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple he was approached by the chief priests, the legal experts and the elders.
28 “By what right do you do these things?” they asked. “Who gave you the right to do them?”
29 “I have one question for you, too,” replied Jesus, “and if you tell me the answer I shall tell you by what right I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven, or was it a human invention? What’s your answer?”
31 “Well now,” they muttered to each other, “if we say it was from heaven, he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say it was a human invention . . .” They were afraid of the crowd, because everyone regarded John as a prophet.
33 “We don’t know,” they said to Jesus.
“Nor will I tell you,” replied Jesus, “by what right I do these things.”
The parable of the tenants
12 Jesus began to speak to them with parables.
“Once upon a time,” he began, “there was a man who planted a vineyard. He built a fence around it, dug out a wine-press, built a watchtower, and then let it out to tenant farmers. He himself went abroad. 2 When the time came he sent a slave to the farmers to collect from them his portion of the vineyard’s produce. 3 They seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
4 “So again he sent another slave to them. This one they beat about the head, and treated shamefully. 5 He sent another, and they killed him. He sent several more; they beat some and killed others.
6 “He had one more to send: his beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But the tenant farmers said to themselves, ‘This is the heir! Come on—let’s kill him, and we’ll get the inheritance!’ 8 So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “So what will the vineyard owner do? He will come and destroy those tenants, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Or haven’t you read the scripture which says,
There is the stone the builders refused;
now it’s in place at the top of the corner.
11 This was the way the Lord planned it;
we were astonished to see it.”
12 They tried to find a way of arresting him, because they realized he had directed the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd. They left him and went away.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.