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

³³ "Listen to another story. There was once an owner of an estate who planted a vineyard and built a fence around it, and hewed out a wine-vat in it, and built a tower, and rented it to tenant farmers, and then went abroad. ³⁴ But when the time for gathering grapes was near, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his rent. ³⁵ But the tenants took his slaves and beat the first one, killed the second, and stoned the third. ³⁶ Again he sent other slaves, and more than at first, and they treated them exactly the same way. ³⁷ At last he sent his son to them, for he said to himself, 'They will surely respect my son.'

³⁸ But when the tenants saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is his heir, come on, let us kill him, and get all that is coming to him!' ³⁹ So they took him and drove him out of the vineyard and murdered him. ⁴⁰ Now when the owner of the estate comes back, what will he do to these tenants?"

⁴¹ They answered, "In vengeance he will put the scoundrels to death, and rent the vineyard to other tenants who will promptly pay him the rent."

⁴² Then Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: 'That stone which the builders threw away has become the cornerstone; this is the work of the Lord and seems wonderful to us!'

⁴³ "This, I tell you, is why the kingdom will be taken away from you, and given to a people who will pay a fair rent for it. ⁴⁴ Who ever falls upon that stone will be broken to pieces, but whomever it falls upon will be crushed to powder."

⁴⁵ When the high priests and the Pharisees heard His stories, they knew that He was speaking about them, ⁴⁶ but although they were trying to have Him arrested, they were afraid of the people, for they considered Him a prophet.

¹ Then He began to speak to them in stories. "A man once planted a vineyard and fenced it in and hewed out a wine-vat and built a watchtower; then he rented it to tenant farmers, and went abroad. ² At the proper time he sent a slave to the tenants to collect his part of the grape crop. ³ But they took him and beat him and sent him back empty-handed. ⁴ And again he sent another slave to them, and they beat his head and treated him shamefully. ⁵ Then he sent a third one, and they killed him, and many others, some of whom they beat, some they killed.

⁶ He had one more to send, his dearly loved son; at last he sent him to them, for he said to himself, 'They will surely respect my son.'

⁷ But those tenants said among themselves, 'This is his heir; come on, let us kill him, and all that is coming to him will be ours.' ⁸ So they took him and killed him, and threw his body outside the vineyard.

⁹ Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come back and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Have you never read this passage of Scripture: "'That stone which the builders threw away has now become the cornerstone; ¹¹ This is the work of the Lord, and seems wonderful to us'?"

¹² Then they were trying to have Him arrested, but they were afraid of the people, for they knew that He aimed this story at them. And so they left Him and went away.

⁹ Then He went on to tell the people the following story: "Once upon a time a man planted a vineyard and leased it to tenant farmers, and then went abroad for a long stay. ¹⁰ So at the proper time He sent a slave to the tenants, that they might pay him his part of the grape-crop, but the tenants beat him and sent him back empty-handed. ¹¹ Then again he sent another slave, and they beat him and insulted him, and sent him back empty-handed. ¹² And again he sent a third slave, and they wounded him and threw him out of the vineyard.

¹³ Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my dearly loved son. They will, I should think, respect him.'

¹⁴ But when the tenants saw him, they argued among themselves, 'This is the heir; let us kill him, so that what he inherits may be ours.' ¹⁵ So they drove him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and put those tenants to death and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "May it never be so!"

¹⁷ But He glanced at them and said, "Then what does this Scripture mean: 'That stone which the builders threw away has now become the cornerstone'?

¹⁸ Everyone who falls upon that stone will be shattered, and he on whom it falls will be crushed to dust."

¹⁹ Then the scribes and the high priests tried to arrest Him at that very hour, but they were afraid of the people, for they knew that He meant this story for them.