THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD OWNER

9 Nowc he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard,d leased it to tenant farmers, and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers so that they might give him some fruit from the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent yet another servant, but they beat that one too, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third, but they wounded this one too and threw him out.

13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my belovede son. PerhapsA they will respect him.’

14 “But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’f 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 killg those farmers and give the vineyard to others.”

But when they heard this they said, “That must never happen!”h

17 But he looked at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of this Scripture:B,i

The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone?C,j

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.”k

19 Then the scribes and the chief priestsl looked for a way to get their hands on himm that very hour, because they knew he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.n