Matthew 21:33-46
The Parable of the Vineyard Owner
33 “Listen(A) to another parable:(B) There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower.(C) He leased it to tenant farmers and went away.(D)
34 When the grape harvest(a) drew near, he sent his slaves to the farmers to collect his fruit.
35 But the farmers took his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.(E)
36 Again, he sent other slaves, more than the first group, and they did the same to them.
37 Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance!’(F)
39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40 Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”
41 “He will completely destroy those terrible men,” they told Him, “and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his produce at the harvest.”(b)(G)
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
Footnotes:
a.
Matthew 21:34: Lit the season of fruits
b.
Matthew 21:41: Lit him the fruits in their seasons
c.
Matthew 21:42: Lit the head of the corner
e.
Matthew 21:43: the kingdom’s
f.
Matthew 21:44: Other mss omit bracketed text
g.
Matthew 21:46: the crowds