Matthew 21:33-46 - The Parable Of The Tenant Farmers In The Vineyard

³³ "Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a wall around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went abroad. ³⁴ When harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenant farmers to collect his produce. ³⁵ But the farmers took his servants and beat one, killed another, and attacked another with stones. ³⁶ Again, he sent other servants to them, a greater number than the first, but the tenant farmers treated them the same way. ³⁷ Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, "They will respect my son.'

³⁸ But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they told one another, "This is the heir. Come on, let's kill him and get his inheritance!' ³⁹ So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. ⁴⁰ Now when the owner of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those farmers?"

⁴¹ They told him, "He will put those horrible men to a horrible death. Then he will lease the vineyard to other farmers who will give him his produce at harvest time."

⁴² Jesus asked them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes.'?

⁴³ That is why I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce fruit for it. ⁴⁴ The person who falls over this stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush anyone on whom it falls."

⁴⁵ When the high priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was talking about them. ⁴⁶ Although they wanted to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.

¹ Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went abroad. ² At the right time, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect from them a share of the produce from the vineyard. ³ But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him, and sent him back empty-handed. ⁴ Again, the man sent another servant to them. They beat the servant over the head and treated him shamefully. ⁵ Then the man sent another, and that one they killed. So it was with many other servants. Some of these they beat, and others they killed.

⁶ He still had one more person to send, a son whom he loved. Finally, he sent him to them, saying, "They will respect my son.'

⁷ But those farmers told one another, "This is the heir. Come on, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!' ⁸ So they grabbed him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹ "Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, execute the farmers, and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Haven't you ever read this Scripture: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. ¹¹ This was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'?"

¹² They were trying to arrest him but were afraid of the crowd. Realizing that he had spoken this parable against them, they left him alone and went away.

⁹ Then he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and went abroad for a long time. ¹⁰ At the right time he sent a servant to the farmers in order to get his share of the produce of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him back empty-handed. ¹¹ He sent another servant, and they beat him, too, treated him shamefully, and sent him back empty-handed. ¹² Then he sent a third, and they wounded him and threw him out, too.

¹³ "Then the owner of the vineyard said, "What should I do? I'll send my son whom I love. Maybe they'll respect him.'

¹⁴ But when the farmers saw him, they talked it over among themselves and said, "This is the heir. Let's kill him so that the inheritance will be ours!' ¹⁵ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy those farmers and give the vineyard to others." Those who heard him said, "That must never happen!"

¹⁷ But Jesus looked at them and asked, "What does this text mean: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."

¹⁹ When the scribes and the high priests realized that Jesus had told this parable about them, they wanted to arrest him right then, but they were afraid of the crowd.