Parable of the Landowner

33 “Listen to another parable. aThere was a 1landowner who bplanted a cvineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to 2vine-growers and dwent on a journey.

34 “When the 1harvest time approached, he asent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce.

35 “The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third.

36 “Again he asent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them.

37 “But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

38 “But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’

39 “They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40 “Therefore when the 1owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?”

41 They * said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and awill rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.”

42 Jesus * said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,

‘aThe stone which the builders rejected,

This became the chief corner stone;

This came about from the Lord,

And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a 1people, producing the fruit of it.

44 “And ahe who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.

46 When they sought to seize Him, they afeared the 1people, because they considered Him to be a bprophet.