Luke 20:9–19

The Parable of the Tenant Farmers in the Vineyard

⁹And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man^a planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey for a long time. ¹⁰And 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. ¹²And he proceeded to send a third, but they wounded and^* threw out this one also. ¹³So the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ ¹⁴But 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!’ ¹⁵And they threw him out of the vineyard and^* killed him.^* What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶He will come and destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they^* heard this,^* they said, “May this never happen!” ¹⁷But 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

¹⁸Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls—it will crush him!” ¹⁹And 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.