Parable of the Vine-growers

9 aAnd He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to 1vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time.

10 “At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

11 “And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed.

12 “And he proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out.

13 “The 1owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will arespect him.’

14 “But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’

15 “So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the 1owner of the vineyard do to them?

16 “He will come and adestroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “bMay it never be!”