The Parable of the Tenants

20:9–19pp—Mt 21:33–46; Mk 12:1–12

9 He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard,m rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time.n 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love;o perhaps they will respect him.’

14 “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So 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 kill those tenantsp and give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”