Matthew 21:23–46

^23lAnd when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, ^mBy what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? ²⁴And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they ^mreasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? ²⁶But if we shall say, Of men; ⁿwe fear the people; for all hold John as ^oa prophet. ²⁷And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. ^28pBut what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day ^qin my vineyard. ²⁹He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he ^rrepented, and went. ³⁰And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. ³¹Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the ^spublicans and the ^tharlots go into the kingdom of God before you. ³²For John came unto you ^uin the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the ^xpublicans and the harlots ^xbelieved him: and ye, when ye had seen it, ^qrepented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

³³Hear another parable: ^yThere was a certain householder, which planted ^za vineyard, and ^ahedged it round about, and ^adigged a winepress in it, and ^abuilt a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and ^bwent into a far country: ³⁴And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, ^cthat they might receive the fruits of it. ³⁵And the husbandmen took his servants, and ^dbeat one, and ^ekilled another, and ^fstoned another. ³⁶Again, he sent ^gother servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. ³⁷But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will ^hreverence my son. ³⁸But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is ⁱthe heir; come, ^jlet us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. ^39kAnd they caught him, and cast him ^lout of the vineyard, and slew him. ⁴⁰When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? ⁴¹They say unto him, ^mHe will miserably destroy those wicked men, ⁿand will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. ⁴²Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, ^oThe stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? ⁴³Therefore say I unto you, ^pThe kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. ⁴⁴And whosoever ^qshall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, ^rit will grind him to powder. ⁴⁵And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. ⁴⁶But ^swhen they sought to lay hands on him, ^tthey feared the multitude, because they took him for ^ua prophet.