Luke 19:45–21:38
45 And he entered into the temple courts* and* began to drive out those who were selling, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘And my house will be a house of prayer,’m but you have made it a cave of robbers!”
47 And he was teaching every day in the temple courts,* and the chief priests and the scribes and the most prominent men of the people were seeking to destroy him. 48 And they did not find anything they could do, because all the people were paying close attention to what they were hearing from him.
20 And it happened that on one of the days while* he was teaching the people in the temple courts* and proclaiming the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes approached together with the elders 2 and said, saying to him, “Tell us, by what authority you are doing these things, or who is the one who gave you this authority? 3 And he answered and* said to them, “I also will ask you a question, and you tell me: 4 The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? 5 And they discussed this* with one another, saying, “If we say ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 And they replied that they did not know where it was from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
The Parable of the Tenant Farmers in the Vineyard
9 And he began to tell the people this parable: “A mana planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey for a long time. 10 And at the proper time he sent a slave to the tenant farmers, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenant farmers sent him away empty-handed after* beating him.* 11 And he proceeded to send another slave, but they beat and dishonored that one also, and* sent him* away empty-handed. 12 And he proceeded to send a third, but they wounded and* threw out this one also. 13 So the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when* the tenant farmers saw him, they began to reason* with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him so that the inheritance will become ours!’ 15 And 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 destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they* heard this,* they said, “May this never happen!” 17 But he looked intently at them and* said, “What then is this that is written:
‘The stone which the builders rejected,
this has become ⌊the cornerstone⌋.’b
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls—it will crush him!” 19 And the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay their* hands on him at that same hour, and they were afraid of the people, for they knew that he had told this parable with reference to them.
20 And they watched him* closely and* sent spies who pretended they were upright, in order that they could catch him in a statement, so that they could hand him over to the authority and the jurisdiction of the governor. 21 And they asked him, saying, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and do not ⌊show partiality⌋,c but teach the way of God in truth. 22 Is it permitted for us to pay taxesd to Caesar or not?” 23 But seeing through their craftiness, he said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius! Whose image and inscription does it have?” And they answered and* said,e “Caesar’s.” 25 So he said to them, “Well then, give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!” 26 And they were not able to catch him*f in a statement in the sight of the people, and astonished at his answer, they became silent.
A Question About Marriage and the Resurrection
27 Now some of the Sadducees—who deny ⌊that there is a resurrection⌋g—came up and* asked him, 28 saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us if someone’s brother dies having a wife, and this man is childless, that his brother should take the wife and ⌊father⌋h descendants for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers, and the first took a wife and* died childless, 30 and the second, 31 and the third took her, and likewise also the seven did not leave children and died. 32 Finally the woman also died. 33 Therefore in the resurrection, the woman—whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36 for they are not even able to die any longer, because they are like the angels and are sons of God, because they* are sons of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses revealed in the passage about* the bush, when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him!” 39 And some of the scribes answered and* said, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 For they no longer dared to ask him anything.
41 But he said to them, “In what sense do they say that the Christ is David’s son? 42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
a footstool for your feet.” ’i
44 David therefore calls him ‘Lord,’ and how is he his son?”
Warning to Beware of the Scribes
45 And while* all the people were listening, he said to the disciples,j 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets, 47 who devour the houses of widows and pray lengthy prayers for the sake of appearance. These will receive more severe condemnation!”
21 And he looked up and* saw the rich putting their gifts into the contribution box, 2 and he saw a certain poor widow putting in there two small copper coins.a 3 And he said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow put in more than all of them. 4 For these all put gifts* into the offering out of their abundance, but this woman out of her poverty put in all the means of subsistence that she had.”
The Destruction of the Temple Predicted
5 And while* some were speaking about the temple, that it was adorned with precious stones and votive offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see—days will come in which not one stone will be left on another stone that will not be thrown down!”
7 And they asked him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8 And he said, Watch out that you are not deceived! For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them! 9 And when you hear about wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end will not be at once.” 10 Then he said to them, “nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes and famines and plagues in various places. There will be terrible sights and great signs from heaven.
Persecution of Disciples Predicted
12 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you,* handing you* over to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before* kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will turn out to you for a time of witness. 14 ⌊Therefore make up your minds⌋b not to prepare in advance to speak in your own defense, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom that all your opponents will not be able to resist or contradict. 16 And you will be handed over even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put to death some of you. 17 And you will be hated by all because of my name. 18 Even a hair of your head will never perish! 19 By your patient endurance you will gain your lives.
20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those ⌊inside it⌋c must depart, and those in the fields must not enter into it, 22 because these are days of vengeance, so that all the things that are written can be fulfilled. 23 Woe to those ⌊who are pregnant⌋d and to those who are nursing their babies* in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people, 24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations,e and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
25 “And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity from the noise of the sea and its surging, 26 people fainting from fear and expectation of what is coming on the inhabited earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.f 27 And then they will see the Son of Man arriving in a cloudg with power and great glory. 28 But when* these things begin to happen, stand up straight and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near!”
29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they put out foliage,* now you see for yourselves and* know that by this time the summer is near. 31 So also you, when you see these things happening, knowh that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I say to you that this generation will never pass away until all things take place! 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
34 “But take care for yourselves, lest your hearts are …