Mark 12:1-14 ▼

1 And He began to speak to them in parables: |A man PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT, AND DUG A VAT UNDER THE WINE PRESS AND BUILT A TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey.

2 |At the [harvest] time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive [some] of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers.

3 |They took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

4 |Again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.

5 |And he sent another, and that one they killed; and [so with] many others, beating some and killing others.

6 |He had one more [to send], a beloved son; he sent him last [of all] to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

7 |But those vine-growers said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!'

8 |They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

9 |What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others.

10 |Have you not even read this Scripture: THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER [stone];

11 THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES'?|

12 And they were seeking to seize Him, and [yet] they feared the people, for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And [so] they left Him and went away.

13 Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement.

14 They came and said to Him, |Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?